THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:With a mission to demystify Carnatic music and propagate it among the uninitiated, especially the tribespeople and other marginalised sections, young flautist P. Padmesh is out on a sojourn to far-flung settlements and hamlets across the State.
The solo concerts of Mr. Padmesh coupled with lecture demonstrations on the origin of flute and its tradition do not reflect the rule book of the legatees of Carnatic music, but are brief and lucid. He dishwa out a fare that blends Carnatic with the folk to make it easily palatable for the tribespeople and such others who have no exposure to anything except their esoteric music.
“My debut experiment was at Podiyam, a tribal hamlet in the district suburbs. After presenting a couple of popular compositions such as Vaathapi Ganapathim...., set to Hamsadwani and Saamaja varagamana... (Hindolam), I played the blowing pipe (makudi) used by snake charmers to prove how they could also lay hands on classical music with effortless ease and that went out well.”
The performance was followed by a lecture demonstration that took them by surprise. “On being informed that they hold the legacy of the flute and it was their ancestors who charmed the wind caught in the reeds to produce celestial music, the young and old who gathered were virtually amazed and shot back interesting queries on classical music, its inextricable links with the folk and other streams of music,” he says
During the course of the interaction they discussed about the significance of bamboo, how it holds water and also every outbreak of wildfires in bamboo clusters indicates a drought in the offing. “We developed a rare camaraderie during the course of the interaction and I also picked up certain interesting pieces of wisdom from them,” he says.
Mr.Padmesh then offered to conduct free music classes for them every month and the response was quite encouraging. The city Corporation had acknowledged his effort and felicitated him for doning the role of an `ambassador of classical music for the masses.’
After performing at the Taligai music festival in Chennai next week, where he would be accompanied on the mridangam by T.K.Moorthy, who was the choicest accompanist of the late M.S.Subbulakshmi, Mr.Padmesh is preparing to revive his outreach programmes extensively all over the State and has received invitations from various organisations.EOM/NJN