Latest news with #RLVCollegeofMusicandFineArts
The Hindu
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
This Malayali music producer's French song remix was streamed over 100 million times on Spotify
How does 23-year-old Sachin Sree Sabari, better known as Sachin SSS from Kerala's Palakkad district, connect to 'Dernière Danse' (French for Last Dance), the 2013 French track by Indila that has racked up over a billion YouTube views? The song, which became the first French-language music video to cross that milestone, is a favourite soundtrack for countless Joker tributes to DC's infamous anarchist. Also read: DJ SixEight on the viral 'Starboy' X 'Praayam nammil' mix : 'We have not used AI in the video' A few months after the song hit the billion-view mark, Sachin dropped a funk-infused remix and uploaded a tutorial to his channel in November 2023. 'Dernière Danse Funk' has since notched up over 100 million streams on Spotify — fuelled by Indian Instagram creators using it for transition videos that mimic the Joker's signature smirk. However, this recognition did not come easily for Sachin. 'I used to produce tracks and post tutorials during my college days at RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, Tripunithura. As soon as I posted a tutorial, I decided to take a short break from releasing music online, until one day, I saw a comment claiming that our track was the same as the one by a few foreign artists. This track was published after our video came out,' he says over a Zoom call. The track was released by artists ZODIVK, MC KRAKEN, and YXUNGXROTICA in February 2024. 'I was very upset when I learned about it. I contacted the artists and the streaming platforms, but they were not willing to help. Then, I shared my concerns, with proof on social media, which garnered response from a few artists,' says Sachin. The artist had created the groovy funk track in less than two hours. Sachin was directed to Navaneeth Krishnan, an artist manager. 'He reached out to the label that owns the track,' says Sachin. 'It took us six months to add Sachin's name to the track's credits. It was clear that those artists purchased the project files, which were meant for educational purposes,' says Navaneeth. 'I am very happy about the track crossing 100 million streams online,' says Sachin, who is a self-trained music producer. Sachin also gained the right to release a track, 'Dernière Danse Funk (Deluxe Version)', with a Malayalam verse, 'eth mood? pwoli mood!' (translation: How's the mood? Great!), a homage to his mother tongue. Sachin has worked with composer Christo Xavier in projects such as Turbo and Sookshmadarshini. Currently, he is working on Rahul Sadasivan's Diés Iraé and a few other movies. He is also working on a few tracks of his own.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sparks of defiance
By: Ganesh Neelakandan By training his daughter to become the first woman in Ayyappan Theeyattu , master practioner Thiyyadi Raman Nambiar quietly defied tradition to secure the art's future As she gave dakshina (offering) and touched the feet of her father and guru Thiyyadi Raman Nambiar, Aryadevi T R was not seeking just a ceremonial blessing to learn everything he had mastered over six decades, but some true courage to go ahead. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now She believed she needed that as well to become the first woman to step into Ayyappan Theeyattu, which has been a male bastion for centuries. The 39-year-old performed koothu on Sankaramohanam, the last of the 12 phases of Amrutha Madhanam tale, which narrates the life of Lord Ayyappa, on a school premises in Tripunithura, dedicating it to master practitioner Nambiar on his 70th birthday on July 26. Ayyappan Theeyattu is an offering made to Lord Ayyappa through kalam (drawing on floor), thottam (singing), koothu and a dance by a komaram (oracle). Ayyappa is portrayed in the kalam as sitting on horseback, with wife Prabha and son Sathyaka, unlike the usual Sabarimala depiction. 'Having seen the Theeyattu from close proximity right from childhood, I knew the intricacies, both as a ritual and as an art form but performing it was different altogether,' Aryadevi said. Her Kathakali knowledge --- she is a graduate from RLV College of Music and Fine Arts in Tripunithura -- came in handy while performing koothu. The training she had received in drawing has been helpful while putting finishing touches to kalams. In hindsight, Nambiar equipped his daughter with the skills to take up Ayyappan Theeyattu, performed traditionally by men from eight families belonging to the Thiyyadi community based in central Kerala, thinking that a day would arrive when she could be fielded, breaking barriers. 