With a natural felicity of language and her deep understanding of the two traditions of music, Lakshmi has given lecture demonstrations at several venues on the two traditions, comparatively and individually. She presented one such lecdem recently at the prestigious NCPA which received both a preview and a review in the Mumbai Mirror. https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/columns/columnists/sumana-ramanan/talking-about-music/articleshow/59749013.cms?fbclid=IwAR2mZHOq2Jz_cDAzxJBKykvRZow0cUA-4qdujUUUmPStrT8EZnPJtDA5bPc
A review of a similar lecture demonstration in Chennai. https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/inspiring-styles/article5025915.ece
Saptak Archives in Ahmedabad invited her to give two performances with corresponding ragas of the two traditions. She gave a Carnatic concert in the evening and sang equivalent ragas in Hindustani music the next morning.
Lakshmi is deeply interested in mystic love poetry of Meera, Andal, Kabir and others. She put together a thematic presentation around the love and poetry of Meera and Andal. Drawing from Meera bai’s poetry and Andal’s impassioned Nachiyar Tirumozhi she took the audience through expressions of love, despair, and anguish as found in them with talk and song. Widely appreciated, this was presented in 3 major cities – Chennai, Bangaluru and Gandhi Nagar.
She was invited to deliver the inaugural presentation at the Graduate Conference of the Humanities Dept, IITM, when she presented a lecture demonstration titled “Singing on the Razor’s Edge” before an audience with faculty and students and other avidly interested people at IIT Madras.
She was awarded a grant by the Central Ministry of Culture to mark the 25th memorial anniversary of Pt Kumar Gandharva in Chennai when she invited Pt Satyasheel Deshpande, a premier disciple of the master to talk about his music. She herself presented a thematic concert called “Ritu Darshan” drawing from the compositions of Kumarji on the theme of seasons. The event was very well attended and appreciated.
Other thematic presentations she has presented are around the Ashtapadi of Jayadeva, the fabulous story of Krishna etc.