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Entertainment
Under a star-studded sky
IT HAPPENS every year - at the same time, the same place. When the stars are bright, the breeze is fresh and when Dakshinachitra looks its prettiest best. It's Basant Utsav of course - an event that means more than just entertainment - it's an affirmation of a cause that needs constant encouragement and endeavour.
The Banyan is a little over eight years and the dream has grown from an idea to a movement that involves those who have no control over their own lives and two very special people Vandana and Vaishnavi who have made it their mission to take care of them. The mentally challenged and the hapless find a home under the Banyan which now houses 160 as inpatients and 300 who have been rehabilitated. The past eight years have been anything but easy. Endless struggle and heartaches dog the institution, which painfully watches more and more homeless roam the streets in a daze. Where can they all be taken?
Though the Banyan Dream Home has become a reality thanks to the support of well-wishers, donors and friends a lot more that is required. The monthly recurring budget to take care of the residents is Rs. 6 lakhs, which is difficult to muster and there is no corpus fund to take care of these needs. This is where Basant Utsav steps in. It is springtime and hopes are resurging - and Basant should be a time to look forward to and justify our existence in this world. If not directly at least through participation in such events.
As usual, the events on February 9 were extremely well organised - starting from the welcoming pleasant volunteers who guide each guest to the venue of the cultural activity to a cup of coffee, a bottle of mineral water, a packet of cookies and the tiny plate of delectable sweet (all sponsored by well known companies) that sets the mood for the rest of the evening. And then came the wait. The invitation said 6-15 p.m., but when the programme got under way it was well past 7-45. By which time you had eaten all the cookies and drunk most of the water and were in a mood to abandon any good cause that would have brought you to the place. Besides people kept walking in with utter disregard for time. The stars were twinkling, the moon looking down benignly. Plenty of mosquito coils kept in hidden spaces kept the pests away but the smell mingled with the breeze and left you with a feeling of nostalgia.
Just when you were about to give up, the stage lit up with the gorgeous presence of Malavika Sarukkai, a dancer who commands your attention with her impeccable nritta. She gave her all - through Itchha - to the cause of the Banyan - the tree and the concept. A Nrithanjali in Amritavarshini and Keeravani freed the spirit from its bonds and splayed the magic of movements on the amphitheatre. You could hardly resist it. Kamakreeda and Shilpa Katha reaffirmed the mood of spring. Giving her orchestral support were Bhagyalakshmi on the vocals, A. S. Murli on the nattuvangam, P. K. Ranganath on the mridangam and N. Sikamani on the violin.
The Maestro - Pandit Jasraj - came in after a brief break that consisted of a reading. After a painstaking tuning he decided to get on with the concert. Late evening had passed to night and the prospect of travelling late on the road back to the city was gloomy. Before one went into a depression about it Raag Durbari came like a balm and soothed the nerves. The rendering itself was not intended to be very detailed but replete with technical finesse. Voice control, flexibility and sruti adherence are but natural with someone like him and the raga unfolded quickly and effectively. These were followed by two devotional numbers that had the support vocalist (Gargi) blossoming from a nervous singer to an accomplished artist. Accompanying him on the tabla was Abhijit Banerjee and Mukund Patkar on the harmonium.
At the end of it you were left wondering about the motivating factors behind causes in general. The ambience was so beautiful- the stage decor so aesthetic. It was a huge poster of Pandit Jasraj and Malavika Sarukkai done in shades of white and grey and just as you were mentally lauding the artist who would have done it you thought - do sponsors really need to prove that they are committed to causes? The list on that otherwise wonderful illustration seemed a trifle redundant. But that's the way the cookie crumbles!
CHITRA MAHESH
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