Light music on Carnatic ragas

'Vellithirayil Raagangal' was the theme of a musical evening in Kamaraj Memorial hall in Chennai by Carnatic vocalist Nithyasree Mahadevan for Abbas, held recently.

The opening piece was from the movie Veerapandia Kattabomman on Lord Muruga in Sankarabaranam. Nithyasree mentioned that she was reluctant but obliged to Jayaraman to take this theme as it is a common theme in different medias and had chosen songs which are purely Carnatic based.
This was followed by ragas like Bagesri (from the film Kulebagavali), Hindolam (from May madham), Sindhu Bairavi (from Lakshmi Kalyanam).Then came a Reethi Gowlai by singer Ananthanarayanan who brought out the melody of Dr. Balamuralikrishna, the song ‘Chinnakannan. . .' from the film Kavikuyil.

Nithyasree with her open throated voice took the audience to an emotional peak with a Shanmugapriya - Pazhamneeapp' originally sung by the legendary singer K. B. Sundarambal. Then was her own piece Sowkiyama. . . from the film Sangamam in the raga Mandu.
Lavanya Sundaraman gave a Sriranjani of Vani Jayaram - Nadhamenum... P.Suseela& P.B. Srinivas' hit - pon enben in Darbari Kanada was sung by Nithyasree and Ananth.

Shrothasvini, a Gauri Manohari janya raga, similar to pattudeep is the raga of Varay naan unaithedi which is her own song in the telugu version of the popular movie Chandramukhi. Then it was a Kapi followed by a Jonpuri. Anusha Karthik gave a Keeravani - Kattril endan geetham, a S. Janaki hit from the film Johny.

Nithyasree gave a solo Mohanam parody with 18 songs starting with M.S. Amma's Giridhara gopala . . . and concluding with D.K.Pattammal's Vettri ettum. . .

Behag was the raga Lavanya and Nithyasree handled together with the popular Jikki and Suseela hit number Kannum Kannum from Vanjikottai Vaaliban.
She also explained the minute inclusion of Kamas and Mridulavani (resembling Keeravani) in the virutham and the line Aruperugi varin. . . respectively.

She did not forget to show her gratitude to A. R. Rehaman after rendering her evergreen debut hit Kannodu (from the film Jeans) in the raga Bhimplas with a brief explaination of its resemblance with Aberi and Karnataka Devagandhari.

A ragamalika of Hamsanandhi - Meychimiralhan, Jonpuri and Kalyani by Ghantasala and Suseela from Manalane mangayin bhagyam was her next choice with Ananth.

A humourous song from Bale Pandia in Suddha Danyasi - Neeye unakku... was rendered by Kovai Murali and Ganesh Kripa (orchestra for the show).

Next was a Nalinakanthi by Anusha and Ananth - Endhan nenjil..., the Padaiyappa hit of Nithyasree and Srinivas - Minsara poove was the next in list in the raga Vasantha. She mentioned that it was an audience request and she did not have it in her list as the song slightly deviated from the raga in a few phrases.

A group rendering of Kalyani - Kattril varum . . . from Oru Naal Oru Kanavu preceded Chithra's hit Padariyen. . . in the raga Saramati by Lavanya. Nithyasree ventured a song of K.J. Yesudoss in the raga Gaulai - Vedham nee . . . from Kovil Pura, before concluding the evening with her Ragatthil Sirandhadhu in ragamalika.

The legendry music director M.S. Viswanathan was the chief guest and Abdul Hammed carried on the show with lively compering.

Bhuvana Dinesh , Chennai
by email

December season

I'd just like to congratulate you on the wonderful job you're doing! December season is something I miss dearly living here in the US, and you guys do a wonderful job of bringing it to us dance lovers. Great job! and thank you very much!

Divya Nayar
by email

Trinity Jayanthi at Thiruvarur

I am very glad to note your description relates to Thiyagarajaswamy temple,'stone chariot', Kamalalayam tank and music Trinity houses at Tiruvarur which is my birth place.
I like to tell one rare thing. A beautiful temple is in the middle of this big Tank. It is called 'NADUVANAM KOVIL'. You can go to this Temple by boat.

T. M Venkataraman,
Chennai

'Isai Payanam'

The video clips by charulatha Mani on the ragas are very interesting and informative. We are able to grasp several important aspects of the raga which would help us to appreciate it better. Thanks to Charulatha Mani and also to you for having introduced this. Hope this continues.

