The Hindu : Front Page : November Fest: a tribute to diversity and pluralism

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Tuesday, Nov 17, 2009
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November Fest: a tribute to diversity and pluralism

Divya Kumar

— Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

Festive start: Carnatic musicians Ranjani and Gayatri perform at the inaugural session of The Hindu Friday Review November Fest, in Chennai on Monday.

Chennai: The fifth edition of The Hindu Friday Review November Fest is possibly the most novel in the series in terms of the offerings it will bring, N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu, said here on Monday evening.

Speaking at the launch event, he said that of the six concerts to be presented between November 17 and 22, five are by artistes or combinations of artistes who have not performed in Chennai before. “The November Fest is a voyage of discovery and we are pleased that so many people in this music-loving city have got on board,” he said. “The success of the Fest is, in fact, a tribute to the city’s open-mindedness, its receptiveness to musical diversity or pluralism.”

Describing the Fest as ‘inclusive and eclectic’, Mr. Ram said: “In these volatile times, music is a way of building bridges across cultures and spaces. We believe our November Fest – by reaching out to different genres of music from different regions and climes – helps bring people together.”

The festival was launched with a brief but memorable vocal performance by sisters Ranjani and Gayatri. In keeping with the theme of diversity and eclecticism, they explored the different ways bhakti or devotion is expressed in Indian classical and semi-classical music with their mellifluous voices. They began with a traditional Meera bhajan in Raag Kafi, moving on to the soulful T hevaram in Raag Sindhu Bhairavi, followed by a beautiful rendering of the evergreen Krishna Nee Begane, and ending with a fast-paced Marathi abhang.

This year’s Fest opens with legendary Pakistani vocalist Abida Parveen (November 17). She is followed by Pandit Channulal Mishra of the Kirana gharana (November 18), O.S. Arun and Sanjay Abhyankar with the bhajans of Surdas (November 19) and South Korea’s leading world music band Gong Myoung (November 20). For the grand finale, Osibisa, the popular British Afro-Rock band, formed in the late-1960s, returns to the city for the first time since 1983.

Abida Parveen was at the launch and spoke a few heartfelt words in lyrical Urdu, expressing her happiness at performing in Chennai for the first time. She promised that she would give the sold-out crowd the best of her music.

“It’s very rare to see such a fantastic array of maestros in the space of five days,” said N. Prakash, general manager, Taj Coromandel, speaking at the launch. “The Fest is sure in the years to come to catapult the city into the global firmament of musical experiences.”

An invited gathering of musicians and music-lovers was present for the launch event at Taj Coromandel. It was followed by dinner featuring North-West frontier royal cuisine.

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