CHENNAI: Yagnaraman July fest, the confluence of various forms and artistes which started on June 27, came to an end on Sunday. Ilaiyaraaja presided over the valedictory function.
The festival paid tribute to Yagnarama, who promoted classical art and brought Krishna Gana Sabha to its current position. It is known to showcase a unique blend of musical compositions.
Eminent violinist L Subramaniam, was felicitated with the ‘SKGS Yagnaraman Living Legend Award’. He said, “Carnatic music has an ensconced position in the world of music. But we have underused most of our instruments and talents and became contended with a particular note. We need to improve and experiment more, which I learnt from the west.”
Kanjira player B S Purushotman said that the kanjira has become a widely used instrument now. He said, “Kanjira is the instrument similar to western tambourine. All mridangists have handled the kanjira and have also started taking it as a profession. The scene is slowly improving these days.”
Vocalist SP Ramh, kanjira exponent B S Purushotaman and Bharatanatyam danseuse Uma Nambudripad Sathyanarayanan received the ‘ Yagnaraman award of excellence’.
Ilaiyaraaja also shared his experiences, “From our past experiences, we’ve learnt how to work under pressure and we have come out of it beautifully.It required lot of conviction. Carnatic music is an integral part of my life. It is wonderful to see such young scholars performing so well. We have a long way to go.”
“Youngsters today find carnatic music very boring. But my aim is to change that. By being to fusion musical performances, people can enjoy the music as well as learn more about carnatic. I want to keep my Father’s dream alive.” said Y Prabhu, General secretary of Krishna Gana Sabha, son of Yagnaraman.
The festival saw performaces by Subbu Arumugam, Karthick iyer and Sudha Raghuraman. Bindu and Ambi Subramaniam gave performances in jazz, pop – rock, fusion and Indian music.