Olympics 2024 ended on Sunday, in Paris with India clinching six medals across various sports. Towards the end of the games, a reception was hosted on Friday, August 9, for the Indian contingent to enjoy their last few days in the capital city of France and network with each other. Violinist Jyotsna Srikanth was part of the reception as she performed for the contingent alongside sitarist Rishab Rikhiram Sharma and tabla player Nihar Mehta.
“We performed for 40 minutes and almost all the athletes and their coaches were present for the performance. It was a wonderful experience. I was invited by Rishab Sharma to be part of this as I was already in the UK for a concert,” shares Srikanth.
Talking about what they played for the contingent, she says, “We began with the Raga Desh and then moved on to contemporary music, where we did the Indian version of the Harry Potter theme song and even some Bollywood tracks like Kal Ho Na Ho. Everyone really enjoyed it and it felt really nice to be there.” Srikanth recalls meeting silver medalist and athlete Neeraj Chopra and retired athlete PT Usha as well.
“It was a brief interaction, but Neeraj Chopra is a very down-to-earth man and it was wonderful speaking to him. I had a fan moment when I spoke to PT Usha as I have been watching her perform since I was a child. She's a very simple woman," she shares.
This performance, Srikanth says, is one that will stay with her forever. “It is sort of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and this will always stay with me.” Ask Srikanth about her experience visiting Paris and she tells us, “I've been to Paris many times before but this was a little different as the city was decked up for the Olympics.
There were police stationed every few hundred metres and I felt very safe. It was really fun too. We visited the Champion's Park where victorious athletes would have their own little ramp walk moment.
I even witnessed the beauty of the Eiffel Tower from the park, which lit up every evening at 10pm. It was a visit that I'll never forget!” Srikanth feels that apart from the memorable performance, it is important to integrate music and sports. “It was a very thoughtful event, in my opinion.
Integrating music with sports is important. Both of these, while different entities in Nature, represent our country and the diversity it has to offer. A musical evening was the best way to do so,” Srikanth signs off.
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