VP to attend M.S. Subbulakshmi's 102nd birth anniversary in Mumbai

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu will honour 50 young and promising musicians from all across India to mark the 102nd birth anniversary of the legendary carnatic music singer, Bharat Ratna M.S. Subbulakshmi, an official said here on Wednesday.

The event will be conducted by the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha (SSFASS) on Friday, at the Shanmukhananda Hall, with a vedic recital by students of SIES Vedapathashala, Nerul in Navi Mumbai.

The 50 artists selected from across India shall be awarded music fellowships of Rs 1 lakh each for three years, in various disciplines like carnatic vocal, violin, flute, nadaswaram, mrudangam, sarod veena and hindustani vocal music.

Till now, the SSFASS has granted the fellowships to 103 artistes from 18 Indian cities across 13 Indian music disciplines.

Among the awardees this year are an eight-year-old boy, Anirbhan Roy of Kolkata (flute) and 11-year-old Rahul Vellal of Bengaluru (vocal).

For the first time, hindustani violin has been included in the list and the fellowships shall be awarded to 15-year-old Danish Khan Altaf and 18-year-old Yadnesh Milind Raikar.

The fellowship-cum-award was set up by the SSFASS in 2013 in memory of the late exponent, M.S. Subbulakshmi.

Maharashtra Governor C.V. Rao will be the chief guest, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will be the principal guest of honour at the function.

The fellowship award function will be followed by a thematic dance presentation by the Tharanhinee School of Dance, Chennai on "Maithreem Bhajatha" on Universal Harmony.

This famous benediction song in Sanskrit was composed by the late Shankaracharya of Kancheepuram, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, and was rendered on October 23, 1966 at the UN by Subbulakshmi.

--IANS

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