TMK: Unimpressive concert

I am back to my space after almost six months. Everytime I think about writing something I plan it but some how never make it here… But let me see whether I do after this post.. Being the first post in this year I wish everyone a Happy New Year.. Better late than ever :)

Disclaimer: I am mere carnatic rasika who has no personal vengeance against the artist being spoken here, but its just disappointment that has lead to this outburst.

Last weekend I geared up for TMKs concert. I must say I have always refrained from idolizing any musician. Of course there are exceptions like GNB, MLV, Lalgudi. TMK performed at the Shanmukhananda Fine Arts on 5th April, on account of the Mahaswami Sangeethanjali. Being Maha Periyava's sangeethanjali I expected all songs on goddess Kamakshi. Well, I was right on that but the concert was a sheer disappointment. No wonder how big you are, you aren't bigger than the art form is what I like to say Mr Krishna after hearing the concert. The amount of arrogance he displayed during the concert is something that can't be digested by any rasika.
He started off the concert with a brisk saveri varnam. This master piece ofcourse didn't receive the attention that it required. Well I am a traditionalist when it comes to raga selection. I prefer a rakthi raga like Hamsdhwani or Nattai after the varnam. But nevertheless he jumped into keeravani. Punniyam oru kodi, a nice composition on Mahaperyival by Periyasami Thooran lacked lustre. Krishna in my mind wasn't confident while rendering the composition. He is the same person who has repeatedly said on many occasions that unless the artist is confident and can render the composition with full essence, shouldn't take it up on the concert platform. Well on this occasion Mr.Krishna was fooling himself. A krithi that talks about the greatness of the saint didn't kindle the emotion of the rasika when rendered by the artist. He wasn't sure of the lyrics and on many occasions I could see him moving away from the mike and thus missing those words and escaping from the audience. The next step was those gimmicky swaras at 'Anai Kamakshi Pole'. What put me off was the frequent display of unwanted combination of swaras.. Well everyone knows that Keeravani is a sampoorna ragam but singing swaras plainly and just jumbling up and down doesn't prove an artists vidvat. And Krishna according me was just trying to woo the audience since I guess he must have realised that the krithi rendition didn't get the response.

So what next… Well Krishna took up Kalyani, another grand raga that failed to impress. Birana Varana is a wonderful composition of Syama Sastri. In my opinion Syama Sastri's compositions are best of the lot.. Its like a tender coconut. One needs to break it to drink the sweet nectar. Anyways, Krishna's nerval at Syama Krishna Sodari seemed pointless. Well he was just revolving around the Ni and Sa repeatedly and jumping back to Ga. What was the point when the jeeva swaras didn't get the treatment that it needed? I just tried to sit back hoping the next one would be good. But he proved me wrong! In the beginning I had said that Krishna's arrogance in the concert put me off. Not all would concur with me. Ananda Samrakshitoham is a compostion of Muthswamy Dikshitar in the raga Ananda Bhairavi. Ananda Bhairavi traditionally is sung with a chat sruthi dhaivatham but in the Dikshitar School it is sudha dhaivatam. Well to my knowledge listeners are used to the former one. Krishna did announce this, I appreciate him for that but his comment, "Please don't take this as a lec-dem and this is just to show that I am right" was unwarranted. I think audience would appreciate when a musician points out the difference. But here he was just trying to prove that he was right. Even this can be tolerated. But he narrated an incident that really shocked me. Apparently the Kanchi Mahaswami had once told DK Pattamal that this krithi is not to be sung in concert. When someone like him has adviced DKP, then according to me its best to be avoided. But common guys being TMK at his best, this artist says "I have learnt it and I am going to sing it." GOD SAVE HIM, for being so rude. The irony was his concert was a sangeethanjali to the great saint. Few listeners sitting behind me were stunned with this comment. One Mama even said, "Ivalvu garvam eduku"( Why so much ego). Well all I could say to Mama was "please go and ask him."

The concert then proceeded with a rare composition of Tyagaraja in Raga Kuntalavarali and the krithi was 'kali narulaku mahimalu'. I think it is a nice composition and wonder why it isn't so popular like other composition in the same raga. The next rendition in raga varali was no different. Just few ups and down in the gandharam, there was nothing really to appreciate. Bangaru Kamakshi rendition was not up to the mark. But compared to the Keeravani and Anandhabhairavi it was way ahead.

By now Krishna was already half way through and I knew there would a mini RTP. When Krishna started Kamboji, I was thrilled. Being one of my favourites and having heard some mind blowing rendition by MLV and GNB the same morning I was ready for one more dose of Kamboji. Alas, disappointed again. Well if the alapana was a failure then the grand 'Sri Subramanya Namaste' was a disaster. His rendition didn't even bring 1% of the beauty that MD had brought in Kamboji. GNB and ARI renditions that come to my mind everytime I think of this majestic piece. Also, having read the ARIs episode with the Mahaperiyaval, I am moved to tears listening to this whenever rendered by these maestros. Seriously Krishna was in no mood that day. Neither did his krithi rendition bring in the beauty of the raga nor did the neraval and the swaram. What surprised even more was when he took up 'AsavAdi sakala dEva vanditAya varENyAya' for neraval and not 'tApatraya haraNanipuNa'. Well I have no issues with that but he completely messed up the neraval and the swarams. And then the tani, with the concert putting me off, I really didn't give a heed to the Tani though Amrit and Arun Prakash did a good job.

