THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Nishagandhi Monsoon Music Festival will become an annual event on the lines of the much-feted Nishagandhi dance festival, Tourism officials said on Sunday. The number of days, however, will remain fixed at five, Tourism Director P Balakiran said.
The first edition of the monsoon music festival opened at the Nishagandhi Auditorium here on Sunday. A desire to celebrate the monsoon had prompted the Tourism Department, the organisers, to introduce the event to the annual festival calendar of the state capital. ‘’The Nishagandhi dance festival is held during the main tourism season. So we wanted a festival during the monsoons. Actually, we are trying to have different events during this period, like the IPL-model makeover for the regatta and the kayaking tourney,’’ Balakiran said.
Lore goes that Tansen, one of the nine gems in Akbar’s court, could make it rain with his mellifluous singing. The Indian music tradition is replete with such stories that have the much-awaited monsoons at their centre. Over the next few evenings, Thiruvananthapuram, a city that boasts an enduring relationship with music, will enjoy the soulful combination of music and the pitter-patter of the rain.
The music festival which opened on Sunday at the Nishagandhi Auditorium at Kanakakkunnu Palace grounds will see some of the well-known and emerging faces on the Indian music scene thrill audiences with their prowess. The line-up for the first edition of the festival includes veterans like Bombay Jayashri and Hariharan and upcoming artists Steven Samuel and Lydian Nadhaswaram.
This year the festival is being held over five days from Sunday to Thursday. Performances by Bombay Jayashri and the Super Kids Band consisting if Steven Samuel, Lydian Nadhaswaram and Amritha Varshini were scheduled on the inaugural evening. In the coming days, there will be two performances every day; at 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm.
Events
Monday
6.30 pm: Sooraj Lal V (Carnatic vocal)
7.30 pm: M S Lavanya (Carnatic Saxophone)
Tuesday
6.30 pm: Arjun B Krishna (Carnatic vocal)
7.30 pm: Rimpa Siva (Tabla)
Mrittunjoy Mukherjee (Flute)
Wednesday
6.30 pm: Vinayak V Gopal (Carnatic Nadaswaram)
7.30 pm: Moods of the Bamboo - Classical fusion music
Thursday
6.30 pm: Kerala Kalamandalam alumni (Mizhavu Melam)
7.30 pm: Hariharan (Ghazal)