Bangalore-based organisation, Bhoomija that has captured the attention of the music connoisseurs with its innovative concerts, memorable of which was the Children’s Carnatic Choir directed by the eminent vocalist Bombay Jayashri, is all set to lay siege to Bangalore with a grand premiere of their music festival – JackFruit. An event for and by children, it promises to deliver a lifetime experience for kids interested in Indian classical music. Renowned artists Jayanthi and Kumaresh are the curates for this four-layered programme that contains an opportunity for children to interact with world renowned music artistes from various genres of Indian classical music traditions – vocal as well as instrumental.
The programme as envisioned by Bhoomija seeks to get young minds to be inspired by great artists and also create an opportunity for them to imbibe various cultural aspects of music. To this end they have brought 40 children from the phenomenally talented Manganiyar tribe of Rajasthan to perform for the premiere of the event. Trained under the famed theatre director and playwright Roysten Abel, The Manganiyar Classroom is set to capture the heart and minds of Bangaloreans. Speaking about the experience Royston Abel said, “I have been working with the Manganiyar tribe for nearly a decade now. I took up this opportunity to focus on the children. Out of 150 children who auditioned we were able to select 40 and train them. It was a fun experience. I love the quality of their voice.” The central theme of the production is the problem of education. In a country where diversity has thrived through centuries and succeeded in preserving several pristine aspects of anthropological wonder, the Manganiyar classroom promises to be a visual treat to perceive in close quarters the rich history of this group through the vocals of their future generations.
Another key part of the Jackfruit project is the opportunity for children to interact with stalwarts such as Ranjani-Gayatri, Unnikrishnan, Praveen Godkhindi, Abhishek Raghuram, Smita Bellur, Natulal Solanki, and several others. Parents are invited to register their children for workshops that will be conducted across three days (May 30, 31 and June 1) by these artists. “The artists we contacted were not only supportive of our idea, but also forthcoming in agreeing to conduct the workshops for the kids. It provides a pan India experience as children will not only get to learn, but also perform and interact with other children as well as artists representing different parts of India and Indian music styles. It is a celebration of music in its entirety,” said Jayanthi.
The event shall also feature eight concerts in Hindustani and Carnatic (vocal and instrumental) forms of music, performed by child prodigies from all over India. Another primary highlight is the ensemble performance of kids trained by Vidwan Vikku Vinayakaram. Vidwan Vinayakram, has been ably assisted by Abhishek Raghuram and Anantha R. Krishnan, the grandsons of the legendary mridangist Palghat Raghu. “The JackFruit project, true to its name aims to take the children beyond the hard contours of the Indian Classical music and makes them taste the succulent pulp of divine aesthetic experience that is the hallmark of Indian Fine Arts. It is a treat that Bangalore will definitely look forward to and would love to be a part of.
Parents who are interested to enlist their children for the workshop
can do so by visiting : >http://in.bookmyshow.com/concerts/bhoomija-workshops-registration/
Tickets for the concerts are also available on>www.bookmyshow.com
