My Involvement in and Contribution to Music

My Involvement in and Contribution to Music

MY INVOLVEMENT IN AND CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC

DR. VINCENT SEKHAR, S.J.

The interest I had in music while I was at home was recognized and nurtured by (Late) Fr. A. Gnanapragasam and Fr. Michael Amaladoss, the present Director of IDCR, Aikiya Alayam. It was the latter who gave a chance to one of my fond melodies Un Thiru Yazhil in the disc, which became popular all over Tamilnadu. The scholastic formation gave me and many of my musical companions opportunities to learn systematically Classical Music. Regency was the time when I qualified myself in Lower Grade Music, examinations conducted by Tamilnadu Government. But meanwhile I continued composed melody, light and heavy, to many songs and bhajans, long musical skits, etc. Many of them had come in audiocassettes.

Arivalaya troupe organized by senior Jesuits in the province brought multi-talented young and senior Jesuits together for performing cultural programmes in several demographic areas over a number of years. This was an occasion to pool together the latent and observable talents and skills of Jesuits (some of us discovered or confirmed our talents in specific areas during such memorable events), and, much more, to live and work together as a loving Jesuit team. Sruti, the first of its kind, a new Jesuit community headed by Fr. Francis Jeyapathy, was a result of such group recognition and understanding of Jesuits in Performing Arts.

Isai Aruvi, a new innovative sector in Jesuit Communication Ministry started by Fr. Michael Amaladoss, gave me another opportunity to bring together the talents of various Jesuit composers of lyric and melody. Every audiocassette produced by Isai Aruvi asserted the skills and talents of many Jesuits, who had in fact looked toward their talents being recognized. Variety of styles and tastes were represented in many of these cassettes with much care to conscientize the Christian public with new and liberative theological and social thrust.

As Director of Dhyana...

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