ABILASH GIRI PRASAD
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ABILASH GIRI PRASAD

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"A mature performance"

Abhilash, a child prodigy gave a stunning vocal recital along with his brilliant young team. He is also the recipient of ‘Pogo Amazing Kid of India’ performance.

Abhilash has a good basal voice and the only thing he has to do is to improve his tara stai. He began his recital with Sahana Varnam Karunimpa in a steady way. Ujmayaum in Natai of Shivan was a fast number to come next. Vararagalaya of Thyagaraja was another fast number which Abhilash rendered with clarity. Mayamalava Gowla was taken for Tulasi Dalamula Che and was rendered finely. Especially the neraval at Sarase Ruha Punnaga was brilliant. . Narasimha mamava in Arabhi was a rich tribute to the cause of the festival. Abhilash presented the krithi in a perfect manner. Simhendra madyamam was taken for a detailed expansion and Abhilash sang the ragam with great maturity. Thyagaraja’s Ninne Nammithi nayya in Misra Chapu was the krithi and his rendition with neraval and swaram reminded of K.V. Narayana Swamy. The major attraction was Mohanam.

His ragam showed all the classical sangathi’s and he sang sung an Ragam Tanam Pallavi set to Tisra Jhathi Triputa talam in Khanda NnadaiAbhilash and his teams’ performance inspired the young generation and their attitude towards classical music is remarkable. - The Hindu


"In the adult zone"

They came, performed and conquered. Under the aegis of Delhi Tamil Sangam, Chennai-based children from ‘Abaswaram’ Ramjhi’s Issai Mazhalai gave a good account of their musical talents in two delightful Carnatic music concerts, one flute and another vocal, this past weekend.

In another concert in this programme, G. Abilash exhibited incredible maturity, whether in handling the kalpita music (music as taught) or manodharma music (creative aspects like raga alapana and kalpanaswaras, though he did not take up neraval) during his vocal recital. Exhibiting a smiling disposition, Abilash dashed off straight away with Gopalakrishna Bharati’s “Sivaloka nadanai” in raga Mayamalavagowla. His kalpana swaras flowed richly. So was the case in the subsequent song, Periaswami Tooran’s “Taaye Tripurasundari” in raga Suddha Saveri.

As his main presentation, Abilash took up Sivan’s “Unnai allal” in raga Kalyani, which was preceded by a fine delineation of the raga. The ragamalika viruttams in ragas Saveri, Sahana, Sindhubhairavi and Behag before singing Gopalakrishna Bharati’s “Irakkam varamal” were another remarkable feature of this concert.

S. Sriram on the violin, R. Akshayram on the mridangam and S. Krishna on the ghatam provided excellent support. The youngsters showed team spirit, each not only contributing significantly to the concert outcome, but also appreciating the other whenever one produced an exhilarating phrase.

Under the ‘Isai Mazhalai’, children from the age of 4 to 12 years are trained to perform full-fledged concerts professionally. Delhi Tamil Sangam certainly deserves credit for featuring these children for the first time in the Capital. Memories of the performances would will linger on. - The Hindu


"In the adult zone"

They came, performed and conquered. Under the aegis of Delhi Tamil Sangam, Chennai-based children from ‘Abaswaram’ Ramjhi’s Issai Mazhalai gave a good account of their musical talents in two delightful Carnatic music concerts, one flute and another vocal, this past weekend.

In another concert in this programme, G. Abilash exhibited incredible maturity, whether in handling the kalpita music (music as taught) or manodharma music (creative aspects like raga alapana and kalpanaswaras, though he did not take up neraval) during his vocal recital. Exhibiting a smiling disposition, Abilash dashed off straight away with Gopalakrishna Bharati’s “Sivaloka nadanai” in raga Mayamalavagowla. His kalpana swaras flowed richly. So was the case in the subsequent song, Periaswami Tooran’s “Taaye Tripurasundari” in raga Suddha Saveri.

As his main presentation, Abilash took up Sivan’s “Unnai allal” in raga Kalyani, which was preceded by a fine delineation of the raga. The ragamalika viruttams in ragas Saveri, Sahana, Sindhubhairavi and Behag before singing Gopalakrishna Bharati’s “Irakkam varamal” were another remarkable feature of this concert.

S. Sriram on the violin, R. Akshayram on the mridangam and S. Krishna on the ghatam provided excellent support. The youngsters showed team spirit, each not only contributing significantly to the concert outcome, but also appreciating the other whenever one produced an exhilarating phrase.

