Honours for Madurai N. Krishnan, Chitra Visweswaran
"Now, it is almost a daily chore for me to inaugurate music fests in the city," said the Governor of Tamil Nadu, P. S. Ramamohan Rao at the opening of the December Arts Festival of Brahma Gana Sabha on December 3, in Chennai.
Was the Governor hinting that he was also getting bored?
Well, many guests at the function were bored. And you could not blame them at all. Because the unimaginative inaugurals of most sabha festivals are getting on one's nerves. The routine is boring. Speeches, award-giving, speeches, shawls presentation and finally a dance performance few of a junior artiste.
Such functions are simply stale and this explains why the opening evenings of the December festivals are not making any impression on guests and invitees.
Some people who get a special place on the stage ensure that their speeches bore you to
death. And this was the case at the Sivagami Pethachi auditorium (M.Ct.M School campus) in Luz. It was left to vidwan Madurai N Krishnan, who received a title this evening, to keep his thanksgiving speech short and focussed.
Sabhas love to sink in stake traditions here in Chennai and so on the occasion, senior Carnatic vocalist and composer vidwan Madurai N. Krishnan was honoured with the award of 'Gana Padmam', dancer Chitra Visweswaran with 'Natya Padmam' and stage artiste and actor
Poornam Viswanathan with 'Nataka Padmam'.
A book titled 'Semmangudi oru Sagaptham' was released by the Governor and V. R.
Lakshminarayanan, retired I.P.S officer, received the first copy. The book contains anecdotal notes on the late maestro Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and was authored by Shankar
Venkatraman
The inaugural concert featured a Bharatanatyam recital by Bargavi Gopalan, student of dance guru K.J. Sarasa.
Brahma Gana Sabha which has revived its annual music and dance fest since last year, holds concerts till January 2, 2004 at Sivagami Pethachi auditorium (M.Ct.M School campus), Luz Church Road, Mylapore, Chennai. Contact: Brahma Gana Sabha, No. 50, Alamelumangapuram, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. Ph: 56106425.
Click here to refer the season's schedule of Brahma Gana Sabha.
