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‘Kirtans’ calm their nerves

Photo: Lingaraj Panda

Members of ‘Tallapaka Annamayacharya Sankirtana Raveli’ practising ‘kirtans’ at the Venkateswar Temple in Berhampur on Wednesday. —

BERHAMPUR: Traditional ‘kirtan’ is proving to be therapeutic pacifier for the tense minds of some women of the city who spend their time as homemakers.

These women range from the age of 20 to 60 years. Since 2004 they have been together utilising music and kirtan as a form of entertainment, relaxant and rejuvenator. They have formed the organisation ‘Tallapaka Annamayacharya Sankirtan Ravali’. The members of this group meet twice every week for more than two hours of musical ‘sadhana’. Usually they meet on Thursdays and Tuesdays at the Venkateswar temple in the city.

Seeing the unique interest of these common housewives towards classical devotional music, the Venkateswar temple management has also provided their premises for the use of the group for their practice sessions for free. There are more than 100 members in the group. On any Tuesday or Thursday at least 50 members can be found to be attending the practice sessions.

Classical singer M.K.Rao turns up to serve as the guru of these house wives. A noted Veena exponent of the city, I.Subhalaxmi also makes her presence felt in the group. According to these adepts of music, the members of this kirtan group of housewives do not have any basic knowledge or practice of classical music. Yet their devotion makes them traverse through the intricacies of ’raaga, bhava, laya and tala’ of carnatic music, which is the basis of kirtans of Annamayacharya. The singing sessions start with reading sessions where the singers try to understand the meaning of the song, which they would sing to bring in the right emotion in them for the singing.

According to the members of the group they sing as prayer and to forget their woes of life. This musical get together has proved to be relaxant and remedy for hypertension among many of its members.

“Two hours of non stop classical singing can take one to meditative state which is the panacea for the tension that that these homemakers have in their day to day life”, said Mr Rao. Most members do not forget to take two doses of this musical panacea every week.

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