Vocalist Bombay Jayashri will present ‘Bhaire Baanvari,' a fund-raising musical concert on the story of Mirabai, at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall, Lady Andal Venkatasubba Rao Higher Secondary School in Chetpet here at 7 p.m. on March 7. Proceeds from the event would go to Sankalp, a non-governmental organisation working for children with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.
Announcing this at a press meet here on Wednesday, Ms. Jayashri said Mirabai's life had been an eternal source of inspiration for many poets. “She is a very embodiment of courage and creativity. Her poetries are refreshingly contemporary. As a singer, performing at concerts for a cause is a gratifying experience,” she said.
Conceptualised by Gowri Ramnarayan, the concert would trace the life of Mirabai through her poetry. It would feature bhajans sung by M.S.Subbulakshmi and Falguni Mitra. It would also feature a range of songs in various dialects, including Avadhi, the native dialect of Mirabai. “This is my first performance exclusively on Mirabai songs. We have carefully chosen her popular and not-so-popular poems.” The concert would chronologically feature poems by Mirabai with varying nava rasas. Along with the songs, a narration in English would unfold the story of Mira. Following Chennai, the concert would subsequently be held in many cities, including Delhi and Bangalore. On Sankalp's activities, Lakshmi Krishnakumar, one of its directors, said over 220 children are part of the organisation and Sankalp has been lobbying the government for inclusive education.
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A seminar on ‘Inclusive practices for students with special needs' would be organised on March 5 and 6, as a curtain-raiser to the fund-raising event. Sulatha Ajith and Subashini Rao, the other two Directors of Sankalp, spoke at the event. Donor passes are available at Sankalp, 6th Avenue, Anna Nagar West, and also at Landmark, Nungambakkam; Odyssey, Adyar; and Oxford Book Store, Haddows Road.