Why June 21st Is Considered A Special Day To Celebrate Music ?

Positive India:Dr.Elsa Lycias Joel:
The ambience at Edouard Michelin Auditorium, Alliance Francaise (AF), Chennai was just so right that evening. It was pouring outside, so the fog and specified haze on stage helped me merge with the outdoor mood as well. With a cup of hot lemon tea specially prepared by the famous Yosuf who runs the ‘La Cantine’ at AF and two friends to update me on what’s happening in the music circles by and large, time flew by. Meanwhile, Dr. Adam J. Greig, academic coordinator of KM Music Conservatory, walked in to regale us about why June 21st is considered a special day to celebrate music, why fête de la musique created in 1982 in France is globally known and how enthusiastically the neighbouring countries adopted and adapted to the idea of appreciating music professionals and promoting amateur music. Dr.Adam is a human book. Given his credentials as a musicologist, director, researcher, actor and composer, Dr. Adam can hold anybody’s attention for any amount of time. I was so engrossed listening and talking that I didn’t notice the auditorium getting filled up.

Mr.Bruno Plasse, Director, AF Chennai welcomed the gathering in his usual charming demeanor, encouraged everyone to dance or sing along and introduced the bands in the best possible way, which indeed pepped us all up. Both professional and hobbyist photographers went about clicking. Sushil Panicker stood out among them with his Nikon d5500.

It looked as though singing cover songs was not enough anymore. Thus, the show kick started with a brilliant acapella performance by 14 members of The Indian Choral Ensemble minus microphones. They proved that human voice is the most perfect of all instruments. Scattered amidst the audience they sang ‘Megame’, which enhanced the pure, natural sound of human voices. This piece is a proud part of India’s first NFT musical project “Pann”. Composed and written by Pradeep Kumar, and arranged by Kalyani Nair for a 16-piece choir, this song streams on an online platform, async.art.in.
‘Nam tham’ written, composed and arranged by Kalyani Nair made a few happy feet dance. The hook of this composition set to Raag Kalavati also slid to visit other modes in choral style with a lyrical melody at the end. ‘Postcard’, written and composed by Karthik Manickavasakam was about our yearning to connect especially during times of pandemic. The Ensemble wrapped up their performance with ‘Iru manam’, which was about searching love outside of us in vain. An advantage of having music lovers for an audience is that they never hesitate to sing the chorus, even if it’s off key.

Manoj Krishna Originals took the stage to help the audience rock and roll even as they were seated. Seated on the front row I had to strain my neck to see the crowd swaying or tapping their feet or waving their cell phone flashlights. Manoj Krishna’s tone pierced through our ears and hearts. His songs carried with them stories, open-ended and otherwise. ‘Dhinam kaanum’ written by Fatin uplifted the spirit to understand that every circumstance is intended for our benefit to coexist and love one another. ‘Nilavin orathil’ effortlessly captured the essence of innocence and soul through it’s retro arrangements and melody. Backing down is never an option as we try to overcome hurdles or break free from shackles of control and this was best conveyed through the song ‘Kalayadhe’. Emotions were written all over Manoj’s face as he rendered the songs with passion. He welcomed the crowd to sing along much to their excitement. In a way he made me realize that my alter ego is a rock star. ‘Un vizhi’ described a beautiful girl/woman and if dedicated to a woman will sure work it’s magic. Many got lost in his songs that none of us could accept that ‘Ninaithadhai Mudippaval’ was his last song, about a woman who followed her heart to achieve success. Manoj Krishna and his team did elevate the energy in Edouard Michelin Auditorium.

Vinay Verma Collective graced the evening with five songs, each unique unto itself. Trained in classical and ghazal music Vinay did justice to all the raag based songs. Few of his songs was accompanied by Vinu Shree’s classical dance performance which added more colour and spice. His slow tempo did quieten my mind. Myonghee Choi, my friend did understand the meaning of the songs through the dancer’s facial expressions. Through his songs, not only did Vinay Verma seek to honour musical legends such as Lata Mangeshkar and AR Rahman but also conveyed social messages, hope and the goodness of Almighty. All his five melodies moved me because Vinay was on-key and in sync with his band mates. Above everything, Mr. Bruno took it upon him to applaud vigorously. Over time, his claps and shouts Encore!Bravo! sounded like music to my ears.

Finally Pratush Shankar, lead singer of PA SYSTEM performed amidst whistles, cheers and claps. Their favorites turned out to be our favorites too. Extended plays such as ‘She’, ‘Save me’, ‘In my room’ and ‘Beam me up‘ were composed, recorded, produced and released online. AF seemed to offer them everything the band wanted to perform live; from the best host to a colourful stage, amazing crowd and gracious hospitality. Aditya Heda, the drummer of the band had a well-rounded attitude towards rhythm. The way he played ‘fills’ between beats added an extra flourish to his style.

Every band looked like the one we have been waiting for to come on. More people squeezing into the already packed auditorium increased the energy levels and warmth that was streaming through the venue. All through, I noticed a vibe going. Every member of every band had amazing eyes and ears to pick up every other person. The musicians were incredible in an exquisite stage. Mr.Bruno Plasse has it in him to make sure all events in AF, Chennai seemed like a bit of a dream.

What a feast of music!

-Dr. Elsa Lycias Joel-