'It was rather easy to teach Arya the finer points of Ayyappan Theeyattu. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Convincing some of the members of my family and community was the most arduous task. They all feared the deity's curse. One warned Arya of mental illness,' said Nambiar. 'I understand their concern, and I was not being arrogant. For me, every single person counts in taking Ayyappan Theeyattu forward,' Nambiar said. His son Vasudevan T R, who too had learned Kathakali from RLV College, regularly joins him for the Theeyattu. He has high hopes about his nephews T K Sreevalsan and T V Vishnu Narayanan, while another Gulf-based nephew, Malamakkavu Vasudevan is brushing up his knowledge at Nambiar's quiet home in Tripunithura. Nambiar also taught a woman and a boy --- Niranjana Varma and Rakesh Kurup --- from outside his community which was unimaginable at one time. 'We took the ritual outside the premises of temples and illams in the 1990s, knowing fully well that, as with many other traditional art forms, Ayyappan Theeyattu too must exist here as an art form but without losing its ritualistic values. Outside venues offer it a chance for grandeur. For example, a small temple cannot afford the ritual of breaking 12,000 coconuts considering the money involved,' said Nambiar. But for a true lover or student of traditional arts, the verticals of dance, music and percussion run deep in Ayyappan Theeyattu. 'Come and join us,' says Nambiar, who is fully into the art form after retiring as deputy manager at BPCL and has authored two books.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
RLV college arts fest begins today
Tripunithura: Samabhavana, a five-day annual arts fest, will begin at RLV College of Music and Fine Arts on Monday. The festival will feature a staging of various performing art forms, including Bharatha Natyam, Kathakali, Carnatic vocal and fusion music. K Babu, MLA, will inaugurate the arts fest in the morning, during which municipal chairperson Rema Santhosh will deliver keynote address. A dance performance by Paris Lakshmi, Carnatic vocal by Sreevalsan J Menon and Vaadya Mahanandam by students and teachers of RLV college are the highlights of the fest. On Friday, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi chairman Mattannoor Sankarankutty will inaugurate concluding session, followed by staging of Sree Rama Pattabhishekam Kathakali. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Rasa, Rhythm and Revolution
Kathakali, a dominant classical art form since the 16th century, was long a male bastion. Originating in feudal Kerala's aristocratic households, it demanded intense physical discipline, years of training and long hours of performances—expectations seen as unsuitable for women. Deep-rooted patriarchal norms further confined women to domestic roles, rendering their participation on stage virtually taboo. Men portrayed even the most delicate of female roles. Legendary artists like Kudamaloor Karunakaran Nair and Kottakkal Sivaraman earned acclaim for playing characters like Damayanthi and Sairandhri with grace and grandeur. Amid this backdrop of rigid tradition, KT Rama Varma of the Kochi royal family sowed the seeds of change. With a progressive vision, he decided to train his 10-year-old daughter, Radhika Varma, in Kathakali—a move that startled many in conservative circles. Varma's bold step gained backing from legendary Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, then a tutor at RLV College of Music and Fine Arts in Tripunithura. He trained young girls, laying the foundation for an all-women troupe. Thus was born Tripunithura Vanitha Kathakali Sangham—a pioneering women-led kathakali group that would go on to defy stereotypes and win audiences across India and the world. Their debut performance in May 1975 at the Palace School auditorium, with only one male percussionist (madhalam), marked a historic moment. The first story they staged was Kalyana Sougandhikam, with women enacting characters such as Yudhishtira, Bheema and Hanuman. Radhika took on the powerful role of Bheema while Vrinda Varma portrayed Yudhishtira and Sreemathy Narayanan became Hanuman. Despite initial resistance, curiosity soon turned to applause. 