144th edition of 'Arts and Medicine' pays tribute to legendary musician Shri. M Balamuralikrishna

Evergreen melodies from yesteryear wafted through the General Hospital here when singers from ‘Nanmayude Thalodal’, a city-based friendship group noted for its charity activities, took to the stage for the weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ Biennale Music show today.

Teen talent Amal Roy, who has been a semifinalist of the Malayalam television show ‘Super Star Junior’  emerged the star of the show with his delivery of songs that was appreciated by the audience - a mix of patients, bystanders and hospital staff.

“It gives me immense happiness to be a part of an initiative to provide solace to patients in distress”, said Roy who is the son of singer Jackson Roy and has won many prestigious prizes at the school level.

“Age is no barrier to be able to do something for others, I enjoy working with seniors and getting to learn a life-lesson a day…. I am successful in handling rehearsals for shows and academics in parallel”, said the enthusiastic teenage artist.

Singers of charity group 'Nanmayude Thalodal', Jabbar Uppas and Amal Roy performing at Government General Hospital, Ernakulam as part of Kochi Biennale Foundation's ‘Art and Medicine’ on Wednesday.

Roy was the youngest among today’s group of singers, which includes Jabbar Uppas who is also chairman of the friendship group and has held decorated positions as Cochin Orchestra Director, Kerala Mappila Academy-State Vice president. He is a regular presence in the groups associated with cultural, social and art fields.

Along with other artistes Jackson Roy, Kunjumon,  Anaz Mohammed and Salim, the group strung together a total of 13 songs which got the audience humming and swaying along.

Jabbar began the programme on a devotional ambience with the song ‘Satya Nayaka’, followed by ‘Neela Malareh’ and followed it up with a medley of random songs hand-picked to suit the taste of the audience. Jabbar and Amal together concluded the show with ‘Husnul Jamal’- a popular folk number.

The Nanmayude Thalodal’ group is active on social networking and messaging sites like Facebook and WhatsApp and has initiated several charity works.

Today’s performance marks the 144th edition of the ‘Arts and Medicine’ programme, which is organized by Kochi Biennale Foundation in association with Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lake Shore Hospital and Research Centre Limited .

Playback singer Jyothi Menon performs live for patients at General Hospital

Noted playback singer, Jyothi Menon performed live today at the General Hospital, Ernakulam here for the 143rd edition of the all Wednesday ‘Arts and Medicine’ show, which opened with a homage to senior instrumentalist Erlo D’ Cruz who passed away this morning.

 Menon’s melodious renditions of Hindi, Malayalam and Hindi songs backed by synchronised orchestra music wafted from the hospital’s sunlit lawn into its corridors.

 Starting with Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar,  a  number by iconic Indian ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, which Menon followed it up with the songs - Lokam Muzhuvan Sukham Pakaranayi, Oru Vattam Koodiyen Ormakal Meyunna and Poonthenaruvi  among others. The playback singer belted out a total of 13 songs in her hour-long show before concluding with the number Kaarmukil Varnante to huge appreciation from the audience who applauded her after every number.

Playback singer Jyothi Menon performing at Government General Hospital, Ernakulam as part of Kochi Biennale Foundation's ‘Art and Medicine’ programme .

 The weekly musical programme, organised as an initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lakeshore Research Centre Limited provides solace to patients by unleashing the undeniable therapeutic uses of music in medicine.

 Beginning her musical career by winning the 1997 TV Malayalam reality show, ‘Hamsadhwani’ on Doordarshan, Menon has been an all encompassing presence on various stage shows.

 Menon who has exhibited singing prowess right from her schooldays underwent training at the RLV music college Tripunithura, and has lent her voice in several Malayalam films namely, Nakshatra Kannula Rajakumaran, Priyom and Katturumbinte Kalyanam.

 “When music fills the soul, it escapes as explicit renditions to the surroundings. The same music acts as a balm and heals listeners, especially those who are in distress or traumatised by pain and agony,”  said the singer.

 She added that Biennale has taken a generous step in organising a show, which has been able to provide solace and consolation to many patients as well as bystanders.

‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’ fame Minmini treats patients to soul awakening music

Playback singer Minmini who shot to international fame with the Chinna Chinna Aasai hit number in Mani Ratnam’s film Roja, almost a quarter century ago, regaled patients with her melodious voice at the Government General Hospital, Ernakulam on 26th Oct 2016 .

The singer who has delivered evergreen hits such as 'Souparnikamritham'  from KizhakkunarumPakshi, and 'Pathiravaayi' from Vietnam Colony among others gave a captivating performance, which was part of Kochi Biennale’s weekly ‘Arts and Medicine’ show.

Her  felicitous mellow rendering of each song evoked  smiles and loud applause from a captive audience who seemed to enjoy the performance.

“I am overwhelmed to see such an audience of patients, bystanders and hospital staff…. It is  an honour to sing amidst a crowd in an open space … As a child I had immense support from my folks , they stood by me through thick and thin”,  Minmini said. “Acts of charity  like the one Biennale has resorted to is a noble gesture. Being able to bring smiles on the faces of people in pain is indeed a blessing”,  she added.

Minmini and her co-singers Junior Mehboob and Yahiya Azeez belted out close to a dozen songs which included ‘LokamMuzhuvanSukamPakaraan’, ‘Mizhiyoram’, ‘Badi Door Se Aaye Hein’, ‘ChinnaChinnaAasai’, and ‘Maanasa Mani Venuvil’ to name a few. Her husband Joy Mathew shared the stage for the Tamil number ,‘Kannekalaimane’.


Beginning her  career at the age of five with the Kalabhavan orchestra, Minmini graduated to a professional singer at 10. Her musical family background spurred her to become a singer and till date she has sung around 2,000 film songs in seven different languages - Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Oriya and Badaga.

A Malayali hailing from Aluva, most of Minmini’s memorable musical pieces are in Tamil,  composed by Ilayaraaja and A R Rahman. Her hit Malayalam songs include ‘Souparnikamritham’ from KizhakkunarumPakshi, ‘OonjalUrangi’, and ‘Neelaraavi” from Kudumbasametham. After a break from singing, Minmini made a comeback last year  with the song Kanmaniye from Mili.

She has been honoured with  many awards, including the Singapore State Government Award, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Female Playback, Filmfare Award, Cinema Express Award, Film Fans Association Award (Telugu), Kerala Film Chamber Award and SUMU Award, to name a few.



The all Wednesday series is an initiative organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation in association with Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited aiming to provide solace to the patients. This week’s programme marked the 140th episode.

Eco-themed creation helping promote message of recycling and environmental sustainability

This Onam, a larger-than- life experience awaits visitors to the Lulu Mall. A 20-foot- tall Maveli, fabricated by artists from the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) using mainly nature friendly materials, sits in welcome at the entrance.

The supersized Maveli – made out of iron, special papers, jute, cloth, coir, rope and reclaimed wood – is the newest addition to the retail major’s ongoing environment awareness campaign, ‘Nature First’. It also marks yet another successful collaboration in the longstanding KBF-Lulu Group partnership.

‘This is the first time any mall in the world has made a green Maveli. We are excited to associate with
the KBF yet again, especially for a cause like ‘Nature First’. The purpose of this initiative is to draw the attention of our customers towards the importance of recycling and ensuring sustainability of the
environment in every which way possible,” said Shibu Philips, Business Head, Lulu Mall.

Complete with an ‘Olakuda’, the installation has been garnering plenty of interest from customers. Much the same as the KBF’s previous artistic intervention in the mall: a unique live sculptor’s studio in June that helped spread the message of ‘Nature First’, a year-long initiative to sensitise Kochiites on the need to preserve natural resources.

“The KBF is very happy to be able to collaborate with the Lulu Group in celebrating the festive Onam season, our enduring partnership and the beauty of nature. We hope visitors to Lulu Mall enjoy our interpretation of the most enduring symbols of nature and unity,” said KBF Secretary Riyas Komu. “The KBF is proud to continue participating in the Nature First campaign and help showcase the importance of the environment through art.”

The Lulu Group’s association with the KBF and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale goes back all the way to the first edition of the Biennale in 2012. The relationship has since strengthened and matured.

The Maveli structure is open for viewing at the Lulu Mall entrance from 9 AM to 11 PM over the festive period.

