CHENNAI: While rains played hide-n-seek, 13-year-old KC Vidyuth was busy gearing up for his first stet kutcheri at Nageshwar Rao Park. The music connoisseurs knew the first Sunday of the month would be music to their ears, literally, and well, they enjoyed his renditions. “We have been organising this for the past 10 years and people turn up from all over the country; even from abroad,” says a proud organiser. Sundaram Finance’s Micless Kutcheri has reached great heights, and now they have lined up a lot of young singers below 15 years.
We did not have to ask for directions to reach Vidyuth’s concert. His clear rendition of Prema Swaroopa led us there. An elated and confident Vidyuth told us, “I have been practicing for two months. I had auditioned for this kutcheri in April, and I’m performing now.”
Few years ago, he learnt about this concept while he was in London. “I have been learning music for eight years, and when I came down on a vacation to Chennai, I came to know about this,” he said and his mother S Padma pitched in, “He has been a student of musician N Ravikiran. Ananhita Ravidran, who guides him during his guru’s absence, helped him put together a song list at concert level.”
The Class 8 student of National Pubic School has performed in temples before. Ask him the difference between a performance with and without a microphone he says, “I practice at home every day and I did the same here. Yes, I had to control the throw of my voice.”
Parur Ananthalakshmi who accompanied Vidyuth on the violin, said, “I have been a part of mic-less kutcheris for nine years. We always have to play according to the singer’s voice. If their throw is less, we have to tune our instrument accordingly.” With Vadavalli R Sriram on the mridangam, the three had practiced together only for a day!
KC Raghu, Vidyuth’s father, was a happy man. “A mic-less kutcheri helps the singer explore his/her voice in a natural setting,” he shares and adds that he wants Vidyuth to be a rasika before he gets on more stages. “As a singer, you learn more when you listen. If you look at the song list of musicians in the 60s and 70s, performing in temples, they never used a mic or any other gadget. Yet, they could retain their audience for hours together. So yes, I want my son to listen more,” he says.
Vidyuth is only interested in carnatic music. He hasn’t decided if he would pick up an instrument someday, though he is fascinated by it. To this, his father adds, “Until his voice breaks, he has to be in touch with music. Learning an instrument enhances his knowledge of the swaras.”
The singers who perform at mic-less kutcheris (on the first Sunday of every month have to go through an audition.