Dr. R.Krishnan,
Malakoff, France

Statue for M.S. Subbulakshmi in Tirupati

I read the very interesting article on the erection of a statue for M.S. Subbulakshmi in Tirupati Town in appreciation for her invaluable contributions for Indian Classical Music. Very laudable indeed.

On the same score, I hope a dedicated M.S. Subbulakshmi School of Music could be established, perhaps in Madurai where she was born, as a gesture of appreciation and acknowledgement for her services to the cause of good, chaste and traditional forms of Carnatic Music. During her entire musical career spanning more than 75 eventful years, she never wavered or diverted from the strict classical traditions, or Sampradaya, of Carnatic Music. This singualr quality of hers should be inculcated well among the students of the proposed M.S. Subbulakshmi School of Music.

S. Venkateswaran
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Interview with Aruna Sairam

I love Madame. Aruna's concerts. She is one of the few sincere singers. She puts something extra which I do not find in many of the 'stalwarts' of carnatic music.

Her Abhangs are equally good as her Tyagaraja Kritis. I wish she sings RTPs of rare ragas. for ex: Neelambari, Shuddha saveri. In fact I have heard her sunada vinodini Ananda bhairavi RTP in Mysore Palace long time ago. I wish she does more of such RTPs. Her recent Todi Mummooti vandanam is out of the world rendition. All the best to her for good renditions.

Yathiraj M V ,
Bangalore - 560076

This is in response to Ms. Priya Murle's column

We are indeed happy that the group had a good time here in the US and for the most part it was a successful tour. We attend many performances such as these as well as concerts in Carnatic music. These artists especially the younger ones like Priya make us feel very proud. They are very professional and their conduct on the stage is something that we could learn from. Besides, for those of us living here for over 30 years these tours provide a continuity to our wonderful art and culture. They continue to build a solid bridge so our children who are born here can walk on this bridge and the art can never be a strange one to them. We owe these artists a debt of gratitude.

We never thought that an indiviudal word of praise or thanks at the end of the show meant so much to these artists. Therefore, from now on we will continue trying to snatch a moment and express our gratitude to these artists. We made a beginning thanking Mrs. Sangeetha Sivaram after her lovely music concert yesterday under the banner of CMANA in New Jersey. Please share our thoughts with Priya and her colleagues.

Shamala and B.R. Ramaprasad,
New Jersey, USA

Restoration of Saint Thyagaraja's House

Dear Editor,

I have read with great interest Madras High Court's notices to Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha and the government re. restoration of the original structure of the Saint's house.

I think the Trinity's houses should be restored and preserved for future generations to visit and be inspired by. I feel sad and let down that musicians, great and not so great, governments, cultural organizations, and lovers of music and our great culture, stand by doing nothing.

In Shakespeare's house I have seen for example even the kitchen preserved with all utensils, etc. And in Ann Hathaway's even the bench on which Shakespeare proposed to her is still preserved. In Salzburg, Austria, I have seen even the cafe where Mozart visited commemorated and preserved. Such is their veneration for the composer. At Windsor Palace, even the bullet that killed Tippu Sultan is preserved and displayed!

One can make a very convincing case that Saint Thyagaraja is the greatest composer the world has ever produced. Could we not preserve for posterity not only the house he lived in but all the places he visited and stayed at. If every music lover, worth his or her salt gives up and donates the cost of a cup of coffee, the Trinity's houses can be restored and preserved.

I hope and pray that common sense and national pride will prevail.

Rao Nanduri,
Montreal, Canada,
Aug 2006

Celebrating Gopalakrishna Bharathi

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed reading the artcile "Celebrating Gopalakrishna Bharathi" . I am an ardent fan of GKB. It is compassionate people from another echelon (usually the upper one) who work to uplift the downtrodden people. GKB's bold venture to sing the praise of Nandanar in the face of blatant bigotry demonstrated by his own brahmin community at that time speaks volumes of his greatness and courage coupled with magnanimity to tunnel through barriers. One other noble aspect of GKB was that he never owned any material assets.

He never collected any money for his work. He used to keep accounts with his benefactors and periodically divert such funds to needy folks. A rare specimen among men indeed! By the way I recall with fondness the two years of my life when I lived in Mayiladuthurai where I finished high school studies in National High School there.

