CHENNAI: Giving relief from the pitter-patter sound of rains caused by cyclone Michaung over the weekend, disciples of mridangam maestro Kaaraikudi Mani, from all over the world performed in a closed room at the 36th Winter Music Festival organised by the Sruthi Laya Kendra. Held at Arkay Convention Center on Sunday, the events of the day started with a Nandikeshwara festival, wherein 14 mridangam artistes performed. The two-hour event had renditions divided into five segments of twenty minutes each.
At the Nandikeshwara festival, the senior, junior, and budding artistes presented the Pancha Nadai.
“To take on the legacy of our guru (Kaaraikudi Mani), we planned in May to play the Pancha Nadai — Tishram, Chatushram, Kandam, Mishram and Sankeernam. It wasn’t a one-man show but a team effort,” says R Ramesh, the first student of the legend. The artistes connected via video conferencing applications and discussed their ideas and performance.
“The performance was a feast to our ears and our eyes,” says Rajeshwari Sainath, trustee of the Kendra. A student of Kaaraikudi Mani as well, she adds “Playing for seven decades, my guru followed a bani (style) of his own which is practiced across the globe. As a way of giving back to the art form, he recognises two artistes and honours them with an award.”
Taking forward the annual tradition, the trust bestowed its Guru Surajananda Award and Gowri Manohari Award. While the former is named after the maestro’s guru, which has been bestowed for 29 years, the latter is instituted in memory of Gowri Manohari, who died young. Her husband, a priest at a Murugan Temple in London, has been giving it out for 23 years now.
Delhi Ganesh and Mannargudi Easwaran were presented with the awards this year. “When I came to Chennai, I initially stayed in Mylapore, which is synonymous with music and dance. Whenever I had free time, I used to walk down the streets and listen to the songs. So, music has been an integral part of me and I am honoured to be receiving this award,” said actor Delhi Ganesh, who received the Gowri Manohari Award.
The recipient of Guru Surajananda Award, Mannargudi Easwaran and Kaaraikudi Mani enjoyed a friendship of six decades. He said, “Mani sir kept telling me that he wished to present this award to me. After so many years, I had to tell him that I won,” while dedicating the award to their friendship.
After the demise of Kaaraikudi Mani earlier this year, the attendees felt his presence among them. With promises to take forward his legacy, the trustees are working towards it including the addition of activities for the development of art.