Ever watched or heard Dr Ekbal, Planning Board Member and former Vice Chancellor of Kerala University, play the tabla. Check out the facebook page of Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan to watch him play and explain the basics of the beats.

Social media is where all the action is during the current lockdown. Since April 12, Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, has moved centre stage with some interesting renditions of poetry, dance recitals, songs, chenda melam and more, all on its Facebook page and in a WhatsApp group of culture buffs.

“It was an effort to engage with the public while they are at home. We began with the recitation of a poem by eminent poet K Satchidanandan. Leading poets and newcomers have pitched in with their own poems or the verses of their favourite poets. We have also roped in playback singers, dancers, musicians, playwrights, writers and artists,” explains lyricist and poet MR Jayageetha, member secretary of Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan.

Jayageetha adds that members of the public are also welcome to take a video and participate in this cultural fiesta. If you are an artiste or have a child who would like to dance, draw, recite or sing, all you have to do is send a video of a recital to the WhatsApp numbers concerned.

“After we verify that the video is authentic, we post it on the page. In the case of reputed artistes, we contact them and request them to shoot a short video of his/her performance and send it to us. We upload it and share it on the page and the WhatsApp group. The response from the artistes and the public has been exhilarating,” she says.

Jayageetha says she holds close to her heart a video of a special child’s dance. Her parents told her that their daughter was keen on putting up a video of her performance and so they recorded a dance of hers and sent it to the WhatsApp number of the Bhavan and Jayageetha immediately shared it on the Facebook page.

Musicians Stephen Devassy, Kallara Gopan, Sayanora Philip, Sudeep Kumar and Pushpavathy are some of the artistes who have come up with snippets of music to whet the appetite of listeners.

Noted Malayalam writer and poet K Satchidanandan   | Photo Credit: S Mahinsha

Bharatanatyam dancer and musician Rajashree Warrier feels it is an interesting way to involve the public in cultural activities. She has sung the pallavi and anupallavi of the Purandaradasa composition in Kapi, ‘Jagadodharana’, while Kuchipudi dancer Padmini Krishnan presents a glimpse of a thillana.

Contact WhatsApp numbers 8547497842, 9846882019.