IT'S hard to believe Hong Kong's Vrindaban of Indian Classical Music and Dance is only one-year-old.
In the last 12 months it has enriched the fringe arts scene in Hong Kong with some of India's most renowned artists such as Pundit Hariprasad Chauasia, one of the country's premier flautists brought to the territory under the Academy's auspices.
The Vrindaban Academy's first anniversary presentation on Thursday at the Cultural Centre - featuring Classical Women of India - not only promises to continue to offer the best of Indian arts, but also shows that, while steeped in pure classical arts, itis not so entrenched in the past that it cannot pull down a few barriers.
Although there are many women classical dancers and vocalists, few break into the male-dominated world of classical Indian instrumental music. ''Indian instruments require great physical and emotional strength,'' says Dr Avisha Gopalkrishnan, director ofthe Academy.
''It was always thought that although girls should be accomplished and proficient in music, they should not be strained by it all. Indian instruments can be very complex and require an absolute minimum of four to five hours practice a day. It is difficult for a woman to devote that kind of time to perfect her art.'' So to hear someone like Anuradha Pal, virtuoso on tabla, one of the very few women ever to perform on the popular classical drums, is indeed refreshing as well as a rare opportunity.
Played solo, the tabla can produce a captivating combination of rhythm and fluidity, speed and clarity that can confound audiences into believing there must be more than one instrument being played.