This year being the 25th Death Anniversary of Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande, Dr. Vasantrao Deshpande Pratisthan will felicitate 5 senior artists at VASANT UTSAV.

To be held from the 8th to 10th February 2008, VASANT UTSAV will see performances by consummate artists of international repute. The objective behind organizing this festival is not just to present world class music to the audience of Pune, but also to recognize those individuals, who have made invaluable and significant contributions to the field of music. This year the Pratisthan has chosen to felicitate five such individuals. They are: Dr. Sureshchandra Nadkarni, Pandit Yashwantbua Joshi, Pandit Baburao Rele, Ustad Shamim Ahmed and Mubarak Begum. As a token of appreciation and gratitude, the Pratisthan will award them with a Citation and Rupees One Lakh each.