By Pallavi Nagesha
BOSTON–The much awaited first edition of the Blue Planet concert series debuts on Saturday, Jan 29, 2022at 8:30 am EST online.
LearnQuest, in partnership with First Edition Arts, presents a Carnatic concert by the Malladi Brothers and a Hindustani concert by Pt. Venkatesh Kumar.
The vision behind these concerts is to promote ecological awareness and connect the healing power of music with the nurturing power of nature.
The Malladi Brothers, accompanied by Tumkur Ravishankar (Mridangam), Embar Kannan (Violin), and Chandrasekhara Sharma (Ghatam), perform at Urur Olcott Kuppam. This stretch of beach on the Tamil Nadu coastline used to be a thriving fishing village. Urban expansion has put a heavy strain on the ecology of the region and despite dwindling resources, the fisherfolk conduct their meagre business with much joy.
Bringing music to their day not just makes their job a bit more joyful, but also gives us a unique glimpse into their world. You need no introduction to Sreeramprasad and Ravikumar, brothers hailing from an illustrious musical family from Andhra, whose voices resonate with the sprightly tones of the Krishna river and the ethereal beauty of the Kanakadurga temple. Their music brings much solace to the troubled waters of Urur Olcott Kuppam just as much as the environs steer their music.
The indomitable Venkatesh Kumar, accompanied by Raghunath Nakod (Tabla) and Guruprasad Hegde (Harmonium), performs in the lush mango groves of Dharwad. Established as a training facility for forest development, Gungaragatti is a township that boasts of a forest reserve and promotes preservation and controlled use of mango and jackfruit trees.
Padma Shri Pt. Venkatesh Kumar, known for the highly devotional quality of voice, pays homage to the nature around him. His vibrant voice flows like a gentle breeze through the trees around him. Every leaf, every flower, every branch, sways with joy. It seems that the forest inspires pandit ji’s music as much as his music affects the forest. Pandit ji hails from Bellary and to him performing at Gungargatti is like coming home. This is very evident in his performance.
Do not miss out on these exceptional concerts that are sure to delight your heart and stir your soul. For more information and tickets, go to tickets.learnquest.org.
