KOCHI:
It was the fourth chance that proved lucky for Prakash Batchu, who made use of it by sharing the stage with fellow singers Rehna Riyaz and Harisri Babu to enthrall the audience at the weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ show at the Government General Hospital here today.
Batchu, who hails from Fort Kochi, could not attend the music therapy programme on the previous three occasions due to his various engagements, but this time round he was determined not to squander the opportunity as he shared the stage with the two other singers at the 229th edition week of the all-Wednesday music show.
Prakash, who is Secretary of Kochi Singers Welfare Association and a contractor of the Cochin Corporation, manages to find time to perform for various music troupes based in Kochi. His forte is singing Bhajans.
The trio dished out a total of 15 soulful melodies in Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam, which included two duets. The Tamil song ‘Ilayanila’ from the movie Payanangal Mudivathillai, rendered by Harisri Babu, was the first song in the programme. It was followed by Prakash’s mellifluous rendering of ‘ Swarna Gopura Narthaki’ from the movie Divyadarshanam. Rehna pitched in by crooning ‘Aadi Vaa Katte’ from the movie Koodevide. The carefully selected songs enthralled the audience comprising patients, bystanders and medical staff who showed their appreciation with resounding applause.
“The positive response that an artist receives on such an open stage and with a restrictive crowd within the premises of a hospital is close to the heart. It was a memorable experience to be able to perform here for the patients today, and I would cherish it for long,” said Prakash when asked about his singing experience at the hospital.
Rehna, a former Radio Jockey in Dubai, has also handled Bollywood event management and was able to present heartthrob singers like Shreya Ghoshal and Arijit Singh. A native of Kochi, she now runs a business and pursues her passion for music by actively participating in concerts.
Trained in Carnatic music, she was a winner in light music from Mahatma Gandhiji University in 2000. She was also a member of the winning team at the National University level for 2003-’04, and was a part of ‘Ghandharva Sangeetham’ and ‘ Saregama” programmes on leading TV channels.
Harisri Babu from Mattancherry is actively involved in music in Kochi for the past 40 years. He has been an integral part of Harisree Orchestra since its inception. Currently, he is actively involved in music programmes in Chennai and has sung tracks for several Tamil songs.
‘Arts and Medicine’, an initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in association with Mehboob Memorial Orchestra, is sponsored by CAFS (Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services.
