May 20 to 22 2018 would be cherished as special days in the
lives of all the 25 participants who attended the Music Workshop at Gayaki
School of Performing Arts, conducted by Dr. Baby Sreeram.
There are great musicians who are blessed in performing,
others who are exemplary teachers, but Dr. Baby Sreeram proved her mettle in
rendition as well as teaching music.
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| Gayaki Music Workshop Details |
Chamber Concert –
The chamber concert held on Sunday had her featuring
exquisite krithis. The session was also followed by an interactive session with
special focus on rendering various aspects of Manodharma Sangeetha with
emphasis on Neraval singing.
Guruvaram: Musical Workshop Series
With the desire of propagating Carnatic Music in its purest
form, Gayaki School of Performing Arts is organizing a series of Music Workshop
sessions, conducted by exponents in the field.
The inaugural workshop was done by Dr. G. Baby Sreeram. During
the workshop, she taught the students a total of eight krithis, consisting of rare
compositions of Trinity, Garbhapuri vasar and Neelakanta Sivan.
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| Baby Akka had meticulously scripted all the krithis with swara notations, making it very easy for the participants to follow and sign along. The neatly photocopied notes were distributed to participants in advance, thereby minimizing any confusion. |
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Krithi
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Ragam
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Composer
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1
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Ijjanmam Idhai kadaithera
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Chakravakam
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Neelakanda Shivan
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2
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Sree Krishno maam
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Nasikabhooshani
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Muthuswami Deekshithar
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3
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Sree Venugopalam
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Shankarabharan
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Muthuswami Deekshithar
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4
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Karunanidhi Ilalo
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Thodi
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Shyama Shasthi
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5
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Maruvakka daya
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Mohanam
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Garbhapurivasar
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6
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Dinanum ninai maname
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Sourashtram
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Neelakanda Shivan
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7
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Kattajesinana
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Atana
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Thyagaraja Swami
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8
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Neevanti Deivamu (Thyagaraja krithi on Lord Muruga)
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Thodi
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Thyagaraja Swami
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An average teacher would compromise on the nuances of the
krithis to match the capability of the students. But great teachers would take
the students along with them, and with their excellent teaching skills, make
the students proficient in handling even the subtle sangathis, thereby raising
the standard of the students’ musical capability. The workshop was a testimony
to this.
Punctuating the magnanimous and heavy dose music lessons
with fun here and there, the class was so lively. After singing one krithi at
last after learning it, we would wonder “Wow! How did I learn that so fast?”…
And the answer of course, is the Guru’s expertise in teaching. Baby akka would
also visualize the music for us, to help us render it better. “After you
complete singing the ragam before a krithi, finish it with a phrase that
beautifully sums up that raga, like wrapping up a beautiful present”, she says,
with her ever graceful smile. I am sure all the participants would have this analogy
in mind whenever they render a raga.
While the audience consisted of a wide age range (from 8 to
40 years), all the participants had a genuine interest in music, and were rapt
in attention throughout the session. It is this group effect that made all the
participants accomplish the task of learning eight krithis in a short span of
two days, an otherwise unimaginable feat.
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| Participants enjoying fun filled lunch sessions with our Gurus - Baby akka and Shanthala akka |
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| Guruvaram Inaugural Workshop: Participants along with Dr. Baby Sreeram and Smt. Shanthala Raju |
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| Baby akka being honored for the wonderful Music workshop |
Gayaki School of Performing Arts
Mrs. Shanthala Raju,
owner of Gayaki School of Performing Arts, had painstakingly organized such a
music workshop. Music workshops are a priceless experience to all artists. It
is very rare that such music workshops are organized in Cochin too. With her
primary focus on instilling classical music to all, all other motives like self
interest or monitory benefit take a back seat. The very fact that the two day
workshop was priced at a very nominal amount itself is proof to her genuine
interest in making good music available to all. (Usual two day workshop fee is
three times this amount)