I lived in the same street on the banks of the river Cauvery (Vijithrayar street---it was called Vijithrayar agraharam then) that houses the GKB trust now.

I will be watching further developments in the activities of the trust. I strongly recommend publishing the musical compositions of GKB (with annotations as well as meanings in English) under one cover with his biography and anecdotes. Currently these compositions are available only in bits and pieces.

I will be waiting to buy a copy of the publication when it is released by the GKB Trust.

Dr. S. Subramanian Raleigh,
North Carolina,
Aug 2006

Cool Website

Hi KB Team,

Tnx so much for ur speedy reply.. & by the way ur website is cool.. I love ur website.. I keep checking ur site often.. I wish a very gr8 success for ur website..

Thanks & regards,
Nizamudin S
June 12/2006

Carnatic ragas at Technology Institute

Dear Editor,

Greetings.

I enjoyed the report on the BITS Pilani music festival. As an alumnus, it is heartening to know that Ragamalika is carrying on the good work.

Best regards,
Karthik Balasubramaniam
Boston, USA

Natyanjali Videos

Dear Editor,

I should commend you for a splendid coverage of the Natyanjali fest at Chidambaram. Several hours of video coverage were delightful to watch. I enjoyed most of the items--in particular the Dhananjayan troupe, Padma Subramanyan and her little disciple, and Sudharani Raghupathy's disciples. Mythili Prakash and Narthaki Natraj performed elegantly. The item "teruvil varano" by Preethi was my favorite and done with grace. The Kathak troupe from Delhi and Odissi dances by Sonal Mansingh and Sandeepa Patil were also noteworthy. All in all it was a feast to be sure and thank you for providing the excellent coverage. Please continue the good work.

Dr. S. Subramanian

Natyanjali Video

Dear Editor,

Namaskaram.

You and the team have to be commended for arranging and telecasting live the great performances at Chidambaram to some souls sitting thousands of miles away. I couldn't have had such an experience even if I were at the venue.

Thanks very much for all the special efforts by Kutcheribuzz in organizing this and wish you many more such grand endeavors in the the future.

Jeyanthi (Ramamoorthy) Ghatraju,
Boston USA

Dear Editor,

Namasthe Ji. I hasten to congratulate you and your team for the marvellous coverage of the Natyanjali festivals held at Chidambaram, Thanjavur and other places. It was wonderful to see the colour pictures of the festivals along with your succinct reports.While reading through, it looked as though I was with you all in the festival ! You have done a superb job indeed. What a great presentation it was. Hats off to you.

With my best regards,
B.R.Kumar
Chennai

Natyanjali 2006

Dear Editor,

Reports of Mr D'Souza and the video webcasts of the dances make us feel we are there. We do not seem to miss a lot inspite of being far away from Chidambaram. I cannot find words to express my gratitude to Kutcheribuzz for this excellent venture.

Thanks
Dr. Unnikrishnan

Interview with Ravikiran

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed reading the interview with Sri Ravi Kiran on melrhytm; very informative and useful. Also reveals the great talent of sri Ravi Kiran. Thanks for this .

Suryanarayayanan
univ paris france
sury39@yahoo.com

Dear Editor,

We read with great interest your account of interview with Sangeethakalanidhi Sri. M. Chandrasekharan.

He not only sees through his heart but also speaks from it. It was moving to read the instances of his life. In the first week of February during our visit to India, I happened to cross him in South Mada Street in Mylapore. He was taking his walk accompanied by another person. Though I have listened to him many times I never had a chance to meet him.

So I dared and approached him and expressed my sentiments. I was thrilled to hold his hands, the magic fingers that produce the divine music. He asked me who I was. I just told him that I was his admirer and also added that I was 73. He at once touched his ears and started telling "Abhivadaye" the traditional saluting. I was indeed moved at his simplcity... I will remember meeting him always.

I live in Paris and I hope he will visit us sometimes. He is a great soul!

R.Krishnan
France

Dear Editor,

Greetings for the dance season!

I read about the Natyanjali festivals in Tamilnadu. Good to hear that the Govt is also organising programmes for this Sivratri.

