Come Margazhi and the sabhas in chennai brim with crowds. People longingly look forward to attending the concerts and programmes of their favourite artistes. What makes the season special is performers take on the responsibility of giving it their best so as to not let down the expectation of their audiences.
When Varun Vishwanath flew down all the way from California all he had in mind was to give his 200 per cent during his Mridangam arangetram. All of 11 years, he staged a remarkable performance on the mridangam when he played for O.S. Thiagarajan at the Asthika Samajam hall, Alwarpet on Jan. 3. His adherence to tala, his improvisation and presence of mind in his first major concert earned him plaudits from the veteran artistes who attended.
Varun, the son of software professional Ravi Viswanath and Sujatha living in the Californian city of Saratoga, started his training under Ramesh Srinivasan in the US. His mom’s grounding in classical music and dad’s inclination towards appreciating classical music helped inculcate in him Indian values. Though he grew up as an American kid, Indian music attracted him. Mridangam is not the only instrument he plays. He is an expert on the Western double bass violin as well.
“Many would think that I would end up feeling lonely while mastering an Indian instrument. On the contrary, it has widened my horizons and made my life so colourful. My iPod is full of Indian songs. I love performing. I get enormous confidence and reassurance when I get on stage and face an audience,” says Varun. When asked about what music means to his heart, he pauses for a minute and says firmly, “Strength. Music gives me strength.”
Enter Krupa Ravi, a 16-year-old, who flew down from Gujarat for her very first performance in Chennai. Having finished her Bharatnatyam arangetram as a 10-year-old, stage performances are not new to this young vivacious all-rounder. Krupa says, “This is my first time in Chennai at the Margazhi, and more or less my first professional performance.” Ask why she chose to perform here, she replies, “Chennai is the Mecca of Bharatnatyam, so I was looking forward to this show.”
Krupa travelled to Puducherry and Mahabalipuram during her visit to perform at the dance festivals there too. She says, “I was thrilled to see a wide array of foreigners sitting among the audience for my performance there.” Since she considers dance as one of her many passions, the youngster says, “I enjoy dancing and so I look at every performance as a challenge.” Clearly, it’s a proud moment for our city to be playing host to such young inspiring artistes!
