At a time when IPL threatens to root out all other forms of entertainment, Sa Re Ga Mae begged to differ

If one had a “Chinna chinna aasai” of seeing a “Muqabla”, then Kamaraj Arangam was the place to be on may the 3rd! The stage was set- an able coterie of singers, lead artistes, orchestra, a legend to felicitate, and a noble cause to top it all. It was time for “Sa Re Ga Mae..- scintillating notes of A R Rahman” to kick off. With legendary singers Chinnakuyil Chitra and Mano to croon the Madras Mozart’s tunes, the buildup could not have been better. At a time when IPL threatens to root out all other forms of entertainment, Sa Re Ga Mae begged to differ- lots of people turned up to create an electric atmosphere at the Kamaraj Arangam.

The programme started off with the support singers along with “Airtel super singer” fame Gautham churning out an interesting mash-up of “Endrendrum Punnagai” and “Mangalyam Thanthuna..” from Alaipayuthey. It set up the tempo for the rest of the evening, what with the group following it up with the title song “Sa Re Ga Mae” from Boys.

Just when the audience wondered whether Chitra would appear or not, “Malargale” from Love Birds happened. One must say her voice has grown with age, making her sound younger than ever before! The find of the evening should be Nashad, a winner of a popular reality show in Kerala. He seems to take his inspiration from Srinivas, but takes care not to sound like an imitator- worthy find indeed. After a couple of songs it was time for the showman Mano to enter the bullring- and what better a song than “Putham Pudhu boomi vendum” to do that. It was easily one of the best numbers of the evening.

No musical programme is complete without a rendition of a Superstar song. Mano rendered his version of “Kicku Aerudae” from Padayappa to huge cheers from the audience. The presence of Iyakkunar Sigaram K.Balachander and Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu off the stage inspired the rendition of the evergreen A.R.Rahman hit “Anjali…” from Duet. What followed was the stunning spectacle of “Veerapandi Kottaile” on stage despite the limitations of the orchestra strength. Notable is the fact that A.R.Rahman had created it with 120 musicians and it took less than 15 people to do a perfect re-creation of it- thanks to Sruthilaya, one of the leading light music troupes in the city.

Taking advantage of the energy generated by the music, the Rotary Club of Mylapore Uptown went ahead with the purpose of the evening- felicitating the Iyakkunar Sigaram with the lifetime achievement award, in the presence of the Kaviperarasu, convenor of V-Excel special education Dr.Vasudha, and the Plaza Group chairman Mr.Shyam Prasad Reddy alongwith renowned Rotarians like Subbu. The legends handed over funds collected from the programme to the V-Excel foundation, a school for children with special needs. Adding onto the noble cause were Dr.KB’s and Kaviperarasu’s powerful speeches full of energy and life.

It was time for the music to kick off again after the halftime break – and what followed was a (y)early feast. “Kannum Kannum” from Thiruda Thiruda and “Rukkumani” from Gentleman should be specified here- it was all too perfect to find any fault at all! The evening’s best number was, as expected, “Muqabla” from Kadhalan rendered by Mano who had also sung the original track. The laser show accompanying the song was a show stealer to say the least. The entire troupe joined hands to generate a powerful finale in “Ooh la la la “ , followed by the exceedingly patriotic “Thamizha Thamizha”, to end in the titular track “Sa Re Ga Mae”.

To sum it up, this evening had left the otherwise IPL-smitten audience spellbound at the power of melodious music and everyone were left craving for more.