Under the ‘Isai Mazhalai’, children from the age of 4 to 12 years are trained to perform full-fledged concerts professionally. Delhi Tamil Sangam certainly deserves credit for featuring these children for the first time in the Capital. Memories of the performances would will linger on. - The Hindu


"This kid’s simply amazing"

Thirteen-year-old G. Abhilash has some pretty big ambitions. The two biggest are becoming a world-renowned musician and going to the moon, in that order.

While space travel is a little out of his reach at the moment, the Std VIII student of Vel’s Vidyashram, Chennai, has already made some headway with regard to his musical aspirations.

The youngster gave his first Carnatic vocal performance at the age of seven and has, to date, sung at 175 concerts, including in places such as Malaysia and Singapore too. And now, he’s a nominee for the 2008 edition of the POGO Amazing Kids Award (PAKA) in the music category.

“I was so happy when they called and told me,” says Abhilash, adding with characteristic cheerfulness, “I’m confident that I can win!”

Abhilash is one of the 24 children aged between six and 14 from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai who’ve been nominated for the fifth edition of the awards to be televised on the popular kid’s channel.

The nominees have been selected for their achievements in arts, sports, music, singing, dance, genius, leadership and entertainment by a star-studded panel that included Shankar Mahadevan, Ashley Lobo, Vinay Pathak, Priya Dutt, Charu Sharma, Shakuntala Devi and Brinda Miller. And now they’re headed for an even more star-studded award show hosted by Bollywood stars in December.

But Abhilash appears entirely unfazed by the glamour. After all, this kid has been singing for A.R. Rahman, but remains grounded in his rigorous Carnatic training regimen.

“I’ve been learning Carnatic music since I was five,” he says. “I go to my gurus for classes almost everyday and when they’re abroad, I take lessons from them online — I sing into a mike attached to the computer and they give me feedback!”

Indeed, he’s far more excited about his dreams of becoming a popular space researcher. “I’d like to go to the moon and do research on which planets other than earth can support life!” he says. - The Hindu


"This kid’s simply amazing"

Thirteen-year-old G. Abhilash has some pretty big ambitions. The two biggest are becoming a world-renowned musician and going to the moon, in that order.

While space travel is a little out of his reach at the moment, the Std VIII student of Vel’s Vidyashram, Chennai, has already made some headway with regard to his musical aspirations.

The youngster gave his first Carnatic vocal performance at the age of seven and has, to date, sung at 175 concerts, including in places such as Malaysia and Singapore too. And now, he’s a nominee for the 2008 edition of the POGO Amazing Kids Award (PAKA) in the music category.

“I was so happy when they called and told me,” says Abhilash, adding with characteristic cheerfulness, “I’m confident that I can win!”

Abhilash is one of the 24 children aged between six and 14 from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Allahabad, Mirzapur, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai who’ve been nominated for the fifth edition of the awards to be televised on the popular kid’s channel.

The nominees have been selected for their achievements in arts, sports, music, singing, dance, genius, leadership and entertainment by a star-studded panel that included Shankar Mahadevan, Ashley Lobo, Vinay Pathak, Priya Dutt, Charu Sharma, Shakuntala Devi and Brinda Miller. And now they’re headed for an even more star-studded award show hosted by Bollywood stars in December.

But Abhilash appears entirely unfazed by the glamour. After all, this kid has been singing for A.R. Rahman, but remains grounded in his rigorous Carnatic training regimen.

“I’ve been learning Carnatic music since I was five,” he says. “I go to my gurus for classes almost everyday and when they’re abroad, I take lessons from them online — I sing into a mike attached to the computer and they give me feedback!”

Indeed, he’s far more excited about his dreams of becoming a popular space researcher. “I’d like to go to the moon and do research on which planets other than earth can support life!” he says. - The Hindu


"Champion in the making"

Handling ragas with responsibility Abhilash showed much promise.
Abhilash is in almost-ready-mode and waiting. What was gratifying was that he is imbibing ‘sahithyanubhava.' And the manner in which he led himself to sing Tyagaraja's ‘Thulasidalamulache,' arriving on the lyrics like a champion after re-internalising the sruti for a few seconds, was creditable. After the virutham-ragamalika in Saveri, Sahana, Kapi and Behag (‘Petra Thaai Dhanai') he unobtrusively took up Gopalakrishna Bharati's ‘Irakkam Varaamal Ponathenna Kaaranam.' The tisram done for the varnam right at the beginning and an alapana for Thodi befitting the magnificence of the raga were handled with responsibility.

