By Express News Service KOCHI: From an art club that was started by Fr Abel in 1968 in a small room in Kochi’s Broadway to launching a YouTube channel, Kalabhavan has grown not only in stature but also reach. The club, known as Christian Arts Club, had just one harmonium, two fiddles and three kids. But today, it boasts of having launched the careers of many an actor. “Kalabhavan has grown a lot,” said K S Prasad, secretary. The ‘house of fine arts’ has branched out from Kochi and today has off-shore branches too. “We have branches in Kannur and Kattapana in Kerala besides the main office in Kochi. Kalabhavan also has branches in Muscat, Sharjah, Kuwait and Dubai,” he said. According to Prasad, the YouTube channel was launched to provide more exposure to students learning various art forms in various branches of Kalabhavan. “At present, we have a total of around 7,500 students studying in our branches both in the country and outside. In Kochi itself around 2,500 students are enrolled,” he said. The performances of the students will be broadcast through the channel, he added. “The huge following that many YouTube channels enjoy inspired us to launch one. Since it is our firm belief that we do have a strong fan following,” he said. “Until now we have been solely depending on stage performances, which were being conducted frequently. However, in today’s world, people get better exposure on various online platforms. And artists are people who need a lot of exposure,” said Prasad. The YouTube channel will act as a means of getting the world acquainted with our students’ talent, he added. “Not only mimicry, the one event we are identified with, but also classical dances, carnatic music, cinematic dance and film songs feature high on the programme chart,” said Prasad. According to him, the programmes will be recorded, edited and uploaded on YouTube by Millennium Audios. “We don’t have a dearth of events. Every day one or another programme is held at each branch. We even have celebrities coming as guests for many of our programmes and enjoy good patronage,” said Prasad.

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