Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Rediscovering the power of Nature through music and rhythm is what the annual festival ‘Music and Rhythms in Fuji’ is all about.

Dancing to the beat: The Vayali Folk Group performed ‘Darikavadham’ and ‘Kudachozhi’ at the ‘Music and Rhythms in Fuji.’

The five-day festival was a wonderful experience for the five-member Vayali Folk Group, from the little village of Arangottukara in Thrissur district.

“More than just a new experience the festival was an eye-opener for us. The management was excellent, the people involved were dedicated; every aspect like our accommodation, travel and scheduling of programmes were done in a thorough professional way,” says Vinod Nambiar, leader of the group.

The festival served a dual purpose. It helped in introducing traditional Japanese culture to other nations, while, at the same time, gaining a chance to understand and appreciate the varied cultures from other parts of the globe.

“The festival offered an opportunity for us to create a new musical culture by interacting and working together with musicians with unique styles from countries such as South Korea, Mongolia, and Japan. For all the five days it was not all about performing. There were so many diverse activities that comprised the festival. It began with a guided tour around Mount Fuji and the national park nearby. We were told the uniqueness of the community there, its history, culture, et al. There was a sort of introductory session on another day where all the groups met for the first time, ” recounts Vinod.

Interestingly, the organisers had not constructed a stage. “The area that was marked could be used according to our convenience. We found the rehearsals quite useful as we could interact with the other musicians.”

The performance began by welcoming the guests to the venue. “Once the people had settled down the musicians from Mongolia, followed by those from South Korea performed. Then came the enthralling bamboo orchestra from Japan. We put up two short performances, ‘Darikavadham’ and ‘Kudachozhi.’ The latter, a typical Valluvanadan art form that is on the verge of extinction was well appreciated. It is related to Nature as it used to be performed on the paddy fields soon after the harvest was over. The songs and the form itself were a kind of prayer to the Almighty for protection of the grain harvested and seeking blessings for a better harvest the next year,” explains Vinod.

There was also a session where the musicians of the four nations jammed to create some interesting compositions. “The Mongolian singers performed to the backup support of our percussion. The chenda caught the fancy of almost everyone there. For us the bamboo orchestra was simply wonderful. In fact, we have already decided to begin a similar orchestra for Vayali. We have made some and tried it out. The results are encouraging.”

Although the members of Vayali did not get a chance to see much of Japan it was an experience they would always cherish.

“Most of them were going abroad for the first time. It was a dream come true and it has also given them a sense of identity. I’m sure these meaningful cultural exchanges will strengthen our resolve to bring together communities through music,” rounds off Vinod.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail