GLOBAL ARTS FESTIVAL IN CHENNAI

GLOBAL ARTS FESTIVAL IN CHENNAI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Saturday mooted the idea of the Music Academy organising a “Global Arts Festival” in Chennai in December and volunteered to offer her help.“The December season of Chennai has all the features that qualify it to become a season of World Music and Dance Festival. I suggest that you may please sit together and plan for a December Global Art Festival at Chennai. You can count on me for my help and support,” she said, inaugurating the 86th Annual Conference and Concerts of the Music Academy here.Ms. Jayalalithaa presented the Sangita Kalanidhi M.S. Subbulakshmi award, instituted by The Hindu, to vocalist and Sangita Kalanidhi-designate Trichur V. Ramachandran, who was elected president of the Annual Conference and Concerts of the Music Academy.

Describing Carnatic music as one of the best offerings of our culture and the essence of all musical experience, the Chief Minister said south India’s foremost legacy was its rich musical tradition and Carnatic music had seen the pinnacle of glory of 2,000 years of evolution.“Today, it has achieved such perfection with intricate nuances of sruti, raga, bhava and sahitya that it may have very few parallels in the world of music,” she said, amidst enthusiastic response from the audience.Ms. Jayalalithaa explained the antiquity and unique features of Tamil music with references found in Tholkappiam, the ancient treatise on grammar, and Tamil classic Silappathikaram.“It contains mines of information on music, dance and various musical instruments,” she said and went on to explain the contribution by Alwars and Nayanmars towards enriching music.

“Alwars and Nayanmars sought infinite bliss through devotional love of a sublime kind and gave musical expression through their Prabhandams and Thiruppadhigams.”Commending the Music Academy for nurturing and popularising Carnatic music, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the future belonged to younger musicians.“They are our cultural ambassadors,” she said and advised them to do rigorous practice to sharpen their skills.

“Second homecoming”

Music Academy president N. Murali said it was a “second homecoming” for the Chief Minister, who first inaugurated the festival in 1991. Though she was invited in 2005, she had to cancel her participation due to unprecedented rain in Chennai as it required her personal monitoring of the situation.He said Trichur Ramachandran was selected for the Sangita Kalanidhi award exactly 50 years after he gave his first concert in the Academy.Mr. Murali said the Sadas on January 1, 2013 would be presided over by Justice V. Ramasubramanian of the Madras High Court. The Sangita Kalanidhi award would be presented that day.Stressing the aspect of “listening” in music, Ramachandran said music students should listen to a number of concerts of senior and good artistes to create new and great styles with innovation, without deviating from the boundaries of tradition.Sangita Kalanidhis R. Vedavalli and Trichy Sankaran, and Academy secretaries N. Ramji and K.V. Krishna Prasad participated.

Prof. John Kurakar