As usual, known for his 15 min RTP, TMK announced that he will sing a RTP. Again on this occasion, his comments were unwarranted. I have always wondered why sing an RTP for the sake of it? Instead you can very well fill that half hour with some nice tukkadas. I find it weird when people say that they were disappointed when the artist didn't treat them with RTP. My argument is an artist should take up RTP when they have time and should at least allocate half hour to 45 mins for that. On this note I think I should appreciate Sudha Ragunathan and Sanjay Subrahmanyam from the current lot who have always mesmerised me with some of their brilliant RTPs. So here was an RTP in Athana. Athana in my opinion is not the best of choices for an elaborate raga alapana. But if the artist has taken up then he should prove his prowess by not being too repetitive and bring in the essence of the raga or may be sing some unique combinations. Neither of this was seen in Krishna's rendition. So here is one more RTP gone down the drain… Some might even ask me how many times have I been subjected to this torture. Well folks this is the third in less than a year that Krishna has sung these super mini RTPs. Once it was Khamas at the Mulund Fine Arts and the next time it was Keeravani at Shanmukhananda and now Athana. On all three occasions I was just left with a question 'WHY'. Well only Krishna can answer it and having experienced his rude nature I know he wouldn't reply…

I think the so called post RTP pieces weren't good either… At the end of the day what really bothered me was why aren't people talking against such concerts? Why are people blindly accepting what he does? He is a good artist but that doesn't mean that he can take the rasikas for granted. I am lamenting here since in forums I see a cult behaviour and that talking against TMK is just impossible and his attitude is in fact widely appreciated... In fact during the recent Madras Music Festival a relative of mine requested TMK to sing Devi Brova (Raga: Chintamani, Syama Satri-Composer) and to my dismay he said, "You need not tell me what I should sing, I know what to include and what not to." If he didn't want then he could have politely replied. Why such arrogance. We all know that such arrogance would only pull him down.. But all I can say that given the vidvat, the artist can be more humble towards the rasikas… I know artist do have their bad days and last Sunday was one of them for TMK but it was his attitude that put me off, more than the concert…So what a come back…Ain't it my friends :)

Diwali Greetings

Almost my entire family here...

Well its that time of the year which we wait..Yes its Diwali..I wish everyone a very happy Diwali and a Prosperous New Year...

Diwali at my place is the most awaited festival...It brings the entire family together and as a kid the only thing all of us used to look forward is bursting crackers. But today when i look back at those days, I wish I never grew up. Those petty fights I had with my cousins just because he had one extra packet of what we used to call 'lavangi' or fire crackers..

Traditionally everyone used to assemble at our grand parents house the previous night..The excitement used to build on what we have purchased for Diwali. I remember my grandmother and grandfather neatly arranging the clothes.. Ladies in our family used to proudly display the sweets and savouries they had prepared. And the celebrations began. I don't remember one Diwali night when we slept. We cousins (seven) used to wait for the day to dawn. Since we were 17 members in the family we kept talking the whole night and pulling each others leg...What next?

My guiding beacon (My Parents and Grandparents)

Well the day dawns and its 3Am to be precise...My grandmother used to apply oil in our hair (all kids..the mischievous lot)..Well what next..gulping down the marundu (This is something that we are supposed to have after taking bath..) And then starts the big bang stuff..And then the day just passes off playing some pranks...Since in Mumbai the celebration continues the whole night, we used to celebrate laxmi pooja with our neighbours...As i have told earlier here that though i lived in Mumbai all my life, I was fortunate live in an apartment where the majority of the members were Tamilians.. Also my family ensured that we valued our traditions...

Diwali is just not a festival, for me it has strengthened our realtionship and held our family together...For 24 years having celebrated with all cousins, this year I am all alone...Reason, my cousins have settled abroad, its just me and elders...The family of 17 has now been reduced to 5 in Paradise (That's my building's name) .....The number has shrunk but our love and care for each other has increased two-fold...Patti's demise has left a void..But she is there guiding us...If not for her we wouldn't have celebrated each festival the way we do it even today...Patti this Diwali is for you and Vijay who is celebrating his Thala Diwali (First Diwali) with his wife and Ramya...

Here's wishing everyone a happy Diwali once again...

Its Navaratri..

This is the golu kept in my house.

Yes its that time of the year where nine days goddess durga, lakshmi and saraswathi are worshiped, woman, kids are invited for Haldi Kumkum... I don't know when and how the tradition of keeping dolls only during Navaratri began. But we have been keeping it for almost 19 years now... On this occassion I do miss my grandmother who was instrumental in begining this tradition in my house....I remember how eager she used to be and arrange all the idols...I think whatever i have done this year is because of her and I believe she will always remain my guiding beacon...

How can Navaratri complete without mentioning about the Navavarnams composed by Muthuswamy Dikshithar...The eleven composition on goddess Kamalamba is one of my favourites...Composed in ragams, Thodi, Anandhabhairavi, Kalyani, Shankarabharanam, Kamboji, Bhairavi, Punnagavarli, Sahana, Ghanta, Ahiri, Shri, only MD can describe it so beautifully. May be i should dwell on each krithi at a time. Everytime i listen to it sung by DKJ, he transcends me to the shrine of Kamalamba in Tiruvarur...

It is believed that the goddess does penance for nine and on the tenth day she triumphs over the demons.. On the day of Vijaydasami, it is a tradition to start learning anything new. Generally students are enrolled to music schools and it is also on this day we pay our respects to our guru who have guided us all along...I pay my repects to my guru Late Smt Mangalam Muthuswamy who has been intrumental in imparting knowledge and whatever little i know or enjoy music is only because of her...Sri Gurubhyo Namah...Let us all pray the goddess to give us peace and prosperity and guide us...

Kamalamba Navavarnam: Wikipedia

A new day begins..

I wonder why i go on a hibernation from this space every now and then..Anyways i got a my new Canon IXUS 80IS. It looks good but still trying to explore it...So thought why not just upload pics that i took...Well i always like capturing the sun especially in the evening...So wait until i upload the next.. Now i am planning seriously to pursue my hobby..Lets hope...If i only i keep up my words this time :P

Shankarabharanam-The Beauty

I have been listening to Shankarabharanam continously for three days. Even when am in office, I kept humming it, thankfully because of the fire accident on Thursday night and the developments, there is not much work in office. So enjoyed so many versions of this beautiful ragam, thought why not talk about it here. All said and done, mere black and white words can't substitute the pleasure of listening to it.

Talking about Shankarabharanam, I really don't remember when I listened to it first, but wake me up from my bed and I can sing the basic sketch and catch the jeeva swaras(But please don't try it :P). I would have heard it at least zillion times, but there is something that just pulls me. Shankarbharnam immediately brings to mind a sedate and a serene thought. Just a karvai in Anatara Gandhara and I can imagine Dakshinamurthi in deep penance.

This is one raga, where all the swaras contribute to the rakthi of the raga. But according to me the life rests in the Gandharam. If you tune the tambura perfectly and sing the ghandhara, trust me its bliss. But whether it is the combination of G and M, or M and P, its just perfect. But a point to be noted is that nishada prayogam is more significant as an anuswaram.

Anyways moving away from the technicalities, this ragam is synonymous with MSS for her beautiful rendition. There are innumerable compositions that one can talk about in this ragam. The first of course is the wonderful Sami Ninnekori Varanam by Veena Kupaiyer. The trinity have ofcourse composed gems. Tyagaraja to my knowledge has composed more than 20 krithis. Each one has been gifted with some beautiful proyagas and bringing out the nuances of the raga. Take for instance Swara Raga Sudha, one of the most commonly sung, that talks about the great purpose or the popular Enthuku peddala, or Buddhi Radhu or Ethuta Nilachite where in the Charanam the saint questions the cowardly act of Rama of attacking Sugreeva from behind the bushes. Now it is important to note that this raga surely gives the scope to sing innumerable prayogas or even varja prayogas (mostly in the arohanams say RGMDN or GMDNR etc).

Anyways talking about Dikshitar, one krithi that I stands out is Akshayalinga Vibho. Who can forget the great Ariyakudi's rendition of this majestic krithi. This krithi has been composed on Akshayalinga swami, temple, located in a small village called Kezhvelur (Approximately 20 mins from Tiruvarur). Fortunately this temple is also our kula daivata (Family Deity) and hence I was even more thrilled when I learnt it. I will deal about the temple and krithi may be sometime later, but definitely one gets charged up while singing this in the sanctum sanctorium. Also who can forget the Navavarnam composed the by him. Such a beautiful description of the goddess and the ragam and the lyrics just blends. Dikhsithar excels in this. One more master piece is his Jhampa Thala krithi Dakshinamurthe that exemplifies his vidwat and as I said in the beginning, the very first prayoga itself sums it all.

Another famous krithi that has been MSS forte of course is Sarojadala Netri. Brinda Ammas rendition also stands apart. In fact I have their rendition of Akshayalinga Vibho which is my priced possession. The sowkhyam in their music is what I really enjoy. I don't remember any musician who hasn't enjoyed singing this ragam.

It is difficult for me to single out one particular rendition as my favourite. MS amma of course excelled in this raga and in fact I can write an entire post on every sangathi and every prayoga that she sings. So beautifully woven that one just forgets everything. Since I am not fortunate to listen to the yesteryear musicians, their recodings speak volumes. I wonder, what if I would have born a little earlier to listen to them. Well whether is Maharajapuram Santhanam's rendition of Manasu Swadhina ( I think a philadelhpia concert), MLV ammas Ethuta Nilachite (KGS 1981). This concert has to be said since PMI accompanied her and the two jambavans have taken the concert to different heights. In fact I have a recording of Mali where he has played some mind blowing Sangathis in the Manthara Sthayi.

In the current scene, I think TMKs rendition at Music Academy during 2004 season still remains fresh. Sudha Ragunathan, one of favourites has sung so many times that there is a sparkle in her eyes when she starts with the first phrase. I haven't heard Sanjay sing it live, but I posses a Charsur recording where he has sung an amazing Shankaracharyam.

I think the list is endless. I can just keep talking about this ragam. A concluding remark. One person who enjoys it listening more than me is ofcourse my grand father. I have already spoken about him earlier in this blog. But we have had innumerable sessions on the beauty of this raga...Thatha would just begin and contiue for hours together..No wonder I enjoy it too....And here when i am typing listening to Sudhas rendition of Dakshinamurthey, a recording released by Amutham, I think Music Academy concert...

Here is the link published in Sangeetham.com few years ago.

Traffic menace in Mumbai

Travelling in Mumbai is definately a nightmare for most of the Mumbaikars. Though Mumbai has one of the best public transport system in the country, (I saw this after travelling in other metropolis except Kolkata), one easily spends half his life time travelling from one end to other.

