Sri Gurubhyo Namah....

Guruleka Etuvanti
RAGAM: Gowri Manohari
Talam: Khanda Chapu
Composer: Tyagaraja

Pallavi:
Guruleka Etuvanti Guniki Teliyaga Bodu

Anupallavi:
Karukaina Hrdroga Gahanamuna Gottanu Sad- (guru)

Charanam:
Tanuvu Suta Dhana Daara Dayaadi Baandha vulu
Janiyinchi Chedarujaa Lini Karunato
Manasunantaka Cheyu Mandanuchu
Tatva Bodhana Jesi Kaapaadu Tyaagaraajaapthudagu

Meaning:
No one, however virtuous he may be, without the grace of a Guru will know!

No one, however virtuous he may be, without the grace of a Guru will know how to cut through the forest of mental ills (the tApatraya)!

It is the good Guru, who is Tyagaraja's friend who out of compassion imparts the knowledge of the Supreme, which is the medicine that cures one of the sorrows caused by the cycles of birth and death and the associated bodily suffering and attachments to offspring, wealth, wife, relatives and friends!

As i read this wonderful krithi, I think god was very impartial to take away my guru on 9th June this year. I am talking about Smt. Mangalam Muthuswamy a vainika of very high repute who passed away. Why didn't write about her and my relationship with her the same day or may be at least a month after her demise. Simple reason I couldn't accept that she left us. May be today would the perfect day to pay a fitting tribute to my beloved mami. Since I have to tell about her to everyone of you this would be a series of article in my diary. I don' t how many series it would, it would as long as i cry out my feelings here. More than writing her about her person i think i would be better to share our experiences with you.

Not everyone would be lucky to have a guru like Mami. Mami as i fondly call her was more like my grand mother than a teacher. It all began then when i was invited by mami to attend one of her concerts in Mulund. Being neighbours our family obliged, never would have they imagined that i would take up the wonderful instrument veena. I vividly remember sitting like an ambal on the stage with her fingers just flowing on the frets. I was hardly nine then. The magical sound that emanated from the instrument mesmerized me and all i knew was i going learn and only from mami. She was thrilled when she heard and excited like a small kid who gets a bar of cadbury's. Surprising!! Yes that was the way she was! Every new student was welcomed happily into her school (School in terms of her gharana). I was naive about music, to me a kalyani and a mohanam sounded the same, but mami ensured that over a period of time i understand both the ragas.

As a well wisher she wanted me to enroll in a school so that i get more opportunities to perform in small programs. How many gurus would do that. Rareky can you find someone who taught for th passion and not for money. Whether it was sarali or a heavy krithi like meenakshi memudum in Poorvi Kalyani she was enthued by the fact that she had to play the veena. Mami i want you to start a new lesson today..Will you come and ask me...Sollu enna pattu podatum(Tell me what krithi should i teach?) Alas i can only remember the vijayadasami two years back where you taught me how to play tanam and had started gajavadana in Thodi...Ah what a class it was...



Coming back the number of successful students she produced proves her dedication to this art form. Now then i was just ten years and the instrument was too big for me, but mami knew that she had to handle naughty students like me thus had ordered a small veena so that we don't run away...Jokes apart...Her first class would always be to pluck the string. She was very particluar about fingering techniques..So day one bang on target she used to teach how to place the veena on the lap and how to pluck the string... Unless we mastered this no sarali...How can you handle a young girl who is more interested in playing cricket with her cousins or play some other game, for the simple reason the class timings at Shanmukhananda coincided with my time to play...But she handled me and just say one thing "Onnuku oru challenge idhu nee continous aa half hour vashi oru mistake illama nee pogalam (It is a challenge to you, You play continously for half hour without mistake, I will you..) Obviously for me first priority was to go out and play and invariably succeeded..Now this was an uncanny knack of understanding a child's psychology. For a person like me who grew up listening to stalwarts, I was never inclined to vocal music. I enjoyed music but was never interested in learning it. She knew it right from the begining that i hadn't learnt vocal so she ensured that she taught me vocal... As days passed i started learning geethams....

To be Continued