May CCC, Saturday 2024

Namaskaram everyone,

We wrapped up our May monthly event this past Saturday, coinciding with Mother's Day weekend and honoring all CCC mothers. Despite being held at San Jose High School, a departure from our usual venue at Shirdi Sai Parivaar, our CCC community showcased its unwavering energy and enthusiasm, proving that location is no barrier to our vibrant spirit!

Saturday’s event featured several krithis dedicated to the divine mother, including "kAmAkshi kAmakOti," "ambA vaNi nannA," and "amba kAmAkshi," in tribute to Mother’s Day. A diverse range of performers graced the stage, from first-time soloists Ashwini and Vibha, to violinists Shravan and Keshav, vainika Dhwani, and graduating senior soloists Akhilesh and Manya. Even CCC alumni joined in, with Deeksha and Aishwarya on violin and Sriram on mridangam. The event also showcased classical kritis and ragams, elevated uniquely by CCC students and their gurus. The krithis were presented in an exciting array of time slots, from captivating 10-minute pieces to a 30-minute RTP performance. Students truly shone, showcasing the intricate beauty and nuanced depth of each song and ragam. We wish our graduating seniors the best of luck in college and a long, musical life ahead.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of the gurus who prepared and supported all the performing students. Our deepest thanks go to Sri Shivakumar, Smt. Kasthuri, Smt. Savita, Sri Hrishikesh, Smt. Rama, Sri Saravanapriyan, Sri. Gopi, and Smt. Anuradha for attending the event in person; your presence made a huge difference to the performers. We were also incredibly fortunate to have Vidwan Sri Delhi P. Sunderrajan grace our event with his presence and blessings to all the students and CCC! 

I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the incredible volunteers who make CCC possible. Whether it's through video, audio, photography, magazine, slides, or our website, their dedication ensures CCC remains accessible to all. Since the organization’s birth, I have witnessed their unwavering commitment and tireless efforts. Special thanks to Padma Aunty for giving Chinmai and me the opportunity to emcee this month. You make emceeing seem effortless and support us every step of the way. A special shoutout to Chinmai, who stepped up to co-emcee just two days before the event and did an outstanding job!
 

This CCC event was a victory lap for several performers who were honored along with other CCC student winners at the Cleveland Tyagaraja Festival 2024, excelling from junior categories to the Ragam Thanam Pallavi level. We are also thrilled to announce that Padma Aunty, our own beloved mother of CCC, is this year's recipient of the prestigious Kala Seva Mani Award. Well deserved for someone who has been tirelessly working for the past 15 years to encourage and support Bay Area kids while promoting Carnatic arts!

  
Special shoutout to some of our CCC students (and of course parents) for correctly guessing Ambal krithis during trivia segments. We have two upcoming events: our regular monthly CCC event will be on June 9th at 2 pm at the Shirdi Sai Parivar. There will be an extra CCC senior special event on June 23rd at 2 pm at San Jose High School. Hope to see you all there!

Thanks,
Sumedh Vaidyanathan (On behalf of Padma aunty & Chinmai Raman)