Revelling in the musical Carnatic odyssey at the 52nd Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava – Day Four
Bombay Jayashri lends a spiritual tone to the evening through rich, soulful songs & music
Bangalore, Entering into Day 4, the 52nd Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava (BGU) witnessed an evening of soulful Carnatic music today at APS College grounds, Basvanagudi.
Followed by the scintillating performance by the Bollywood duo Vishal – Shekhar of last evening, BGU chose to immerse itself in the contemplative quality and technique of Bombay Jayashri. Charming the audiences through her melodic notes, Jayashri painted the evening in her own distinct style featuring Hindustani classical music. This seamless adherence to core tradition of classical Carnatic music added into the diversity of this year’s Utsava. Accompanying her, were H. N. Bhaskar on the violin, Delhi Sairam on Mridangam and Giridhar Udupa on the Ghatam synchronising a spiritual tone to the evening. Bombay Jayashri began her performance paying homage to Lord Ganesha with Shree Ganesh Sharanam followed by an enthralling piece of Nagumomu, a Thyagaraja Keerthana. She also sang some popular Carnatic songs which captivated the audience.
This year the Utsava hosts a stellar line-up of celebrities in the next couple of days including Sunidhi Chauhan, Pankaj Udhas, S P Balasubrahmanyam, Raghu Dixit, amongst others, to compliment the celebrations and festivities.
In an attempt to reincarnate the cultural thread, the festival also showcases many unique elements. The stunning representation of the Belur-Halebid temple is just one of the attempts by the organizers to highlight their zest for creating something unique every year. Leaving the onlookers stunned, with medieval splendour the temple is surrounded by the idols of ‘Ashtavinayaka’ (the eight avatars of Ganesha), seeding an aura of magnificence around southern India’s architecture.
Speaking on the occasion, S M Nandish, Managing Trustee, Shree VidyaranyaYuvaka Sangha, “Our endeavour has always been to create something unique, mixing well with the cultural fabric of Karnataka. Every performer adds a different experience to the Utsava, bringing out the diversity we want to achieve. This helps us to give the revellers a cherished experience. “
September 2nd 2014: Celebrate the season of festivity by a fusion concert conceptualised by the highly acclaimed Indian drummer – Darshan Doshi. Led by the supreme vocals of Chandana Bala and Parthiv Gohil, the Darshan Doshi Collective features a stellar line up of talented artists. Darshan’s talent has led them to perform in MTV’s Coke Studio as well as provide soundtracks to movies like Rock On (2008), Black (2005) and London Dreams amongst others.
Aromas of Karnataka – The Food Utsava
The strong crowd at APS College Grounds also got the opportunity to taste the most authentic Kannadiga oota from every district of Karnataka as part of Aromas of Karnataka – The Food Utsava. The six stalls representing the six districts of Karnataka had almost 100 dishes that came at an absolutely affordable price range of Rs 10 to Rs 30.
About Shree Vidyaranya Yuvaka Sangha
Shree VidyaranyaYuvaka Sangha is a social service organization that was established in 1962 by noted literate Ku Ra SitaramShastri. The organization is in the forefront of social and cultural activities, spanning over four decades. Patronized by stalwart of Kannada literature Dr. D.V. Gundappa, Sri VidyaranyaYuvaka Sangha has been actively involved in sewing the social and cultural thread of Bangalore city. Apart from a host of charitable activities, the Sangha takes pride in organizing the year’s most popular ‘Festival of the Masses’ – the Bengaluru Ganesh Utsava.
