KOCHI: Dhwani, a music club based in Thiruvananthapuram, is set to celebrate its second anniversary with a musical extravaganza on May 31. The programme titled ‘Dhwani Anniversary Extravaganza’ will feature over 46 evergreen Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi and English songs which will be shared in the club’s WhatsApp Group from 10am to 10pm.
“Our members will also be promoting the programme through their Facebook handles and YouTube channels so that interested people can tune in,” said Sheila James, one of the co-founders of the group.
Lockdown restrictions have not stopped the club from rendering group songs online, a unique initiative the members are lining up for their anniversary programme. The club which has around 30 active members has been conducting online music programmes since March.
The online music initiative, ‘Beat the Blues’ was held in three rounds and featured old and new Malayalam, English and Hindi songs. “Practising songs for the online programme has helped members improve their singing skills. Many have also grown familiar with using music apps such as Smule. Even though ‘Beat the Blues’ was not a planned event, it helped us in preparing for the upcoming anniversary extravaganza,” said Sheila. The group is hoping to continue its monthly online music shows till the lockdown.
“The online programmes have benefited members who are staying outside as they are able to participate now on a regular basis. Also, we want to come up with new ideas to keep our members engaged during this time,” Sheila added. Apart from music activities, the group is also active on the social front. The members have recently offered financial assistance to five musicians of an orchestra team in the city to help them during lockdown. The club had also supported and honoured two musicians who were struggling financially at its first anniversary function, held last year.