Music-on-wheels:A mobile orchestra comprising visually impaired persons doing the rounds in Cuddalore.
CUDDALORE:
A group of visually impaired persons have joined together to form an orchestra, a manifestation of their love for music and also a source of livelihood.
The troupe which calls itself “Raga Veenai” is based at Thalaivasal in Athur taluk of Salem district. It has been touring the State to stage mobile performances from a mini-van.
The vehicle, now touring in Cuddalore, is self-sufficient in terms of its requirements such as a portable power back-up system and sound system. There are two vocalists, one keyboard player, one flautist and one tabla player in the team. All of them have obtained diplomas in music. A spokesperson for the troupe told this correspondent that they used to work in batches to participate in musical programmes hosted by temples, marriage parties and organizers of birthday parties. Sometimes, they would be flooded with calls offering them chances and at other times they would have to await the opportunities. Their fees range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000, depending upon the nature of the function.
The temple festivities would be the highest on the agenda in terms of number of songs to be presented and the size of the gathering to be catered to. Then would follow marriage parties in which they would have to please a limited audience. For birthday celebrations, the audience would be much sparser than the above two and moreover it would not stretch beyond two hours. The constant challenge they face is updating their repertoire of songs as dozens of new movies are being released every week. As far as the musical instruments are concerned, the keyboard is their mainstay while the remaining instruments are used for supportive purposes. The hundial collections during such trips would be hardly sufficient to meet the expenses on food for the members and fuel for the vehicle. However, the mobility helps them in getting the much needed publicity and therefore, they embark upon State-wide tour at periodical intervals.
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