Precocity And Finesse

"All children are not born talented except the gifted few, and they should be first encouraged by parents by all means," explained the law minister, P Chandra Shekhar, at a gathering at Thyagaraja Gana Sabha. This was a felicitation function for the veterans, and where did children come into the picture? Well, the aim was to capture the whole picture, not just the glorious end. So, we had some child artistes perform on the occasion.

Organized by the Vidhya Ratna Malleswari Trust, the function was aimed at encouraging parents and also professionals who have contributed in the field of education. Balaraj, Suresh, Lakshmi, Satyanarayana and Pramila Reddy were among the social workers, teachers and artistes who received awards. And there was also a cassette release of 'Songs of Annamacharya' by R Satyanarayana. Satyanarayana also gave a brief concert with excerpts from the cassette, along with musical accompanists, Muralidhar (violin) and Javed (Tabla).

Select poetry of Annamacharya, illustrating the Vaishnava couple, their grandiose abode and their omnipresence, comprised his project. One can always wonder if, in the clutter of cassette release functions, these young and amateur artistes will be recognized. "I would like to spend my money on buying a Balamurali, Nookala, Bhimsen or other veterans, rather than buying songs of a novice who has yet to prove himself," said one. Satyanarayana is hardly a novice, but the market still favors big names. Well, it was a tough climb up for the veterans, as well, and we wish Satyanarayana all the best.

Earlier in the evening, there was also a folk and Kuchipudi dance recital staged by child artistes Ruchita, Poornaditya and Chaitanya. 'Brahmanjali', 'Jathiswaram', 'Ramayana Sabdham' and 'Siva Kautvam' were the numbers that the tiny dancers performed with a pleasing grace.