By the way, I liked the interview with the maestro Ravikiran. No technical Carnatic jargons! The interview was pleasant to read and brought the natural self of Ravikiran. I have seen him quite calm and cool. No frills! The Melharmony and Melrhythm are entirely new concepts. Yet he did not make big announcements about them. But the credits were flowing automatically to him.

Keep up the informal interviews! They create an effect of meeting the artistes in our drawing room.This one was a good piece to read leisurely after Violin Chandrasekaran. Who is next?

Ambarish Narayanan
San Jose, CA, USA

Dear Editor,

I am D. Srinivas, regarded as the best veena player in A.P.

It is a pity that The Veena Foundation did not select atleast one "A" grade veena artiste from Andhra Pradesh in the forth coming Veena festival to be held at chennai from Oct 28-30, 2005.

Before selecting the names for the festival they should have atleast enquired with All India Radio in all the southern states.

With regards
D. Srinivas
'A' grade Veena artiste
www.veenasrinivas.com

Interview with Nadaswaram couple

Dear Editor,

Your interview with the Nadaswaram Couple was one of the best I’ve read.

Sincerely,
Kollengode S Venkataraman

Purandara Dasa's music on CD

Dear Editor,

I am happy that kutcheri Buzz is offering CDs on discount rate. I wish an effort is also made to bring out a CD of Purandhara Vittala's and Mysore Vasudevachar compositions sung by eminent artistes. We have in the market, to a larger extent, the compositions of other great composers but not the two I have mentioned above. Looking forward for a positive approach to my suggestions.

Thanking you.
yours truly,
R. Krishnan

Nadaswaram couple - Interview

Dear Editor,

The interview of the Nadaswara couple, Sheik Mahaboob Subhani and Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, makes an interesting reading. Music sabhas should set aside one concert of Nadaswaram atleast during their music festivals, rather than reducing it to a mere 'half-an-hour inaugural' event. This will go a long way in encouraging Nadaswara artists who have undertaken a rigorous and uphill journey.

V. Srikanth,
Noida.

Interview with Nadaswaram couple

Dear Editor,

The interview with the famous Nadaswaram couple from the South, the Subhanis, published in the ezine#274 is very informative and interesting. More so, the reverence and humbleness with which the couple replied to the questions deserve all appreciation--not to speak of their expertise and skill demonstrated by them during their performances. My personal regards and warm greetings to the couple.

Voleti Venkata Subba Rao,
Vernon Hills, IL, U.S.A

Interview with Nadaswaram couple

Dear Editor,

Thank you for the article on the Nagasvaram couple. In these trying post-Gujarat times, it is refreshing to be reminded that contributions to Carnatic music are not restricted to a single community.

K.B.S. Maniam,
Boston, USA

Interview with Nadaswaram couple

Dear Editor,

The interview was o.k. By way of adding cosmetics you could have added an audio clipping of a particular thana. Keep it up.

R.Sundararajan

Interview with Nadaswaram couple

Dear Editor,

A very nice interview which gives insight into how Sheik Mahaboob Subani and his wife Kaleeshabi took to this fine art despite various odds. Please continue the good work of bringing out such talents.

Vaidyanathan

Nadaswaram Couple

Dear Editor,

It was a simple and down to earth interview without any celebrity show offs. It goes to show that art cannot be bounded by caste, creed or religion. This traditional art needs to be encouraged.

Venu

Cleveland aradhana on TV

Dear Editor,

The recent telecast of the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana festival on Jaya deserves appreciation. It was very enjoyable to listen to top ranking artistes everyday. I congratulate Jaya TV for the efforts taken. But the duration alloted to each concert was very short (half an hour). But, even this treatment was not meted out to everyone. It is well known that each artiste has his/her own fan-following. I, an ardent fan of Sri. O.S.Thiagarajan (an artiste of high eminence and repute), was very much disappointed to find that the telecast of his concert was limited to only one krithi.

Satyavrata,
Chennai

M.A. Natya at MGR-Janaki College

Dear Editor,

Thank you for publishing about M.A. Natya Course in your website. Many people have called me after seeing the news item in your website.

Regards

Latha Rajendran,
Secretary & Correspondent,
Dr. MGR-Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women

Rasika speaks...

Dear Editor,

We have been attending several kutcheris on the occasion of Sri Ramanavami celebrations at Bangalore. I would like to express my views on behalf of a lot of rasikas and would like to get feedback from other rasikas.

