Since the goal of CTU is to pass on our rich culture to the younger generation, the emphasis of the Utsavam was on children and youth performers. Scores of musicians from India are touring the US, thriving on the patronage of their compatriots who arrived here during the past three decades. This market would shrink in ten years unless every stake-holder endeavors to inculcate the love of Carnatic music among the young, in large numbers. Awarding prizes to outstanding students and arranging numerous concerts are good, but not sufficient to raise a home-grown crop of rasikas. What is needed is to get a great many kids to learn and perform the music.
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Accordingly, the first day, May 26, began with performances by amateurs. The first item was the recitation of Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram followed by Chethulaara and the Pancharatna Kritis which had almost a hundred people seated on the floor of the Rathi Auditorium, including violins, veenas, mridangams, a flute and a saxophone. This was followed by eight hours of Homage to Tyagaraja by amateurs – mostly youth and children – rendition of Saint Tyagaraja’s compositions. The finale was a jam-packed vocal concert by Pantula Rama accompanied by MSN Murthy on the violin and Vinod Seetharaman on the Mridangam.
Sunday, May 27th started with the rendition of the Utsava Sampradaya Krithis by CTU trained children in front of the Lord Rama Sannidhi followed by a Kolattam dance by children. The procession that followed was modeled after the traditional Indian temple function, with children pulling Saint Tyagaraja’s portrait kept on a decorated chariot. The Kolattam by brightly dressed young children was a treat to watch, another highlight of this event. This year, Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam introduced the Kerala style ensemble of drums Chendai that accompanied the procession from the Rama temple to the Siva temple. Another novel event introduced this year was a Kerala style dance by ladies to the tune of Thechi Mandharam. This dance by the ladies in Kerala-style attire with the Chendai in the background on a bright sunny day in the temple premises brought Kerala to Chicago.
This was followed by Divya Nama Sankeerthanam krithis rendered by a group of 60+ children trained by CTU followed by the 9th Annual Music Competition. 26 contestants from several states including Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida and Illinois participated and were judged by a team of professional musicians: Kumaresh, Jayanthi Kumaresh, Pantula Rama and MSN Murthy.
The Music Competition was followed by a enlightening lecture Demonstration by Madurai Sundar accompanied by Jayshankar Balan on the violin and Vinod Seetharaman on the Mridangam. The evening event was a terrific Violin-Veena duo concert by Kumaresh on the violin and Jayanthi Kumaresh on the Veena accompanied by Neyveli Narayanan on the Mridangam and Trichy Krishna on the Ghatam.
The last day started bright and early with the soul-filling concert by the Nadaswaram Vidwans, Subhan Kasim and Subhan Babu accompanied on the Thavil by Shankar and R. Nallukumar. This event was followed by a combination of Homage to Tyagaraja performances by children and adults including Accompanied performances where three children formed a team to render a rehearsed Tyagaraja composition.
Saketharaman rendered a vibrant vocal concert accompanied by S. Varadarajan on the violin and Neyveli Venkatesh on the Mridangam. This concert was followed by the grand finale for this year’s festival — delightful music by Ranjani & Gayathri accompanied by H.N. Bhaskar on the violin and Manoj Siva on the Mridangam. The Rathi Auditorium was full when Ranjani & Gayathri sang the Mangalam signalling a wonderful end to this year’s festival leaving one yearning for many more such festivals to come in the future.
For the first day’s lunch, over 950 people enjoyed an elaborate South Indian vegetarian feast cooked by experts from 113 local families, which many considered a ritual offering to the Saint. Lunch, dinner and snacks were served (included in the admission) during the three days so that the attendees did not have to run out for food between concerts or cook at home. CTU volunteers served food to all attendees in multiple settings in the Gupta Dining Hall. Senior citizens were escorted by young children and youth to tables set aside for them where they were served food of their choice.
As the songs were being performed on stage, the lyrics and meanings of each Kriti were projected on a large screen in real time; in all, 113 different Kritis were performed. All children (about 300) were photographed and their performances were recorded both audio and video. Each child received a token gift and a certificate. CTU’s annual magazine Tyagaraja Vijayam bearing articles by experts and local enthusiasts was also released. Thanks to the sponsorship of a CTU well-wisher, CTU also released the Children’s Scribbles magazine which had handwritten Tyagaraja compositions in various Indian language in addition to slokas from Hanuman Chalisa and Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram.
The admission prices were kept low thanks to sponsorship by Nagamani & Vidhyasagar family and contributions from Patrons ($1000 and over), and Annadhatas ($500 and over). Many corporate sponsors provided matching contributions. The Utsavam was supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency. All of the programs were held at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont, Illinois.
Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam continues to grow our community of children through this annual festival and other events held throughout the year — with your support.
To share your CTU experience with us, please send us an e-mail at ctu {DOT} feedback {AT} ChicagoTyagarajaUtsavam {DOT} org.