Devan M. Ayacouty is in love with Carnatic music!
And you can see it in his eyes, when he explains why he gave up his profession in textiles. Now, an Education Officer at the Dept. of Indian Music and Dance at Mahatma Gandhi Institute, in Mauritius, Ayacouty trains students in Carnatic music at the scenic island on Indian Ocean.
Ayacouty's ancestors were 'indentured labourers' from south India, who settled in Mauritius about 250 years ago. Says he, "It was in 1989 at a conference of Tamil Culture in Mauritius, when I saw a veena concert of S. Balachandar. I was so inspired, that I decided to travel to India. I'm the first from my family, to visit India. It was in 1990".
After an initial training under Seetharama Sharma, Ayacouty completed a B.A. music course at Annamalai University, Chidambaram. And from then, he has been a regular visitor to India. This week, he was part of the December Season, performing at Hamsadhwani's NRI festival and at T.V.G's AIMA music fest. And for Arudra Darisanam last weekend, he performed at the Chidambaram Nataraja temple.
With a mix of Creole and French as mother tongue, he says that music transcends language, and that singing in Tamil or Telugu is not difficult.
Recently, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute hosted an international conference in music at Mauritius and Ayacouty says there are plans for a 'Sangeetha Utsavam' in July 2005.
He adds, "In our country, if you're passionate about music, you can sing just for your own satisfaction. We don't sell tickets!"
You can write to Ayacouty at isaivanee@yahoo.com
