".. Kanniks offers an
amazing insight into music.."
- Haider Kazim writes about Raag Rang in Voice of Asia, September 2010:
" .. Shanti
mesmerizes Houston...",
- Haider Kazim writes about Shanti in Voice of Asia, March 2010:
Part I
Part II
" .. A herculean
effort..." (Shanti - A Journey of Peace - Houston)
- Indo American News, March 2010
" .. Vidita is all
set to take the musical world by storm...",
- The Hindu, January 13, 2009
"In Shanti, East Meets
West and the Result is Harmony...",
- The Morning Call, April 2006
"After a successful concert
with 166 singers before a 2500 strong audience in Cincinnati
OH, engineer Kanniks Kannikeswaran re-created the same
magic at Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem
PA."
- India Abroad, June 2006

"The synthesis of the east
and the west was evident in the pulsating music, where
folk music was accompanied by a synthesizer and other
western instruments. This is truly the theme of this festival,
what this festival aims at making a platform for all countries
to become one"
- The Asian Age, January 1999 (about Jeevan Taal)
"Interconnectedness is the
message he seeks to convey about life on Earth..."
- The Cincinnati Post, April 1997 (about The Blue Jewel)
"Your presentation of Chitram
was brilliant and your approach, very practical. Through
this production you clearly demonstrate India's vision
of plurality and the fact that our differences vanish
in the face of our oneness"
- Solomon Pappaiah, Well known scholar
"The pinnacle of this year's
WorldFest was the repeat performance of The Blue Jewel..."
- The News Record, June 1997 (about The Blue Jewel)

"It is amazing that Kanniks
has communicated the essence of rAgas such as kalyANi
to a western choir and an orchestra through a written
score and has had sanskrit slokas performed in these rAgas
with perfectly syntactic choral harmony... Tamilnadu will
soon get to know Kanniks Kannikeswaran and his amazing
music.."
- Writer Sujatha, Highly regarded author and script writer
(Tamil) in leading Tamil weekly Ananda Vikatan,
August 2005 (about Shanti)
"Kanniks continually surprises
me. His music lifts my spirit. His music is infused with
juice and passion and he unabashedly mixes and weaves
new sounds and ways. He creates a vision of collaboration
and breadth to the values, philosophy, content which he
adopts for his musical expression..."
- Fanchon Shur, Director - Growth in Motion Center, Cincinnati
(The Blue Jewel, 1996)
"Your vision and talents
are extraordinary and need to be shared with the world.."
- Dr. Eric Abercrumbie, Director - African American Cultural
Center, Director - Ethnic Programs and Services, University
of Cincinnati

"I was personally overwhelmed
with the quality and beauty of The Blue Jewel. The standards
of production, musical and aesthetic value clearly were
consistent with standards for professional productions
that travel across this great country. the Blue Jewel
was one of the finest productions ever presented on this
campus. ....Thank you for your effort, imagination, creativity,
professionalism and commitment to making ours one of the
best universities in the country...."
- Dr. Mitchel Livingston, Vice President - Student Affairs
& Human Resources, University of Cincinnati

"Thank you for sharing your
talents and resources to make this world a better place
for all of us".
- Mary Darner, St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church
"Special thanks to Kanniks
- a magical musician from Madras...."
- St. John's Unitarian Universalist Church (1996)
"Tiruvarangam is a masterpiece....No
other song can evoke the same sublime feeling as amalanAdi
pirAn in tiruvarangam"
- Crazy Mohan, Leading Playwright and dialogue writer,
Chennai, India
"The sounds of Shanti seemed
literally to soar towards the heavens, taking us to unimaginable
heights of oneness with our Creator and creating a deep
peace in our souls even in the midst of the violence and
intolerance that surrounds us today..."
- Padma Cariappa, From the Audience, 2004 (Shanti)
"It happened right before
my eyes, unawared. A symphony got molded. And on May 20th
in the 1000 seater Zoellner Arts Center in the heart of
Lehigh valley, the choir poured out heart and soul, what
they had learned over the past year in almost perfect
unsion. The western choir and orchestra joined dancers
and visuals in presenting a saga of a civilization in
its travel over 5000 years and 5000 leagues".
- Shankar Natraj, Choir Member, Shanti - Lehigh Valley
"The message of Shanti
is one that is needed in Cincinnati during this time of
racial turmoil and misunderstanding. I hope that your
production will travel to other parts of Ohio, so that
more people can share in its message. I applaud your efforts
in building a better, more tolerant and peaceful future
for all of us....."
- Nirmal Sinha, commissioner, Ohio Civil Rights Commission
"The Great Hall was filled
to capacity and so were our hearts. You continue to be
an outstanding citizen of the Cincinnati community and
I am proud to have you as a kindred spirit who thirsts
for peace, community and justice...."
- Dr. Mitchel Livingston, Vice President - Student Affairs
and Services, University of Cincinnati
"The Indian dance and music
tradition is as rich and powerful as it is ancient. To
fuse this heritage with what is probably the youngest
if not the most vibrant - i.e. the American music and
theater - is indeed a unique experiment. This seamless
integration will add a new dimension to the cultural ties
between the two countries and create a truly universal
musical show. May the message of 'Shanti' or 'Peace' spread
forth across the globe..."
- Lalit Mansingh, Ambassador of India to the United States
"Computer whiz shows creative
side. Systems man is a musical composer..."
- The Lantern, 1999 (The Blue Jewel)
"Your orchestration of classical
rAgas such as aThANa in a contemporary idiom is just fascinating..."
- vA.vE.Su - Poet and Writer (Tamil) - Chennai, India
(Tamil Amudham, April 1998)