I have always felt at ease travelling by BEST (local buses) and even more comfortable by the local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai. May be thats because i never ventured during the office hours. But even when i started working it really didn't matter. Since i stay in the central suburb called Sion, which is connected to most part of the town, travelling was never an issue. I could afford to leave two buses, because i am rest assured that within ten minutes i will have two more buses coming which would be less crowded. But things weren't so easy yesterday, when i had to go to Chembur, for a dinner at my uncles place. I really couldn't afford to miss it since everyone in my family including my cousins were going to be there. (PS: Considering we are just two now here, rest have gone to Uncle Sam's country.) I really didn't want since, i knew it was impossible to go by train from office, since Worli isn't connected by train to Chembur. I had to take a bus.

So after a painful wait at the bus-stand (for nearly 30 mins) i boarded a bus from Worli, that goes to Chembur and not to my uncles place. I considered myself really smart for taking this decision, as i thought it was well past 8.30 PM and i could reach my uncles place by 9.30. I later realised, that was the most idiotic decision. The traffic just refused to ease. The first bottleneck was near the famous Siddhivinayak Temple, where it took me nearly 30 mins to cross that junction. I was optimistic at this point, thinking things would be fine beyond this point. But i was mistaken. By the time i reached Dadar Circle it was almost 9.15 PM. To add to this the driver was a bad driver. Even when he had a clear road ( which a rarity) he refused to go beyond 20km/hr. This frustrated most of the passengers. Some even got down and boarded some other buses..(Sheer smartness i say). I was too tired to get down after a mad friday in office. It was day where everything happened at the same time. Trust in 15 mins, the inflation numbers came in, UTVi had an exclusive chat with Infosys Management (Since they announced their Q1 results) and the IIP numbers. So it was madness and i didn't have time to have my lunch. So the best thing was sit in the bus. I was trying to distract my attention and started playing with a baby. But no respite. Rain god only worsened the situation.

At around 9.30 PM when i was nearing my residence, i thought let me get down and go home. It was then when my aunt called up and emotionally blackmailed me. I couldn't say no. So the painful journey continued. It was 10 PM and I easily had to travel 6 Kms. At this juncture i lost my cool and decided to take an auto. This is when my co-passenger said, it wouldn't really make a difference. But i could no longer sit in the bus, where most of the passengers were smelling, (including me :P, thanks to the humidity). I got down and took the great vehicle in India, the autorickshaw. Trust me in 20 mins i reached home at around 10.45PM. I thanked the driver, he was just brilliant. I was relieved and it was seen in my face. The driver gazed at me, when i thanked him. I am sure i looked like a fool.

Now you may ask me why didn't i take a taxi or an auto earlier, simply because till reach Chunnabhati, taking an auto or travelling by bus doesn't really make a difference. So in all three hour to travel 15kms. I don't whether anywhere else in the world would some one take so much to travel this distance. But in Mumbai, you surely will. The worst part of this was i was in office at 8 in the morning on Saturday...But all said and done, i still love this city, don't ask me why :)

Did this blog die?

I was going to create a new blog and start writing again, when i remembered i already had one..I confess i have never updated in frequently, though have made promises. No i'm not going to give any excuse for this...It's just laziness. Anyways its been seven months and things have changed. I quit DNA (so called firs job), but repent for accepting it...Got an offer from UTVi and looked good. Not just money guys but the nature of my job. Moving away from my job, on the music front, scene is the same.

I haven't resumed my veena classes. But yes, did play at the Tyagaraja Aradhana, organised by Shanmukhananda. An emotional moment for me, tears rolling down while playing Endaro, the Shri Raga Pancharatna. I know my Guru would have been listening to us. I felt her playing with us. Unfortunately haven't been attending too many concerts, the listening pleasure is restricted to recorded concerts that i have downloaded. I should add that these days I have been listening to Dikshitar krithis and trying to digg more jewels.

I was introduced to twitter recently. Though it doesn't seem different from other social networking sites, but for some reason i have been updating it...Hope to continue it...Let me see whether my update continues here....Now no more promises...But my urge to write hasn't satiated.....I still want to write about music and on lot more issues...Will try and gather my thoughts to write something meaningful...A post worth a read..Sure better than this one :P

Modi mania haunts me

As i am writing this blog I am still editing copies about Modi as I unwind the harrowing experience I had yesterday. For Congress and BJP it was the most important elections that was fought pointing fingers at each other. The country has been hearing too much about mid term polls and the N-deal, but for a break it was moditva and his magic spell in Gujarat. But modi ruined my day. Surprised!!!

Well being on the desk and editing articles is the most sedintary job for a person like as I wanted to get my hands dirty by going and report on various events. The thrill and the excitement you have while reporting can seldom be explained. Coming back to Moditva I was in office at 7 AM on a Sunday.( Piece of advice: If you want to be a journalist be prepared to sacrifice your holidays and social life initially...don't know how it will be in the future). Well didn't reach office at 7, obviously laziness personifies me and the alarm rang a zillion time before my mother woke me up saying its already 7. Rushed to the office in half hour, don't ask me how! :). Luckily for me the counting hadn't begun and I was prepared for a crazy day on the desk. When i reached office the watchman's eyes popped out and he was looking at me as though I was an alien and noded his head, which I perceived as though he was mocking at a fool who comes to office on a Sunday and that too when the rest of the world would be enjoying it.

