Abhishek comes Home (nearly)

Abhishek Raghuram, one of my favourite singers, came home or should I say came near home. There was his concert in Tamarind tree resort, a mere hundred feet from home. It was held in open space. Both artists and spectators are seated under the evening sky.  It was a small gathering of about 100 or so. There were children of 5 – 6 years and many young people and many older ones some in their sixties and seventies.

The ambiance was soothing and different. Apart from open theatre the weather was pleasant with light breeze. As evening progressed the sky turned yellow, pink and red before darkness advanced.

The most interesting were the artists. Raghuram and his cousin Ananth on Mrudangam and his grandmother on violin. Lalgudi Rajalakshmi is her name and she must be in her late sixties. She was competent but often struggled because of lack of practice or age or both. The affection between her and the two grandchildren was open and heartwarming. She was proud and happy. Abhishek was thoroughly enjoying the concert with subtle and often direct encouragement to his grand ma. More than the music the combination of family members separated by 60 odd years and two generations apart but still bound by music and affection was a remarkable sight. I smiled and thought of my grandson Gundu.