Wakro Sisters from Arunachal Pradesh enthrall Carnatic music lovers
Sri Narayana Guru Cultural Centre hosts event
Shillong, May 18: Wakro Sisters from Arunachal Pradesh enthralled the audience in the city on Sunday with their Carnatic music recital in Telugu,Tamil, Sanskrit & Malayalam languages.
Ashapmai Dellang & Behelti Ama from Wakro Circle, Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh performed for the first time in Shillong accompanied by university students from Kerala, Gautham Narayan on the violin and Vasudevan MM on the Mridangam.
Padma Shri Sathyanarayan Mundayoor, who is promoting library movement in Arunachal Pradesh, was instrumental in bringing the singers, who were also part of Lohit Youth Library Movement.
The event held at Ramakrishna Mission Auditorium, Quinton Road, here was hosted by Sri Narayana Guru Cultural Centre (SNGCC) headed by Elizabeth Mawlong and supported by RPETA Trust, New Delhi.
Dr Pakha Tesia, Executive Member of SNGCC welcomed the gathering while general secretary Belbora Wankhar gave vote of thanks.
The singers, who want to be known as Wakro Sisters since the duo hailed from Wakro, said they are elated and blessed to present the recital in the same hall, where Swami Vivekananda had addressed the people of Shillong in 1901.
They performed Ninnukori-Varnam, marivere, Chennikula nagar vasan and Thillana in Dhanashri ragam.
Wakro Sisters are the first Arunachali students to take up Carnatic music studies since the last 25 years. Both are active volunteers of Lohit Youth Library Network for almost a decade. They are completing their four-year course of studies at Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, a Centre of Excellence under the Ministry of Culture, Govt of India. Ashapmai Dellang has been a full-time student of Carnatic music for the last 6 years. Behelti Ama, who is a student of Fine Arts at Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai, has been pursuing Carnatic music as a hobby since 2019. She had her paintings exhibited at the Ministry of Environment & Forest at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2023 & 2024.
Wakro Sisters had performed kirtis in Telugu, Sanskrit, Tamil and Malayalam languages over AIR Tezu and Itanagar & Doordarshan, Itanagar & Dibrugarh, apart from public performances at Tezu, Namsai, Dibrugarh Roing, & Itanagar, as also at the Rajiv Gandhi University, Doimukh. They have also performed in honour of the 1900 Field Regiment of Indian Army. Due to their devotion and commitment to Carnatic music, they were appreciated by Carnatic music lovers and maestros across the country like Prince Rama Varma, Vid. Amrutha Venkatesh & Dr. O.S Arun. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu had also acknowledged their contribution.
According to the singers, Carnatic, though originated from South India, has lakhs of followers and singers across the world like the great Carnatic music maestro late Prof Jon Higgins of USA. The music has grown tremendously during the last 250 years. Even during 19th century, Carnatic musicians did not keep away from westerners or western music. Rather, they enriched their music from the European rulers. Muthuswami Deekhsitar, one of the trinities in Carnatic music, borrowed many ideas and notes from western music. The European violin was modified by Carnatic musicians to suit their ragas and popularised widely. Violin is an inseparable part of Carnatic music.
