A chorus of young voices and instruments filled the hall, not perfectly in sync, not rehearsed to the point of stiffness, but alive. Some children sang with their eyes closed, some looked at each other for reassurance, and a few smiled through the musical notes. In the audience, parents watched, visibly moved, their applause often arriving a second too early, unable to hold back. And, that was the mood at the Sri Mudduswamy Deekshitar Nottuswarams Grand Recital, presented by Sadguna, at Ravindra Bharathi, where over 150 children from across Hyderabad came together.
The evening leaned on the charm of Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Nottuswarams, a set of short compositions that sit at an interesting crossroads. Rooted in Raga Shankarabharana and inspired by Western folk tunes, they carry a simplicity that makes them easy to hold on to. There is no heaviness in their structure, no overwhelming complexity. Instead, there is a clarity in the swaras, a directness that invites rather than intimidates.
For Neelima Alugolu, founder of Sadguna and the organiser behind the recital, this ease is exactly the point. Her own journey into Carnatic music did not start early. She recalls approaching it as a practical step, something that could refine her singing. “During childhood, there was no access to Carnatic music, and until 21, singing was only film songs, with the initial thought that learning Carnatic music would help me sing better. As understanding deepened, the spectrum of ragas and compositions revealed cultural and root meanings beyond technicality, underscoring their importance for every child. It shapes perspective, builds empathy, and explains human nature, reducing judgment and greed,” she said.
As the applause lingered and the children slowly stepped off stage, what remained was not just the sound of the compositions but the feeling they left behind. Something about the night felt different; perhaps this music was never meant to feel distant. It simply needed the right voices: young, unafraid, and full of joy, to bring it back within reach.