Music is elixir to the soul. Standing testimony to these lines, were the graduates of the Government Music College in R.A. Puram eagerly awaiting their degree certificates and medals. A formal convocation ceremony hosting 132 graduates was conducted on the 19th of April.
The Tamizh thai vaazhthu set a promising beginning to the event. This was followed by speeches by the dignitaries including N. Murali (President, Music Academy, Joint managing director, The Hindu), A. Kannan (Secretary, Department of tourism), R. Gunasekar (Deputy director, Department of arts and culture) and E.Gayathri (principal, senior veena artiste).
N.Murali, in his speech said that music was an ocean and every artiste’s contribution is a mere drop. “Much more is set to be achieved and is possible”.
The students graduating in various courses such as dance, veena, Kanjeera, ghatam, thavil, naadaswaram, nattuvaangam etc., seemed to be in high spirits through the proceedings. Those obtaining the highest scores were given gold medals highlighting their exceptional performance.
P. Giridaraprasad, a gold medalist in kanjeera and a resident of Mandaveli, said that college life was the best experience yet. He now plays for all major artistes and says that none of it would have been possible without his teachers.
“Brilliant teaching and the availability of college-created opportunities have been a great booster” says Adrika, a gold medalist in dance.
C. Heavenest, a third year student, received a special award in memory of A. Bhuvanachari, an alumnus of the college. He was presented with a mridangam for his exceptional performance, sincerity and regular attendance. He plans to take classes and perform more programs in the future.
– Reported by student intern Sanjana
