Powerful people who inspire us with their character or actions can be found everywhere. Sporting a new hairstyle inspired by your favourite, choosing a career owing to an impression made by an acquaintance…the instances are many. A servant’s loyalty, a newspaper boy’s punctuality and even your dog’s love…why can’t we see the good things happening around us and learn from them?Such a learning happened to me recently. One day, during one of my holidays, I got up from bed and looked at the mirror only to get highly frustrated by a sunburn scar. I then started nagging my mom to take me to a dermatologist but being a working woman, she never got time to do so.

Later, when I was surfing the Internet, I found myself staring in shock at the face of a man named Mark Tatum. Having been infected by mucormycosis, he had to have his eyes, nose, upper jaw and all surrounding bone and tissue removed just to save his life. He literally had no face. Yet, he was living happily with his loving wife who proved that life requires nothing but a loving heart. Now he’s left a lasting impression (hope) on my face. Now I find myself less bothered by my scar and my visits to the beauty salon being in the end of my priority list.We all know that Life can never be complete without hope, love, trust and understanding. To this list, I would like to add impressions left by people like Mark.

VINITA VIVEKANANDA, NIII Year, B.A English Literature, SDNB Vaishnav College for Women

83 MPH’s Harshit Misra is going places, literally. This bassist — armed with an admission to the prestigious Musicians Institute, Los Angeles — is set to take on four other competitors for the Full Ride Scholarship with a performance at the college next week. After jumpung over hundreds of applicants — all of whom had to submit a video of their performance along with an application form — he was shortlisted for the semis (online voting) and subsequently the final on August 10 in LA. “This is a huge experience. It has still not sunk in that I’ll be playing in LA in front of the entire college along with the backing of a band of professional local musicians,” says an excited Harshit. “I will be playing two cover songs: anything from new metal to funk jazz; I haven’t zeroed in on the songs yet.” Harshit will start college next April at MI for the Associate Art Degree in Bass Performance.

Every year only one person is chosen for the scholarship and this time there are TWO finalists from India. Keyboardist Natasha Pinto from Chennai is the other one eying the prestigious honour. “I am very excited about this opportunity,” says Natasha, who’ll be playing a selection of jazz songs for the finals. Here’s to these young musicians who are propping India firmly in the world music stage!

MADHUMITHA SRINIVASAN

How did you first become a band?

Vikram Sarathy: Most of us studied at Chettinad Vidyasharam and we started this band about eight years ago. The mix of Indian and western instruments, gave our band a very unique sound and has made us hugely popular.

Why the name Staccato?

VS: While we were in school we didn’t have a name, but once we went on to different colleges we needed a name to perform together. We initially called ourselves Sustain Fourth, but it wasn’t lucky for us and we didn’t fare well in many competitions we took part in. Finally, just before a competition when we had to register for I suggested the name Staccato because most of the notes we were singing in that show was staccato.

What about live performances?

VS: We performed at the Vijay awards; we have also done launches for stores like Satya Paul.

Kaashif Rafiq: We do a lot of commercial gigs. Staccato has represented India at the World Finals of Tum Tum Pa- an innovative percussion event organized by Red Bull in Brazil.

How does the band come together with such different styles of music?

VS: Shruti sagar, the Carnatic flutist in our band, is the backbone of our band. He holds the band together. We want to make Carnatic music more accessible to the public. We want to make it popular and help youngsters connect to this genre. Today the youth are not aware of traditional music because they are not able to relate to it, that is why we try to infuse Carnatic to our songs. If you listen to the violin lead in our song ‘Salsa’ it is purely Carnatic but otherwise the song has a western flavor.

How did you end up getting selected to play at the Olympics?

KR: First, my dad came to me and mentioned his friend, Shrimathi, who had a contact for the ECE (Educational Cultural exchanges), told me to apply for this. So I gave an audition tape of two songs (‘Salsa’ and ‘Songs by Air’) from Staccato. After going through a rigorous four month process we got an email confirming our selection.

VS: From Asia, only India and China got selected.

What songs are you performing at the Olympics?

VS: We are planning to perform a potpourri of genres; we will definitely be doing covers of both A.R. Rehman and Illayraja. But we will also be giving tribute to Indian composers.

What is the music scene in Chennai like?

VS: The music scene is good but it’s for free. No one really wants to listen or buy independent music. We are more recognised as a band that plays Rehman and Illayraja hits. They want to connect with music that they already know; hence movie music is popular because it reaches a larger audience. We try to give these film numbers our own spin and play our versions.

