Tala Vadya Kutcheri Vikku Vinayakram Students

1st Ever Tala Vadya Mikeless Kutcheri at Nageswara Rao Park Vikku Vinayakram’s students present group concert to kick off the Mylapore Festival 2017 Special Konnakol Presentation by Shivapriya

20 Students from Jayaganesh Tala Vadya Vidyalaya, disciples of legendary Sri Vikku Vinayakaram presented a group Tala Vadya Kutcheri this morning at the Nageswara Rao Park to kick off the 15th Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival. This is the first time that a Tala Vadya Kutcheri has been presented in over 10 years of the Mikeless Kutcheri series that Sundaram Finance has been organizing. Vikku Vinayakram sat alongside the students at the Chess Square and guided them through the kutcheri. The students presented a combination of Mridangam and Ghatam in the Adi Talam which was then followed by a solo effort from the budding Mridangam artistes. Konnakol Presentation The big highlight of the Tala Vadya Kutcheri was a brilliant Konnakol presentation by V Shivapriya, a student of Sri Sankara Sr. Sec School, Adyar. Konnakol is the art of performing percussion syllables and is the spoken component of Solkattu, which refers to a combination of Konnakol syllables spoken while simultaneously counting the Tala with the hand.

With her Guru Vikku Vinayakram by her side, Shivapriya presented with two different thalams on each hand, a very special skill and not a common feature. She received big round of applause from the audience who had gathered around the Chess Square of the Nageswara Rao Park. On the concept of morning Mikeless Kutcheri, Vikku Vinayakram said, ‘This is indeed a very special initiative by Sundaram Finance to organize an early morning Kutcheri at the Nageswara Rao Park without mikes and speakers. It is a great opportunity for young children to perform in such an open park environment with the audience sitting around them.” Sundaram Finance presented certificates to all the artistes at the end of the Kutcheri. The company also presented a memento to Guru Vikku Vinayakram. Earlier Vikku Vinayakram lit the lamp to launch the 15th edition of the Sundaram Finance Mylapore Festival.

No Mikes and speakers are used at the Kutcheri. The idea of the Kutcheri in the Park is to provide opportunities to young budding talent aged below 15 years to present in front of an informal park audience amidst chirping birds and falling leaves. Over 1000 children have presented Kutcheri to-date since the launch in February 2006. Sundaram Finance conducts audition to select the artistes. Media Contact: S Prabhu @ 94440 40748