Carnatic camaraderie

There is something about soul-stirring Carnatic melody and no matter what genre emerges in changing times, the place that classical music enjoys will remain the same. And Ganjam, keeps that status with their annual Carnatic concert Flights of Fantasy which hopes to quench the Bengalurean thirst for art.

This year’s performance is rendered by some of the prominent names in the industry like Priya Sisters, Vishakha Hari and the Malladi Brothers. Suresh Subrahmanyan, the marketing head with Ganjam explains that, it is the bond that they share with the city that makes them organise such events. He adds, “We love the city and would love to give back something in return for all the love they show us.”

With performances from leading musicians in the industry like Sudha Ragunathan, Aruna Sairam and many more, the spirit of the festival is kept alive by its originators for almost 16 years now. The Malladi Brothers Sreeramaprasad and Ravikumar, who have a long lineage of Carnatic musicians in the family say, “We are happy to be part of this and associate with the festival time and again. We love the Bengaluru audience and are also quite conscious while performing here, as they are intellectuals that would be listening intently.” Prominent singer Vishakha Hari, will also be part of the three-day festival and says that though she has performed at many concerts, she is excited about this one. “I am performing songs on the life of Meerabai, it will be a rendition of her songs and I hope it would strike a chord.”

The organisers claims that the response from Bengalureans is overwhelming and the passes sell within 72 hours. The Priya stars who will be performing add, “No matter how many shows we perform across the world, nothing comes close to the love and respect we get from Bengalureans. That is one of the reasons we manage to make it to the show.”