The year 2020 has been harsh on all of us. From a pandemic to natural disasters, is there anything we did not witness this year? Locked away in the four walls of our homes, isolated from family and friends, 2020 surely took a toll on our mental health and irritated our anxiety levels. But, even in the distress, there have been several moments of courage and hope that made us last through all this. And so what, if stalking celebrity weddings is our biggest guilty pleasure in 2020?
Rana Daggubatti to Misheeka Bajaj, Kajal Aggarwal to Gautam Kitchlu, the South film industry witnessed their favourite stars settle down with their permanent roommates. Intimate and personal, we all have been swooned by their weddings. Joining the pandemic wedding bandwagon is the Mega princess - Niharika Konidela. A dreamlike wedding in Udaipur with Chaitanya Jonnalagadda, her marriage is currently the talk of the town. From Chiranjeevi to Pawan Kalyan, everyone from the mega family made sure they did not miss this pompous event.
Of all the pre-wedding festivities, the one that made the most noise has to be the sangeet. One of Hyderabad’s well-known bands - Niraval was seen performing at the wedding. The seven-member band Vaishak Menon (Drums and vocals), Sweekar Agasthi (Vocals), Krishnan Ganesan (Vocals/Keys), Falak Chhaya (Flute/Vocals), Sagar Ramchandruni (Bass/Vocals), Sunil Abraham (Keys) and Moses Abhishek (Sound Engineer) known for their expertise in covers from Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages. The band flew down to Udaipur to play some smashing regional covers for the mega family.
“The venue was breathtaking. We performed by the lakeside. Although the family has the biggest names from Tollywood, they are humble and grounded. We felt welcomed. And to see our idols appreciate our music, what more can we ask?” says Vaishak. He also told us that their biggest takeaway from the musical night is to play Chiranjeevi’s hit song Bangaaru Kodi Petta from Gharana Mogudu right infront of him. “Allu Arjun, Megastar and others danced to the beats of the song. It was truly a memorable night.”
While the pandemic has halted the live music scene in Hyderabad, places have slowly started to open up for gigs. Band Niraval is estatic about their fourthcoming live shows. "We have jammed hard even during the lockdown. It was tough, but nothing could keep us away from our music," says Krishnan. The band that has earned its place in the local music scene with their multilingual covers, has chalked out new plans for their fans. An original composition from Niraval is on the cards. "We are coming back with a few fresh elements to improve the audience exprience. Our original will be out soon in 2021," shares Krishnan as the band just returned from the #NisChay wedding.
You can catch Nirval performing at Tabula Rasa on December 16, 8:30 pm onwards.