For about three months now, a special programme broadcast across Karnataka by All India Radio, has been getting interesting feedback. Feedback which has gladdened the hearts of the people behind it.

‘Haadu Hakki’ has been a challenging radio series on Carnatic music appreciation for school children and has been produced by the arts organisation Ananya which is based in Bangalore, south India.
The project has been funded by India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), another arts organization that provides assistance for arts and culture projects in India
‘Haadu Hakki’, which means “the singing bird” in Kannada, aims to create awareness of classical music in school children in the age group of 8 -14 years.

It has been aired on the radio’s slot for school broadcasts, every Friday from 2.35 pm to 3.05 pm from early December 2006.

The programme is aired from all the stations of All India Radio in Karnataka, and is said to reach over 36,000 schools of the state, which translates into a listenership of about 8 million children.
Dr. T. S. Sathyavathy, a leading vocalist and scholar from Bangalore, has scripted the series. The project involves senior artistes and experts, as well as promising young children who play the role of inquisitive, bright children keen to know more about Carnatic music.

“We are thrilled with the positive response we are getting,” says Ananya’s founder and passionate promoter, Dr. Raghavendra Rao. “Our intention is not to get hundreds of children to learn Carnatic music. We would like them to appreciate the wonderful nature of our music.”
Producing the episodes has been a challenge. How do we produce a programme that children can appreciate, enjoy and understand - that has been the challenge for Ananya’s team in Bangalore.

But the two rounds of phone-in episodes threw up many surprises.
There were many queries on Carnatic music from north Karnataka, a region considered to be a Hindustani music heartland. School students wondered if lyrics could be set to the verses they had written. Rasikas tuned into the programme even though it was broadcast at an odd hour of the day.

The radio programme is also supported with material published in Ananya’s monthly magazine called ‘Abhivyakti’. This magazine now carries a special section for children and is made available to as many as 1000 schools every month as part of the project.
Encouraged by the response to this programme, Ananya plans to produce a set of audio CDs of the programme (in Kannada) and make it available to schools / colleges and to anyone who runs a teaching academy.
“This is a great storehouse of information,”says Rao. “We will make some corrections, polish the production and have it ready soon.”

Rao hopes a sponsor will come along to fund this part of his idea.
And if other stations of All India Radio show interest in this programme, Ananya may be willing to do it all over again in the local language - be it in Thamizh, Telugu or Malayalam.
If you are interested in this project, you can contact Ananya Sangraha, 94/1, 16th A Cross, West Park Road, Malleswaram, Bangalore - 560055.
Ph: 080 - 23440409. email: ananya.blr@airtelbroadband.in