About

The Dawn

The Cultural arena of the Capital city of Thiruvananthapuram witnessed the dawn of a brand-new Art Community in the year 1994. Prof. P Gopalaraman, former Director of Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan and Shri Uma Maheswaran, the bosom friend of the legendary Carnatic musician G.N.Balasubramanian. two of the musically passionate visionaries formed this forum of Art. They created a trust in the name of Kerala’s greatest ever cultural Icon, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, assimilating people of similar interest and enthusiasm towards Arts. Seetharama Bhaktha Sabha, near Sreevaraham Temple known for its perfect atmosphere of divine waves was totally fertile to the blossoming of their mission.

The first concert organized by the Trust was in the month of May 1995, commemorating the music wizard GNB. Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Padmavibhooshan Trichur V.Ramachandran, the most befitting musician for the occasion gave the first ever concert of the sabha, accompanied by Sri M.Chandrasekharan on the violin and Sri Trivandrum V.Surendran on the mridangam.

Musical Extravaganza

Every Year the Sabha have been celebrating Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar’s birthday since 1995 with a music festival spanning for a period of 5 days which has now graduated to a 10-day long Conclave. Apart from the Annual Chembai Music Festival, the trust also conducts Tyagaraja Aradhana, Thematic presentations and monthy music concerts.

Awards & Honours

The trust has been honoring the eminent vocal artists with “Chembai Puraskaram”. In the year 1999, when Shri M.A.Baby, the then Minister for Cultural Affairs and an ardent follower of Carnatic music, inaugurated the festival, he announced the support of the State Government in awarding the coveted Chembai Puraskaram from the following year.
 
Moreover, to encourage youngsters who are below 35 years of age, who excel in instrumental music which encompasses Violin, Veena, Mridangam, Ghatam, Ganjira, and the like, another award was installed in the year 2019 titled “Sangeetha Prathibha Puraskaram”. With the generous support of many music enthusiasts an endowment was created for this award. The trust has configured a list of rules for selecting the awardee for each category and the expert committee ensures that the award reaches the perfectly deserving talent.