Prime MInister Narendra Modi hails Indian diaspora’s contribution to culture.
‘Members of the Indian diaspora have played a positive role in preserving and promoting our culture in various parts of the world,” declared the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in his letter to the organisers and participants of the world famous Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival, a 2-week megavaganza that is celebrating its 44th edition in its 47 years of existence (3 years were lost to the pandemic). “They are also ensuring that younger generations grow up being aware of their cultural roots. This festival is yet another manifestation of this exceptional contribution.” There could not be a more accurate way of describing the scale at which the festival operates and the value it provides to us as the torch bearers. This Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival (CTF) is the largest event of Indian performing arts outside India and one of the most mammoth events in the global cultural calendar.
The piece de resistance was on the morning of 12th April Saturday, when over 400 icons, celebrities and emerging artists came together as one voice to pay homage to the saint composer Tyagaraja (1767-1847), even as thousands of listeners had to be hosted in a Basketball Stadium to listen to a grand chorus of his canonical work – the Pancha Ratnas (5 gems). This synchronised effort mimics the annual presentation in his favourite town of Tiruvaiyaru in Tamil Nadu around the Jan-February time. Tyagaraja is arguably the most influential composer in Indian music and in the words of PM Modi, ‘being a devout Ram Bhakta, he left behind a lasting impact and his beautiful compositions are still sung by youngsters who learn classical music.’ That the crowd on and off stage have increased exponentially from under 10 and under 100 respectively since the Festival’s inception 48 years ago, speaks volumes of the health and wellbeing of Indian culture in this neck of the woods.
Star performers were show-stealers while young Indian and North American talents proved the inclusivity and diversity of Indian Classical art forms. Octogenarian legends V V Subramanyam and Trichy Sankaran dazzled and sizzled, creating magic on the violin and mridangam respectively. Sudha Raghunathan’s concert to a packed auditorium was as per high expectations while S Sowmya presented some classic pieces with haunting improvs. Chitravina N Ravikiran’s mathematical brilliance captivated cognoscenti and musicians alike with his award winning accompanists enthusiastically embellishing the event. Upcoming star Kruthi Bhat’s melodious voice enticed a housefull audience and J A Jayant enchanted the hall with his bass and double bass flute renditions of popular numbers.
Enthralling orchestral presentations included Epic Choir, directed and conducted by Neyveli Santhanagopalan and Carnatic Symphony conceptualised by K N Shashikiran, fusing Carnatic and Western Classical. Chitravina Ravikiran’s Dashavatara Ratna Mala, presented by Music educator Vanitha Suresh and choreographed by dance guru Krupa Baskar consisted of 10 compositions, each highlighting a different incarnation of Vishnu, all composed within a short 4-day span. Other ensembles led by Papanasam Ashok Ramani, Nirmala Rajasekhar, Chitravina Ganesh and Bhargavi Balasubramanian showcased brilliant teamwork at times projecting aspirants ranging from 3 to 75!
CTF’s other initiatives such as Reality-Show style music competitions and thematic group concerts acts as a beacon to thousands of students and parents besides drawing several non-Indian listeners, scholars and artists to the gala. While Tyagaraja may be their flagship composer, almost every well known creator and musician is celebrated in this mammoth event which also pioneered the trend of giving awards to significant art promoters and supporters.
None of this would be possible without the vision of Mr V V Sundaram, Roger Natarajan, Balu, Venkatraman and their families and hundreds of volunteers and well wishers, besides their cultural partners, Cleveland State University.
Neha Murthy is music performer, promoter and scholar graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, GA studying data science.