Music has no barriers. In an era when western music has a tremendous following, a third-year B.E. (computer science) student -- Yasin Begum of Mayiladuthurai – has mastered Carnatic music.
On Tuesday, the Young Carnatic Musician Award instituted by Bharathi Yuva Kendra, Madurai, was presented to her by Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal, at Sankara Mutt. Yasin said that the inspiration to learn Carnatic music came from her father, M. Kamal Basha, popularly known as ‘Gujini’ in the local Carnatic music circle.
“As a kid, I would get fascinated whenever my father played or practised Carnatic music notes on his harmonium. He would play at concerts where local Carnatic musicians such as Mani Iyyer participated”, she said. Sensing her interest, Kamal Basha and his wife Anisha Begum began training Yasin right from the age of 8. She learnt and mastered ‘thyagaraja keerthanas’ and ‘papanasam sivan hymns’ from local musicians after her father provided rigorous training in the basic ragas.
Later, she completed the three-year course on music offered by Annamalai University and has, so far, presented more than 80 concerts at different places, said Kamal Basha.
Meanwhile, two students who secured first place in language subjects in the recently-held Plus-2 examinations – V. Pavithra of Madipakkam who secured first place in Sanskrit, and P. Muthukumaran of Kallakuruchi who aced the Tamil paper – were presented with shields and citation on the occasion.
Keywords: Carnatic music, Kanchi mutt award, Yasin Begum
This report and photo should be preserved as a landmark of Hindu-Muslim
unity at the social and personal levels. Their divide is obviously a
creation of politics and politicians to cater to the selfish agenda.
H.H. Sankaracharya Swamigal did a great thing by presenting the award to
the Muslim girl by his hands and kudos to The Hindu for publishing such
reports in these days of ever-widening divisions and hatred. This has to
be publicized in Pakistan very widely.
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