Chennai: The three-day Navarathri Kutcheri in the Park series organised by Sundaram Finance commenced today at Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore, where 14-year-old S Vaishnavee presented a lively one-hour ‘Mikeless Kutcheri’ from 7 am to 8 am.
Vaishnavee, who is learning from T R Vasudevan, was accompanied on the violin by T Kishore and on the mirudangam by V G Vishwesh.
With the early morning sun beating down on her face through the branches of the tall tree at the Nageswara Rao Park, Vaishnavee presented compositions that included Muthuswamy Dikshithar’s Gajananayutham (Chakravakam Ragam/Adi Thalam), Thyagarajar’s Adamodigalade (Charukesi/Adi), Shyamashastri’s Mayamma (Aahiri/ Adi) and Papanasam Sivan’s Kana vendamo (Sri Ranjani-Adi), a press release said.
Sundaram Finance Ltd company secretary P Viswanathan presented certificates and mementos to the artistes. This is the 10th edition of the Navarathri Kutcheri in the Park.
On the concept of Navarathri Kutcheri in the Park, Sundaram Finance managing director T T Srinivasaraghavan said, “Ten years ago, we expanded the monthly Sunday Kutcheri in the Park concept and introduced an annual three-day Navarathri Kutcheri in the Park series because we had a happy problem. The number of children who made the cut in terms of the audition had grown manifold and there was a backlog of children and a waiting list wanting to perform.”
Sundaram Finance has also been organising monthly Kutcheri in the Park on the first Sunday of every month since February 2007. No mikes and speakers are used at the Kutcheri in the Park. Over 1000 children have presented concerts.
Sundaram Finance conducts audition to select the artistes aged below 15 years for the kutcheri.