In India you get holidays for every other thing, since friday was public holiday and 25th is christmas many people in the office had planned a long weekend, but morons like me were in office just when the sun rised. Well the moment counting started as the opinion polls predicted he was leading the saffron brigade right from the word go. By 9 AM i felt like running away where i won't here anybody talking about Modi. By afternoon it was clear that he had won the Gujarat elections comfortably, making me uncomfortable in the desk. I have nothing against him, but just that the number of copies that i edited increased from 50 to 100. I am sure most of the websites in the country would have employed more than one employee to handle the polls. But god knows why was i being the scape goat to handle the elections all alone in office.

By afternoon the editors came in and started discussing what should be their plan of action. Well i wanted to say leave me alone, that would be my christmas gift. By the end of the day, it was Modi..Modi and Modi.... Also this was not the first time where i had to handle the desk alone, even when TADA court sentenced Sanjay Dutt to 6 RI, I handled it. But yesterday it went a step ahead. BJP is celebrating whereas Mrs. Gandhi is surely finding some reason to share the loss with some one else. I am cursing myself for accepting the project.

But all said and done it was a learning experience as a journalist editing so many copies, gving good headlines so that the number of hits increases. But finally guys I am a human being. Modi is hovering in my mind... Right now i can only remember this dialogue from Namak Halal...slightly changed apt to the situation....I talk Modi...I sleep Modi...I walk Modi...Its Modi Modi everywhere....Modi made me mad....

Tribute to my Guru-Part II

As i said in my previous post i shall continue my journey here. I am sorry for procrastinating it. Some how i didn't have the courage. But mami when i went to your flat two days back i could hear the strings strumming and the words tanam anamtha being played.... I still remember my first krithi. As it is believed it is important to invoke the blessings of Lord ganesha for a smooth sailing, I learnt the wonderful Maha Ganaptim krithi in nattai set to eka thalam. I had listened to this krithi million times before this, but when she taught it i lost myself. From then on the journey was completely different.

Different in the aspect of my approach to music. How can i forget you mami for helping me come out of crucial problems and illness. I remember you teaching me sahana so that i forget all my problems. The sahana krithi vandanamu became a part of my life. Even today when i listen to sahana tears starts trickling down my cheeks.... As days passed i started learning chauka kala krithis in bhairavi and hemavathi and few other ragas...

Many in the field of carnatic music would opine that neraval and kalpana swaram cananot be taught but mamai disapproved with this school of thought....... She believed unless you don't teach them them how put them how will they inculcate the manodhrama aspect....Probably once they get hold of the knack it is their creativity to put it.....Will my mami come back to teach how to put neraval in the krithi upacharamu or kuzhaludi manamellam......Uh....What if we had rewind button in our life and go back to those wonderful days...

I should mention this experience....When i gave my first major concert for one and half hours mami ensured that i attended class everyday and during the last fifteen days the practice session used to last for hours together....I never realised how time flew...At the end of the concert mami seemed more happier than eany one else....I could see it on her face...in her eyes... What more can i ask for....

I think this blog space isn't enough for me to share all our experiences...Even today as i write I am listening to an amazing simmhendra madhyamam tanam played by her...May in the future when i talk more about music, I will mention how i learnt the nuances from her... When i visited her place few days back, my voice choked...I could feel her walking in the house...welcoming with a warm smile and asking what was the plan of action for the day....After having learnt so many years I am unable to play today...Mami will come and hit me on my fingers...The way you did when i didn't play a gamakam correctly during a kalyani alapana or when i was repeatedly not pulling the string enough to bring the essence of kamboji...I want you to do it...Are you hearing...I hope you are....

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

Life just goes on...

I am back to my own cozy world...A world which reflect my views on life, its my thought process and perceptions on different issues. In june i promised i would regularly update but certain untoward incidents in my life prevented me from penning my thoughts here. I should probably describe as a lean phase where i faced the realities and believe i am still trying to cope with it.

Now if someone asks me how did it change me and my thoughts, well my perception and belief about life -'Live every day for a day'. Life has been really unpredictable. May be i should start writing more frequent to understand more about myself. I am still struggling to find out what to expect from life.

But even during these difficult phases i found solace by listening to good classical music. Music has always been the best healer and in my terms may be i understood the nuances of sahana much better than i used to.

Who is it?

Sometimes when i sit and wonder
I always think there is something on my shoulder
May be thats an angel that is my guiding force
Says it to go ahead and don't give up
I turn back to see her
But she winks and flies
I think it is none other than the force of nature.

May be at this juncture the best to fit is 'Daffodils by William Wordsworth' my favourite i should say

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;
A poet could not be but gay,
In such a jocund company!
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

Tribute to my uncle

My mom, dad, kanna mama and shanti mami during my parents 25th anniv.

Last month the same time i landed in mumbai. I was too scared to face my family. You had left us without even realising how much it would affect us. To all of you who are reading this, i lost my mama(mom's brother) on this date last month. A cheerful person by nature, his untimely death was a shock. I was telling my brother the other day that it still seems difficult to accept that kanna mama is not amongst us. His vibrant voice keeps ringing in my ears. I remember his witty statements. I grew up with him till i was five. I don't remember them, but his affection towards me can never be described. What we say in hindi "Dildat Admi tha woh(A man with big heart)", he lived ever day for a day. A banker by profession, his ambition was to be a researh assistant in the field of physical chemistry. Brilliant student in school and college, he was always amongst the toppers.

