Chennai: A total of 150 budding artistes grabbed the attention of Chennaiites yesterday with their breathtaking musical performance at the Margazhi Maha Utsavam in the city. Being a part of Sai Fine Arts, which teaches classical music free of cost not only to government schoolchildren but also differently-abled kids, they have a lot of performances in store in the near future.
The school’s founder and proprietor, Nellai M Vinayaga Moorthy (43), who is also the Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam spoke to News Today about how everything turned out.
Excerpts:
Q: How did music become a part of your life?
A: I was born in Thoothukudi to Vijaya Murugesh (69) and Meenakshi (64). With my maternal grandfather S P Siva Subramania Bagavathar and dad being musicians, I was brought up in a musical environment. While my studies went on one side, my parents began teaching me classical music. After mastering it, I also learnt keyboard and guitar.
Q: How did Sai Fine Arts happen?
A: While I was pursuing my college studies, my dad started Sai Fine Arts, a school for teaching classical music, in our hometown, seeing my enthusiasm towards it. He opened a platform for me to not only teach music but also sharpen my skills. Meanwhile, after completing B.Sc Computer Science at South Travancore Hindu College, Nagercoil, I got a job as a computer teacher in a government school in Ottapidaram. While working there for over five years, I also simultaneously completed MCA at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
My life marked a paradigm shift in 2008 when I got a new job at BMC, a shipping company in Chennai, which helped me and my school move to the city. With a humble beginning in a rented building near Anjaneyar Temple in Nanganallur, we have now grown to this level of having our own building at Veeraraghavan Street in Nanganalur. I have also completed M.Music at Madras University.
Q: Let’s know your achievements.
A: In 2014, I was made the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Asthana Vidwan by the Kanchi Sankaracharya. Also, just a few days ago, I received Isai Kadal Award from Pudukottai Ilakkiya Peravai. As far as the achievement of my school is concerned, it recently got recognition from the Tamilnadu government and also got ISO-certified. Apart from teaching classical vocal, violin, veena, keyboard, guitar, piano, drawing, painting, Bharatanatyam dance and chess, we are also coaching students for Annamalai Unversity and Trinity College of Music, London, examinations.
Q: It seems your wife and children are also vidwans. Let’s know more about that.
A: Yes, my wife Thanga Selvi (34) teaches classical vocal, veena and keyboard while my daughters Sai Priyadarshini (15) and Sai Meenalokshani (14) teach classical vocal and violin. They are popularly called Nellai Sai Sisters and have performed over 150 concerts now. Both have received National Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) scholarship and Sangeetha Uva Sarathy award from Mannai Pasandi Trust. We also have another music vidwan, Vishwa Mithran, who is teaches tabla and keyboard.
Q: Let’s us know about the milestone your team reached yesterday.
A: We usually celebrate two important functions: Chithrai Thiruvizha in June and Margazhi Maha Utsavam n December. So, the 2018 edition of the second one took place yesterday at Nanganallur where 150 budding artistes from our school, headed by my daughters, performed together, marking a new breakthrough for us. A lot of dignitaries were present the occasion and enjoyed our music feast.
Q: What ate your plans for the years to come?
A: My future plan is to uplift classic music. In this day and age when people are more inclined towards Western music, I am doing my part to propagate classical music. Secondly, in the coming days, I am also planning to widen my government school base to teach classical music free of cost. Currently, we cover over five schools in the neighbourhood concentrate on one school a day. Thirdly, we have mastered the art of teaching music to differently-abled children. Even those who are highly hyper-active have calmed down with out renderings. So, we are planning to take this initiative even further.
Call Nellai M Vinayaga Moorthy at 9841130158 to congratulate him.