Though the origin of Haridasa movement is not clearly known, there is a tendency for most music connoisseurs, musicians and music lovers to be reminded of just Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Dasa’s compositions. Many other Haridasas like Sripadaraya, Vyasatirtha and Vadirajatir are mostly forgotten. Contribution of other Haridasas to the world of music is immense with respect to the devotional literature in form of verses, hymns and musical compositions. In order to promote some of the Haridasa composition to the younger generation, Anubhuthi House Concert Venue, headed by Arjun Kumar and Brinda Acharya, in Vyalikaval organised a workshop for children between the age group of 12 to 20 years.
Speaking about the workshop, Brinda Acharya, vocalist and founder of the organisation said, “Vani Satish, a vocalist has a collection of wonderful and rare compositions of Haridasas. In the two-day workshop, over 10 compositions like Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Prasanna Venkatadasa, Vijaya Dasa, Vadiraja and others were taught. Haridasas, through their compositions, which are rich in lyrics and devotional philosophy, reached common man easily. “The workshop was conducted in association with Anand, a music connoisseur. The organisation aims to provide a platform for the young aspirants of music to learn some of the rare compositions, not only of Haridasas but also other composers.
When asked about the future plans, Brinda added, “In this six-month old organisation, we have conducted over three concerts. We are planning to conduct lecture-demonstration for those interested in music. Our objective is to promote Carnatic classical music and ensure that young music lovers get enough opportunity to learn music.”