22 November,2013 04:20 AM IST | | The Guide Team
Carnatic flautist Dr N Ramani has been performing in Mumbai for over five decades. During his performances, he observed that the Mumbai audience was appreciative of Carnatic music and knowledgeable about it.
Sathva Srinath teaching students. Pic/Shadab Khan.
This weekend, the musician is set to start a branch of Ramani's Academy of Flute (RAF) in the city.u00a0In the past, Dr Ramani has collaborated with Hindustani Classical artistes including Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, represented India at international music festivals and was part of the cultural team at the Olympics (Munich, Germanyu00a0in 1972).
RAF's main centre is at Chennai (set up in 1982) with centres at Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram. RAF also conducts classes abroad in Detroit, Los Angeles in the US, and in France. The Mumbai division will be taught by B Ramakrishnan, Sathva Srinath, PS Krishnamurthy andu00a0N Bhaskar. The instructors will train at their residence. The focus will be on add-on training for students who have completed basic lessons. They will help enhance their skills through various programmes, to make them into performing artistes, and good teachers.
"The art of flute playing has been preserved and passed on through several generations in Dr Ramani's family. We intend to provide training on the Carnatic flute and music through activities which add on to the normal course of learning music. There will be interactive sessions with other Indian classical instruments, exposure to challenges in performing the classical flute, pure Indian classical wind instrument ensembles, student concerts at regular intervals and listening and decoding music sessions," says Sathva Srinath. Classes will be conducted at Chembur and New Bombay and will be complemented by workshops.