I choked when i saw him sleeping quietly. A straight forward person, he was never hesitant to speak his mind. His dreams remain unfulfilled. I am sure he had many. Whatever I write, nothing can bring back those days where i argued with him on small matters. It would have been as dullard as an article about sachin. Well like millions of fans across the country, he was a cricket fan. He represented his college, this also he used to say proudly. He treasured his conversation with the little master Sunil Gavasakar. We are left with his memories. He has a left a void in our hearts.

Death happens Oh Too Quick.....
Death came
And now my uncle is gone.
Death took
The happiest child around.
Death cares
about nothing at all
Death thinks
of only the pain it causes.
Death happens
oh too quick.

Death came
And tore my family apart.
Death took
our dreams of a family
Death cares
about the tears that fall.
Death thinks
our misery is it's muse.
death happens
oh too quick

Death came
and now i must move on
Death took
my will to hold
Death cares
whether it drags you down or not
Death thinks
we can let go
But sometimes
Death
Happens
OH
To
Quick

Random thoughts

The wait is almost over and next thursday i would be joining DNA. My journey till today has been unpredictable, guess it would have been the same for everyone. As a kid i was fascinated by injections, medicine and i dreamed to become a doctor. Then somehow didn't proceed in that direction and planned to become an engineer. When i passed my 12th standard, i succeeded in securing admission in an engineering college. But then things didn't work out properly, where i fell seriously ill and doctors advised me to take rest for at least six months.It was the terrible phase of my life, where everything looked dark and i felt there was nothing left. I am indebted to my mother who helped to come out of this rough phase. She was a pillar of support and life took a new turn. I was advised not to travel and exert, as my immune system was weak. Anyways things happen for good and three years later when i graduated, things were much better. Hold on, i wasn't an engineer but a journalist. These three years also enabled me to enhance my skills in veena and the gestation period in 2003, enabled me to research about music. My bonding with music strengthened then i assume.
When i joined ACJ, i was entering a new phase. Initially it was tough to stay away from family and of course from Mumbai. But as days passed by, things worked out properly. I had my own share of fun. I always dreamed to attend the season from day one and ACJ provided me that opportunity. I freelanced for kutcheribuzz. It was a great experience where i saw the real face of my profession. As a student of music and journalism, it was a great learning experience. But also saw the other side of journalism. But my editor supported me and gave me a free hand to write. Three months later, when i was placed in DNA, i was elated. But today as the day approaches i am clueless about my job. Things look completely different from where i began in the year 2003. It has been a smooth sailing,but may be i haven't sailed through storms. I know when i work, it would be completely different. One may wonder why i penned down these things. Even i don' t know. When i was wandering through the streets of matunga, yesterday, these thoughts hovered. I realised, life goes on irrespective of anything, but at every stage you learn, at least i learnt. So i rewind back but it taught me.

Its been exactly five days since i came back to mumbai. Bliss is one word that can describe my feeling. However the past few weeks were traumatic for my family with my uncle passing away on 25th April 2007. It was a shock for all of us. I came to the city to attend his funeral and rushed back for the convocation. I was all excited to come back, but with his demise there remains a void that cannot be filled. I feel for my grand parents who were attached to him more than anyone else in the family. I have been trying to write about him and my days in mumbai post convocation, but couldn't gather my thoughts.

On the other hand, i successfully graduated from the Asian College of Journalism on 3rd may 2007. All of us were eagerly waiting for this day since the year dawned on 1st may 2007. My year in ACJ was eventful though had some bitter experiences. Within two weeks i would be on the field working for DNA, a newspaper based in Mumbai. Eagerly waiting to join, life begins again at this juncture. When i joined ACJ, my main aim was to finish with good grade and get a decent job. I am happy that i did both. However there remains a void, probably missing mylapore and concerts.

December Music Season....MARGAZHI: MONTH OF MUSIC

Picture: Padmasri Smt. Sudha Ragunathan accompanied by P.Satish Kumar on the Mridangam, B.Raghavendra Roa on the violin, R.Raman on the morsing and Narayanan on the Tambura. Venue: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Date: 7th December 2006.

It is too late to talk about December season. One of the most awaited musical extravaganza in Chennai. I intended to publish this immediately after the season, but few things kept me preoccupied. Better late than never, i thought it should be here before December 2007 :)

Recently few days back I read a report in a leading newspaper that the Government along with the tourism department is planning to be an active partner. This is definitely a good sign for all the rasikas and the season would hopefully be more organised.Come December and the city gears itself for more than thousand concerts. This year was no different with just few more sabhas organising their festivals. But with so many to choose does the listener get to listen to some quality music. There were some really good performances by leading artists. However at the end of the day it’s the number that matters the most. It’s more rewarding to say that one has given 20 concerts rather six or seven quality concerts. That doesn’t take away the credit from the artist who in spite of their frantic schedule tried to give their best shot, but physically it is a daunting task to give 20 concerts in a month.

It was a learning experience for me as a student of music. The Academy sessions in the morning were worth attending. If afternoon slots attract elderly audience, lec-dems in most of the sabhas has poor attendance. Season to me has always been listening to new artists and the veterans. Simple reason it’s a combination that might offer variety. Stalwarts like Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, R.K.Srikantan gave fabulous performances. Srikantan’s concert at the Music Academy is still afresh in my mind. Upcoming artist like Prasanna Venkatraman, Bhavadharini, and K.Gayatri did put up a good show.Most of the evening concerts attracted good crowds and Aruna Sairam, Sudha Ragunathan, T.M.Krishna were the crowd pullers. To my surprise Aruna Sairam’s concert tickets were sold out a day before the concert. At Mylapore Fine Arts, there were listeners who were standing on the road to listen to her concerts. If they were the crowd pullers then few concerts allowed space for kids to play, as the auditorium was almost empty. Probably a few known friends of the musicians attended that concert.

