Experiences at the Cleveland Aradhana

Participants and rasikas at the Cleveland Aradhana share their experiences here...

New Jersey based Rishikesh Tirumalai, aged 12, who took part at the Cleveland Aradhana competition this year, shares his experiences here...

We had just returned from our hectic trip to India. I had lots of schoolwork to catch up, and by the end of the week, I was ready to return to my extracurricular activities. Then I called my mridangam guru to schedule classes. He notified us about the upcoming Cleveland Aradhana Competition. I was thrilled at the idea of competing once again in this competition. I thoroughly enjoyed last year, and decided to participate again.

For the competition, I had to prepare three talams of my choice for five minutes each and the judges would choose one for me to play. I chose Khandha Chapu, Adi and Roopaka Talam. I was very confident with Adi Talam as I had won first prize in the intermediate category last year, at the annual CMANA competition. However, in this competition, I was in the junior category. Although I had been learning mridangam for the past six years from my teacher, I was uncertain about whether I was prepared for this event.

I only had a month to prepare, so I used my time wisely. Every day, I would practise in the morning before school, and in the afternoon, after school. Pretty soon, there was only a week left. As I practised, the time flew by, and it was time to leave. The competition was at the Cleveland University, and it was on Good Friday. We decided to leave on Thursday, and that afternoon was crazy. I arrived home from school, only to find the whole house in chaos. I quickly packed and we left from our snug house. By 5’oclock, we had left New Jersey and entered Pennsylvania. By the time we reached Cleveland, it was midnight.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early. I had breakfast and left for the competition. When I walked into the auditorium, I felt like I was at the Music Academy at Chennai. It was time for the competition to begin. Everyone took their respective seats, and I started re-tuning my mridangam. Within half-an-hour, it was my turn. The judges chose Khandha Chapu Talam. I had to play for a full five minutes. Those were the longest five minutes of my life.

I felt very fortunate that I got the opportunity to meet great stalwarts in the field of Carnatic music. I felt honoured to be judged by the veterans of this traditional art form. I not only met such remarkable artistes, but had a chance to listen to their wonderful concerts. The next day, we returned home. Soon after, one of our family friends called to inform us that I had won third prize! I was glad that I received the award, but I assured myself that I would work harder in the future. I realized that with practice and focus, I can achieve anything that I set my mind to.

You can write to Rishikesh Tirumalai at Rktirumala@aol.com