Biennale Music: Singer-duo Captivates Crowd with Old Melodies

KOCHI:
Teenage singer Gopika S and singer/teacher Anwin Kedamangalam performed songs of legends like K J Yesudas to a crowd of bystanders, patients and staff at the General Hospital here today as the popular ‘Arts and Medicine Programme’ entered its 120 th episode.
Music flowed seamlessly and soothingly at the hour-long programme oganised by Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in association with Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited and Mehboob Memorial Orchestra.
Anwin began with the intonation of the song, ‘Manushyanmathangalesrishtichu’, from the 1972 film Achanum Bappayum, and the duo went on to croon in symphony more than a dozen songs, which were lapped up by everyone present at the hospital.
In particular, the duets — ‘Chandrikayilaliyunu’ (from the 1968 movie Bhaaryamaarsookshikkuka), ‘kudamullapoovinum’ (1969 movie Jwaala) and ‘Val kannezhuthiyavanapushpam’ (1975 movie Picnic) — evoked waves of cheers from the crowd.
Gopika S, a tenth grader at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kochi is being trained in classical music and is a frequent performer on various TV channels. She considers it a blessing to sing legend Lata Mangeshkar’s songs in the ‘Yaadein’ programme on a leading TV channel.
Anwin Kedamangalam, a post-graduate in music from Sree Swathi Thirunal College of Music, Thiruvanathapuram, has won prestigious awards, including ‘V Sambashivan Award’, ‘Ochira Ramachandran Award’, and ‘Kedamangalam Sadanandan Award’. A teacher by profession, he is an active performer in the ‘Music Mojo’ programme on a leading channel and has also proved his mettle in drama, ‘Mapillapattu’, Tamil poetry and  Sanskrit recitation.