Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Get the music of your choice

—Photo: S. Mahinsha

Melody rules: The Ananthapuri Music Fair at the Jawahar Bala Bhavan.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Music lovers in the city are on a high. The Ananthapuri Music Fair at the Jawahar Bala Bhavan is drawing them in hordes. Organised by the Kochi- based Viji Musicals and the Indian trade fair Foundation, the fair features a collection of 25,000 CDs, VCDs, cassettes and DVDs covering Carnatic, Hindustani, ghazals, devotional and fusion as well as Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi film music of different eras.

The section on Carnatic music includes performances of maestros like D.K. Pattammal, M.S. Subbalakshmi, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagawathar, Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer and young talents like P. Unnikrishnan and Nityasree Mahadevan.

The Hindustani vocal and instrumental sections cover masterpieces of Pandit Jasraj, Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandharva, Haripasad Chaurasia and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Rare collections of golden melodies by legendary playback singers like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Talat Mehmood, K.B. Sundarambal, S.P. Balasubramaniam and K.J. Yesudas make up the film music section. The collection includes big names of ghazal like Jagjit Singh and Pankaj Udhas.

The section on therapeutic music comprises an assortment of CDs that claim to be beneficial for those suffering from anxiety, insomnia, blood pressure and cardiac diseases. The other major collections are devotional songs, Sufi music, CDs on Reiki, yoga, titles by the Osho Foundation and the Art of Living Foundation, CDs on Ayurveda, Telugu Padams, packages of the Ramayana and Bhagawad Gita and folklore.

Popular western titles are also featured. Mini MP3 CDs on classical, devotional and instrumental music have been a big draw. CDs on specific ragas promise are a huge hit among music students. Another highlight is the ‘Music of Rejuvenation’ series for each star sign.

The fair will not disappoint the teenage crowd either. Chartbusters and remix albums have been included in the fair. Cartoons, fairy tales and folklore CDs ensure that children too figure among visitors. The organisers are offering a 10 per cent discount.

“This is our first exhibition in the capital and the response has been encouraging. It is heartening that Carnatic and Hindustani music has such an appeal,” says B.V. Ramachandran of Viji Musics. The fair is on till October 7.

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