First Keyboard performance at Sunday Kutcheri

The April edition of Sunday Kutcheri saw a key board performance for the first time.

Mahathi Kishore, a 5th Standard student in DAV Girls Senior Secondary School, Gopalapuram, presented a carnatic music performance on the keyboard on Sunday morning (6th April 2008). Mahathi has been learning to play the keyboard for the last 3 years. Her present guru in Carnatic keyboard is Mr. Martin.

She was accompanied on the Ghatam by Sri Ammangudi S Ramanarayan, a disciple of Sri Umayalapuram Sri. K. Sivaraman and on the Mridangam by Sri Madurai D Sundar, a disciple of Sri Umayalapuram Sri. K. Sivaraman.

S. Sivakumar, VP, Sundaram Finance presenting certificate and mementos to Mahitha Kishore.

Musical morning at Nageswara Rao Park

Ghatam Suresh's troupe perform at the Sunday Kutcheri
Walkers at the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore, Madras had an enjoyable musical morning at on Sunday (5th March 2007). This time, in addition to the "dawn chorus" with which birds greet us every new day, they had the sweet carnatic music performance of 15 young children, belonging to Ghatam Suresh's troupe 'Sankruthi', to experience and applaud.

These talented artistes were accompanied by Sri Sankarnarayanan on the flute, Sri Sikkil Balu on the violin, Sri Kalyanaraman on the mridangam, Master Krishna and Master Prashanth on the Ghatam, Sri Muralidharan on the Congo and Sri Satyaraj on the keyboard.

Deccan Chronicle on Sunday Kutcheri

Senior Journalist, Chitra Mahesh, from the Chennai Chronicle makes an early morning trip to the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore to review the Sunday Kutcheri in the Park.

It turns out to be a rainy morning with the artiste performing in the drizzle.

Anjana and Saagarika at the mikeless Sunday Kutcheri

The first Sunday of February 2008 saw two 15 year olds, from two different schools, come together to present a vocal carnatic music performance. V. Anjana, studying in P S Senior Sec School, Mylapore and Saagarika Sridhar, studying in The Ashram School, performed at mikeless Sunday Kutcheri organized by Sundaram Finance at the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore.

Anjana and Saagarika have been learning music from Guru Prema Rangarajan.

They were accompanied on the Violin by Anupama Shankar and on the Mridangam by Kaushik Rajagopal.

T. T. Srinivasaraghavan, Managing Director, Sundaram Finance Ltd., was present on the occasion and presented certificates and mementos to the performing artistes.

Vidya Mandir Students perform at the Sunday Kutcheri

15 students from Vidya Mandir, Mylapore presented a vocal music performance on Sunday morning (2nd March 2008) at the monthly mikeless ‘Sundaram Finance Sunday Kutcheri in the Park’ at the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore. These 15 children were accompanied by Shyam on the Violin, Shrikrishna & R. Varun on the Mridangam and by S. Krishna on the Ghatam.

Interestingly, these students, who have been learning music individually from different music teachers and have different music styles, were brought together and trained specifically for the Sunday Kutcheri.

Mrs. Harikripa Kannan, Maths Teacher at Vidya Mandir, who brought together these students for this Sunday Kutcheri said, “The early morning park ambience was very pleasant and conducive for a kutcheri. The mikeless kutcheri is an interesting and innovative concept. The children were very surprised when they were told that there would be no mikes and speakers but they enjoyed their first ever experience of a mikeless open air kutcheri.”


You Tube of Vidya Mandir Students at Sunday Kutcheri

TOI on Sunday Kutcheri

Times of India visits the October 2008 Sunday Kutcheri in the Park at the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore

Pammal School Students present Group Kutcheri

UKG Student part of the Kutcheri

For 20 students from Sri Sankara Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Pammal, Sunday morning (6th July 2008) was a big occasion.

These students started as early as 5am on their 20 km trip from Pammal, on the outskirts South of Madras, to the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore for their first Kutcheri in Chennai. One could see the enthusiasm and excitement in the eyes of these little children as they performed on the big stage for the first time.

The rendition of songs such as Sagala Ganaathipa(Aarabi raagam, Athi Thaalam- Dr. Bala Murali Krishnaa), Sri Valli Deva Senapathipathey (Papanasa Sivan), Sriman Narayana(Bowli Ragam, Athi Thaalam), Venkataasa Nilayam(Sindhu Bairavi Ragam-Athi Thaalam- Purandaradaasa), Kurai Onrum Illai and Maithreem Bajatha had the hundreds of people who had gathered around the Kutcheri chess square at Nageswara Rao Park tapping in synch with the music.

Mrs. Malathy Balakrishnan, Principal, Sankara Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Sec School Pammal, said “The Sunday Kutcheri is a unique concept providing opportunities for young children to present kutcheris in an open air environment, amidst a nice park setting.”

“This is the first time these children have presented a public carnatic music performance. Singing without mikes and speakers was a new experience for them and the performance at the Sunday Kutcheri would have given them the confidence to present more such public performances in the future.”

T. T. Srinivasaraghavan, Managing Director, Sundaram Finance said, “It is heartening to hear that these children put in long hours of hard work practicing as a team, ahead of the Sunday Kutcheri. Our objective is to provide opportunities to young children and the presence of an enthusiastic 5year old UKG student, as part of this music troupe, was particularly pleasing.”

Sri Sankara Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Sec School, Pammal was started in 1983 with an initial strength of 135 students. The school now is a full-fledged Higher Secondary School with 2700 students on its rolls in this Silver Jubilee Year.