This musical production is a combination of illustration and spoken word

The team then came up with a unique digital production called Rise. The 75-minute production is a lockdown video experience of songs, illustration and the spoken word. This production has been created as a reflection of the human spirit, especially, in these last months. Shreya Devnath, one of the members of the A Carnatic Quartet, says, “We wanted to explore art that is connected with what’s happening around us. We identified ten different themes that we could see around us - gender roles, racial discrimination, the idea of innocence, communities coming together, a tribute to Covid warriors, and so on. The artistes of the quartet, speak to the viewers, before each piece, sharing why they’ve chosen to present that particular piece and how it connects with their personal lockdown experiences. Alongside these songs, we have featured quotes from several world philosophies, that explore these connections further. Each quote has also been given an original visual interpretation by illustrator and musician Susha.”

A Carnatic Quartet features Shreya Devnath (violin) Mylai M Karthikeyan (nagaswaram), Praveen Sparsh (mridangam) and two thavil artistes alternatively, Adyar G Silambarasan and Gummudipoondi R Jeevanandham. The concept and curation were done by Shreya. “It was a refreshing experience for all of us. Generally, for any production, we get together, practice and play. But for Rise, everything was discussed and practiced over the phone. It took three months for us to come up with this musical digital production,” the violinist adds.

Nagaswaram player, Mylai M Karthikeyan missed playing with his team members. “We recorded and shoot the videos at our homes with whatever equipment we have access to and later, it was edited and put together as a production. Since everything was done remotely, this was a new experience for us,” Karthikeyan says.