CHENNAI, September 28: A mikeless kutcheri turned into a ‘kutcheri in the rain’! The early morning pre-monsoon rains on Sunday last threatened to disrupt the concluding day of the ‘Navarathri Special’ Kutcheri in the Park organised by Sundaram Finance at the Nageswara Rao Park in Mylapore. The rains might have dampened the spirit of the weak hearted, but not R. Muralikrishna, a student of St. Michael’s Academy, Adyar, who was presenting his first mikeless kutcheri.

Undeterred by the rains, and with umbrellas all around, Muralikrishna, accompanied by Sriram Sridhar on the violin and Thirucherai Kaushik Rajagopal on the mridangam, produced a spirited performance, delighting the morning walkers and music connoisseurs who had gathered around the Chess Quadrangle to enjoy the morning ragas.

His composition of Sri Ganesh (Thilang - Papanasam Sivam), Kaayamalar (Suththa Thanyasi- Periyazhvar Paasuram) and Hanumaney (Malayamaarutham- Arunachala Kavirayar) received a special round of applause from the park audience.

V. Kumaraswamy, General Manager, Sundaram BPO, was present on the occasion and presented certificates and mementos to the artistes.

The idea behind the mikeless kutcheri in the park is to provide a platform for young children to display their musical talent. Sundaram Finance audition committee conducts an audition to select the artistes to perform at the kutcheri in the park.