Four outstanding artistes who left a mark of excellence in their chosen field were conferred titles under the auspices of the Brahma Gana Sabha on Tuesday.
Carnatic maestro M. Balamuralikrishna conferred the honorific of ‘Gaana Padhmam’ on vocalist Sanjay Subrahmanyan, ‘Naatya Padhmam’ on Bharatanatyam exponent C.V. Chandrasekhar, ‘Naataka Padhmam’ on theatre thespian Kovai K. Padmanabhan and ‘Vaadhya Padhmam’ on percussionist Trichy R. Thayumanavan.
Dr. Balamuralikrishna, who also launched the December Art Festival of the Brahma Gana Sabha, said such was his happy state on being chosen to confer the titles on a stage of the Sabha that he was completely at a loss for words.
Nalli Kuppusami Chetti, Sabha president, said this was the first time the organisation was honouring a percussionist. The suggestion in this regard came from none other than Sanjay Subramanyan, he said.
In his acceptance speech, Sanjay Subrahmanyan , who said he felt like a boy in a league of extraordinary seniors, stressed the importance of artistes setting free their spirit and not functioning in a straitjacket during performances.
C.V. Chandrasekhar, who shares a 30-35 year association with the Sabha, recalled that the first time he performed in Chennai was as a junior artiste for the Brahma Gana Sabha. While it was the duty of artistes to express their art, awards were welcome as they bestowed a responsibility to continue, he said.
While Trichy R. Thayumanavan said all achievements, including the honorific from the Brahma Gana Sabha, owed to blessings of the guru, Kovai K. Padmanabhan also had a word of praise for the fans who supported his art.
S. Balasubramanian, chairman, City Union Bank, said the contribution of artistes in perpetuating the legacy of art in India could not be underestimated. A. Natarajan, former director, Doordarshan Kendra, Chennai said this year’s festival will feature over 1,000 artistes.
