Hudhud plays havoc with AU musical instruments

The damaged veenas and other musical instruments stored in a room of the Andhra University High School in Viskahapatnam. Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

The musical instruments that taught generations of music loving children of Andhra University employees have been destroyed by cyclone Hudhud and are now lying in a mess in one of the damaged classrooms of AU High School.

Andhra University had organised classes in classical music and dance in the evening hours for the children of the employees of the university in the classrooms of AU High School. Some of the noted maestros conducted the classes for a long time. The university used to collect a nominal fee of Rs. 12 per annum for the classes. Many students learnt Carnatic music and mastered playing instruments like violin, veena, mrudangam, and tabla among others.

With the passage of time the interest dwindled among the students and to add to it the timings of the class was changed. The venue was changed to the English Medium School. The teachers would carry the instruments from the Telugu Medium school and after classes return them to the same place. The falling patronage for the classes saw the teachers also discontinue.

The new correspondent of the school wanted to start the classes again. Even as the search for suitable teachers was on cyclone Hudhud hit the school and damaged the classrooms. The musical instruments were found lying broken everywhere and the teachers collected them and put them back in a room which could be locked, In-charge Headmistress M. Mangathayi said.

Vijay Kumar of Vijay Nirman during his visit last week promised to get the ‘veenas’ repaired and help get teachers to conduct music classes, the In-charge Headmistress said.

Help sought

Most of the students are from economically weaker sections and their homes were damaged by the cyclone, the headmistress said and added that these students too have suffered as their notebooks and textbooks got wet in the water-logging in their homes.

The answer scripts of three tests conducted before the cyclone hit the coast and registers and other official papers were damaged by the cyclone and what could be retrieved have been shifted to the few undamaged classrooms, the In-charge HM said.