Atlanta, GA, April 9, 2018: As part of its annual event, Shruthilaya Carnatic Music School celebrated Composers Day on March 10 at the Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Riverdale.
The day started with bhajans and keertanams of various composers followed by the gems of Saint Tyagaraja’s Pancharatna kritis. A unique segment this year was the ‘Harikatha’.
Sri Vikash Achutaramaiah, a multi-talented musician, was invited to present this segment with the theme, “A day in the life of Saint Tyagaraja”. Following three months of planning and practice, around 30 children and teachers of Shruthilaya gave vocal support to present compositions of Saint Tyagaraja and various other composers.
The accompanying artistes who enriched the segment: Sri. Lakshmi Narayanan on the Violin, Sri. Prashanth Kallur on the Flute, Sri. Suresh Kothandaraman on the Mridangam, Sri. Anjaneya Sastry on the Tabla and a budding talent Archit Suresh on the Kanjira.
Vikash Achutaramaiah could connect well with the audience and children with his impeccable and versatile oration. It was indeed an enthralling moment for everyone present in the auditorium to experience the musical bliss for two and half hours, learning the rich art form and about Saint Tyagaraja’s life.
Words of appreciation from the audience was overwhelming.
“’A Day in the life of Thyagaraja’ in Harikatha format in the unique style Shri Vikash, which was adapted to bring our next generation kids to Thiruvaiyaru, was exceptional, as it was delivered in English and in a way kids can relate to and internalize with the Carnatic music they are learning. Sincere thanks to Shrutilaya,” said Venkat Theneti.
“Hope my kids learnt the importance of Carnatic music from the Harikatha. I hope Shrutilaya will provide more such experiences with Mr. Achutaramaiah,” said Sujatha Dhanabalan.
“The Harikatha was a unique and mesmerizing experience. Shrutilaya kids, Kala, Gayatri and accompanying artists did very well to support Vikas’s narration. He was able to connect with kids as well as adults in his oration of Harikatha. Looking forward to more of such events in the future,” said Parvathi Subramanyam.
Smt. Usha Venkatachalam on the Veena, Dr. Ravi Subramanian on the Violin, Sri. Guruswami & Amit Narayan were among other musicians who accompanied pancharatna kritis and other segments.
The excellent sound was provided by Neal Giedd for the day long function.
Harikatha is highlight of Shruthilaya Composers Day 2018
