Connoisseurs of music got a peep into the world of percussion instruments typical of the State at the Thala Maholsavam that began at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan here on Thursday.
The three-day festival, being organised for the fourth consecutive year, serves as a platform for music lovers to become familiar with musical instruments and see renowned artists perform live, besides enriching their knowledge about the history of these instruments and the role they play in the cultural milieu.
Kurumkuzhal exponent Pallavur Krishnankutty, who was one among the artistes who performed on the inaugural day, said the festival was an opportunity to tell the audience about the enormous effort that percussion artistes put in to master the art. “It needs a lot of hard work and patience to get the rhythm, be it playing a percussion instrument or a wind instrument,” he said.
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Another artist Peringode Subramanian, an exponent of Edakka, said there was a renewed interest among youngsters to learn percussion instruments to the extent that several masters were offering online classes targeting people living abroad. “There is a great demand for learning musical instruments, particularly Chenda and Edakka,” he said.
Minister for Fisheries K. Babu inaugurated the festival in the presence of K. Muraleedharan, MLA, and actor Nedumudi Venu. Mr. Babu promised all assistance to take the festival to the national stage.
In the next two days, prominent artistes from the State and other parts of the country will give live demonstrations and take lectures on related subjects. On the concluding day, tabla exponent Ustad Rashid Mustafa Thirakwa will perform at 7.30 p.m.
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