The first music and dance festival of the 2015 edition of the famed December Season got underway at Bhavans in Mylapore when Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s own fest was launched at its main auditorium on Friday evening.
The skies had cleared so the event got a full house as two senior artistes – violinist K Kanyakumari and Neyveli Santhanagopalan were decorated with ‘lifetime achievement’ awards by chief guest N. Murali, president, Music Academy.
Later, Abhishek Raghuram presented the first of 70-odd concerts scheduled here over two sessions. Admission is free.
BVB’s schedule is posted at www.kutcheribuzz.com
Already Bhavan is on the third day of its festival. They adopt a peculiar method of allowing the audience only through the front entrance facing the road, by closing the other two entrances on the left side. Those who enter through the front entrance start occupying the corner seats on either side of the aisle on the right side, whereas on the left side, the seats remain vacant, because the wider passage that allows free movement and free access to the left side is blocked by a tripod permanently kept for taking videos. And, we are precluded from using the other entrance on the extreme left side, as they it is only meant for the VIPs and card holders. They should realise that non card holders will not occupy the seats they are not entitled. It is paradoxical situation, created by those who are supposed to usher in the rasikas. I hope the authorities give a thought to this problem faced by the regulars, who have always experienced a warm reception.