The next set of performers who inspired me included O.S.Thigarajan, T.V.Sankaranarayan, and T.N.Seshagopalan. Their performances had the right balance of ragas and krithis in their concert. The trend is really bad as far as instrument is concerned. The number of rasikas attending it is just dwindling. Though we had Lalgudi duo, E.Gayatri, N.Ramani (whose concert of the academy would be my best pick) attract some sizable number of music lovers. The organisers couldn’t explain the reasons for the same.Though the city boasts itself for organising one of the unique festivals, it lacks the infrastructure. Most of the sabhas have bad acoustics. One found artist continuously signalling for feedback. But that doesn’t make big difference. It was too jarring and the aesthetics of music was lost. When corporate sponsorships are coming in, the authorities could probably deal with this problem. It would be a blessing for both musicians and rasikas.

Season is not just about concerts, its also about interesting cuisines. Canteens came up with new interesting recipes. Pattum and suvaiyum is the hallmark of Chennai Music Festival. Though one can go talk endlessly about Season, one has to accept that it is a musical feast to rasikas. Coming back to where I began, season 2006 had some fascinating performances and hope next year the organisers conduct it on a much larger scale with the government. It would definitely give a boost to Carnatic Music and December festival could be on par with global festival conducted in Edinburgh.

Obsession.....

Off late my obsession to listen to yesteryear musicians has helped me unearth some beautiful compositions. I have heard them rendered by the musicians like Sudha Ragunathan, Sanjay Subramanium and T.M.Krishna and many more. But i believe there is something that makes it much better when MLV, Semmangudi or Santhanam render it. Whether it is Dakshinamurthe by Semmangudi, Evarimata by MLV or Charukesi varnam by Santhanam. The way they have explored the ragas encourages students like me to listen more and analyse music. The experience is inexplicable. I do not want to take the effort that musician's like Sudha or any other artist have put in while singing the same krithi. It sounds good even when they sing. By the way let not anybody mistake me for comparing the artist. Its a thought that i preferred to pen it here and my experience after listening to some brilliant music rendered by these masters :)
Click here for downloading Evarimata,Charukesi (You can download the entire concert)

The Grandeur of Music
I close my eyes to feel it
Many say it can't be felt
But i can see it
The sound waves traverse through my nerves
I am mocked at for experiencing it all along
But that doesn't stop me from exploring

It is an addiction
Hours have gone by but feels like few seconds
Days and years have gone by
But I refuse to let you go
The bond gets stronger everyday
Lost myself on the way
But you show me my way
Much sweeter than before
Found....
The grandeur of music

THE LOGIC BEHIND....

As a kid am sure we would have asked some thousand questions to our parents about moon, sun and the stars. For grandmothers and mothers moon is the only source who could help them while feed their kid. The innocent kid dreams of space being a his home and a palatial house there. As day passes he questions the same. What is gravitation or other stuff in space. Forgive me guys am not too good with astrophysics, or for that matter even physics. Cell biology fascinated me more than wires or test tubes. Science textbooks were there is dry meaningless full of definitions. It made no sense. I never figured how could people talk about electrons when they cant even see it. So biology seemed more interesting, as it dealt living organisms. But over the years it made more sense when i read science fictions. Blah!!! isn't it.

This is more important to me as a journalist as we don't have a choice over our beat. However as a student of journalism i still felt science writing was really tough. And the field lacks science journalists who could just explain in simple terms what the experiment was all about. Take for an instance i am sure hardly anyone would have heard about ice cube experiment conducted in south pole by scientist. Yesterday we got an oppurtunity to talk to Sven Lidstrom and Karthik Soundarapandian, who are winterovers in south pole. Wintering over is a tough task. Imagine living in darkness for nearly six months and experiment. These guys are working on neutrinos, minute particle which are created due to radioactive decay in the sun. They are extremely tough to detect. One wonders why on earth am i talking about two different fields which are no even remotely related. This was just to highlight the fact that I am atleast able to explain what neutrino after a fascinating class with Dr. Vijaya Swaminath, who was the first Indian to be on the south pole. Her series have enlightened us writers.

After a session with Sven and Karthik, we could visualise what life is in South Pole. During the questioning hour, my classmates asked whether they had anything called lunch time. Guys it makes sense to ask such questions. Psychologically it is tought to accept and live in such conditions. To be a winterover they had to undergo series psychological tests. But as sven said passion supercedes everything and once you enjoy what you do nothing can stop you. Yesterday when we spoke to them the temperature was -55 degrees. We in chennai are cribbing about the heat and they about the cold wind. Two extremes in the world. Both sven and karthik are planning to stay there till Jan 2008. But they do socialise and have get togethers and play basket ball. I wonder how. It makes more sense to play ice hockey. As the session progressed we almost felt as we were experiencing the wind of ice cube experiments. For a naive person like me who hardly understood the basics of newton laws and for whom einstein made no sense, neutrino astro physics made more sense. All beacuse of simple writing. Final conclusion science is fascinating, its never too late to pursue anything in life. For more information: Ice cube ww.nsf.gov,www.usap.gov, www.polar.org

