On June 01, when the Boston area hit near record high temperatures for the calendar day, some lucky families had the delightful opportunity to escape to a special world - to witness the gradual blossoming of musical talent through years of training, but all compressed into one afternoon! If you are wondering how this is possible, it was their  own children and their unassuming Carnatic music guru Bhuvana Ganesh who runs the Gaanavaridhi School of Music  that performed the magic. The occasion was the celebratory event named "Om Shanthi", held at the Chinmaya Center, Andover, of which it is my pleasure to provide an account here.

The event had a beautiful theme - peace (shanthi) - Bhuvana Ganesh has the lofty goal of reaching world peace through the endless bounty of music and she along with her disciples showed how earnest they are and how far they have come. The program started with a calming Shanthi Manthra (Sahana Vavatu) invocation from the ancient Upanishads, rendered by the whole school of  children led by Bhuvana Ganesh. A customary piece on  Ganesha followed - Vinaayaka Ninuvina - preceded by an aalapana, which while brief, instantly brought out the cheerful mood and beauty of Hamsadhwani. The next was a soul-stirring rendition of "Kurai Onrum Illai". Both were sung solo by Bhuvana Ganesh with mridhangam accompaniment, which provided a vision of where the children were headed.

In the next 3 hours it was the childrens' turn to show the steps to reach the destination, following the path set for them by their guru. The children were organized into 19 groups, each fittingly named after a raagam, at progressively different levels of training. The first group had children as young as 5 years and they started the students' renditions with obeisance to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswathi with two small bhajans. They drew loud applause and appreciation for their remarkable swara shuddham. The following groups rendered geethams, swarajathis, varnams and keerthanams - portraying the progressive unfolding of advancing musical subtlty with training - the magic I alluded to in the beginning. There were several noteworthy renditions at the more advanced levels - "Paahimaam Sri Rajarajeshwari" in janaranjani ; "Saamaja Vara Gamana" in Hindolam embellished with a few rounds of kalpana swarams and Muruga Muruga in Saveri, preceded by a viruttham chosen from Kandar Anuboothi, both very well sung by senior students giving ample evidence of their undoubtedly bright musical futures ; Ranjani Mala -  a composition comprising of Ranjani, Sri Ranjani, Megha Ranjani & Jana Ranjani; the charismatic and popular krithi "Brahmamokate" was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience and the legandary English notes popularised by the incomparable Sri Madurai Mani Iyer enthralled them. Sridhar Mysore's mridangam accompaniment brought a kutcheri touch to the event and able keyboard support from Suraj Rao was especially critical for the younger groups.  

The evening came to a close with a group singing of the timeless call for peace, the Sanskrit song "Maithrim Bhajatha", composed by Shankaracharya Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi, first performed at the United Nations. As Bhuvana Ganesh explained in her parting words, this was chosen to highlight the quest for peace through music, an idea that she has been drawn to especially by recent events. Music is a powerful source of influence on our being at multiple levels, conscious and sub-consious. By opening the ears and hearts of our children to this rich cultural heritage of India, Bhuvana Ganesh provides a key link to our roots and is sure to make a difference. This was evident in the fond words of her students some of whom spoke briefly at the end about the influence she has had on them. Enthusiastic support from numerous parent volunteers and Bhuvana Ganesh's family - her two children Akshay and Nikitha were among the singers and Ganesh's behind-the-scene hand was visible - was key to the success of the well organized celebration. This is an event the Indian community is sure to look forward to in the coming years.

|