The Indira Sivasailam Foundation, recently conducted a special competition titled ‘Anwesha- Quest for the best’ as a lead up to the annual endowment concert of the foundation which is set to take place on October 12. As part of the competition, the foundation invited numerous inquisitive questions from rasikas around the state out of which a total of 25 were selected to be answered at an event here by acclaimed carnatic musician, Bombay Jayashri Ramnath along with a panel of experts including Faculty members from the Advanced School of Carnatic Music, R S Jayalakshmi and Ritha Rajan.

Jayashri, who was also announced as the winner of this year’s annual Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal answered a various questions on topics such as ragas, taalas, taala calculations, bhava and spiritualism in carnatic music. During the event, Jayashri interacted with participants from across the state and answered interesting queries posted  by them. Answering the question: what gives musicians the confidence to mount the stage and give a performance in an art as complex as carnatic music, Jayashri explained that "the artist should delve into the reason for their fear. They should understand and accept it. Also, the best and only way to gain the confidence is through practice”. When quizzed as to whether there was a need for adapting of carnatic music and its lyrics to match contemporary needs and trends, she said "the very essence of carnatic music is the conversation that Saint Thyagaraja has with his inner self, which is god, this theme is timeless and will remain so. Hence there is no need for it to adapt to modern needs, since it is perpetually relevant”. She also answered questions that dealt with the intricate details of carnatic music along with the panel of experts.

Later during the session, Jayashri also distributed gifts and prizes to the winning participants whose questions had been selected.