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On April 14th, 2012, Malarum Mottukkal, a fundraiser for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Jaffna Teaching Hospital, was held at the Queens High School of Teaching in New York. The event was a grand success, raising over $25,000 and bringing in an attendance of over 400 people. The program boasted of a variety of entertainment programs ranging from group singing to Bharatanatyam dance performances to a grand concert rendered by three talented and upcoming young musicians, all in classical musical style. Simply put, the program was presented by children for children, all of whom are blossoming buds, or malarum mottukal.

The program kicked off with a welcome address by medical student Ms. Rujanthi Rudra. Students of Smt. Savitri Ramanand presented a brief vocal recital while students of Smt. Sivarani Sinnathambi played a few pieces on the violin. Marvelous dance recitals by students of Smt. Vignseswary Jeygandi, Smt. Mathy Pillai, and Smt. Jarumila Premathyalan followed. The IMHO President Dr. Kanaga Senathirajah welcomed everyone to the show on behalf of the IMHO and gave the backstory of how this program was initiated by a youngster, Shenthuraan Tharmarajah. Later, IMHO Treasurer Dr. Rajam Theventhiran presented a PowerPoint slideshow that gave the audience an insight as to how the raised money will be spent to benefit the newborns as well as what activities the IMHO has been carrying out since it was founded in 2004.

Finally, the triumvirate of Aditya Venkatesh on vocals, Vivek Rudrapatna on violin, and Shenthuraan Tharmarajah on mrudangam captivated the audience with a brilliant concert. Both Aditya as well as Vivek especially showcased their talent in their Kharaharapriya alapanas, while Shenthuraan awed the stunned with his pumping thani avarthanam. To wrap their concert, the artistes collaborated with Smt. Vigneswary Jeyagandhi to present their thillana as “Kalinga Narthanam,” a dance drama featuring a live orchestra and cast. To conclude the event, Shenthuraan delivered the vote of thanks and felicitated the teachers, artistes, the IMHO President and Treasurer, and the technicians instrumental for the show’s success, followed by dinner.

You can view a full event photo gallery here:

Click thumbnail to view images. Photos credit: www.xitijphoto.com