After a little over 2 months of planing, organising and executing, the big day finally arrived on January 29th. It was the culmination of a lot of different things coming together. There was the venue, the finalising of the artist, the gifts for my students, arranging some snacks .... phew! And to top it all, there was this looming scare of this brand new Corona Variant (Ba2), that had the potential to throw a spanner in the works. Thank god it wasn't much. I must say, it was quite an experience. And it all went without a hitch, for which I shall be forever thankful.
In my journey as a musician, this event was a milestone because it showcased the result of 4 years of hard work. Finally I had a handful of students who were able to get on stage and present their learnings. And I was able to play to my heart's content, with not one but two great musicians, Smt. Baishali Roy & Joel Veena (the internationally renowned Indian Slide Guitar Player from Vermont, U.S.A).
IME was the perfect venue - just the right size (about 80-100 people) and it was packed to capacity. That's always the best situation for any music concert.
While music was the obvious theme for the evening, there was one significant announcement - a surprise actually - that was the glowing highlight of the occasion. I announced the institution of an annual award in memory of my late parents Smt. Meenakshi (Shobha) and Shri Hariharasubramani (Hari/Mani). The award is called
"MEENAKSHI HARIHARASUBRAMANI AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN MUSIC". It will have a momento, a citation and a cash award for the recepient. I shall work towards picking one very talented musician among the many, who has dedicated his/her life to the service of Indian Classical Music.
Joel Veena was the first recipient of this award (2023).
I am thankful to all the students & parents who extended their generous financial support to make this event a grand success.
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Regards & wishes
Sumith Naik