Dr. Vidhyabhushan rendering of ದಾಸ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ last week @ the St. louis Temple convention center was phenomenon, profoundly melodious and soul touching. After the musical piece of “Nammamma Shaarade” the compositions cascaded one after the other in a continuous pace through Vidhya Bhushan’s emotionally charged, sublime voice. The musical tunes of the Sitar, violin, flute, piano, and the percussions from the Tabla and the drums, coalesced so well, it captivated the audience and enthralled them en masse.

Vidhyabhushan’s renderings of meaningful Keerthanas, especially those of Purandara dasaru and Kanaka Dasaru was so wondrous and transcendently impressive, it started to transform to a devotional melody. This divine energy elevated the souls of not just the ‘Rasikas’ but also the ordinary listener seated in the auditorium. 

This aura of spiritual experience and emotional connection that established between the stage and the people was something we hadn’t seen in any of the Sangama event before. This one-of-its-kind experience of Vidhyabhushan, an exponent of ದಾಸ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯ is a rarity in once lifetime – ‘ಅಪೂರ್ವ ಅನುಭವ’ (Apoorva Anubhava)!

This musical evening WILL always resonate within us, as  we all at Sangama long for more such experiences.

Prabhakar Betnag

St. Louis