Parampara – a continuation of Musical Tradition

Parampara, a vision and concept in the world of Carnatic choir, brings to life a curated set of Carnatic melodies performed by the artists ranging from 5 to 55 years!  The renditions are exemplified by the percussionist and complemented by the ensemble of Violinists.

What started as an inspiration from the family trips with Ashwini & Janani to perform with various Carnatic Choir groups across the country, it blossomed as a mission to bring the opportunity and joy to our city of Tampa, in the hearts of Alamelu.  It has now transformed as a vision and challenge to make the next performance more complex and yet mesmerising.  God willing, her ambition is to elevate the level of learning and grow together as a music family and bring the wealth of Carnatic music to all of us.  It takes a village to bring a concept, this big, to life and so it does.  Alamelu’s entire family, the three cats included, along with the extended musical family of students, parents, friends and volunteers have worked tirelessly for months together to bring this timeless art form in a modern format of a choir for us to enjoy!

Our humble attempt is to do justice to the great composers of all times, Saint Purandaradasa, the musical trinity – Sri Thyagaraja Swami, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, 18th century composers like Oothukadu Venkata SubbaIyer, Bhadrachala Ramadasa, Sage Annamacharya and also contemporary composers like Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. Balamurali Krishna, Namakkal Narasimha Iyengar, Ramnad Srinivas Iyengar, Guru Surajananda, Muthaiyah Bhagavathar, Perumbavur Ramanathan and many others by bringing together a collection of musical pieces that are peppy and yet uncompromising on the fundamental fabric of the Ragam, Thalam and Bhavam of the compositions.  Music has no barriers showcasing the unity in diversity by transcending linguistic and cultural barriers.  Our little singers transition between Telugu, Kannada and Tamil seamlessly. 

The journey is as important as the destination.  We make new friends that last a lifetime and bring like-minded people together.  Every conversation becomes a new addition.  Throughout the journey there were numerous challenges, and you feel like quitting, but then the burning commitment to finish what was started, which is at the root of our culture, and the motivation and inspiration of the guru keep the vision going.  I am sure all the children (and the ones younger at heart) here equally remember Aunty and Janani yelling to practice more, and then the sweet moments with cookies, candies, and noodles!

All said and done, here we are for yet another milestone in our journey.  Parampara, a tradition to cherish, is stepping into the second year of its memorable journey.  With all your support, blessings of elders and the almighty, we look forward to a celebration of the art form for many years, maybe generations to come.