Bharata Society, the Cultural club of Chinmaya Vishwa Vidyapeeth began the events of the academic year 2024-25 on 4th August 2024 at Lalita Pratishtanam facility with a flute concert cum lec-dem by world-renowned flute maestro Vid. Shashank Subramaniam. The event was organised in association with Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Among Youth (SPIC MACAY). He was accompanied on the violin by Vid. Gokul Alencode and on the Mridangam by Vid. Hariharan Sankarraman.
Vid. Shashank Subramanyam commenced the lec-dem with an introduction to the alphabet of music—the saptaswara. The difference between Western music and Indian Music, the two music streams in India—Hindustani and Carnatic, and the role of Gamaka in ornamenting the Carnatic system of music were also well explained. He demonstrated the same on the flute. He also presented the types of flutes which can produce lower pitches and higher pitches and how they are used while playing various octaves.
The Onakkoor Valley was flooded with his profound music. He commenced his concert with a Tyagaraja composition ‘Raghu Nayaka…’ in raga Hamsadwani set to Desadi talam. This was followed by an elaborate Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Raga Dharmavati along with ragamalika kalpanaswara-s.
Vid. N. Hariharan commenced the ‘Taniavartanam’ by capturing ‘chollu-s’ from the concluding ‘Koruvai’ that Vid. Shashank presented. The importance he gave to the ‘idam tala or thoppi’ and the way he played it mesmerised the audience. He then played two popular compositions and concluded the lec-dem with a Sindubhairavi Thillana.
Dr. Sunitha Grandhee, Dean of Lifelong Wellness and Learning, addressed the audience providing insights and reflections on the event. Dr. Apparao Mukkamala, Managing Trustee, honoured the artists with gifts. Provost Prof. Sudheer Babu and Academic Director of Chinmaya International Foundation Prof. Gauri Mahulikar blessed the venue with their gracious presence.