Soorya Festival at Kozhikode...

Soorya festival, the famous art and cultural event was held in Kozhikode for the first time from 26^th to 30^th December 2008. My pre-occupations kept me away from the even at the Tagore hall until the final day. The classical music concert by the famous music director Sarath was the main event yesterday. The opening item was a short drama by the students of Sanskrit University –Kalady. It was a comedy drama consisting of two characters. The actors gave a brilliant performance and succeeded in reaching out to the audience. There was an exhibition of paintings by budding artists from the Mural painting institute at Guruvayur and some local painters. I was especially enchanted by the Mural paintings of Radha-Krishna and the Mirabai.

 The concert itself was a sumptuous treat. This was the first time that I had attended a classical music concert. I was spell bound by the performance of the now-familiar, highly talented disciple of the maestro Balamurali Krishna. Sarath sir, as he is fondly called by his fans, had the audience spell bound by his rendition of the famous carnatic numbers like Vathapi and Nagumo. Apart from the pure classical songs, he also came up with such famous all-time hits like Mamankam, much to the delight of the crowd. I must admit I was totally mesmerised by the music. Truly a memorable evening for me and I suspect I might start going to carnatic concerts more often henceforth.