THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the 42nd straight year, maestro K J Yesudas performed a Carnatic concert marking the beginning of the Soorya Dance and Music festival. The doyen enthralled the audience with his performance at the AKG Centre. He began with ‘Sarasijanabha’ in Natta ragam and went on with ‘Sree Subrahmanya Namasthe’ in Camboji. This year dance and music festival will see participation of renowned artists including Padma Subrahmaniam, Manju Warrier, Rajendra-Nirupama, Zakir Husain and Amjad Ali Khan.
“It’s a cultural collaboration. We are holding it without any financial help from the government”, said Soorya Krishnamoorthy, founder of Soorya Stage and Film Society. The venue for the cultural events will be at Ganesham Theatre in Thycaud. The dance and music festival will conclude on October 10 with a Bharatanatyam performance by Janaki Rangarajan.
The 10-day festival is part of the ongoing Soorya festival which began last month. The 111-day-long event will see the participation of over 2,000 artists from across Asia. While the inaugural and valedictory function has been cancelled following the recent floods, the proceeds will be donated towards the flood victims to rebuild their houses.