HYDERABAD: A stunning venue, illuminated stage, vibrant attire, and enchanting melodies — that is all you need to make a Sunday evening meaningful. A recent Carnatic-Choir Concert in the city did just the same as it beckoned the audience to participate in meditative bhakti. The students from Swarnam School of Music (SSM) showcased their talent by performing classical Carnatic, semi-classical, and folk songs in seven diverse languages at the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, Kondapur.
The performances presented a unique and harmonised blend of techniques and arrangements. The 80-strong singing ensemble was one that had not been attempted before-a mixed group that included children, women and men. A unique part of this ensemble was 20 underprivileged children from two Zilla Parishad schools in Gachibowli and Film Nagar who performed on par with the SSM students.
The event was presided by classical dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant as chief guest. Addressing the gathering, she said, “Songs are flowing one after the other like a river. There is a different kind of pleasure when one commits to the path of art. It takes an atmosphere of its own and brings out in the little ones who they really are. Art and singing connect us to the divine, nature and to each other. It makes us a better human being.”
The atmosphere indeed reverberated with the music of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Venkata Kavi among many others. Songs and slokas praising Lords Vishnu, Shiva, Rama, Krishna and Godesses Lakshmi, Meenakshi and Kamakshi, set the audience humming along with kids.
Preethi Gopalan Deshmukh, Founder, SSM, said, “Historically, many Indian Classical music artists have collaborated with international artists and explored synergies between the two genres of music. At SSM, our core strength is our numbers. And we are attempting to inculcate techniques from Western music and other music genres including our own Indian folk, and apply them to our traditional Carnatic songs.”
“The renditions are arranged in techniques like Blending, Harmonisation and Acapella, which are usually not done with Indian Classical music, which is melody based. We are attempting to bring together two different genres of music while retaining the elements that are unique to each style. This is not a fusion of styles; we are retaining all that makes Carnatic music so unique while only borrowing some elements of Western Music. Many of the songs we are presenting are regional and local to specific festivals of the southern Indian states and we hope to bring the holistic festival experience to the audience,” she added.
Swarnam School of Music is a music institute that brings the Guru-Shishya Parampara into the age of digital education. It attempts to revive the traditional format of learning Carnatic music with a focus on singing technique and building strong foundations. The school aims to teach classical Carnatic music beyond the few hours of classroom interaction. Inspired by the Kalakshethra system, the school follows traditional methods of teaching and encourages the study of music as a wholesome subject, rather than just notation and song learning.
The school in association with the Ishva Foundation, teaches children at two Zilla Parishad schools in the city. It is owned and managed almost entirely by women and more importantly by mothers. The school strives to bring women back to their art, especially those who have not been able to continue, owing to familial responsibilities.