AFVOA Newletter August 2020

Section 6 – eConnect Reviews CV 2 No. 02 / 2020 Page 214 of 237 that has now culminated in the Parampara awards for recognizing outstanding performers in the field of art and culture. Dr Sudha Raghunathan shared her mantra for success – the 6Ds in life : Decision (changing her line from Science to Arts early in her life), Direction (what to aim for and which way to go), Determination (the challenges faced by young professionals entering public life and gaze), Dare (the ability to keep one’s feet firm on th ground, while coping up with different roles in life alongside profession – as a wife, a mother, a sister, a parent), Discipline (strict observance of rules one has laid for oneself) and Destination (where does one want to reach, but for one who has an unquenchable thirst, the goal posts are never static). Coming as it does from a hands-on practitioner of 6Ds, such clear thinking from an established star undoudtedly reinforces the fact that success is never by chance, it is by design. As we proceeded further into her session, the realization dawned on the audience that the 6Ds are not just for a career in music - it applies to life in general. Thank you Dr Sudha Raghunathan! When asked about her favourite Raag, she likened the question to parents being asked to name their favourite child among their children. However, she named Raag Subhapantuvarali as the one that stirred her soul much everytime she sang. An avowed fan of the Raag and of Dr Sudha Raghunathan’s rendition of the same, the author couldn’t control his insane desire to peel off, listen to it and share it with the readers. Here goes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KDPUbERlJo . As it happened, today is also the birthday of Dr Shoba Varthaman. The moment Dr Sudha Raghunathan knew about it, she instantly broke into the traditional greeting song, first in English, followed by a refreshing composition in a breezy Raaga Malika (the author, with his very limited knowledge of the Raagas but with unlimited enthusiasm, ventures to hazard a guess that the greeting song was laced with Sahana, Kalyani, Desh and Nalina Kanthi), in Carnatic music style as only a naturally gifted genius can! Was it just a coincidence that Dr Sudha’s earlier song was in ‘Nattai’ (on Wg Cdr Abhinandan’s return) and the latter one had a touch of ‘Desh’ – both meaning ‘ நா� ‘ (nation)! The interactive session also focussed its attention on the plight of lesser known artistes who are faced with penury owing to lack of opportunities to perform under lockdown conditions. Dr Sudha Raghunathan, as the current President of Global Carnatic Music Artistes Association (GCMA), was instrumental in creating an Artistes Welfare Fund with initial personal contributions from a few established players and has helped over 600 artistes to the tune of INR 38 lakhs in the last three months. As for the immediate future, 14 artistes have performed in an online programme named ‘Parampariyam