Ekatvam, an initiative of the charitable trust, Entrust Foundation, presents its annual festival, Ekatvam Holi Music Fest-2024. The four-day event will feature seven concerts and two award ceremonies and will be held in Bengaluru from March 22 to March 25.
Rajmohan Krishnan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Ekatvam means oneness and the foundation provides a platform to young musicians to help them perform across the country,” says Rajmohan Krishnan the founder of Ekatvam speaking from his office on Magrath Road. “We also give awards in the names of veteran musicians. We have the TN Krishnan Memorial Award, which is given every year in Chennai. This year, in Bengaluru, we have initiated two awards in the names of Mysore Vasudevachar, and Gangubai Hangal.”
The music festival is held on Holi ever year since 2019, says Krishnan. “The festival is about celebrating colours through Indian music. I also believe we are the only organisation in India who equally propagate Hindustani and Carnatic music.”
The festival will bring together performers, connoisseurs, critics and mentors in the genres of Carnatic vocal, Carnatic duet , Carnatic fusion and Hindustani vocal, says Rajmohan.
“It is our aim to preserve, promote and celebrate Indian classical music and our cultural heritage. We are a country that is deeply rooted in tradition, yet fuelled by innovation. We provide a platform for budding artistes while supporting and showcasing innovative works by senior artistes across different genres.”
Venkatesh Kumar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Ekatvam’s line-up this year is Archana and Samanvi, Mysore Manjunath, Swarathmika Srikanth, Spoorthi Rao, Venkatesh Kumar and Gurudutt Krishnamurthy with their accompanying artistes.
The concerts are free for all, says Rajmohan. “We have elderly people coming to the festival who are not tech savvy. We do not want it to be cumbersome for them to enjoy music. Music and elder care is something we focus on. I come from a family that was deeply involved in classical music. We lost our mother in 1991 and my father, PV Krishnan (who passed away in 2015) was a connoisseur of Carnatic music. He lived a lonely life as a widower.”
Elderly people, Rajmohan says, enjoy music. “They have the time to understand and critique it too. Music is what moves the heart. Good music is like a breath of fresh air and that is why we started the Holi Music Fest.”
Gayana Samaja has always been the venue for the festival, says Rajmohan. “We want to include Indian classical dance forms too to our festival next year. So that people can enjoy the wide range of genres.”
The concerts at Gayana Samaja that begin daily at 4pm are free and open to all. For details of the daily programme, visit www.ekatvamtrust.com or call 9739744747