What about releasing a CD?

VS: In India, releasing your music is really not going to take you anywhere. Big music brands are not supporting Indian music. Independent music is not playing on radio stations. If they have a slot that supports independent music then perhaps bands like us could get proper coverage.

• GENRE: Contemporary classical and covers
• FOUNDED: 2010
• LINEUP: Vikram Sarathy (Keys), Kaashif Rafiq (Keys), Bala P.D. (Percussion), Tapass (Drums), Sruthi Sagar (Flute), Vandana (Vocals), Manoj (Violin), Aishwarya Suresh (Vocals), Rohit Krishnamurthy (Guitars), Reno (Bass), Shallu (Acoustic Guitar)
• BIG MOMENT: Performing at the Olympic Park for the cultural exchange events on July 30 and August 2.

Scientifically, it has been said that the left-handers have a dominant right brain making them them more intuitive, creative, thoughtful and subjective while the right-handers with a dominat left brain are more logical, analytical and objective.Apparently, only 12 per cent of the world’s population are left-handed. A lot of people believe that left-handers are dexterous and possess a higher level of ingenuity than that of the others.

But somehow, the Indian society pathetically focuses on age-old stigmas and defunct ideologies, as a result of which the left-handers are being condescended upon. In order to fit into the societal stereotypes, parents, on detecting at a young age that their children are left-handed, force them out of their natural tendency and inculcate in them the habit of using their right hand to eat.

It is a fact that changing a natural left hander into a right hander has starkly noticeable effects on the concerned person. Forcing them to use the right hand increases the activity on their less dominant left brain wherein the person is forced to think logically rather than creatively which is his innate ability. Their brain functions slower and they are not able to achieve their full potential. While changing a lefthander into a right hander has drastic effects on the abilities of the person, those who haven’t been changed have to face the insinuations hinted by the mindless old timers, who unfortunately, form a rather large part of the society. When they eat using their left hand in social or religious gatherings like marriages etc, they are fraught with nasty glances thrown at them from all directions. How can they eat peacefully when being gawked at spitefully? The principle of life, rather than being based on age-old beliefs, should be based on the age-old adage: Live and let live.

AISHWARYA SIVAKUMAR, III Year, B.Com, Accounting and Finance, MOP Vaishnav College for Women

All of you may wonder what eight, I am talking about. Yes, I am talking about the vicious eight, which played an unforgettable role in my life. I guess I am giving too much hype for after all a number. Well, I am talking about the eight that everyone has to drive through, to get a license. To everyone, 29 June dawned as a normal happy day but, for me, it was a dreadful one. Maybe I was getting too tense for a very trivial matter, but, I could not help it. My sister, my cousin and I went to the RTO, as a courageous trio. As soon as I set my foot in the RTO, unavoidable chills ran up and down my spine. The moment my eyes rested on the area which was marked into a sinful ‘8′ that little hope inside me, also died. There was a small slope that I had to first ride over and then two big circles which denoted the ‘8′.

For a majority of people, it may have been a cake walk but, for me, it was a herculean task. ‘Why 8, why not a 6 or 7?’ Ridiculous questions rushed through my mind. My cousin and sister managed to achieve the target during the practice session. But I sat in a corner as a silent spectator. I did not even have the guts to touch my scooty. The early morning practices flashed before my eyes. I deeply regretted having wasted my precious sleep. during my hols. My sis and my cousin coaxed me to try. My mom talked on the phone to give me moral support. But I did not budge. So many people were practicing in that confined space that, I was sure, that I would dash into someone. I was just used to driving in empty and vehicle less grounds. I found myself wishing that the RTO officer never turned up. Time was running. The sun was just blazing overhead. Soon, everyone began to park their vehicles aside, waiting for the officer.

Suddenly, when I saw the free space, I felt the confidence surging. Sounds funny but true. Then suddenly, I took the scooty and boldly decided to give it a try. I failed thrice. But, in the fourth, I made it. Both my companions flashed smiles of victory, boosting my confidence. Just as I completed a fourth ‘8′, the officer came. My driving school teacher instilled confidence in me saying that I was sure to get the license if only I avoided putting my foot down while balancing the ‘8′.

