It is not just the elderly who seem to be drawn to the Ramanavami concerts in the city this year. While this season has brought in young, talented performers on stage, the mandalis are seeing an increased number of youngsters in the audience as well.
Be it at the Vani Kala Kendra at Basaveshwaranagar, the Seshadripuram Ramaseva Samiti, or the Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandali, organisers say there has been a spurt in young visitors. “We announced our Ramanavami programme on December 31, 2016 on the mandali’s website, and within a week nearly 2,000 season passes were booked by IT professionals, both NRIs and locals. We are witnessing a 40% increase in youth presence this season,” said Abhijith Varadaraj, the young third generation organiser of the event at the Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandali.
A lot of mandalis have also packaged youth programmes in the classical segment. For instance, the ‘Prathibhakankshi competition series’ of the Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandali is specially meant for young talents. This competition, started 20 years ago, brings in nearly 2,500 applicants, of which 18 are shortlisted to be part of the concerts and to vie for the Prathibhakankshi award.
The mandali’s three-day National Youth Fest also provides a platform for upcoming artistes, who receive S.V.N Rao Excellence citations.
Other mandalis are also encouraging young artistes. At the Seshadripuram Ramothsava, a youth series titled ‘Talent Spot Concerts’ (from 5.15 p.m. to 6.15 p.m.) offers a platform for emerging artistes. “We are doing this to recognise and encourage youngsters. It has been going on for 20 years and the selection committee picks the best out of hundreds of applications,” said V. Tarakaram, secretary of the samiti. Veena player P.S. Vaishnavi and vocalist Arun Achanta will take the stage here on Thursday and Friday.