Mellifluous music by the students of Puttaraja Gavai music school will mark the State Awards ceremony at Ravindra Kalakshetra as part of Kannada Rajyotsava. 

The Kannada and Culture Department has invited a team of Hindustani classical music students from Gadag to perform in Bangalore. A majority of the singers in the team led by Nagappal Shirol are visually challenged. 

The music school built by Pandit Puttaraja Gavai has the reputation of producing some of the best Hindustani musicians and a majority of the students here are visually challenged. 

Shirol, a government schoolteacher, said, “For the first time, our team—Dr Puttaraja Kavi Gavaigalavara Swara Sadha—has been invited to perform at the Rajyotsava Day event. Eleven students will be singing ‘Kannada geethe’ and ‘naada geethe’ from 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm.” 

Sources in the department said that as part of the cultural programme, Ankrang, a bamboo musical instrument, will be played by Anasuya Kulkarni in addition to the students’ rendition. 

Before the ceremony, the chief minister will host high tea for the 59 award winners at the banquet hall in the Vidhana Soudha. 

Official sources said that the government was spending at least Rs 1.75 lakh on each awardee—Rs one lakh in cash award and a gold medal weighing 20 gm. 

The department pur-chases the medals through Cauvery Emporium, sources said.