Mikeless Kutcheri Rewinding to 2015 and 2010

Sayee Rakshith made his debut at the Sunday Kutcheri in July 2010 as a 11 year old - He is now a Sabha regular and made a musical trip to the US with Trissur Brothers

Harini, who presented this day in July 2015 as a 13 year old, has begun to take music classes

Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore should have been abuzz on Sunday morning (July 5, 2020) with the mikeless kutcheri organised by Sundaram Finance. However, the extended lock down has meant the cancellation of the Sunday Kutcheri in the Park for a fourth successive month.

In February 2007, when the Sunday Kutcheri was launched, TT Srinivasaraghavan, MD, Sundaram Finance Ltd., had said that the objective was to provide young musical talent aged below 15 years a platform to perform in front on an informal park audience and to help them shed their inhibitions and move up to next level. Two artistes who first presented a Kutcheri at the Nageswara Rao Park in July of 2010 and 2015 have climbed up the musical ladder since their debut performance at the Sunday Kutcheri.

July 2010- A Solo Violin Performance then, Now in the Sabhas

Ten years ago, on the first Sunday of July 2010, an interesting artiste presented the Sunday Kutcheri in the Park. While most often, it is vocal performance at the Sunday Kutcheri, Sundaram Finance chose an eleven year old Violinist to present a solo performance. A decade later, S. Sayee Rakshith, now a qualified ACCA, is a regular as an accompanist at the Sabhas during the Margazhi season. Last year, he went on a musical tour to the US along with Trissur Brothers. Looking back at the 2010 Kutcheri, he remembers being nervous “The Sunday Kutcheri was much talked about at that time, was well covered in the media and I remember being nervous that morning ahead of the Kutcheri.”

His Guru for the last few years Padmashree awardee A Kanyakumari, who has never charged a fee from her students, is all praise for providing the solo opportunity to a Violinist “Most often, Violinists are seen only as accompanists and are not given their due. It is heartening that Sundaram Finance presented that solo opportunity to him very early on in his career that served as a launch pad for him. In the years that I have seen him, he has shown exemplary attitude to learning, has displayed true Guru Bhakti, has rarely been distracted and has focused on improving his violin skills.”

Testimony to his musical growth can be seen from the fact that Sayee Rakshith has been her accompanist in her kutcheris in the Sabhas. Quite a creditable achievement!!

July 2015 artistes now teaches young students

5 years ago this day, Sunday the 5^th of July 2015, R Harini, a student of Shubha Ganesan, presented her first ever Kutcheri as a 13 year old at the Chess Square of the Nageswara Rao Park as part of the monthly Sunday Kutcheri. 

Teaches Music to young students

Hairni has just completed her Class XII exams and joined an online CA Foundation course. With the lock down hitting everyone hard and restricting external movement, Harini has begun taking music classes online as directed by her Guru. Harini has fond memories of her first Kutcheri “When I was chosen for the Mikeless Kutcheri by Sundaram Finance, I was quite nervous to present in front of the park audience as it was my first public performance. But singing without mike and speakers helped me sing naturally and the feedback was generally good which gave me a lot of confidence.”

In April this year, just after the lockdown began, Harini received a big boost when her Guru asked her to take classes for students “I saw it as a big endorsement from my Guru on the progress I had made in the last five years. I have now been taking classes for three students including one from the USA thrice a week over the last three months. And it has been a good experience. It has also opened my thoughts to exploring the possibility of becoming a music teacher in the future.” 

Commending the musical commitment of Harini, Shubha Ganesan said that she was a regular even a few days prior to the Class XII exams and that she has evolved in music over the last few years ‘I showcase her commitment as a role model to all those newcomers taking to music.’

Interestingly, over the last quarter, Harini has also donned the role of Music Guru for her younger sister who now looks up to her for everything in music.

For these two, Sunday Kutcheri in the Park has served as a launch pad in their musical career.