For a little over six weeks now, 30 children from the city have been taking their vocals to the next level under their maestro Sriranjani Santhanagopalan, one of the most sought after Carnatic musicians out there. This is in pursuit of the annual theatrical experience – Jackfruit, a music festival for and by children which will be presented on June 3 and 4 at the MLR Convention Centre in the city.
“I think it’s very important to bring children who are in the pursuit of classical music together to have fun while learning it. It’s otherwise, a lonely field of solo pursuits that are driven by pressure from parents and gurus,” notes Gayathri Krishna, managing trustee at Bhoomija, the organisers behind this spectacle which also acts as a fundraiser for Drishti Eye Hospital’s free cataract surgery drive, in a “children for the aged” concept.
What better way to hone your skills under someone who has actually been there and done that? In its previous editions, this festival has had popular names like Bombay Jayashri, Abhishek Raghuram, Jayachandra Rao, Vikku Vinayakram and Giridhar Udupa as mentors. And Sriranjani Santhanagopalan didn’t think twice before stepping into their illustrious shoes to direct these children.
“There is a Western orchestration with a Hindustani spin to some krithis, we have tonic shifts and so many more exciting things going on! This choir will be an interactive session where the audience are told the story and meaning of every krithi so that they can connect to each song on a much higher level than they do at a regular concert,” she says. Award-winning theatre director, writer and actor, Sharanya Ramprakash acts as creative director in adding a bit of drama to music which is already at its best. “The children’s best ability is that, although they all come from different schools of music, they can easily adapt to different situations and sing in perfect unison,” adds Sriranjani, who believes that their reflexes, intelligence and adaptability has brought about a change in her personality as well.
Aside of the vocal treats, one can also expect perfect percussions thanks to Mridangam legend Sri Umayalpuram Sivaraman leading it. At 81, the Padma Vibhushan awardee has put together a mix of young musicians (all under 18) coming from across Hubballi, Jaisalmer (Manganiyar children) Trivandrum and Chennai. “It’s not like a choir at all,” chimes 11-year-old B Gayatri from Bhavan’s Bangalore Press School. “We have so much fun – we even practice yoga during our breaks and I’ve made several good friends here,” she says. Although she didn’t take her musical pursuit too seriously because of the pressure, she immediately took to it at the choir.
“Even our clothes are made of khadi to show us that music is pure even without all the tradition,” she smiles. As the senior Gayathri of the ensemble tells us, “The costumes are handmade, organically dyed fabrics made of charaka, just to show them its importance.” As they say, (a fun) school is now in session!
