etc Channel Punjabi plans to celebrate the biggest annual festival of Punjab - Baisakhi - with a music-based programme Aayi Baisakhi.

The musical extravaganza will be held in Jallandhar, Punjab, on April 6. To strengthen its bond with its audience, etc Channel Punjabi will telecast the event live for its audience in the country and overseas. This would be the first time that any event would be telecast on the channel live.

Music-based events form an important part of the channel's offering. In the past, etc Channel Punjabi has been associated with some of the biggest and most successful Punjabi music events such as Aaja Nach Le, Highway Hungama, Bhatinda Blast, Chak De Phatte, Dhol Beat and the recently held three-day musical extravaganza in Delhi, Punjabi Mela, 2003.

Aayi Baisakhi, the three-hour, star-studded event, will begin at 7.30 pm on the evening of April 6, when viewers will get to see the performances of some of the biggest names in Punjabi music. An audience of more than 15,000 people are expected to turn up for the event. Among the names slated to perform at Aayi Baisakhi are Malkit Singh, Sardool Sikander, Ashok Mastie, Pammi Bai, Sarabjeet Cheema and Hardev Mahinangal. Famous television anchor and actor Paramjit will host the event.