Then the final moment came and the test started. I was the first from the three of us. I had a great start. Successfully, I completed the first circle, but during the second, I had a near fall. Ooh! I was making a fool of myself in front of everyone. That moment I knew I was not going to make it. My cousin was fine, but my sister too put her foot down once. The three of us sat in solitude praying from the depths of our hearts. Within minutes, our teacher came beaming, our results in his hand. Now, I am a proud license holder.

V. SOUNDHARYA VIJAYAII Year, Biomedical Engineering, SRM University

In light of what happened in a Bangalore school recently, we were curious to find out if first generation college goers face similar discrimination. I have to confess: before I started working on this article, I was gearing up to hear some dramatic stories of discrimination, how hard it was to adapt to a college environment and fight for rights. But I am happy to have been proven wrong. These four youngsters talk encouragingly about attending college despite unfavourable circumstances and being the first ones from their family to ever set foot in a college. May be we need to credit the maturity that comes with age or may be these four are exceptions. Either way, it is heartening to hear some good news.

D. INDRA, 27 (Co-ordinator/teacher at Prema Vasam, home for the mentally and physically challenged and underprivileged children.)

Family: My mother is a housewife while my father is a painter.

Education: Being severely affected by polio since birth, I was taken to an institution by my parents hoping that could help me walk. I remained there till 1999 until Selvin Roy, a clinical psychologist at the home, sought admission for me in a private school. I graduated in Computer science from St. Joseph’s College and did my MCA from Anna University. I am currently now doing my B.Ed.

Experience: Getting admission into a private school was a challenge because most schools refused on the grounds of not wanting to upset parents and other students who, they said, would not accept me. But, as it turned out, the refusal to accept me stopped with the management. My fellow students help carry me along with my wheel chair to lab classes in other floors. Teachers made sure that my classes were always on the ground floor. My apprehensions about being accepted as one of them were proved false. They came forward to help me without my having to ask! My friends even submitted a request to the management to install ramps at prime locations, which was unfortunately implemented only by the time I left college. But I am happy that others like me will benefit.

Society says: My parents never expected me to study so they were thrilled. Others who saw how I led a normal life despite my physical disability said they were inspired to make their children study too. When I could study, why couldn’t their children?

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M. RAJA, 28 (Lawyer, International Justice Mission)

Family: Bonded labourers rescued from a brick kiln. Father is now a daily wage worker and mother is a housewife. My sister’s in a government job and brother is studying B.Com.

Education: From going to school two or three days a week since I was helping my family at the brick kiln, I got to go to school full time after we were rescued. Those times were hard. We would hardly get three to four hours of rest and just one proper meal a day. This inspired me to arm myself with education to help my community and fight bonded labour. That’s why I chose to take up law. After a couple of failed attempts, I managed to pass the law entrance. I joined the Government Law College in Madurai and became a member of the Bar Council in 2011.

Experience: Initially I was afraid of ragging and how I would adjust to a city. Hailing from a small town, moving to Madurai was a BIG change. Back then, even thinking about going to Chennai was like going abroad! So I took a back seat for six months, observed the environment and slowly adapted myself. My friends were of great help. They taught me how to dress, how to socialise and helped me settle down in college.

Society says: I am the first person from my panchayat to ever go to college and take up law! So everyone was extremely happy and only wished me well. Never did I have to hear: “why do you have to study?”, “Stay back and help your father?” I am very grateful for that support from friends and family.

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TAMILSELVAN, 23 (Designer/ owner Gorgeous boutique)

Family: Mother is a housewife, father is a tailor and sister’s a BPO employee

Education: I belong to a family of tailors (my father and grandfather are tailors) so I knew the basics — the practical aspects of it — but to learn about colour combinations, patterns, designing and research I felt that I needed to do a professional course. There wasn’t anybody to help, so I researched and zeroed in on National School of Design where I did a diploma.

Experience: I was aware that I belonged to a regular middle class family and my English wasn’t good too. But, contrary to what people would assume, there was absolutely no discrimination. In fact, since I already knew a lot about tailoring, I would stay back and help my friends. They would approach me with their doubts.

Society says: My family was extremely supportive of my decision. It was my sister who took a loan to fund my boutique. I don’t know if anybody has spoken behind my back but, to me, they were genuinely happy that I had succeeded. I hope to inspire kids from my background to consider this off-beat profession.

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D. NAGARAJAN, 18 (II Year, BBA, Jaya College of Arts and Science)

Family: My mother is a maid and my father is a call taxi driver.

Education: From childhood I had always wanted to get into business after doing a degree. Friends in the neighbourhood advised me on what I should do and what course I could opt for. That’s how I got into BBA. I plan to do my MBA.

