IT was a great opportunity for upcoming mridangists to learn the art from the great legend Sangeetha Kalanidhi Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, as he unveiled ‘Mridanga Cintamanih’, a seven pack DVD of mridangam teachings. The maestro also inaugurated a four-day Carnatic Fest at Odyssey stores in the city. He also gave insight on the quintessence of the art of mridangam. Talking about the DVDs, Sivaraman said, “This is very useful for mridangam as well as tabla artists. It has all the gamut of mridangam techniques. I want to pass on my knowledge to younger generation.”
Students of Ramjhi’s Isai Mazhalai, who came to perform at the store, got the blessings from the maestro. “Don’t take it as hobby, take it as education,” he advised the students and also told them to practice at least for two hours. The seven DVDs encompass four levels of training, each level leading to the next. The lessons are imparted through sollukattu, practical demonstrations, conversations and question answer sessions in English. The first level is a foundation course, the second deals with advanced lessons of gati bedham, the third tani avarthams and the fourth a demonstration of the style of accompaniment on the concert platform by the maestro.
The students of Ramjihi’s Isai Mazhalai had their performance in the Odyssey stores till 14 December.
This was the first time, Odyssey organised such a fest to encourage young generation.
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