|
|
|
 |
CAMAGA Celebrates Great Composers’ Day
By Ram Sriram
It is 8 A.M; the weather in Atlanta was cold and unfriendly –
although it did not deter the spirit of the youngsters, dressed
in their best Indian attire and flanked by their parents,
sitting in the Hindu Temple of Atlanta auditorium. What are they
waiting for this early on a Saturday morning? They are
participants in the annual Great Composers’ Day organized by the
Carnatic Music Association of Georgia (CAMAGA) to honor the four
great composers of India - Purandaradasa, Saint Thyagaraja, Sri
Syama Sastri and Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar.
The participants, mostly below the age of 16, will soon go on
stage and render a composition of one of the great composers and
show not only their training and talent in Carnatic music but
also the devotion integral to this art.
This is a fitting moment to reminisce. About twelve years ago,
when CAMAGA began organizing the Great Composers’ Day, the
celebrations were held for about six hours on a week-end. The
number of participants who could perform on this occasion was a
few individuals - mostly Atlanta-area music teachers trained in
Caranatic music.
Over the years, the occasion has assumed dimensions and is now
held for two full days and includes over 250 participants –
majority of them young children from Atlanta and nearby cities,
who are trained in Carnatic music.
Since CAMAGA began the Great Composers’ Day celebrations years
ago, one of the significant changes that I have observed is not
only the increase in the number of participants who are below
sixteen years of age but, more importantly, the enormous
betterment in their quality of performance.

Going beyond what the teacher has taught them, these youngsters
display their musical insight (Gnana) during their performances.
This is very heartwarming because Gnana is possible only when
one truly enjoys and appreciates the value of the great art. The
credit for these positive changes goes not only to the
youngsters for their efforts and involvement but also to their
teachers for expertly guiding them.
On both days, February 6th and 7th, the program started promptly
with individual performances by young children. At around 10:30
A.M. on the first day of celebrations, the teachers and other
knowledgeable and enthusiastic adults performed the group
singing of Pancharathna kritis or the five gems composed by the
great composer, Saint Thyagaraja.
The group singing was led by Mrs. Usha Balakrishnan, a music
teacher. The Pancharathna rendering is a tradition that is
scrupulously followed at the world-famous Aradhana celebrations
annually conducted in Thiruvayaru, Tamilnadu – the birth place
of Saint Thyagaraja.
According to Sri T.S.Parthasarathy, musicologist, “a continuous
rendering of the Pancharathna kritis in chorus ushers in an
atmosphere of peace, tranquility and devotional rapture”
One of the highlights of the second day function was a 2-hour
concert by an invited artist, Sri D. B. Ashvin (Grandson of the
illustrious musician, Sri T. K. Rangachary). He was accompanied
on the violin by Gokul Kumar (great-grandson of the legendary
composer, Sri Papanasam Sivan) and mridangam by Ram Sriram. The
concert, from start to finish, kept the audience enthralled.
The credit for putting together this two-day function goes not
only to CAMAGA organizers but most importantly, to the master of
ceremonies, Dr. Kalpana Rengarajan. She not only acceded to the
multiple requests from participants but also managed the entire
program with rare efficiency.
|
|