(Click the pic above to read The Hindu story)
Just came back from a most fulfilling concert experience at Chowdiah, thanks to 18 children (with good accompanists) who sang their hearts out in a lark of a concert of pure Carnatic music, inspired, trained and put on stage by the redoubtable Bombay Jayashri for a noble cause (to help blind children).
Yesterday morning, all tickets had been sold out for the two shows online but managed to get a couple of tickets. We were surprised to see that Chowdiah sported quite a few empty seats and yet all the usual suspects (culture vultures like me, all-important sabha secretaries, doting parents, socialites etc.) were all there.
Notwithstanding a couple of minor irritations (six video cameras strategically placed to hide the children from audience view in many seats, plus a half-hour delay), the audience got really into it the moment these 18 children including six boys marched on to the stage from the aisles in attractive indigo and mauvish deshi clothes and burst into song. The Warli cut-outs hanging from the ceiling had already given us an inkling that the whole programme would be fun-filled.
The children sang everything from Sarale Varase to snatches of raga, tana, neraval and swaras. They distinguished themselves by impeccable rendering of Oh Jagadamba and Lalgudi Desh tillana. There we many other gems like Vandanamu, Shobhillu, Anandamritavarshini, Naajeevaadhaara, Krishna Née and Maitrim Bhajata. Their music teachers were on stage to ostensibly guide them in their songs. Many times the children squatted down as audience to listen to the intrumental pieces like Tani avartanam and violin improvisations.
There were many spontaneous bursts of applause from a very discerning audience and everyone felt a sense of pride that these children were so obviously enjoying themselves singing pure Carnatic music. Even the accompanists were delighted to share the stage with such talent.
After Amritavarshini, the children made sounds with their hands, feet and created a deep impression of rain and thunder. We could only wonder how well Bombay Jayashri and team had worked to make this performance memorable and enjoyable for the singers as well as the audience.