The 16th Nippon Paint – Rotary Club of Madras Coromandel’s Parallel Music Fest 2022 was held here on Sunday with awards given to five differently-abled Carnatic musicians.
Percussionist and veena exponent K. Srivatsa received the Lifetime Achievement Award – 2020, singer S. Mathangi received the Distinguished Carnatic Musician Award – 2020, mridangam exponent Erode Nagaraj received the Distinguished Carnatic Musician Award – 2022, fluedhart received the Car T Sashitic Musician Award – 2022 and morsing artist Nerkunam S. Manikandan received the prestigious Carnatic Musician Award – 2022 at the event.
La Sangita Kalanidhi chooses The Music Academy: singer Neyveli Santhanagopalan (2020), Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam (2021), Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi (2022) were honored on the occasion.
N. Murali, chairman of The Music Academy and director of The Hindu Group, praised the club for starting an inclusion event long before anyone else. He said the award winners were a great inspiration to everyone. He said music sabhas including The Music Academy should include more musicians with disabilities in the main season of Margazhi as performers.
Club President Ramesh Ananth, Parallel Music Fest President R. Sridhar, Nippon Paint India HR Director N. Rajeshwari and Musician O.S. Arun were present.