A feast of regional folk and light music awaits music lovers of Mangalore in near future. Artistes from different regions will be featuring the essence of Indian regional folk and light music. .

         As a part of Akashvani Regional Folk and Light Music Festival -2012 to be organised by All India Radio Directorate in different parts of India simultaneously on July 23 at 6 pm, All India Radio, Mangalore will host Kannada Light Music, Telugu and Kannada regional folk music programmes in Ravindra Kala Bhavana, University College, Mangalore.

Kannada light music

As a part of the festival, B R Geetha, Bangalore, will render Kannada songs (Music composition: Indu Vishvanath). Geetha belongs to Belakawadi family, known for its musical contributions, and is serving as a staff artiste of music in AIR, Bangalore. She was trained in music under the tutelage of her father, musicologist Belakawadi Rangaswami Ayyangar and has to her credit, several classical and devotional music albums ‘Shree Hari kayo’ and ‘Punyasthala Shri Dharmasthala’ to name a few. She is a top grade, B-high grade and B grade artiste of AIR in light music (music composition), Carnatic Classical Music and Hindustani Classical Music respectively. She has performed in prestigious music events.

Music composition for the light songs is done by Indu Vishvanath, who is also an ‘A’ grade light music artiste of All India Radio. She has sung in more the 100 music albums and composed music to several music albums, and films and has directed several TV series on music.

Regional folk music

Rajyotsava awardee M Mahadeva Swami will be presenting Kannada folk songs in the festival. Mahadeva Swami, belonging to Malavalli, has been devoted to folk music since 28 autumns.

He is known for his expertise in singing Shivasharane Sankamma, Manteswami kathe, Biligirirangaswami kathe and so on, from his treasure of North Karnataka folklore.

Telugu traditional music will be featured by Bairoju Balabrahmachari, who has been singing Telugu traditional songs for 35 years and hails from Pentlavalli of Mehaboobnagar in Andhra Pradesh. He has been associated with Akashvani since 1976 and has three Telugu traditional music albums to his credit.

Being an ‘A’ grade artiste of AIR, Balabrahmachari had initially worked as a Zonal Officer for several years in a local agricultural co-op society.

However, he is now a fulltime folk music artiste and has involved himself in temple chariot making work, which he inherited as his family profession.