The National Indian Music Competition held from the 16th to the 22nd of June at the School of the Arts was a roller-coaster of a ride. This was my first time I was taking part in the competition, and I didn’t know what to expect. I took part in the intermediate flute category, with a song selection of Parat Para (Sri Papanasam Sivan, Vachaspati, Adi) for the preliminary round, and a choice of one song from the following three – Aananda Mruthakarshini (Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, Amrithavarshini), Vaathapi Ganapathim (Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, Hamsadhwani, Adi), and Bantureethi Kolu (Sri Thyagaraja, Hamsanadham, Adi) – for the final round. Slightly nervous but composed as I walked on to stage during the preliminary round to play in front of so many great musicians, including Dr S Sowmya and Mdm Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar, I had only eyes for my flute teacher, Sri V. K. Sivakumar, as I played Parat Para.
I felt confident of getting through to the final round, which took place two days later. In the final round, I was told to play Aananda Mruthakarshini. A personal favourite, I found myself thoroughly enjoying the piece and I felt really confident while playing, and with that piece I won the first prize. It wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless and selfless guidance and tutelage of my teacher Sri V. K. Sivakumar. It is hard to come by teachers like him who are so dedicated in teaching, and the many practice classes he gave me, especially for this competition, have paid off. I’m really happy with the win as this is but a testimony of how much effort my teacher has put in. I’m really looking forward to more such competitions and concert opportunities in the near future.
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