NEW DELHI: As the drum beats reverberated in the tranquil Banaras Hindu University (BHU) campus, electrifying the surging crowd, Lingesh, 14, thanked his stars for the first such outing of his life. One of the two youngest members of the 700-odd folk artistes who performed at the Kashi Tamil Sangamam (KTS) was thrilled to be on the grand stage as the ninth-standard student had not travelled outside Tamil Nadu to this day.
"I am so happy that I was lucky enough to come and perform here. It was thrilling to see the crowd's response," Lingesh, who till now had shown his 'Udal Thalam' (a two-faced drum) skills only in the temples back home. Together with Veerteshwaran, his same-age companion, they are among the youngest artists from Tamil Nadu to perform at the sprawling amphitheatre ground at BHU, which hosted the
month-long KTS, which concluded Friday.
Kosai Nagarajan, Lingesh's guru who has dedicated his life to preserving the traditional musical instruments of Tamil Nadu, is equally thrilled. He has been to the spiritual city thrice but never performed. He trains students in several Chennai schools and runs a museum in Koyambedu showcasing ancient Tamil instruments.
"We not only got this wonderful chance to perform before an enthusiastic audience but got a golden opportunity to see this revered city. The warm hospitality and reception we got were heart-touching," said Nagarajan, who performs mainly at religious functions in the temples in and around Chennai. This time, he alongwith his 15-member group performed to a packed crowd.
"All the artists who came here from different parts of Tamil Nadu felt that feeling of oneness. The feeling that we are all Indians, despite having different languages, cultures, traditions, and eating habits. Such mega-events are the best way to bring together people from two states, who are tied together by the common thread of culture, tradition and most especially faith," Nagarajan told this newspaper.
Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti's Chairman Chamu Krishna Shastri, who conceived the mega-event, said the focus was on bringing folk artists from Tamil Nadu. "We focused on bringing folk artists to KTS. Folk artists rarely get a chance to showcase their art forms. As many as 700 folk artists from various parts of Tamil Nadu performed at KTS daily," Shastri said. "We always say unity in diversity. But our focus here is on diversity in unity, as it brings minds and hearts together. It also helps in strengthening the ageless bonds of boundary-less people," he added.