Tree Walk, a city-based group that has been documenting plant diversity through a series of walks with public participation over the past three years, sprang a surprise of sorts on Sunday, organising a different kind of journey into nature, a musical journey.
Performing for Tree Walk at the Balavihar were members of Bamboofolks, a group of artistes focussed on creating music from more than 10 bamboo-based musical instruments.
Even as a morning shower drenched the city and brought down the mercury, Bamboofolks played soothing and inspiring melodies as part of a programme titled ‘Music for Nature.’
After a brief introduction by Santhi, Tree Walk coordinator, the group played Vande Mataram as their opening piece and soon moved on to themes, tunes, and songs that spoke of a culture and life with close links to nature.
Each song and melody and the group members performing them were introduced to the audience by Pradeep, one of the oldest members of the orchestra. He emphasised on each occasion that the history and vision of the group went beyond mere music, and was focussed on the culture and lifestyle of communities that had a deep bond with agriculture and nature.
Bamboo, a symbol of a land-based life and communities dependant on it, was transformed into a medium to convey the message of harmony and peace.
The pieces ‘Going back to village, ‘Daffodils,’ and so on evoked images of a landscape that was fast vanishing. The folk songs with their rhythm and speed enthralled the audience.
Besides Pradeep, the other members of the group are Kuttan, Ullas, Sajeev, Vishnu, Manoharan, Sanoj, and Rajesh, each of them specialists in a special kind of instrument. The absence of a sound system was not felt once as the music reverberated through the walls of Balavihar.
