by Prakash Naik

Muscat, Nov 24: It was indeed an ecstatic musical evening for the audience present at Palm Gardens, Muscat Intercontinental Hotel. The Karnataka wing of the Indian Social Club Muscat celebrated Karnataka Rajyotsava recently, presenting yet another musical extravaganza ‘Gurukiran Nite.'

It was a befitting event to herald the Karnataka Rajyotsava, which is celebrated grandly by the Kannadigas not only in Karnataka, but also all over the world. Muscat Kannadigas witnessed an energetic, rocking and vivacious performance of Gurukiran and his troupe that literally had them spellbound.

The guests of honour for the mega event were Anil Wadhwa, Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman and Capt Ganesh Karnik, MLC and deputy chairman, NRI Karnataka Forum, who had specially flown in from Bangalore to take part in the Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations in Muscat.

The other distinguished guests were Dr Satish Nambiar, chairman, Indian Social Club, Muscat, Balaji Nivasan from Towell Engineering (presenter of the event) and Balakrishna from Services and Trade (the annual sponsor).

Yoganand, the convener of Karnataka wing welcomed Anil Wadhwa and Capt Ganesh Karnik along with all other distinguished guests and invitees. He also welcomed Pratibha Patwardhan, director of CG Gyan Productions, Bangalore (event manager) and Gurukiran and his team members.

The programme started with a video presentation giving a short profile of the artists followed by Anul Kumar's audio/video presentation narrating the flashback of the Kannada wing's achievements in the past, names of the previous conveners and the current committee members.

Anil Wadhwa lauded the efforts of the Karnataka wing and thanked Capt Karnik for being present at the occasion. The Indian Ambassador honoured Capt Karnik with a shawl and headgear (peta) in the traditional style. Capt Karnik appreciated the cultural and traditional ties that the future generation must cherish.

An electrifying musical score emanated from the vibrant vocal chords and the various musical instruments in a classic stage setting. The lighting, sound effects and the floral backdrop also highlighted the show at the Palm gardens. The show began with a stunning entry of the gorgeous anchor Anushree. She introduced the artistes to the huge audience, as and when they performed on stage.

The audience was treated with a bouquet of foot tapping Gurukiran hits starting from Mailari Film. The dancers with shiny props, complemented the singers and belted out many scores. Gurukiran sang songs with the lyrics penned by him like "Mylapura Mylari", Langa, Suit Boot Kaanidhre and Simha, a tribute to Dr Vishnuvardhan.

He sang a Baila for the Tulu audience. The joy of the Tulu speaking community knew no bounds. The drummer Deva exhibited his skills on the instrument and got many on to their feet.

It was Vijay Prakash, who is very well known for his superfluous voice and highly veritable Academy Award score, mesmerized the crowd. He sang "Jai Ho" very much to the delight of all in the audience. The dancers concluded the song with steps and props that enhanced the patriotic feel. Vijay is a familiar face in Zee Kannada Sa Re Ga Ma reality show and a renowned judge in many other musical programmes. Continuing his spell, he sang a classical song ‘Kanta Vishakanta.’ He also sang from the evergreen movie Bandhana. He wowed the little and young kids with ‘Masakali Masakali.'

Anuradha Bhat sang Yahoo Yahoo Indhu Banigella Habba (which was an apt rendition for Rajyotsava celebrations) and "Jogi Jogi" with the Super Rocker Guru Kiran. She also sang Mylapura Mylar along with Gurukiran.

The sizzling voice of Malgudi Shubha coupled with Vijay Prakash in the song Eee Sonta, another fast number. Malgudi Shubha is a familiar name and face and has also been the judge in the reality shows. She is proficient in exhibiting versatility in her genre of rendering the songs.

The event gained momentum when Vijay Prakash cast his musical net of medley and left the audience satiated with his array of songs.

The varying notes and melodious tunes that rented the air in Palm gardens that evening were the background scores for each number. The rhythmic steps of the dancers synchronized with the entire musical splendour cast by Gurukiran and his team.

The dedicated team consists of Yoganand, convenor, B A Ramesh, Renukamoorthy, Vani Bhagawath, Koni Prakash Naik, Shivaprasad Mayya, P M Chabbi, Karunakar Rao, whose efforts culminated in the presentation of such a mega, energy packed event. Many volunteers assisted in the coordination of the proceedings of the event.

For their thrilling performance, the artistes were commended and presented mementoes by Balaji Nivasan and Balakrishna.