As the lights dim into darkness, the chatter of the crowd descends into close-to-pindrop silence, and other senses are heightened. Every tap of a key or movement rings clearly through the dark. Now, imagine a 60-minute concert in swing.
This is the famous and touring Concert In The Dark, a must-go event across the cities to which it travels; one part due to the mind-bending and captivating experience and the other being its solo performer, pianist Anil Srinivasan.
These concerts aim to raise funds for the Gnanadarshan Seva Foundation (GSF), a Chennai-based organisation aiming to create awareness about visually challenged women and to further the development of an accepting society.
Rewinding, Anil and the founder of GSF, C Sundaresan, came together following a long-standing knowledge of each other. “My father passed away a few months ago,” Anil starts, “and I intended to approach life differently. So these concerts were set-up. Prior to linking up with GSF, I was aware of their mission on a purely peripheral level. Now it’s been personalised and it changes the mood of everything.”
Anil, who will be blindfolded, sees the experience with Concert In The Dark as rewarding to both audience and performer. “There’s that adage that once you do something over and over, it becomes more meaningful and I feel this is very possible with Concert In The Dark. Funnily enough, while the lights are off, I will be very much switched on,” he laughs.
How did the previous concerts fare, though? Well, due to huge positive reception, the concert in Chennai raised ₹2.75 lakhs. Anil justifies, “See, they’re not so much about the music as they are about the cause. Unlike my Chennai concert, I will be solo which will be easier because I won’t be trying to gauge (in the dark) what my co-performers are doing since the style is very free-flow, from jazz to contemporary to Bollywood.”
Should one attend it’s almost sacrosanct to avoid using a phone or do anything that will disturb the steady and sensory flow of melody and rhythm. So hold the tweets and check-ins for post-concert.
Gnanadarshan Seva Foundations’s Concert In The Dark will be taking place at Westin Mindspace on Sunday October 14 from 7pm onwards. Tickets are available for ₹2000 per person at bookmyshow.com.