CONCERT AT IT'S BEST: NOT AMONG CONNOISSEURS
Its said that when you are in a company of kids you tend to behave them. I ain't aware of who framed this hypothesis or has it to do something with psychology. Not that i am too concerned about it either. By now am sure many who have read my blog would have come to a conclusion that i am a music freak especially classical carnatic music. All along i have spoken a lot about musicians and how they influenced me. But the enthusiasm and zeal i saw amongst kids in yesterday's concert at Mylapore forced me to look beyond the grammar of music. SudhaRagunathan performed at the Srinivasa Perumal temple to a packed audience. Nothing unusal about it. She has this great fan following, rare for a carnatic musician. I have heard MS amma had such in those days. Not drifting, there were these enthusiastic kids, absolutely not bothered about anything in this world. They made sure that the artist sang what they had requested. The striking point was they were smart enough to request only the songs they knew. I am sure all of them would have just started their music classes and would have may be learnt a couple of varnams. I could just smile at them and appreciate their eagerness. At some point i thought they were trying to disturb the flow of the concert, but then realised for them it was unique opportunity to sing along with the main artist. I cant remember my early days when i attended concerts with my grandfather and parents. It was also that my concert experience was more in a closed environment where everything could be controlled and the performance at shanmukhananda was all serious affair. Coming back to yesterday's performance, Sudha aptly chose songs on lord venkateswara and Krishna, but these kids couldn't control their emotions when she sang brahamamokate, her master piece and kurai onrum illai. At a point the artists on dias couldn't stop laughing, and sudha herself gestured the kids to sing with her. This encouraged them to sing even more louder and prove themselves. At this juncture I was left speechless. At this juncture one year old baby cried to be on stage with her. Her parents were unable to pacify her and she won in the end. I am sure for an artist this counts more than awards and accolades or even getting good reviews from critics. I am not downplaying on them, but satisfying the masses is more difficult that satisfying the classes. For me it was a unique experience, I enjoyed the soul stirring music and this made me realise that everytime its not about grammar. The ignorant smile on the faces of these kids said more than the music that was rendered. i just hope i could just press the reqind button in my life and enjoy with these kids. As you learn more, you tend to complicate more.

Series on Musicians-III Sangeetha Kalanidhi Maharajapuram Santhanam
Rasika's musician is only word that comes to my mind when i think of Santhanam mama. Its a privilege to talk about mama. I think one of the earliest memories of mama's concert was in the late 80's when he performed at Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai. I might have been hardly 4 years then. He sang an amazing saveri RTP and O Rangasayee.Santhanam mama and kamboji, mohanam are synonymous. At this instance i would like to express my gratitude to my guru and one of our family friends Mr. Ramachandran and family in mumbai for sharing their recordings and introducing me to his music. Well my parents were crazy about him since he used to perform with his father. My grand-father, a staunch follower of Maharajapuram school in particular even today believes that nobody can bring bhavam in ragam like mama did. Well as a student of music, what mesmerized was the way he used to build up a ragam. He was very particular that a musician shouldn't tease the audience and should show the essence of ragam in the very first phrase. It would be difficult to pick one particular piece and analyse it. How can one take away the credit for his effort on Oothukadu masterpieces. His viruttam before Kuzhuldi Mannamellam brings tears in my eyes. Wonderful musician that he was, i would like to share the other side of this personality with you. I remember i was hardly six years, when mama was staying in our building at Mr.Ramachandran and family's residence. He was magnanimous to accept our invitation and joined us for lunch. I was naive enough not to recognise him, so didn't permit him inside. Disappointed, he went. The same day evening he joined for dinner, I was surprised to see him. His sense of humour is known to all. Looking at me he sarcastically commented and told my grand father that she is smart enough not to allow strangers in to her house. I think its his blessing that has enabled to enjoy and appreciate music. Unfortunately i never got many opportunities to attend his concerts. To my memory I would have attended hardly four or five. I don' t remember anything. But thanks to some of the recordings, i am able to enjoy the sweet nectar.

One of my earliest favourites has been undeti ramudu in harikamboji. His sancharam cannot be described. At the same time his rendition of Kamboji and O Rangasayee would transcend anyone to a different world. I am sure he would transcend us to the bhoolakam. His brilliance is also visible in his compositions which are sung widely by many today. His respect for maha periyaval can be seen in all his compositions. Whether it is Basant Bahar thillana or Chandrasekahara in Hindolam, each and every piece is structured so beautifully. What amazed me most was the way he used to structure his concert. Every piece that he would include, makes so much sense when you analyse. It makes more sense when you sing a gahana ragam like nattai or gowla, it gives scope to a vocalist to sing in the higher octaves, thus clearing his throat. Evenly structured, everything would be in right proportion. Earlier i had said that he was a rasika's musician. I have heard a lot about how he used to sing each and every request and never disappoint rasikas. I think one could call him a pysician who understood the pulse of the audience. Hailing from the Thyagaraja sishya parampara, he had a special liking for tyagaraja's krithis. Lets accept the fact that tyagaraja's krithi evokes emotional feeling much better than Syama Satri's or Dikshitar's. Its just that are much easier than the latter. However other two composers have given gems to our music. This is like asking who is my favourite my mom or my dad. I like trinity's compositions. Its just that tyagaraja is special :)

I can keep talking about Santhanam mama and his music. Just like MLV amma and MS amma, santhanam mama is an integral part of my life. At every stage his music has influenced me.