Israelis experience royal treat of Carnatic music
Israelis got a royal treat of Carnatic music by one of its most celebrated vocalist, Sudha Raghunathan, bringing a capacity crowd to its feet during a performance here as part of the International Oud Festival.
"Her voice touches your heart. It has a natural flow. The rythm and melody in the music are so strong that you do not have to be an expert in the field to enjoy it. It was a royal treat for me considering the fact that i came down to Jerusalem all the way from the northern town of Pardes Khana", Ehud, an India enthusiast who has been learning Sitar in Varanasi for the last several years, said.
Speaking at the occasion before the start of Sudha's performance, India's Ambassador to Israel, Navtej Sarna, emphasised on the need to strengthen cultural ties between the two countries.
"Nothing moves without such an exchange. People to people contact followed by exchange of cultural practices is what tightens the bonds between two countries", Sarna emphasised.
Singing in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, the renowned singer shared various human emotions through music with a Thyagaraja composition talking about how melody emanates from the belly through lungs drawing huge applause from the audience.
The almost two hour performance kept the audience glued to their seats drawing intermittent applause and cheer following every vibrant note.
"Her dazzling voice peppered with teasing and effortless change in musical notes made it a magical performance that will remain imprinted in my mind for sometime. I came here reluctantly because we are not used to Indian classical music but go back with a strong desire to learn more about it", Shirley, a self proclaimed Bollywood freak, said following the performance.
The Carnatic melody queen signed off in style urging for peace among various nations of the world through a composition saying peace with the exterior and peace with ones inner self is the key to love between mankind.
The two week festival in its tenth year has drawn artists from various parts of the world to entertain the music lovers of the Holy city.
