Chennai: War-torn Jaffna in Sri Lanka had a musical symphony earlier this month. Carnatic vocalists TM Krishna and P Unnikrishnan, along with Bharatnatyam dancer Alarmel Valli enthralled Jaffna with their performances and workshops for three days. These artistes from Chennai participated in the three-day event called 'Divine Ecstasy', set up by TM Krishna.
"In a way it is re-inforcing a cultural depth they already had. You are not introducing anything new. I think culture is a lovely way of having a conversation with people. And it also reinforces their own strengths and history," Krishna said.
Carnatic Musician P Unnikrishnan said, "For many years they have also been deprived of cultural activities, so I think Svanubhava is doing a fantastic job in reviving those moments, which used to be there."
The festival had the support of the Indian High commission in Colombo and Jaffna and the Indo-SriLanka Foundation. A team from Chennai visited Jaffna over the last two months to co-ordinate the event. With more than 2,000 people attending the dance performance of Alarmel Valli and another 5,000 strong crowd for Unnikrishnan's concert, the festival was a success....
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09:03 AM, Sep 14, 2012
