Bhubaneswar, Feb. 15: Music connoisseurs were in for a treat with flute maestro Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia sharing experiences and memories from his musical life at an event titled Hari Rang Hari Sang organised here yesterday.

Chaurasia spoke about his journey in Bollywood and also shared anecdotes from his early days in the musical industry.

The programme marked the completion of five years of his musical academy Vrindavan Gurukul, which was set up in 2010 by Chaurasia to revive the ancient guru-shishya tradition.

At the event, students of the gurukul churned out enchanting renditions on the flute based on raga Hansadhwani.

The group included a number of international flautists from France, Sweden, Italy and Israel and a few others from various states of India such as Gujarat, Assam, Jharkhand, Bengal and Odisha.

A video on Pandit Chaurasia was also screened. In the video, prominent artistes including musical legends such as as Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Khayyam spoke about their experiences of working with the flute maestro.

A number of popular songs such as Paan khaye saiyan hamaro, Aha rimjhim ke yeh pyare pyare and Phir wohi shaam in which the maestro had played the flute were presented by vocalists Nazia Alam, Abhijeet, Bibhavari and Manoj.

An elated Chaurasia while talking about his love for Odisha said: 'I have received a lot of warmth and love from this state. I grew as a musician working for years at the All-India Radio, Cuttack, and I have a lot of memories attached to it. Moreover, I am extremely fond of the culture and traditions of this place and I love to visit Puri often.'

That the 76-year old flautist had composed a number of popular Odia songs such as Sagare adhira nila taranga and Saathire mu je jana na kaha bata was a revelation for many who had turned up for the event.

Pandit Chaurasia's family members including wife Anuradha, son Rajiv and daughter-in-law Pushpanjali also attended the event.