The main kriti chosen was ‘Kadhanu Variki' of Tyagaraja. One had a feeling that there was a song-overload, considering the duration of the concert. Sivan's ‘Umaiyor Baagane' in Naattai, Dikshitar's ‘Anandamrithakarshini,' ‘Needhaan Mechikolla' in Sriranjani, GNB's patented ‘Kamalacharane' – were too light. . Instead a ‘Mayamma' (Shyama Sastri) or a ‘Tyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam' (Dikshitar) or a ‘Paramaathmudu' (Tyagaraja), may have tilted the balance of the concert in a different way and given it another perspective. It would also have been an indirect statement of his approach and orientation to chowka kala kritis or vilamba kalam per se.

There was an increasing tendency to enter the arena of kalpanaswaras at the earliest opportunity and dive into brigas with a keenness that was quite understandable at this stage and age. These propensities are bound to change. The watchwords should be timely impetus, not bizarre veneration. This should give him both success and inner satisfaction.

K. P. Nandini on the violin was while playing the ragas for the virutham. Be it Sahana or Kapi or Saveri or Behag, the brilliance was unstoppable. Akshay Ram on the mridangam possibly younger than Abhilash put his best foot forward. There were nadais and gentle idadhu prayogas galore and his thani expressed his spirit.

A disclaimer -- when one reviews concerts of budding artists he is bound to become advisory in nature! - The Hindu


"Champion in the making"

Handling ragas with responsibility Abhilash showed much promise.
Abhilash is in almost-ready-mode and waiting. What was gratifying was that he is imbibing ‘sahithyanubhava.' And the manner in which he led himself to sing Tyagaraja's ‘Thulasidalamulache,' arriving on the lyrics like a champion after re-internalising the sruti for a few seconds, was creditable. After the virutham-ragamalika in Saveri, Sahana, Kapi and Behag (‘Petra Thaai Dhanai') he unobtrusively took up Gopalakrishna Bharati's ‘Irakkam Varaamal Ponathenna Kaaranam.' The tisram done for the varnam right at the beginning and an alapana for Thodi befitting the magnificence of the raga were handled with responsibility.

The main kriti chosen was ‘Kadhanu Variki' of Tyagaraja. One had a feeling that there was a song-overload, considering the duration of the concert. Sivan's ‘Umaiyor Baagane' in Naattai, Dikshitar's ‘Anandamrithakarshini,' ‘Needhaan Mechikolla' in Sriranjani, GNB's patented ‘Kamalacharane' – were too light. . Instead a ‘Mayamma' (Shyama Sastri) or a ‘Tyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam' (Dikshitar) or a ‘Paramaathmudu' (Tyagaraja), may have tilted the balance of the concert in a different way and given it another perspective. It would also have been an indirect statement of his approach and orientation to chowka kala kritis or vilamba kalam per se.

There was an increasing tendency to enter the arena of kalpanaswaras at the earliest opportunity and dive into brigas with a keenness that was quite understandable at this stage and age. These propensities are bound to change. The watchwords should be timely impetus, not bizarre veneration. This should give him both success and inner satisfaction.

K. P. Nandini on the violin was while playing the ragas for the virutham. Be it Sahana or Kapi or Saveri or Behag, the brilliance was unstoppable. Akshay Ram on the mridangam possibly younger than Abhilash put his best foot forward. There were nadais and gentle idadhu prayogas galore and his thani expressed his spirit.

A disclaimer -- when one reviews concerts of budding artists he is bound to become advisory in nature! - The Hindu


"Son of the muses"

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When he is not singing, G Abhilash is the quintessential fifteen-year-old. Jubilant that the interview was postponed to Sunday evening from the balmy afternoon of a Saturday, he tried his best to sound as energetic as a sleepy kid can afford. When we did find time for a chat, his endearing way of answering every query with the earnestness of taking an exam at school came as a surprise.

For, the ease with which he traversed the nuances of ragas Poorvi Kalyani, Saveri, Dwijavanthi and Dhanasree at the Swathi Sangeethotsavam 2012 had been evocative of the serene cadences of a master musician’s cruise on the  high seas of melody.

Yet, here was a sprightly teenager, still starry-eyed and excited about his stellar debut in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. The Chennai boy was invited to hold a vocal concert on the final day of the Swathi Sangeethotsavam held in January, the annual festival of Carnatic music in honour of the musician prince of Travancore, Swathi Thirunal. “It was really a dream debut for me in Kerala. The ambiance at Kuthiramalika was so graceful and the eclectic crowd of music lovers was also very encouraging. The accompanying artists were seasoned performers and I felt lucky to be singing in their company,” says Abhilash, his expressive voice passing on the euphoria. “The prince (Prince Rama Varma, descendant of Swathi Thirunal and the organiser of the festival) was so unlike what I imagined royalty to be. He was very supportive and we were taken care of from the time of our from arrival to departure,” he adds.

