The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Nadha Ratnakara award for four musicians

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 22, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Nadha Ratnakara award for four musicians

Staff Reporter

Sabha official calls for more music festivals to promote young performers `Unlike earlier, when artistes could not ascend the stage until they turned 50, today performers went on stage at a young age'

CHENNAI: The Universal Fine Arts of London, United Kingdom and Nadha of Reunion, France, jointly launched their first annual music festival at Asthika Samajam in Venus Colony here on Wednesday.

Four musicians were honoured with the title, Nadha Ratnakara, and presented citations and cash awards. The citation says that the artistes were honoured for "service rendered to Carnatic music" and propagating "our ancient culture and heritage."

Honouring the artistes who included vocalists T.V. Sankara Narayanan and Sudha Raghunathan, violinist M.S. Anantharaman and mridangam artiste T.K. Moorthy, R. Krishnaswamy, secretary of Narada Gana Sabha, said in the past musicians and singers performed in foreign lands but now the NRIs were coming home to honour and support them.

There was a need for more music festivals since there were enough young artistes who needed a platform to introduce them, he said.

Such festivals would allow foreign residents to pick promising artistes and promote them abroad. Unlike earlier, when artistes could not ascend the stage until they turned 50, today performers went on stage at a young age, he said.

On behalf of the awardees, Mr. Sankara Narayanan said the awards were a blessing of God and showed the love and support rasikas gave performers. He said he owed the honour to his father, uncle and mother.

Others who felicitated the artistes included Babu Rammasami, regional officer, Central Board of Film Certification and spiritual orator Nagai Mukundan.

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