Choral group SIWJA charms crowds at hospital with Onam special music

With Onam just around the corner, the festive mood caught up with the crowd at the General Hospital here as they gathered in the courtyard for a special music show as part of the weekly Biennale Arts and Medicine programme.

The Onam special was presented by ‘Sing India with Jerry Amaldev’ (SIWJA), a choral group under the tutelage of the renowned Malayalam music director, with his hit compositions forming a part of the day’s repertoire.

Jerry Amaldev, the music composer who has created some of Malayalam’s most memorable melodies, formed the group, which now has 30 members, in 2010 under his eponymous charitable foundation.
The choral group specialises in songs spanning various genres and languages, including Western pop, Christmas carols and of course, the unforgettable film hits of Jerry Amaldev.

The special show for the hospitals patients, staff and bystanders began with a rendition of ‘Lokam Muzhuvan Sukham Pakaraan’, followed by sprightly songs in the spirit of Onam such as ‘Athapoo nulli’, ‘Poove poli poove’, and ’Ponnonam vannu’.

It concluded with the hit song ‘Ayiram kannumaai’ from the movie Nokketha Doorathu Kannum Nattu.  A group of 18 singers, accompanied by instrumentalists, from the group rendered 15 songs in all.

Jerry Amaldev, a three-time Kerala State Award winner for music direction, has many hits to his credit including the evergreen songs from his first film Manjil Virinja Pookkal. He is also a regular at the Arts and Medicine programme, an initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation, to provide solace to ailing patients through art. It was his third time performing at the hospital.


This Wednesday’s musical treat was the 134th in the series of the Arts and Medicine project that was launched by Union Minister K V Thomas in 2014 and is organized by the KBF in association with Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited and the Mehboob Memorial Orchestra.

Kochi Biennale Foundation invites Applications for a Week-Long Workshop

As part of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, the international exhibition of contemporary art,
Kochi Biennale Foundation invites applications for a week-long workshop  from 05 to 10 December 2016 at Kochi, Kerala. The workshop, Thinking Art, will be anchored by philosopher Sundar Sarukkai in collaboration with eminent scholars and artists. The primary purpose of this workshop is to expand the viewing experience of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale by adding a space for thinking and reflecting.

In addition to the workshop, the participants will be able to witness the installation process of the artworks and be present for the opening three days of the Biennale from December 12 – 14, 2016. The last date for application is September 4, 2016 .

The Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) is a non-profit charitable trust engaged in promoting art & culture and educational activities in India; primary amongst them the hosting of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.

See for details of the workshop: http://kochimuzirisbiennale.org/thinking-art/

‘Musick’ gives an enthralling performance

Artists of ‘Musick’, a well-known association of musicians from Kerala, conquered the stage at the Government General Hospital, Ernakulam today as they presented an enchanting performance by singing a number of popular songs from popular Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam films to regale the patients, bystanders and hospital staff.

Singer Sajini Anand set the tone of the musical show with a mellifluous rendition of the title song of ‘Satyam Shivam Sundaram”, a 1978 Bollywood blockbuster starring Shashi Kapoor and Zeenat Aman.

“Music captures the soul and has no bounds of age or gender. Being able to perform before such an audience where every song is like a raindrop in the desert is quite gratifying,” said Anand, the magnificent drummer and Secretary of Musick.

Performing at the 129th edition of the popular weekly programme Arts and Medicine, organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) in association with Mehboob Memorial Orchestra and Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre Limited, the artists presented a scintillating show of receptive music at the hospital premises.


Singers Sajini and Praveen, together with Renjith, who is a regular presence at stage shows, asserted their presence in playback singing by belting out a total of 14 songs. The duets, ‘Malare Maunama’ (Tamil movie Karnaa:1995) and ‘Chura Liya’ ( Hindi  movie Yaadon Ki Baarat:1973), elicited a huge applause from the audience . The troupe concluded the exhilarating show with the group song ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’ (Yaadon Ki Baarat).

The patients who attended the music therapy programme were quite listening to the stimulating renditions of evergreen melodies. The effective combination of orchestra and effortless renditions of songs by the artists had the crowd swaying with the tempo of the popular numbers.
The Wednesday series of the ‘Arts and Medicine’ show, an initiative to provide healing through music, is eagerly awaited by the crowd which frequents the hospital.