Technology has come to the aid of Ramaseva Mandali at Chamarajpet in Bengaluru to keep its 82-year-old tradition of holding Ramanavami concerts going even in times of COVID-19 lockdown. On Thursday, it posted its inaugural concert online for one-and-a-half hours.
Violinists father-and-son-duo Mysore Manjunath and Sumanth Manjunath, with mridanga by T.B. Ravishankar performed the inaugural concert from Mr. Manjunath’s home in Mysuru for viewers worldwide.
“This is the 82nd year of the Ramaseva Mandali, which traces its roots to my father, SVN Rao’s tireless work towards the cause of music,” says S.N. Varadaraj, general secretary of the mandali, said: “Every year we have seen the Mandali grow with our programme listing growing bigger. The who’s who of classical music have performed on our platforms. The Mandali was called a ‘Temple of Music’ by statesman C Rajagopalachari. This year if we are advised to go this route for the inauguration, we will accept it as a good thing. “This is our way of keeping Ramanavami music alive.”
Mr. Varadaraj says this would be the only concert going live online as of now. “We are yet to get clarity on the other concerts at the Fort High School grounds after the lockdown. It would depend on several other factors including government rules and stipulations. We will take a call after the third week of April.”
Speaking on the phone from Mysuru, Mr. Manjunath, who had to cancel a concert in Germany, said he was happy to be performing for Ramaseva Mandali’s first online Ramanavami show. “If 2020 is remembered for COVID-19, my son Sumanth and I will share memories of providing the first online mandali concert for viewers worldwide on April 2.” The paddhati (tradition) of pooja followed by melody is being followed by the Mandali, albeit virtually. There is nothing to beat this spirit of life in humans. Dreams and hopes will take us forward.”
The violin brothers, Manjunath and his brother Nagaraj, have been associated with the Chamarajpet Ramaseva Mandal for the last four decades. “I have been with the Mandali from the age of 12 — either accompanying eminent musicians or for violin duets. Nagaraj and I have also been conferred with the Mandali’s Ramagana Kalacharya Award,” says Manjunath. “No Ramanavami is complete without music, and in these times, going digital is the way for classical music lovers.”
Ask Manjunath about the programme for the concert and he says, the 90-minute concert will feature popular compositions on Srirama, especially by Tyagaraja with RTPs and bhajans.
At Mysuru, Bidaram Krishnappa’s Prasanna Sitarama Mandira, which has a history of conducting music concerts for 103 years, saw no concert on Thursday because of the lockdown. K.S.N. Prasad, secretary, Sri Rama Seva Mandali Charitable Trust, said their trust too has cancelled all concerts though the daily morning rituals associated with Sri Ramanavami are being conducted. To keep the tradition alive, he rendered a bhajan after the rituals.
Ramanavami celebrations across the State was muted without the usual practice of distributing panaka and kosambari at temples and street corners.
