On an artistic note

Sruti paid tribute to its founder with a three-day cultural fest.

October 25, 2012 04:28 pm | Updated November 13, 2021 10:23 am IST - Chennai

26fr-Sruti

26fr-Sruti

S ruti, which was launched in October 1983, and received a fresh lease of life when it came under the umbrella of The Sanmar Group with a reconstituted Sruti Foundation in December 2006, recently celebrated the birth anniversary of its founder-editor Dr N.Pattabhi Raman, at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore, Chennai.

The highlights of the celebration, which also marked Sruti ’s 30th year of existence, were the awards presented to vocalist Suguna Purushothaman (the Vellore Gopalachariar Memorial Award) and Guru T. K. Kalyanasundaram, head of the Raja Rajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir of Mumbai (E. Krishna Iyer Medal), by former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s main auditorium was the scene of the confluence of music, dance and cultural history. On the first day, historian and archaeologist Chithra Madhavan gave a splendid account of the lore of Chidambaram as a seat of spiritual and artistic efflorescence in a scholarly yet entertaining style. She was supported by Bharatanatyam artist Roja Kannan, Carnatic vocalist Bharathi Ramasubban, and orchestra members T.N. Sharanya (nattuvangam), G.Vijayaraghavan (mridangam) and Kalaiarasan (violin).

The Musiri bani

On the second day, Suguna Purushothaman took the audience on a delightful classical journey, and despite indifferent health she gave a demonstration on the nuances of the bani of her guru Musiri Subramania Iyer. She was assisted by her disciple K. Gayatri, whose vocal accompaniment was both supportive and melodious.

The final evening was marked by a spectacular show of the three styles of Chhau dance — Seraikella, Mayurbhanj and Purulia — by Shashadhar Acharya and his troupe of nearly 30 artists who filled the stage with aesthetic and uninhibited dancing.

The three-day festival also featured audiovisuals on The Sruti Foundation and Chhau. Executive Editor S. Janaki anchored the programme while Editor-in-Chief V. Ramnarayan delivered the welcome address.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.