Pune, Dec. 21 : Sharad Dandge of Aurangabad in Maharashtra State has developed a unique ability to generate 20 types of sounds of different musical instruments while playing various Tablas, the percussion instrument.

To the listener it feels as if Dandge is playing various types of musical instruments native to differing States or regions of the country. But he is in fact playing on a group of Tablas around him.

Sharad Dandge plays jugalbandi (fusion) of regional instruments like Pakhawaj and Dholaks (horizontal drums) of north India, Mridangam of south India and Daph of Maharashtra, and Bihu of Assam on the Tabla by his innovative style of creating sounds on Tabla.

New Delhi, Dec 12 : Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh here today and reportedly discussed the security scenario in Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters, Chavan said that they briefed Dr Singh about the measures taken to strengthen security in the state in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

They also sought more central assistance for police reforms in the state, he added.

This was Chavan first visit to New Delhi after becoming Chief Minister on December 8.

Chavan is also scheduled to visit his hometown Nanded and Nagpur on Sunday.

Mumbai, Dec. 8 : Ashok Chavan, the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra has reshuffled his cabinet soon after assuming office.

Chavan has dropped Minister of textiles Satish Chaturvedi , Minister of State for Labour Baba Siddiqui and Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Anil Deshmukh.

New faces in the cabinet include Naseem Khan from Kurla, Mumbai, Nitin Raut from Nagpur and Shobha Bachhao from Nasik.

The Congress quota in the cabinet however, still remains vacant as it was in Vilasrao Deshmukh’s regime.

Maharashtra Chief Minister designate Ashok Chavan and deputy Chief Minister designate Chhagan Bhujbal, along with several other cabinet and state ministers, will be sworn in on Monday. 

The swearing-in ceremony will be held at the Darbar hall of Raj Bhavan. 

According to official sources, no pandal has been erected for the ceremony, to be held at 1650 hrs, as the administration and both coalition partners -- Congress and Nationalist Congress Party – have appealed to their supporters to avoid celebrations, in the wake of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.  
Several rounds of consultations were held among the members of both parties to finalise the names of ministers, who would be sworn in.  

Former Maharashtra deputy chief minister R.R. Patil, who was tipped to be state unit president of the National Congress Party (NCP) after he stepped down last week, has declined to accept the post. 

Patil, who was also the state home minister before he resigned in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack on Nov 26 that killed at least 180 people, has instead preferred to take a break. 

The former minister told NCP president Sharad Pawar that he would like to have a break till after the forthcoming state assembly elections, said a party functionary.  

After missing the post of Chief Minister, the suspended Congressman Narayan Rane on Saturday said he would topple the government if "provoked".

"If I wish, I can prevent the new government from taking charge or topple it when it is formed. It is not in a majority and I can prove it on the floor of the house, even if the opposition does not seek a trust vote," Rane said.

Rane was suspended from Congress after his outburst against the party chief Sonia Gandhi.

Welcoming his suspension, Rane termed it as a good omen. "In 1997, Vilasrao Deshmukh was suspended from the party for six years and in 1999 he became the chief minister," he said.