For the 6th consecutive year, MDR Day was celebrated in Tripunithura in the south Indian state of Kerala to remember M. D. Ramanathan, a stalwart in the Carnatic music world.
The celebrations were held on 26th April 2008 at a private hall.
The function was inaugurated by N. P. Ramaswamy, a musician. Present at this function was vocalist S. Sowmya from Chennai.
In the commemorative speech, Sowmya shared her anecdotes on MDR and of the times she had learned a few songs from this guru in her childhood.
The concert was presented by Sowmya. She started with a varnam in Manirang and included compositions of MDR and other musicians in the course of the recital.
She sung the Thyagaraja krithi Palukavemina in Poornachandrika raga.
Breaking into an anecdote, she said she used to sing first the chittaswaram she learned from MDR and then from S. Ramanathan.
She continued her concert with Hariyum Haranum and Divakara Thanujam.
She sung Thyagaaraja Ashtotharam which is composed by MDR in eight ragas.
The main Keerthanam was Shyama Sastri’s Bhairavi Swarajathi. She concluded her concert with Rama Rama, Rama ne padu.
Avaneeswaram S. R.Vinu was on the violin and Neyveli Narayanan was on mridangam for Sowmya’s concert.
It was indeed yet another opportunity for the rasikas of MDR’s music to be at a concert in his memory and listen to his less popular songs.
