SFV had a taste of yet another in-house
talent surfacing. Yes, as part of Ramanavami celebrations, Ravichandran of
Alder enchanted SFVians at Club House with his bhajan, with no signs of having
given a performance in Kumbakonam only yesterday. Our profound thanks to the ladies of the
Satsang group for roping him in. And, along with Ravi & Co, Shri
Thyagarajan, of Alder 8065, rendered some Carnatic numbers. Personally, I would
like to check his lineage - if he comes from a family of musicians – given the
ease with which he sang the numbers. For now the message is: hidden treasures
abound SFV. Better explore them in full.
The mike, combined with the acoustics
of the Hall, played truant initially, but the unrelenting team – the operator,
Uma and Panindra – tamed it. The mridangam player and the other percussionist
played their roles to perfection, as di the vocal second-line supporter, who in
his own right was a good singer. The net result: the audience was treated to a
two-hour enchanting bhajan.
Side by side, Navin Kashyap, SFV's
accredited priest for such occasions, did a commendable job of his
portfolio. He almost succeeded in persuading Lord Rama to descend to Club House
for a while. Alas, we won't have Navin’s company for long. He is all set to
relocate to Singapore in a couple of months. We wish him, Sudha and their
versatile, charming daughter all the best wherever they go.
It will be an under statement if I said
the function was well attended. The hall was jam-packed; the latecomers had to
content standing to enjoy the proceedings. No wonder we heard someone whisper,
I think next year we should hold it in Chowdiah Hall. “Venue aside,”
quipped the other, “hereafter Ramanavami celebrations should culminate in
Ravi's bhajan”.
Over the years prasadam distribution is
getting to be done to perfection, with children and the elderly being given preference
by the rest on their own accord. Also, this year many had complied with the
request of the organizers to bring their own plates for prasadam - from the
wet-waste management point of view. I only wish I were able to say the same
thing about not wearing footwear while coming to the function.
Amidst this serene atmosphere, two
things stole my mind. One, the three young boys sporting panchagachham (the
prescribed dress for ceremonies) negotiating their way to the specially
decorated 'puja premises' and stand still before the 'altar' to seek blessings.
It seems the thread ceremony of one boy had just been concluded judging from
his clean-shaven head with a tuft to signify the event. It was a pleasant
sight.
The other was the brief 'encounter'
with Brigadier Visweswaraya, staying with his wife on the 13th floor
of Ebony where, he said, his son lived a few floors above them. He had served the British Army, and said he
retired in 1941 (I was one year old then, I told myself), and had received
accolades from Queen, including some 30-odd gold coins in kind. He says he is
now 110 years old. But I told him I would need to verify it, maybe with his
son. But he was firm. If so SFV should honour this 'oldest young man' of
SFV.
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