Experience: Though there were students who came from educated families, I wasn’t looked down on. In fact, many seniors are my friends and helped me cope in college. English was a problem initially. I couldn’t converse fluently and was shy. But my teachers made sure I participated in seminars that required me to give presentations in English. This helped improve my communication skills and confidence.

Society says: My elder brother and sister had to discontinue their education because of lack of financial support. Everybody is happy for me and encourage me to study well. I want to make difference to their lives.

Blueberry, Strawberry, Ferro Rocher, Mango, Caramel, White Chocolate… one can go on feasting at the spectacular display of cupcakes at the Little House of Cupcakes, Besant Nagar. Run by best friends Akash Gupta (just out of college) and Rumaiza Fathima, a student of Architecture at the SRM University, it is a treat both for the eyes and the palette. The venture began as a source for extra money and was promoted through Facebook and Blackberry Messenger! “Six months back it was not easy and in the first month we hardly few orders. But we used that time to market our brand and gain some popularity through our Facebook page,” says Rumaiza.

“We wanted a strong footing for the brand to make it easier for the members to actually come to the store and buy their favourite cupcakes off the racks.”Once that was taken care of, the duo used their time to juggle college and delivering cupcake orders. which were now coming in every day. “The response was so overwhelming that we decided to start on a serious note,” says Akash Gupta. In fact Akash, who has just finished his BBA at Loyola College, said that he had always wanted to be an entrepreneur and not work under anyone.

Food lovers

Creating a brand and promoting it wholeheartedly along with someone you have known since childhood seemed the right thing to do. “Both of us are hardcore foodies and this helps us create the best and filter out what does not work,” adds Rumaiza. Having sold cupcakes at several parties, engagements, birthdays, they were in for a surprise at the 50th birthday party. “The customer later called us in for a meeting and here we are,” he finishes the story. The duo got lucky with their investor. The store also sells cakes, mousse, cheese cakes, sandwiches and coffee. “We wanted to sell the brand as a warm cosy nook to hang out with friends. The cosy little Victorian hut with cupcake stools and decor is Rumaiza’s handiwork,” adds Akash. When asked about their menu they agree that a few signature dishes sell like hot cakes. But the others change every other day to add to the variety. “We love to add things to make it personal and that’s our USP.” From favourites like Spongebob and Angry Birds, they’ve also created a Mac Book cake for the Apple lovers! Where do they see themselves five years from now? Definitely with many more outlets around the city, is the answer.

Affordable

Their cupcakes are priced between Rs. 60 and Rs. 90 depending on factors such as customisation, frosting, icing and core ingredients used. It may not be the first-of-its-kind but it has certainly become one of the most successful eateries in the city. If your sweet tooth is craving something new, small and guilt-free desserts, then the Little House of Cupcakes is the place to be.

• Where: No. 5, 2nd Avenue, Asian Hospital Complex, Besant Nagar
• Landmark: Near Cake Walk
• Call: 9884046911 / 9840825498
• Email: littlehouseofcupcake@gmail.com

With Olympics having kick-started it is but inevitable to not think about it. It’s the biggest sporting event and, for a sportsperson like me, the biggest dream would always be to represent my country at the Olympics. It has been my childhood dream.

Want of attention

The Olympic season is a wonderful time because other sports, besides cricket, are in the spotlight for a change. Other sportspeople too work as hard as the cricketers but the rewards and recognition other sports get is less than even 10 per cent of what cricket gets. It is difficult to compete with cricket for attention mainly because it has a privatised board. Their administration has promoted and improved the players and the game to make it what it is today and other sports associations should learn the same from the way cricket is administered.As far as hockey in India is concerned, the youth are becoming more aware of the game especially at the school and college level. More youngsters are coming forward to play hockey these days and the government is supporting the trend by introducing more youth programmes to develop the game. Though it seems like a positive response from youth, it’s not enough.

But if you ask me how conducive the city of Chennai is for a hockey player in terms of opportunities and amenities, I would have to say that we Tamil Nadu players do not get enough opportunities to get back on the main stage due to the problems plaguing the federations at the moment. But the World Series Hockey was a bit hit this year and gave the city’s hockey players a wonderful opportunity to showcase their skills and talent to India and the rest of the world. On the other hand, there is a lot of scope for hockey players since youngsters get admission in top colleges and employment in government sectors but when it comes to facilities it’s still below average. In my case, my entire family is into hockey so I always wanted to become a professional hockey player and worked towards it, so it did not come as a big surprise that I took it up professionally. Besides, I always knew there would be scope for myself and a lot of other players out there.

