Chennai: The Art of Living has joined hands with Carnatica to organise Naada Yoga, a musical yoga event and Yogathon, to celebrate the International Day of Yoga and World Music Day in the city on June 20 and 21. The programme is organised to raise funds to support education of around 75,000 children in corporation schools.
“Musical events in Chennai are not new but we are doing this for a cause and this is an interactive musical session combining yoga and music,” said vocalist Aruna Sairam, who will perform a special concert on Saturday evening along with other musicians like Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and the Manganiyars. The event will also have a symphony by 150 children combining Carnatic and Western music.
“We will present a universal approach to music, which has no religion just like yoga,” said Aruna Sairam, adding that the event will feature western instruments, Sufi music and a pan Indian repertoire.
Yogathon will witness over 5,000 people gather at Pachaiyappa’s College early Sunday morning and perform sun salutations with Rudresh Kumar, who performed in ‘India’s got talent’ programme. He did 108 rounds of Surya Namaskar in nine minutes.
A free virtual musical session will be held around the world at 6 pm on Sunday through www.carnaticworld.com and people can walk-in free into R.K. Convention Centre where the musical session will take place. According to a press release, 60 free yoga programs will be conducted at educational institutions, prisons, public parks and community centres across the city.
“It takes Rs 200 per annum to educate one child. We are aiming at educating 75,000 children in corporation schools by offering them life skill based education” said Raji Swaminadhan of Art of Living.
“Yoga is seen with a religious view by many. But yoga is universal. It means to unite,” said Ashwin Kumar Iyer of Vedaanta, a group that works with senior citizens and is part of the organising committee.
Voices in Harmony on Sunday
For the past few years, Rhapsody Music Foundation (RMF), headed by pianist Anil Srinivasan, and aided by vocalist Dr Sudha Raja, has been working with children across different demographies in the city, and now reach over 60,000 children. The foundation’s aim is to reach music as a facilitative educational aid to as many children as possible. Their collaboration with known NGO NalandaWay has resulted in a path-breaking intervention in Chennai corporation schools where children now learn visual art and music from trainers trained by both the foundations.
On June 21, to celebrate World Music Day, RMF is to celebrate “Voices in Harmony”, a specially curated event, supported by ITC Mangaldeep. Over a 1,000 children will raise their voices in harmony, and across demographic divides and display unity in diversity. The event will be held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kilpauk’s TAG auditorium on Sunday at 6. 30 pm. AR Rahman’s Sunshine Orchestra — a special initiative with underprivileged children — will also perform under the conductor and Rahman aide Srinivas Murthy. Sudha Ragunathan will be the chief guest, and popular music director Harris Jayraj will be the guest of honour.