In a recent flute kutcheri, while the main artist was playing, the accompanying artist kept intruding upon his manobhaava without letting him complete his imagination. This was very irksome to many of us. The accompanist should play only during the main swaras of a raaga while the main artist is playing. He can show his talent when it is his turn to play.

The other grouse I have is, that a lot of people in the audience start humming or singing when they hear a familiar song. A lot of them sing in off key!! I request people to be sensitive to other rasikas and not hum or sing along with the main artist.

Usha Srinath,
Bangalore

Critique about Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's dance recital

Dear Editor,

I just read the critique about Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam's dance recital at Cleveland and was amazed at the absolute lack of knowledge shown by Smt Sharada Iyer. She has not obviously done her research and has no clue about Dr. Subramaniam's research. Her idea of dance is so limited that probably she feels that if there is an absence of the traditional elements of a recital then the recital lacks something. I was at Dr Subramanian's recital at NJ yesterday and was amazed and left spell bound at her performance. The precise steps, clean mudras and the Abinaya any novice can understand what she is trying to express. The folk dance was a revelation as it tells us how all dance forms come from the same parent.

Shalini Ramanathan,
U.S.A

Natyanjali at Kumbakonam

Dear Editor,

Only recently I had been to Kumbakonam. Traversing the rural roads in Thanjavur district is a pleasure (despite having to weave around craters in the road) watching the green fields of rice, plantains, and sugarcanes with rivers criss-crossing.

Vincent D'Souza writes in a very crisp style which is nice to read. The stage backdrop really looks gaudy, especially against the magestic gopuram. He is also right about the politicians. When will they be out of sight?--only when there is a need for facilities and repair!!

I was expecting Vincent to eat "idli and gotsu" in Vaithi's mess at "Madaththu theru" rather than the marwari mess, especially in Kumbakonam!!

Dr. S. Subramanian,
Raleigh, North Carolina

Gajamukha: excellent production

Dear Editor,

Gajamukha is by far the best cultural/devotional program that I have attended in a long time....an excellent blend of art and devotion. It is an excellent tribute to the veneration that we have for Lord Ganesha. I cant remember the number of times I was spellbound by the scenes, the choreography, the performances and the dedication and intensity of devotion ....I just ended up giving the longest standing ovation that I have ever given to any performance.

Dr. Jayanthi Raman as Parvati gave a performance par excellence. She created, possibly, every known form of emotion during the course of the ballet. Certain scenes like the twisted and tormented Nandi, Nandi's imploring the Mother for forgiveness, the moon dancing with the stars and the Abhishekam scene are permanently etched in my mind

Shankar Kamarajugadda,
Dallas, USA

Disappointing dance-drama

Dear Editor,

After much advertising and hype about 'Gajamukha' dance drama (in your site), we watched the show with extreme disappointment and horror in Michigan. Apart from the fact that acoustics were bad, the whole show was a sham under very big banner names. Dr Jayanthi Raman should not underestimate the American(Indian) audience! The music, the dance items and the dancers themselves especially
Dr Jayanthi Raman herself were of substandard quality. There was no substance in the production and where was the Mohiniattam and Kuchipidi?

Mythili,
U.S.A

Madurai Meenakshi temple to host arangetrams

Dear Editor,

It was with great pleasure that I read the news about Madurai Meenakshi temple opening its doors to debutants. I hope that more temples come forward with similar gestures.This will insure that the art that was nurtured in the temple precincts returns to its roots thereby maintaining the sanctity of the art form.

Best Regards,
Apsara Ram Gopal,
Malaysia

Coverage on Natyanjali

It was a whirlwind description of a whirlwind tour. I felt like I was going along on the hectic but pleasurable trip.

Sometimes more is not better. When it was only Cidambaram, one could pay more attention to quite a few performances. Now it is scattered all over. It is good for Thanjavoor, Kumbakonam, Nagapattinam, and Tiruvarur but not so good for Cidambaram.

In one sense I agree with the author about the environs. The toursim department should do some clean-up work around the temples and get better roads built in the area.

By the way the home town of Nandanar is not mentioned in the article. It is called AdanUr.

Dr. S. Subramanian
St. Louis, USA

Guest column

Dear Editor,

I enjoyed the column, 'Navarasa and French Fries' very much as I enjoy both South Indian and French cultures.

Michael Ford
Watsonville, California, USA

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