"A
delightful evening. Great music," said one member of the
audience who attended Songbird. Visitors to the Besant Nagar
Beach heard lovely music straining out of Spaces on Sunday evening.
About 200 people attended Songbird, with several folks
strolling in from their evening walks or hanging out with friends at
the beach.
The
concert featured Vedanth Bharadwaj and Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy.
They combined Carnatic and Hindustani musical traditions with
Vedanth's guitar. The program also featured the very talented Aditya
Srinivasan on the tabla and had a cameo by Matio, a musician from
Germany.
We
talked to Vedanth about art, mystic saints and more before the
program.
Tell
us a little about the program. What inspired it and what do you hope
the audience will take away?
We
will be singing songs written by the great Mystic Saint poets like
Kabir, Mirabai, Namdev, Oothukaadu Venkata Kavi, Maha Kavi Bharatiyar
and so on.
The
intent and meaning of every song and the message every poet conveys
through their songs is what inspired us to sing these songs. And of
course, our traditional musical styles itself.
We
hope the audience will take away hope, peace and inspiration that
each song brings in so very seamlessly.
Why
is it important for artists to be part of a campaign like this?
Artists
of any kind are those who have chosen to share with the world their
voice, their identity and what they believe in. This stance itself is
a reminder to everyone that they can go by what their heart feels and
once driven by heart nothing can stop them no matter how big the
obstacles are. Artists touch that part of everyone, the artist that
is there in everyone, the free spirit. And music is the most powerful
medium which reaches to one and all across all kinds of differences
and borders. When artists have the priveliege to express themselves
in the way they feel right, it makes more meaning if they express and
support thoughts and ideas that benefit each and every individual.
It’s the good will of sharing their joys and experiences.
Violence
occurs in a myriad of forms. If there was one aspect of Indian
society that you could change so it would be safer for everyone, what
would it be?
I
think I am asking for too much, but the root of violence is fear. If
the society can become fearless, if each individual knew what it felt
like to not feel fear, and feel safe and protected, we have cracked
it.
A
big thank you to the musicians and all involved in making the evening
a great success!
About
the artists:
Vedanth
Bharadwaj has been pursuing music as a full time career for the last
eight years. He has formally learnt Carnatic classical music for over
fifteen years from Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan and currently under
the tutelege of Sri Ramamoorthy Rao for advanced Carnatic and
Hindustani vocal training for the last six years. He is a qualified
guitarist from the Trinity College of Music, London.
BindhuMalini
is trained in Carnatic Classical Music. She has learnt under eminent
musicians such as Rama Ravi, Kiranavali, Mangalam Shankar and
G.Madhavan. She is now a disciple of Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, a
resident Guru of Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, learning
Hindustani Classical in the Gwalior Gharana Gayaki.
After
training under Shri Chandrajit under the Farukhabad gharana of tabla
for a brief period, MT Aditya Srinivasan has now come under the
tutelage of Pt.Yogesh Samsi (Ace disciple of Ustad Allarakha khan) of
the Punjab Gharana as well as receiving training in the South indian
tradition of percussion under Padma bushan Vidwan Dr. Umayalpuram K.
Sivaraman.
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