Music Forum - 29.12.08

Music Forum, Chennai, is a well known organization which has been regularly organizing innovative and thought-provoking panel discussions and Lecture Demonstrations.

I heard from a friend and also through an email from the forum that there was going to be an interactive session with kids of present-day musicians as participants, on the 29th of December.

The topic seemed to be "What does Carnatic Music mean to me?" and each child was supposed to talk on stage.

Yesterday morning, I asked my daughter Vishruthi if she would be interested to go and see how other kids were going to talk. She was very eager and hence both of us went to Ragasudha Hall, Luz.

When we reached, we saw Subhiksha Rangarajan (singer Lakshmi Rangarajan's daughter)talking. Sudha Raghunathan's daughter Malavika was the anchor person.

After that,Ghatam Karthick's son Sarvesh spoke a bit and played on the Mridangam.

One of the organizers Mrs.Usha suddenly came up to Vishruthi and asked if she would speak a little and sing a song ! The kid was taken aback for a minute and didn't know whether to say Yes or No !

Then I asked her to go and speak whatever she felt like and also sing any song of her choice.

Her turn came in the next five minutes and this was how she began :



















" I am Vishruthi Girish, daughter of singer Gayathri Girish, I study in class 5 in Bala Vidya Mandir, Adyar. I came here with my mother to see the other kids talk and suddenly people here have asked me to come on stage to talk and sing " !! And all of us burst out laughing !!

She spoke for about 3-4 minutes and then sang Seethamma Mayamma in Ragam Vasantha.

After this came the question-answer session. Someone there asked her who her favourite actor was. And she said "Shahrukh Khan " !!

Next, Ghatam Karthick (who was among the audience)asked her, "What will you tell your mother after a very successful concert of hers?" She said," I will congratulate her."
Next he asked her,"Suppose your mother had a very bad concert, what will you ask her after the concert?"

(I was wondering what would be her reply.)
There came her prompt answer;" Nothing, because my mother never sings badly !!" :-)

(I told myself: Wow ! The kid indeed knows how to give a diplomatic answer !!)

There was a big round of applause for this answer!

At the end of the program, all kids stood together for a group photo:
















(Standing from L to R:)
Vishruthi,Anirudh(son of Mridangist J.Balaji),Sarvesh(son of Ghatam Karthick),Srihari(son of violinist Vittal Ramamurthy),Subhiksha Rangarajan(daughter of singer Lakshmi Rangarajan), Malavika(daughter of Sudha Raghunathan),Kalasri(daughter of violinist Vittal Ramamurthy).