Makarand Deshpande's theatre group, Ansh, completed 30 years, and this year's festival's theme is interesting as well. Their theme is to fuse Bhav, Raag, and Taal (Bha, Ra, Ta), which they believe is integral to the craft of theatre. The six-day festival kicked off with a collaborative performance by Sitar Maestro Niladri Kumar and Makarand Deshpande - Janm.

The audience was absolutely enthralled by the performance and gave it a standing ovation. The music by Sitar Maestro Niladari Kumar was captivating and created the emotions that the narrative required. To add to the brilliant music, master storyteller Makarand Deshpande crafted and performed the story to perfection. Veteran actor and theatre enthusiast Sudhir Pandey came to show support for the festival along with Varun Badola, Nagesh Bhonsle, and Trishla Patel.