The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : All India Radio music prizes distributed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 19, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

All India Radio music prizes distributed

Staff Reporter

Chennai: Prizes were given away on Wednesday to 13 winners in different categories of the All India Radio (AIR) music competition conducted last year.

The competitions were almost as old as AIR. "Tamil Nadu deserves a special commendation for receiving a majority of prizes in all the categories," Deputy Director General (South), AIR G. Jayalal said. He was addressing a function to distribute the prizes.

Though the prize-winners automatically become `B' grade artistes with AIR, the winners should nevertheless strive to improve their grading, he said. It has been found that many of the winners remain in the same grade, he added.

Carnatic vocalist R. Vedavalli said students have to work hard and improve. "It is important to continue with the same guru [teacher] and pass on the music to the next generation without changing its essence," she said.

Vocalist G.S. Mani said it is important for singers to train the voice for at least 15 minutes every day, preferably in the morning. "The tension in the voice will develop only if you practice in a higher pitch than the one they are accustomed to," he said.

AIR station director K. Srinivasa Raghavan said the competitions were an important part of AIR for the past five decades. Many of the leading artistes were spotted through the competitions. R. Vedavalli won the prizes for Carnatic and light classical in the AIR competitions in 1955 and 1956.

Out of the total of 28 prizes in the competition, 13 were distributed, including in different categories for boys and girls for vocal, devotional, instrumental and vrindagaan. The remaining 15 would be distributed on Thursday.

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