Kalabhavan Sebastian Recreates Soul-warming Music for Patients

KOCHI:
Come rain or sunshine, the corridors of General Hospital here resound every Wednesday with music much to the delight of patients, bystanders and hospital staff
who gather to listen to the weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ programme put together by the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
And today it was the turn of Ghazal and playback singer Kalabhavan Sebastian to unleash the therapeutic powers of music through some hand-picked yesteryear melodies. Armed with years of musical experience and a vibrant spirit to match, Sebastian rendered a nostalgia-filled bouquet of songs evoking applause from the audience.
This week’s edition of the programme marked the 142nd in the series organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation in association with the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited. The weekly programme that commenced in 2014 has been lauded for its efforts to provide solace to patients.
Sebastian, an all-time favourite who led stage shows for the Kerala based Kalabhavan orchestra troupe has lent his voice to 3 films. The vocalist made his way through as the finalist for the Samsung All India Singing Talent Contest in the year 2005 in contest in Mumbai.
According to Sebastian meditation and music can aid in promoting a healthy body. “It is futile to unnecessarily worry and fret over an illness. The Almighty God , an omnipotent presence can help us tide over any difficulty or disease. Moreover belief and courage in an individual together with meditation and music can rejuvenate the body”, the vocalist said.
Sebastian also commended efforts made by the Biennale in organising such shows.
Meanwhile today’s show began with a prayer song – a melange of Hindu, Christian and Muslim beliefs. The concert which started in a pious note ended in a Ghazal ‘Chand Jaisa Rang Hein Tera’, originally sung by Pankaj Udhas.
The city-born vocalist effortlessly incorporated about 10 songs in the hour-long show which included ghazals and soul- warming evergreen melodies of Malayalam and Hindi films. The recreation of these masterpieces had the patients humming and swaying to the rise and tempo of the songs.