Up side

Looking at the bright side, I think the best thing to happen to hockey in India recently is the team qualifying for the London Olympics 2012 and the recent World Series Hockey came as a big boost for the team.My analysis of the Indian hockey team that’s at the Olympics is that it’s one that can throw up a lot of surprises and upsets in this tournament. I think we have a good possibility to reach the semi-finals because Coach Michael Nobbs definitely seems to have a trick or two up his sleeve to get the team there.

Adam Sinclair is a professional hockey player and was a member of the Indian hockey team that participated in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Wordsworth

The game in which we’ll surely win the gold medal is “Free Advice”. Whoever you may be, you would not have escaped. For each and everything you do or plan to do, you’ll get advice, sometimes from random people. Whether they follow it or not, they’ll give 100 reasons for us to do so.

B. Sakthi Sangeetha Devi, III Year, Civil, Adhiparasakthi Engineering College, Melmaruvathur

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Bargain race

Bargain and reduce the price of an expensive item to the cheapest possible amount. The fastest person to provoke the shopkeeper gets the gold medal.

WOW (Words of wisdom): The person speaking the highest number of “punch-lines” a minute is declared the winner.

J. Vijey Ragvan, 21, Graduate

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Footboard gymnastics

The contestants need to perform gymnastics while standing on the footboard of a running bus. The person who manages to do so without falling off wins.

P.G. Sarnya, IT professional

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Pipe fight

This is special women-only tournament. A hand pump is placed before the participants. All the contestants have to advance towards the pump at the same time while simultaneously making sure to stop the other participants from advancing towards the goal. The person who fetches the first ounce of water is the winner!

Sathishkumar, IT professional

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Traffic-light run

All three medals will be ours as we are the only ones to have understood red, yellow and green as “Slow”, “Fast” and “Faster”…

Priya Shankar, Former Banking professional

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Spitting feat

Spit almost anything, from water to tobacco, anywhere — on the handrails, on the walls, or on the main roads; only dirty the place to the maximum extent possible. No doubts, we will definitely leave other countries far behind!

V. ANNAPURANI, III Year, BE (E&I), Sri Sairam Engineering College

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Slow race to development

The game of apathetic mismanagement. From chief ministers discussing the next film project with directors on a live terrorist attack site to kids rolling down potholes and being recovered hours later, we Indians would definitely get a gold at that. The other thing I can think of is overprotective parents helping the youth to turn into prototype corporate slaves who haven’t even had a chance to think of being something they’ll be good at.

ABHILASH LENKA, 21, Manipal University

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Fizzle-a-thon

Indians generally have a reputation of hyping thing over the top by day and fizzling out even before it gets dark. I haven’t met a single person in close to 10 months who has spoken about Lok Pal since it took center stage a year ago. Hence, in a game in which the teams have to bring up a revolution and cripple/fizzle before the others, we have only ourselves to compete with.

BHARGAV KOSURI, College student,

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Election-athalon

Politics is in our blood and we are second to none. No matter what the odds or scenario, Indians can truly go to any extent to win an election. Exploiting the sentiments of the masses or distributing freebies or teaming up with the enemy, we know the way to do it.

DHIRAJ KRISHNAMURTHI, Final Year, Civil Engineering

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Team events

Tax Evasion: The other game we Indians have an edge over others is tax evasion. Let it be any kind of non monitored business, with the loop holes in our laws, we can always come up with some way of evading taxes.

100 M (Million) Attendance: There is one feat we can achieve with our 120 Million people, Attendance! If there was a medal for attendance we Indians would surely get a gold or silver medal (not sure about the gold with China still around) but we can still go for gold as we have Indians in every corner of the world.

K. BHAVISH, XI, S.B.O.A School & Junior College

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Treat-athalon

We love anything that’s on the house. So come up with reasons for why your friend should buy you a drink or a meal that day. From having a broken heart to broken leg… the sillier the reason the brighter the chance at winning the gold.

ADITYA VENKATRAMAN, 24, Fichtner Consulting, Engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd.

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Dodge the line

The aim is to make it from the end of the queue to the finish point by jumping it at frequent intervals, because that’s what we do best; some inconspicuously and others brazenly.

