Cheerful in the face of challenge

``FOR THIS one song all lights in the auditorium will go off'', announced Swarnamalya Ganesh, one of the emcees of the evening, and not without reason. The venue was the Kamaraj Memorial Hall, and the event was a programme of light music presented by Comaganin Raaga Priya. The entire orchestra comprised an energetic and musically inclined visually challenged group.

And joining them in the singing session, presented by the National Association of the Blind and Madras Round Table No.1, were Nityashree Mahadevan, P. Unnikrishnan, Harini and Devan. Dancer Anita Ratnam's short, solo invocation was yet another highlight.

The number for which the lights were switched off was the melodious ``Ilamai Enum Poongatru'' song from ``Pagalil Oru Iravu'' - and even then it was not entirely dark for those of us who could see. Sight impairment as we see it, is an insurmountable challenge, yet how gloriously the challenge can be met is the message that the evening seemed to convey.

A conductor for the orchestra was superfluous and cues and stands, to place the lyrics on redundant. Incidentally most of the popular singers too knew the lyrics of their numbers and did not need the help of notes. Whether the acoustics of the hall cooperated or not was immaterial (and it sometimes didn't). Yet there were no frayed tempers or disgruntled murmurs. With stoicism and single-minded devotion on the one hand, cheerfulness and self-confidence on the other, the troupe performed with elan.

And whether it was Unnikrishnan who sang the ever popular ``Enakkae Enakka'' number with the visually challenged Easwari or the hit of all time, ``Senthamizh Thenmozhiyal'' rendered by another challenged Raaga Priya member, every effort was a laudable one.

A poignant moment came when Harini rendered the ``Athiri Pathiri'' number from ``Dumm.. Dumm.. Dumm..'' A slight pause from the Raaga Priya chorus group prompted the singer to gesture to the girls to join her. The spontaneous action was one of the many touching highlights of the evening.

Incidentally, those who had seen Harini on stage a year or so earlier, were in for a pleasant surprise. She was neither staid nor serious as she was then - in fact you saw her smiling and cheerful throughout.

If the potential of the troupe was highly commendable so was the concern and kinship of all the popular singers who participated in the show and helped to make the evening a success.

MALATHI RANGARAJAN

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