The little master had cast his spell over the audience with his soulful rendering of Swathi kritis Devadeva Kalayamite (Mayamalavagowla), Deva deva (Poorvi Kalyani), Anjaneya (Saveri) and Tillana in Dhanasree. Owing to the stipulation that only Swathi kritis are to be rendered at the festival, Abhilash had undertaken a rigorous training to learn some of the choicest compositions.

“It was a great learning experience for me and I was glad I came across so many beautiful compositions which I may not have learned otherwise,” says Abhilash who has been taking lessons in music since he was five years old. One of my favourite Swathi kritis is ‘Bhaja Bhaja Manasa’ in Sindhu Bhairavi,” he says.

Prince Rama Varma had spotted the wonder kid at a concert in Chennai last year. He was then already a familiar face at music festivals and concerts in Chennai city and had won the Pogo Amazing Kid award in 2008. Little dazed by the laurels, Abhilash would rather call his music a journey of revelation than an amazing occurrence of chance. “I was just enrolled for a regular music class like most children will be and my parents Giri Prasad and Sreelatha were both ardent music lovers. It was only after my first concert at a temple near my home in Pozhichallur as a nine-year-old that I began taking music seriously,” he confesses. Abhilash has since trained under vocalists A S Murali and P S Narayana Swamy and Srimushnam Raja Rao.

The meticulous learner travels for one-and-half hours to and fro on all weekdays for his music lessons at T-Nagar. “I start after school hours and reach home at about 9.30 in the night. And I also have to forgo classes and examinations quite often to for my concerts. But the school and my teachers have been very helpful. They even schedule separate examinations for my convenience,” he says. And no wonder people are willing to help him. Abhilash has always stood first in his class despite the packed schedule he has chosen to juggle.

A plus one student of VELS Vidyashram, Pallavaram, Abhilash has philately for hobby. He also collects coins during his trips to other countries for music concerts. I have coins from Malaysia, Singapore and have also collected old Indian coins from various places,” he says enthusiastically.

Abhilash has a 11-year old sister Abinaya who learns Violin and Carnatic vocal. “I help her with the practise and give tips when she does concerts. We are yet to perform together,” he says with a smile. - The New Indian Express


"Son of the muses"

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When he is not singing, G Abhilash is the quintessential fifteen-year-old. Jubilant that the interview was postponed to Sunday evening from the balmy afternoon of a Saturday, he tried his best to sound as energetic as a sleepy kid can afford. When we did find time for a chat, his endearing way of answering every query with the earnestness of taking an exam at school came as a surprise.

For, the ease with which he traversed the nuances of ragas Poorvi Kalyani, Saveri, Dwijavanthi and Dhanasree at the Swathi Sangeethotsavam 2012 had been evocative of the serene cadences of a master musician’s cruise on the  high seas of melody.

Yet, here was a sprightly teenager, still starry-eyed and excited about his stellar debut in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram. The Chennai boy was invited to hold a vocal concert on the final day of the Swathi Sangeethotsavam held in January, the annual festival of Carnatic music in honour of the musician prince of Travancore, Swathi Thirunal. “It was really a dream debut for me in Kerala. The ambiance at Kuthiramalika was so graceful and the eclectic crowd of music lovers was also very encouraging. The accompanying artists were seasoned performers and I felt lucky to be singing in their company,” says Abhilash, his expressive voice passing on the euphoria. “The prince (Prince Rama Varma, descendant of Swathi Thirunal and the organiser of the festival) was so unlike what I imagined royalty to be. He was very supportive and we were taken care of from the time of our from arrival to departure,” he adds.

The little master had cast his spell over the audience with his soulful rendering of Swathi kritis Devadeva Kalayamite (Mayamalavagowla), Deva deva (Poorvi Kalyani), Anjaneya (Saveri) and Tillana in Dhanasree. Owing to the stipulation that only Swathi kritis are to be rendered at the festival, Abhilash had undertaken a rigorous training to learn some of the choicest compositions.

“It was a great learning experience for me and I was glad I came across so many beautiful compositions which I may not have learned otherwise,” says Abhilash who has been taking lessons in music since he was five years old. One of my favourite Swathi kritis is ‘Bhaja Bhaja Manasa’ in Sindhu Bhairavi,” he says.

