It was due to a strike on the road and political procession, Chitravina Ravikiran said, he reached the Academy late. "Perhaps for the first time in my career I was late to start my concert," he added.
This might have had the lingering effect on his mood that day.
He announced that he would be presenting a pallavi in Surutti instead of the listed Saveri pallavi after a oothukkadu kriti in Todi.
But he again changed his mind by the end of Todi alapana and said the pallavi will be in Todi.
The rasikas missed the Oothukadu piece, which Ravikiran is known for!

This year's Sangita Kalanidhi designate A. K. C. Natarajan had two other Sangita Kalanidhi's on stage along with him - M. Chandrasekaran on the violin and Vellore ramabhadran on the mridangam.
The mutual appreciation among the team showed off the respect the artistes have for each other. Chandrasekaran expressed 'aha' for the clarinet artiste's raga alapana in Bhairavi, Bahudari and the ragamalika swarams.
And it was Natarajan's turn to shook hands after the alapana of Bhairavi and the swaras in Sahana.
Chandrasekaran humbly accepted it telling Natarajan "It's all because of your enthusiasm,".
But did the Music Academy organisers hear Chandrasekaran expressing that the auditorium was stuffy and no air?

By Geeta Iyengar

It was a different kind of reception at the VIP entrance to the Narada Gana Sabha auditorium on the opening day of the music festival.
Barrricades had been set up near the parking lot and all the way to the entrance. A posse of policeman, their vehicles with the red lights atop and a security doorway set up through which all had to pass.
It was the visit of His Excellency, E. S. L. Narasimhan, Governor of Chattisgarh, to inaugurate the festival.
Rasikas had a feel of security regulations that will be followed at sabhas if they invite VIPs.
Bags were searched but there was no frisking.
The Governor seemed to have enjoyed the concert of saxophone vidwan, Kadri Gopinath as he and his wife sat through the concert.

Will NRI rasikas flock to Chennai this season?
Some say they may not, considering the economic meltdown.
Some are already here.

The barometer of that trend can be used at the fav hotels of these rasikas - Woodlands, Maris and Nilgiris.

Managers at these hotels say the bookings are not 'tight'. But Hotel Karpagam, the fav of the simple and the low profile rasikas and artistes is fully booked till mid January 2009.

Many Varnams and tillanas composed by the violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman are favourites of musicians, dancers as well as rasikas.

For this season, a new tillana that is in the maestro's oven - may be in the raga Hindola Vasantham. This is likely to be performed during the season by his son and daughter duo G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi. Look out for this!