Eppo Varuvaro-Evvalavu Solluvaro, Raagaavial, Jam Janya, Weave a Varisai, Nagaraga, Maze with grace — puzzled by these names? This is not all, a lot more are lined up.
A musical Sudoku, crossword and quiz, a mehendi artiste to draw musical instruments on your palm or an artist to draw your caricature, musical documentary films, music created with junk objects, puppet show, treasure hunt and stalls full of musical games. All these are part of Musicarnival, an event that will be held this weekend in a heritage house.
The idea of this carnival is to celebrate the process of music learning. Often as children we are are forced to go through the training in a serious manner, but here you can gain musical knowledge in a fun way.
Young team
An enthusiastic team of musicians and music students comprising S. Sowmya, Ashwath Narayanan, Bharat Sundar, K. Gayatri, Vidya Kalyanaraman, Bhavya Hari, Praveen Sparsh, Pooja, Swati, Meena and Preeti under the banner ‘Sukrtam’ have been working for over three months on this unusual project.
Speaking about the carnival, they say, “Initially it started as a simple musical quiz, where each member of the group would ask a question, then slowly it expanded to the Facebook page, before it fructified into this carnival. From a child to a 90-year-old rasika, it is forum a forum for all. They can walk along the stalls, participating in 90 to 100 activities, collect coupons for correct answers and redeem them for gifts. The ones who win in maximum activities are eligible for a Bumper prize, chosen by a lucky draw.”
“The event turned into a mega affair because of the enthusiasm shown by the participating schools and colleges,” says Sowmya.
“Not only institutions, which would include PSBB, Vidya Mandir and Modern Senior Secondary School and colleges such as MOP Vaishnav, QMC, Kalakshetra and the University of Madras came forward, but the students of veteran musicians like Kanyakumari and the music school of the Music Academy and Shankara Gana Vidya Nilayam pitched in.
“We have a puppet show on Bharatiar’s songs, presented by children below the age of five and a skit titled ‘Pattule kadhaiya, kadhaiyile paata’ by children between the ages 5 and 8.”
The carnival is also for those with an adventurous bent of mind — get together with musicians and bands for a jam session or give vent to your hidden desire by opting for the open mike stage.
For the musicians behind the event, it has been a learning experience. “We enjoyed the process of coming up with ideas and giving them shape,” they say. Musicarnival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on August 3 and 4, at 12, Hanumantha Road, Balaji Nagar , Royapettah, Chennai.
