Shilpa Puntambekar

Great granddaughters of the legendary Late Pandit Bhaskarbua Bakhale, without whose mention the realm of Indian classical music would be incomplete, Shilpa Datar Puntambekar and Savani Datar Kulkarni could not have asked for a richer legacy. They were privileged to have access to rare recordings of Master Krishnarao and Balgandharva, both disciples of their great grandfather. The cousin sisters grew up attending live performances of stalwarts like Pt. Mallikarjun Mansoor, Pt. Gajananbuwa Joshi, Pt. Ram Marathe, Swararaj Chhota Gandharva, Manik Varma and Balasaheb Mate.

At the same time they continued learning vocal music from their fathers Sudhir and Suhas Datar. Their talent blossomed in Pune Bharat Gayan Samaj, established by Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale himself in 1911.

Shilpa ans Savni, the talented daughters of Pune, have done their post graduation in music from the SNDT University. In recent months, they have designed 'Virasat', a performance based on rare and special compositions by Bhaskarbuwa, pieces from Marathi musicals and also light music.

Shilpa has participated in several stage performances and has presented her talent on prestigious platforms including NCPA, Gaanvardhan and Dadar-Matunga Cultural Centre to name a few.

Savani has been part of several musical shows and enjoys performing the lead role in acclaimed Marathi musicals.