A four-day seminar, ‘Beyond conflict to Reconciliation: The Challenge of the 21st Century’ will be conducted at the Catholic Renewal Centre. Is it organised by the International Association for Religious Freedom. His Highness Dalai Lama will deliver the inaugural lecture there, which will be attended by social and religious leaders, human rights activists, social activists and about 600 peacemakers from all over the world.

Dalai Lama will also address a private function of the Friends of Tibet and them. This will be a great opportunity for Tibetans and sympathizers of their cause a chance to meet with and discuss various issues with the world-famous leader.

The choir comprised senior and junior members. And the youngest was as young as 6 years! I found that the young ones sang without files or lyrics and that, too, without even forgetting a word!! There were Malayalam and English carols, interspersed with a couple of readings from the Bible relating to the divine birth of Christ.

Carols were not always Christian ones. The earliest carols, whose word meaning is ‘a song or dance of joy’, were sung by pagans dancing around stone circles during Winter Solstice and various seasons. The carols we sing in churches now are mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries. But some of the famous ones like ‘The Holly and the Ivy’, are from earlier periods.

The carol service was extra special, as the choir, once the sermon was over, sang John Lennon’s So This Is Christmas, which was composed in 1971, as a protest song against the Vietnam War. The interesting thing is that this song, sung in a church during X’mas, has been adapted and sung by many pop and jazz singers since Lennon.

In the week leading up to X’mas, many churches in the city will host Carol Services. Walk into one, and enjoy.

In ancient times, Pandavani was a form of entertainment as well as a medium of education. People used to sit in the local village circle and listen to Pandavani performers. It comprises of a main singer and two accompanying him. Musical instruments like the tambura, kartal and harmonium are used. The lead singers often ask questions, enacts situations and uses gestures and movements to make the performance lively.

There are two styles in Pandavani – Vedamati and Kapalik. Vedamati follows the Vedic narration, with the singers sitting on the ground and reciting. The Kapalik version personifies Bhima and his actions. Kapalik is the version that the masses prefer, and it provides a collection of stories popularly circulate among the people. Vedamati is the sober one, performed by women mainly, whereas the Kapalik performers stand and sing and mimic Mahabharata characters.

Teejan Bai, an exponent of the Kapalik variety, is a well-known figure. She has received the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan, and is the first woman to perform the male-dominated Kapalik style. Bai has taken Pandavani to the world, visited many countries and been a cultural ambassador of the country.

The dramatic effect of Pandavani makes it popular with puppeteers, playwrights and singers nowadays.