MAHEEDHAR RAMAN, 25, CA

If you are a Svanubhava regular, you know the drill. Seasoned senior artistes from across the country are invited to give a sample of their craft while an able band of younger artists bustles about among the teeming audience, bearing mikes, smiles and helping hands. This time, the organisers have come up with the unprecedented idea of getting members of their own youth brigade to take the dais.“Music is the pleasure the human soul experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting,” 17th century physicist and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz once said. Anirudh Athreya, K. Praveen Kumar and Chandrashekhara Sharma will attempt to prove this assertion in an interactive session.

Science of music

As a rule, a large chunk of the audience at Svanubhava is made up of students, especially those whose lives and thoughts revolve around their curriculum. In an earnest attempt to speak the language of these young scholars, the show’s hosts have split the topic under three heads — “Maths”, “Physics” and “Chemistry”. The aim is to present the fundamental elements of rhythm and South Indian classical percussion in a language that students will readily comprehend, with a few interactive games and engaging quizzes thrown in for good measure.“We all know patterns make music beautiful. Rhythm in Carnatic music is majorly pattern-based and a lot of these patterns are quite complex mathematically,” says Praveen, who learnt the mridangam under Guruvayur Dorai and juggles a fusion band called Sparsh while pursuing his Bachelors in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Any music, the 20-year-old asserts, is about appreciation and enjoyment: “If we can get them to appreciate it, even on an academic level, we will have lit that spark of enjoyment,” he says. Adds 24-year-old kanjira artiste Anirudh Athreya, who has been performing since he was 13, “Then they are sure to explore the subject on their own.”

How will they light this wick? By involving the audience rather than tritely inviting questions after an academic lecture. “We will ask students to come up with mathematically generated patterns and reproduce them on the instruments to let them hear what it sounds like,” says Praveen.“The idea was mine,” beams Praveen modestly, “But I expected an experienced team of artistes to execute it. But then Anna (T.M. Krishna) said he’d support me and I must do it! So there’s a lot of nervousness; I have never done anything of this sort before.”The physics segment will shed light on the aural and acoustic properties of instruments as well as performance environs. “The process of tuning the instrument is different for the kanjira, the mridangam and the ghatam,” says 22-year-old Chandrashekhara Sharma, who, inspired by his uncle T.H. Vikku Vinayakram, took to the ghatam after he had learnt vocal for eight years.

A comparison with occidental drum kits, courtesy Praveen’s band-member Krishna Kishor, will help instill a fuller understanding of the universality of rhythm despite the variance in membranes and materials involved. They’ll even let the kids come on stage and have a go at the instruments to get a feel for it. Time permitting, they will go into issues of audio balancing for percussionists, which, they sigh, is a concern often sidelined in concerts.They reveal that there is little to no preparation among Carnatic musicians before concerts, and you realise the degree of “chemistry” required between the percussionists and vocalist to achieve smoothness and spontaneity on stage. Assisted by young vocalist Ramakrishna Murthy and violinist M. Rajeev, they seek to deliver a glimpse of this rapport in action.

Interactivity

The scope of the topic is clearly vast and requires a lot of time for in-depth coverage. Anirudh says they hope to sensitise students to the various subtleties and dynamics at play. “We don’t want to get too technical and heavy, or the kids will doze off or feel like they’re back at school again!” he chuckles.Throwing their minds back to their younger days, Anirudh and Chandrashekhara recall how their queries were often apt to be shot down peremptorily by elders with “that’s the way it is done!” In an effort to break this undue deference to conventionality, Anirudh says, any and all questions will be tackled with minimum jargon and an emphasis on demonstrable practical application. “Kids are very sharp, and won’t back down until they’ve got a satisfactory answer,” says Chandrashekhara, with a playful grimace, as though he wishes he had been more stubborn when he was younger.Smart questions from students can be tackled if you’re articulate and know how their minds work. But how do they expect to field the toughies that stalwarts nestled in the audience are likely to fling their way? And what if the trio is accused of having diluted or dumbed down the classical art with their facile expositions? “Oh, Krishna Anna told us he’ll take care of them!” With “Krishna Anna’s” well-known fiery candour to back them up, the enthusiastic troika seems all set to become the first team of youngsters to get a performing slot on the Svanubhava set list.

When: August 2

@ Kalakshetra.

Artistes: K. Praveen Kumar, Anirudh Athreya and Chandrashekhara Sharma

Event: Science and the art of percussion

Watch a sample of their presentation at: https://thne.ws/sva-vid1