Musicians engage with listeners in novel ways
The Hindu
Artistes are coming up with researched and thematic ideas to connect more deeply with online listeners
With time on their hands and normalcy nowhere in sight, Carnatic musicians are busy creating interesting and thematic music series on YouTube. Unlike during the first lockdown, which saw a surfeit of random and generally poor quality programming in a frenetic need to stay visible, these series are more about researching the nuances, knowledge-sharing, and documentation. Backed by the latest technology, the professionally produced series offer excellent options for musicians to engage with listeners in the absence of live concerts. Senior vocalist Geetha Raja sings with her students in her videos. “I wanted to document less-heard kritis in the authentic Dhanammal bani taught to me by my guru, T. Brinda. Her teaching was so consistent that if a few of her students got together now, we could render a kriti in unison without any rehearsal,” she says.
In a few days, there would be a burst of greetings. They would resonate with different wavelengths of emotion and effort. Simple and insincere. Simple but sincere. Complex yet insincere. Complex and sincere. That last category would encompass physical greeting cards that come at some price to the sender, the cost more hidden than revealed. These are customised and handcrafted cards; if the reader fancies sending them when 2026 dawns, they might want to pick the brains of these two residents of Chennai, one a corporate professional and the other yet to outgrow the school uniform

‘Pharma’ series review: Despite strong performances and solid premise, the narrative misses the mark
Pharma offers strong performances but falters in storytelling, making it a passable watch despite its intriguing premise.

The Kochi Biennale is evolving, better, I love it. There have been problems in the past but they it seems to have been ironed out. For me, the atmosphere, the fact of getting younger artists doing work, showing them, getting the involvement of the local people… it is the biggest asset, the People’s Biennale part of it. This Biennale has a great atmosphere and It is a feeling of having succeeded, everybody is feeling a sense of achievement… so that’s it is quite good!










