Konark Reddy Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The English sculptor Henry Moore once said, “There is no retirement for an artist; It’s your way of life, so there’s no end to it.” Although retirement may not occur, there is a transition to a certain sense of spontaneity in one’s art. For guitarist Konark Reddy, this transformation has been influenced by life before and after battling cancer. “I think this is the time in my life when I should perform in smaller venues and interact with the audience,” Konark, who has been a musician for over 50 years, says before his performance in Chennai.

This guitar concert, titled Madras 1968, organized by Alliance Française, is part of a series of performances in intimate venues across South India, including Tiruvannamalai and Puducherry, followed by Chennai. Madras 1968 It’s all about Konark reliving his childhood memories. Having grown up in the city where he also learned to play the guitar, his focus is on paying homage to it. “I am just remembering my music and playing excerpts from it in this concert. I have learned such diverse things at different stages of my life – Indian music, western classical, jazz, rock,” he said, adding that the concert will also include background videos generated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He says, “I learned classical guitar in Madras when I was 13. During a chemistry lab experiment, sulfuric acid burned my chin, so I couldn’t go to school and decided to learn guitar. Did,” he says, recalling his first experience. -Anytime Band. “Me and a few other guys started a band. It was me, a boy from Alwarpet and his brother, who was only 10 years old and played bongo. So that was our first big show, and we became a big hit in a short time because we were so young,” he says, laughing.

Recalling his history with the city, Konark explains how his family often stayed in Valmiki Nagar, T Nagar, Nungambakkam, Alwarpet and other areas. We have a lot of history with this city, and I’m just telling these stories again, but musically,” he adds.

Bangalore 1974was performed at the Bangalore International Center in May this year which served as a prelude to Madras 1968Traced their connection with Bengaluru. Konark learned to play the piano in Bangalore itself. “There were no guitar teachers in Bengaluru at that time, so I learned the theory and started converting those notes into guitar music,” he says, adding that there will be a video showcase, which will also include a glimpse of what Bengaluru used to look like. 1970s.

“The way we experience Indian music is very different from the way the world experiences music. There’s a whole world out there in these experiences, and I want the younger generation to incorporate them into their lives,” he says.

Madras 1968, celebrating 50 years of Konark Reddy’s music as part of the Guitar Book of Revelations concert series, will be held at Alliance Francaise, Madras on November 15 from 7 pm onwards.