Young Harikatha artist Varsha Bhuvaneswari has become the youngest and the first Harikatha artist to receive the prestigious Kalki Award. The award, presented annually by the Kalki Krishnamurthy Memorial Trust, honours promising young artists in the Carnatic music world.
The ceremony, held on Sept.9, was presided over by senior Carnatic musician Dr. Gayatri Girish. She commended Varsha for her impressive talent and praised her for making a unique mark in the art form at a young age.
Varsha, who began her training at age six and debuted a year later, expressed her gratitude, noting that receiving the award and performing her guru’s ‘Valli Thirumanam’ Harikatha on the same stage felt like a divine blessing.
The event, which celebrated the birth anniversary of writer Kalki, concluded with Varsha’s performance, accompanied by Mannargudi Shankararaman on the harmonium and Palayamkottai Guru Raghavendra on the mridangam.