08/14/2026
With a Heart Full of Gratitude — Yuva Sangeeth Mela 2026 ❤️
What a beautiful and fulfilling Yuva Sangeeth Mela it was! ❤️
As I look back at the day, my heart is filled with gratitude. The wonderful appreciation we received for the quality of the program, the organization, and the way everything came together is truly humbling. But behind every successful moment on that stage were so many people who quietly gave their time, energy, love, and support.
A very special and heartfelt THANK YOU to Prasanna & Balaji, Preethi & Prashant, Anand Gopalan, Padma Wudali, and Ethirajan, who played such an important role in volunteering and making this year's YSM possible. Your support, commitment, and willingness to step in wherever needed meant more than I can express.
And to all our Gurus — thank you from the bottom of my heart. You not only brought your students and trained them so beautifully, but many of you stayed through the entire program, graciously came forward to distribute and encourage the young participants, and remained with your families and students until the very end to support and listen to our visiting artists. That presence and encouragement meant so much to our young musicians.
Because of all of you, we were able to give our Minnesota Yuva artists a grand, professional stage — a stage where they could perform, gain confidence, experience the joy of presenting their art, and feel that their hard work truly matters. ❤️
And I cannot leave out my husband, who did so much of the heavy lifting behind the scenes to support Greg, our sound engineer — from unloading and loading equipment to helping with the setup and everything in between. So much of this work happens quietly and away from the spotlight, but it is what makes the spotlight possible. ❤️
A very special and heartfelt thank you to our visiting artists who traveled all the way from Wisconsin to be part of our grand finale. And to Pranav, our young mridangist who traveled from Nebraska, for joining our own Praseed and creating such a beautiful and memorable musical presentation. What a wonderful way to close the day!
I sincerely encourage all our Gurus to continue encouraging their students to sit, listen, and experience live concerts whenever possible. Performing is only one part of learning Carnatic music. Listening to great artists, observing, absorbing, and experiencing this beautiful age-old tradition is equally important in shaping the next generation of musicians.
YSM is not just about a concert. It is about believing in our children, giving them a platform, bringing our musical community together, and creating opportunities for the next generation to learn, listen, perform, and grow.
To every volunteer, supporter, Guru, parent, family member, artist, student, and well-wisher who joined hands with us — THANK YOU. You believed in our trained and training youth, you believed in our upcoming artists, and you believed in the vision of Yuva Sangeeth Mela.
This year's YSM will always remain very special to me.
With immense gratitude and love to each and every one of you. ❤️
Until we meet again for the next Yuva Sangeeth Mela — let us continue to nurture, encourage, and celebrate our young artists. 🎶❤️