'Even the orthodox Kathakali audience started accepting us,' recalls Radhika, who is still part of the troupe. In its early days, the troupe grappled with finding women skilled in singing and percussion. But with support from Krishnan Nair and like-minded enthusiasts, they assembled a full-fledged team. Vijayamani from Kollam became the troupe's first female chenda artist. Several women from Kochi royal family and across Kerala joined the troupe. Gurus like RLV Damodara Pisharody and FACT Padmanabhan moulded these women into consummate performers. Over the decades, the troupe evolved into a symbol of women's empowerment. Beyond performance, it became a hub for fostering female talent in all aspects of Kathakali—from acting and singing to percussion. In 2002, they stunned audiences in the US with a performance of Duryodhana Vadham at the Smithsonian Institution, just a year after 9/11. Through Radhika 'manodharmam' (improvisation), they re-enacted the terror attacks, evoking chills and earning standing ovation. 'For a moment, the audience felt 9/11 was revisiting them,' Radhika recalls. The journey wasn't without setbacks. 'Many troupe members took long breaks due to family responsibilities but returned with renewed enthusiasm,' says Geetha Varma, who has been with the troupe for more than three decades. 'Most of our senior members have been with us for nearly four decades,' says Geetha. 'Sathi Varma played a big role in ensuring the smooth functioning and coordination of our programmes. She served as the troupe's manager until her passing,' Geetha says. 'It was quite difficult at first to find girls who could handle chenda and even madhalam. But now, we feel confident in including them, as many girls have become proficient in playing both instruments.' Their dedication was recognized when they received the Naari Shakti Puraskar from President Pranab Mukherjee in 2017. As the troupe enters its Golden Jubilee Year in 2025, they are preparing for a celebration on July 12– 13 at Kalikotta Palace, Tripunithura. The event will feature a seven-hourlong Kathakali portrayal of key women from the Ramayana. Renowned dancer and Kerala Kalamandalam chancellor Mallika Sarabhai will inaugurate the festivities. The celebrations will also feature an all-women panchavadyam.
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Artist Bindhi Rajagopal's works showcase the ecological importance of mangroves
Shades of mossy green, dominate artist Bindhi Rajagopal's latest show, The Grounded Guardians: A Meditation on Mangrove Roots, on at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery. The latest show is an ode to mangroves which form a green wall around the city where it meets the backwaters. Mangroves hold the earth, they prevent natural calamities and they nurture life like a mother would, hence, Bindhi says, she has used them as a recurring motif in the works. 'This is my first solo show in a long time. First came the 2018 floods, then COVID-19… one thing after the other kept happening. The works on show are those that I worked on over this period. These are not all, just some,' she adds, laughing. Intertwining mangrove roots border some of the works, footprints forming the background for a couple of her latest works. The past impacts the future as much as the present. Bindhi seems to suggest that we have to be careful about what we leave behind for future generations. 'I attended a workshop by a scientist on the role mangroves play in preserving ecology, and that got me curious about them. The idea embedded itself in my mind,' Bindhi explains why she chose mangroves. Some of the works have a woman with cats, while others have fish and algae-like life forms, all of which seem to draw sustenance from each other. The paintings reveal symbiotic relationship with nature and all its creatures, mankind included. 'I am trying to say through my works how our actions impact all creation, and how we should be responsible.' Bindhi, an alumnus of RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, has been practising her craft for close to three decades. She held her first show in 1992 followed by one in 1998. Over the years she has been part of solo and group shows in Kerala and abroad and has also curated art shows. She has been an art teacher in a school and later, an assistant professor of visual arts in a college. She uses visual metaphors and symbolism to get her point across. For instance, one of her paintings done during COVID-19 is actually three - a triptych, which shows three women on three different canvases. All three wear masks, and despite being together they cannot inhabit the same space. The isolation is unmissable. 'Isn't that how we felt during the pandemic? My daughters felt it intensely, not being able to step out or meet friends. That was all of us. The painting is the three of us or it could be anybody!' The artist is preoccupied with the past, present and future, and how one impacts the other. The works on show bear testimony to it. The show on at Durbar Hall Art Gallery concludes on April 30.
