Geethapravesham 2019 Season 1

On the 25th August 2019, Lahari Arts Society Singapore proudly presented its Geethapravesham event: A humble musical offering to Goddess Kalaavathi. The four performers namely Akshainie Dhanabalan (10 years old), Jampana Vennala Shirisha (13 years old), Pranav Bharathwaj (11 years old), and Shruti Upadhye (12 years old) were trained by their Guru Smt. Saraswathy Thayalen as well as Kalaimamani Smt. S. Rajeswari, retired professor and Principal-In-Charge of the Tamilnadu Government Music College, Chennai) specially for this event. “Sangitha Kala Bhushana” Dr. Ghanavenothan Retnam, Singaporean Indian classical musician and flutist, graced the occasion as the Guest-of-Honor. The musical evening kicked off with the quartet putting their voices together for an intricate Varnam (a form of song that is traditionally performed as an invocation at the beginning of a Carnatic music concert, followed by a beautiful song in praise of Lord Ganesha. Each of them then delivered their solo recitals that lasted for approximately 20 minutes respectively before concluding the event with three more items. The two-hours long musical event wrapped up with honouring the accompanying artistes, Kalaimamani Smt. S. Rajeswari, Dr. Ghanavenothan Retnam and of course the stars of the night for their outstanding efforts for the past 6 months. The children also shared insights on their respective preparatory processes and the aspects on which they hope to improve on as a part of their vote of thanks. In his special message, Dr. Ghanavenothan reviewed the key outcomes of learning Carnatic music, emphasizing that it helps improve the learning capacity of students. Lahari Arts Society’s vision is to cultivate an environment that stimulates musical curiosity and thinking. Therefore, such events prove to play a significant role in ramping up the musical traction of the budding Carnatic vocalists of Singapore. The event was definitely an eye-opener for all the aspiring and competent students of Lahari Arts Society. - Sudharshini Nanthakumar from Singapore