Grand finale to be held in Mumbai on January 26
90-day cultural initiative to begin in Mumbai and Pune from tomorrow
Opportunity for friends and families to showcase their artistic talents
Mumbai, October 2026: With the aim of keeping Maharashtra’s rich folk culture, traditions and artistic heritage alive throughout the year rather than limiting them to the Ganesh festival, a 90-day cultural initiative titled ‘Bappa’s Katta’ will be organised in Mumbai and Pune as the next phase of the bappa.org initiative.
Beginning Thursday, October 29, 2026, the initiative will provide a platform for Maharashtra’s cultural traditions with the participation of Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar and Shripad Ashtekar of Bappa.org.
Taking forward Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s vision of bringing Maharashtra’s cultural heritage to every household, the initiative will give ordinary families, groups of friends and colleagues an opportunity to showcase their artistic talents. The cultural platform will feature ukhanas (traditional rhyming verses), Mangala Gaur games, Bhondla, Powada, folk arts, proverbs and antakshari, along with performances blending traditional and contemporary art forms.
The programmes will be held at Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai and Fergusson College Road (FC Road) in Pune. Participants will be able to present performances related to Maharashtra’s folk culture within three minutes during events held every Sunday evening.
Pairs comprising family members, friends, colleagues, students and teachers, or people living together, will be eligible to participate. At least one member of each pair must be between 18 and 35 years of age. Performances may be presented in any Indian language, but must include at least one line in Marathi.
There will be no entry fee for participation. Interested participants must send a 30-second audition video to the WhatsApp number +91 91361 72681 of bappa.org. A total of 16 pairs will be selected from each city every week.
Winners will be selected through public voting conducted on WhatsApp. Each mobile number will be permitted to cast one vote per week.
In each city, the first-, second- and third-place winners of the weekly competition will receive cash prizes of ₹5,000, ₹3,000 and ₹2,000, respectively. They will also be presented with gold, silver and bronze Modak Trophies. Every programme will be streamed live on YouTube. Celebrity co-hosts will join the events each week to encourage the performers.
Inaugural Ceremonies Tomorrow
The inaugural ceremony in Mumbai will be held at Bandra Bandstand at 7 pm on Thursday, October 29, while the event in Pune will take place at FC Road at 10 am.
The initiative will recognise and honour families that are helping preserve Maharashtra’s folk arts, traditions and cultural heritage.
From Sunday, November 15, 2026, to January 24, 2027, programmes will be held every Sunday from 7 pm to 10 pm. Audiences can look forward to performances based on a wide range of themes, including fun activities between siblings, ukhanas, Mangala Gaur and Bhondla, dialect-based competitions, proverb-based games, folk arts, hip-hop, Powada and rap, scenes from old Marathi plays, and special ukhanas associated with tilgul, a traditional sesame-and-jaggery sweet.
The grand finale of the initiative will be held on Republic Day, Tuesday, January 26, 2027, at Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai, with a live telecast in Pune as well. On the occasion, Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar will present the ‘Kaladhipati Trophy’, while a special ‘Modak of 64 Arts’ will be presented at moonrise.
The primary objective of ‘Bappa’s Katta’ is to pass Maharashtra’s folk arts and cultural traditions on to the younger generation while actively involving ordinary citizens in preserving this heritage.
Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar and Ashtekar have appealed to residents of Mumbai and Pune to attend the cultural programmes and encourage the participating artists.
