Day starts with Prayer & Worship @ 7:30 am
The traditional Pancharatna Kirtana by Vidwans & other
enthusiasts alike got underway at about 9 am. All
participants sing with enthusiasm & gusto. Vidwans Ravi
Kiran, Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Sashi Kiran, Ramabadran,
Dorai & others set a fine example for other enthusiasts to
follow. One observation made by a regular at the Aradhana
was that the number of people on stage had dwindled. A
number of children, on stage, did a good job.
This was followed by individual singing – individuals
apply to get a chance to sing one song. Close to 150 or so
sang one by one. The overall standard was pretty high, with
some of the children turning up with outstanding
performances. The event was quite long, but the audience
lapped it all up!
The book launch function scheduled before the piece de
resistance of the day – Violin concert of the Lalgudis – was
pushed to go with felicitation function scheduled to happen
after the kutcheri. However, a book 'Thyagaraja Kritis' –
with all the kritis in Telugu & translated in English, by an
octogenarian was released by VVS.
The Violin Concert started late, but the wait was worth
it. The brother sister duo vied with each other to give an
outstanding performance. Unanimous opinion was it surely was
an outstanding concert. The standing ovation from the
audience took quite a while to die down. VVSundaram spoke
the audience voice when he went into the nuances of the
concert and showered high praise, which was richly deserved.
This was followed by the Book release function.
This was followed by Prahlada Bakthi Vijayam, which was a
well planned and well rehearsed event that delighted the
audience. All programs were a little behind schedule and it
was indeed a very long day for all, particularly for VVS and
other organizers and volunteers. The weather was not good
either and in the snow & cold when one returned to the room,
it was a big relief.
Unalloyed music enjoyment, though, was well worth all the
trouble.
L.Ravichandran
March 25, 2008
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