Prince Rama Varma had spotted the wonder kid at a concert in Chennai last year. He was then already a familiar face at music festivals and concerts in Chennai city and had won the Pogo Amazing Kid award in 2008. Little dazed by the laurels, Abhilash would rather call his music a journey of revelation than an amazing occurrence of chance. “I was just enrolled for a regular music class like most children will be and my parents Giri Prasad and Sreelatha were both ardent music lovers. It was only after my first concert at a temple near my home in Pozhichallur as a nine-year-old that I began taking music seriously,” he confesses. Abhilash has since trained under vocalists A S Murali and P S Narayana Swamy and Srimushnam Raja Rao.

The meticulous learner travels for one-and-half hours to and fro on all weekdays for his music lessons at T-Nagar. “I start after school hours and reach home at about 9.30 in the night. And I also have to forgo classes and examinations quite often to for my concerts. But the school and my teachers have been very helpful. They even schedule separate examinations for my convenience,” he says. And no wonder people are willing to help him. Abhilash has always stood first in his class despite the packed schedule he has chosen to juggle.

A plus one student of VELS Vidyashram, Pallavaram, Abhilash has philately for hobby. He also collects coins during his trips to other countries for music concerts. I have coins from Malaysia, Singapore and have also collected old Indian coins from various places,” he says enthusiastically.

Abhilash has a 11-year old sister Abinaya who learns Violin and Carnatic vocal. “I help her with the practise and give tips when she does concerts. We are yet to perform together,” he says with a smile. - The New Indian Express


Discography

Master Abilash has the exposure of recording for so many music directors for various albums. Some of his live performances have also been recorded and released by leading companies in the form of CDs. Abilash has also given his voice for so many jingles and title songs in varoius regional languages. Apart from this, his recorded albums are also available in all leading shops. Some of his recorded albums are still in the pipeline!

Photos

Bio

Master G Abilash ,born to Mr R Giri Prasad and Mrs Srilatha Giri Prasad on 4th October 1995 in Chennai (India), is a notable upcoming artist in the field of South Indian Classical Music (Carnatic Music). Starting his music lessons right from his age of 4, Master Abilash has a booster of Gurus (teachers) who have turned this young boy into a intelligent singer! Abilash started learning the basics from Smt. J Rajeshwari (Retired Asst. Principal at the Madras Music Academy Teacher's Training College). He was taken over by Shri A S Murali for advanced training in the art form. Shri A S Murali himself is a prime student of Padma Bhushan Shri P S Narayanasamy. He also learns minute intricacies and nuances of this art form from the mridangam maestro Sangeetha Choodamani Shri Shrimushnam V Raja Rao. Abilash also has a flair for Hindustani Music. His exposure to hindustani music was given by Prof. B Ramamoorthy Rao, who is a prime disciple of Bharat Ratna Padit Bhimsen Joshi. Master Abilash is a recipient of "Cultural Talent Research Scholarship" given by Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) - under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Government of India. He is also the winner of various scholarships like "Ilayaragam - Reliance Mobile Carnatic Scholarship 2006", "Ariyakkudi Memorial Scholarship 2011" under the Ariyakkudi Legacy Project instituted by Sanathana Dharma World University Trust, Koviloor, "Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nadaka Mandram Scholarship 2013" under young artist promotion scheme of the Government of Tamil Nadu. Abilash is a recepient of many prestigious awards and titles too. He is also a "B" Graded artist of the All India Radio. "Samaikya Bharath Gaurav Satkar" (Ugadi Puraskar), "Youth Excellence Award 2011", "Pogo Amazing Kid Singer 2008", "Bala Bhaskara 2012" and "Kalai Ila Mani 2013" by the Department of Culture, Government of Tamil Nadu are few amongst the awards and titles given to Master Abilash for his achievements in the field of Indian Classical Music. Abilash has also won numerous prizes in various National/ Zonal/State/District and City level competitions. Abilash is also the First Runner-up and the People's Choice of Carnatic Music Idol 2010, a popular Indian Classical Music reality show. Master Abilash had his first public performance at his age of 7. During his 9th year, he had his professional arangetram in Abaswaram Ramjhi's Issai Mazhalai in 2005. Since then, Abilash has performed more than 500 concerts all over India and also abroad. Master Abilash is also a regular performer in all leading Sabahs and organisations in the December Music Festival. Abilash has also performed in popular Indian Music Festivals like Swathi Sangeethothsavam which takes place in the Kuthiramalika Palace, Trivandrum, Kerala.