Melodies usher in Ramanavami season in Bengaluru this year

It is Ramanavami play and Bengaluru is basking successful melodies. Besides the 40-odd mandalis and samithis successful the metropolis lauding Lord Rama with music, dance, discourses and Yakshagana, ‘Vande Mataram’ turning 150 years is besides a captious portion of the celebrations this year.

The Chamarajapet Fort High School grounds is the venue for Sree Ramaseva Mandali Trust’s Ramanavami celebrations. Now, successful its 88^th year, this philharmonic jamboree volition diagnostic 27 days of concerts, that volition statesman connected March 27 with arsenic galore arsenic 200 artistes participating. Musician Sridhar Sagar volition inaugurate the festival with a portion connected his saxophone, which volition beryllium followed by a Carnatic presumption by vocalist Abhishek Raghuram.

“My begetter SV Narayanaswamy Rao was a Gandhian and would importune connected a rendition of ‘Raghupathy Raghava Raja Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ during Ramanavami. We inactive travel this custom,” says SN Varadaraj, lad of SV Narayanaswamty Rao, besides known arsenic SVN.

According to Varadaraj, this twelvemonth marks the commencement centenary of legendary flautist TR Mahalingam, who with violin Chowdiah supported SVN and the Mandali successful establishing this unsocial Ramanavami festival.

“The centenary tribute volition diagnostic a sheet discussion by scholars on Mahalingam’s music, followed by a flute recital by JU Jayanth connected April 15. Every connoisseur of classical euphony knew Mahalingam (known arsenic Flute Mali) stayed successful Chamarajpete’s Malabar Lodge successful his second years to assistance Narayanaswamy cultivate his philharmonic interests.”

The communicative goes backmost to 1962, when Flute Mali was expected to execute astatine the Mandali’s Ramanavami concert. Due to a miscommunication, helium had not arrived successful the metropolis and erstwhile the organisers realised the error, SVN drove down to Chennai to prime him up. “That evening, the 7pm performance started lone astatine 10pm; the audience hadn’t stirred and waited to perceive Mali perform,” recalls Varadaraj.

Such congregations, SVN believed, would supply a level for devotional arsenic good arsenic cultural proceedings. He reasoned the propagation of civilization and euphony would assistance successful gathering a agreed India. “My begetter conducted over 10 Ramanavami festivals during the British Raj; helium started the Ramothsava successful 1939,” says Varadaraj.

Ramanavami celebrations 2026

In keeping with tradition, the Mandali volition contiguous its yearly awards this twelvemonth too. The SV Narayanaswamy Rao Memorial National Award volition beryllium bestowed connected Hindustani violin adept N Rajam who volition grace the signifier with her girl Sangeetha Shankar and grand-daughter Nandhini Shankar, aft being felicitated connected April 12.

“Three generations of the household volition enthral audiences with Hindustani flourishes; it volition beryllium a uncommon treat,” says Abhijith Varadaraj, third-generation SVN household member, progressive successful the activities of the Mandali.

The Rama Gana Kalacharya Award of the Mandali volition beryllium fixed to Mandolin U Rajesh connected April 22, “for tirelessly been propagating the origin of Carnatic euphony connected the mandolin arsenic a euphony ambassador,” adds Abhijith. Rajesh volition contiguous a jugalbandi successful an antithetic pairing with vocalist Hari Shivaramakrishnan astatine the festival.

The Mandali’s divers programming volition spot Carnatic vocalist Sai Vignesh of ‘Varaha Roopam’ Kantara fame besides performing this year. “We person a bully practice of young artistes from Karnataka with vocalist Yoga Keertana; Abhishek NS, a pupil of S Shankar; a veena recital by Balu Masti, and Suma Sudhindra with her students. Mandali’s peculiar jugalbandi volition spot Jayanthi Kumaresh connected the veena with flautist Pravin Godkhindi, and Mylai Karthikeyan connected the nadaswara and violinist HK Venkatram.”

Other artistes who volition beryllium performing see Rahul Vellal, Dushyant Sridhar, Vishnudev Namboodari, Sivasri Skandaprasad, Vinay Varanasi and duo Archana and Samanvi from Udupi, too the regular rendition of Upanyasas successful the morning. “In keeping with our extremity of making euphony accessible to all, the Mandali has built Kala Saketa, an unfastened aerial theatre successful Bidadi and a Centre of Performing Arts gurukula,” says Abhijit.

Sree Ramaseva Mandali Ramanavami Celebrations volition instrumentality spot astatine Fort High School Grounds, Chamarajpet, from March 27 to April 22. Program and summons details on ramanavami.org