In search of AnDAL and her Thirumozhi

    AnDAL and her unique devotion for Krishna (PerumAL) that is filled with awe, obsession, beauty and intimacy all at once has fascinated me for the last few years. It is not until recently that I came to know that the kshEtram of SrivilliputtUr was her hometown.

    I vividly recall that it was in 1983 when I first heard the name of that town. I was working in HAL, Hyderabad then and I used to ride bus #6 from home every morning. A senior colleague Sri Raghavan used to ride the same bus. When I had once asked him where he was from, he said, "SrivilliputtUr" resoundingly with almost a touch of pride. I don't know why that memory stuck in my mind for over 40 years. The name was new to me, but it sounded layered and poetic.

    My journey from that innocuous exchange to my ThiruppAvai yajnam of 2024-25 is nothing short of mysterious and filled with coincidences in retrospect. The dots were always there and were occurring at regular intervals but, the thread that connected them all wasn't all that apparent at the time.

Early Memories

    My paternal uncle was one of my many relatives based in Tamilnadu. He was a devout Srivaishnava. He and his family were frequent guests at my parents' home. He used to go about his morning routines chanting various Tamil poems. At the time, my knowledge of Tamil was close to nil, but I can recall him chanting 'PallAnDu PallAnDu PallAyirattAnDu' though I did not know then what it meant. Later, when we were in Tenali during my 5th grade, our neighbours who were devout Srivaishnavas used to send us DhanurmAsya rice prasadam every day during DhanurmAsam (MArgazhi). Aunty's name was AnDAL and her daughter's name was Goda Devi. It is incidental but, what a coincidence!

    Many years later, when our daughter's arangetram performance happened, it included a rousing finale with AnDAL's 'VAraNamAyiram' while depicting the thirukalyanam of AnDAL with PerumAL. It was a very special performance that our daughter danced with a long, fresh garland around her neck that is typical of AnDAL's iconography. That was the first time I researched AnDAL's story and timeline before writing the introduction to be announced by the MC. 

    I was briefly curious and fascinated but, that was it. It didn't seem to go anywhere. I did not know its connection to music.

Orutti MaganAi pirandu

    My initial introduction to ThiruppAvai was in 2012 when I had learnt "Orutti MaganAi" in a lilting BEhAg tune from my teacher. Many of her students learned it and my teacher had sung it in one of her annual concerts as well. The poetry and imagery that the pAsuram evoked were gripping. But that was it. I did not know that it was part of the 30 pAsurams of ThiruppAvai. I just noted in my music book that it was pAsuram #25 and moved on like I would for any number of Thiruppugazh poems that I had a chance to learn. 

    Later, during COVID 2020, when most learning was happening online, I had learnt another ThiruppAvai pAsuram #27 KuDArai from my teacher's rendition on radio when she was a child. My initial attempt at self-learning was met with her approval on my first attempt itself. These two pAsurams piqued my curiosity for the wonderful devotional poetry and the apt tunes set by Sri AriyakkuDi RAmanuja IyengAr during the 1950s. The words were somehow delectable even if I wasn't extremely clear of their meaning. But isn't that what they say about Veda mantras and their very sound?

    During the Navaratri of 2023, our very creative friends Karthik and Krishnan invited us to the Golu (arrangement of divine icons) in their beautiful farm home. The Golu was not limited a typical tiered setup alone, but it was spread over their entire home. One of their narrations on AnDAL was magical. There were give-away cards with Nachiyar Thirumozhi (I think it was "Karpooram nArumo" which I really love in Bombay Jayashri's voice) on it. The card still adorns the little Saraswati altar in my music room. I was moved and inspired by the intensity of that offering. 

    Then, in October 2023, I had a chance to see Srirangam through the nostalgic eyes of my college friend Ranga who was born and brought up in this storied kshetram. He took me and my wife on a comprehensive visit of the vast temple complex over 6 plus hours. We had an inspired satsang with his brother-in-law Sri Vasan, a retired professional serving the shrine of Sri ThonDar aDi poDi Azhwar now. We were photographed in front of VeLLai gopuram, a quiet path with coconut trees (Thennan Solai - Coconut grove) near the prAkAram (ramparts) built by Thirumangai Azhwar and Paramapada vAsal etc. I even got to sing Orutti maganAi to his mother who is devoted to Ranganatha and Srirangam. I consider that a blessing.

Initial Stirrings

    I was reflecting on my music journey in late 2024. One of my wishes that I recorded in that was my deep desire to learn the rest of the ThiruppAvai. That was the first time that I put that wish in Black and White. That somehow seemed to have shaped my desire more firmly and started to breathe life into it. 

    Later on, I expressed my wish to my teacher several times. I was considering going to Chennai to learn them all in a special workshop as she said she had not learnt the rest of them and had no plans at the time either. I was a bit crestfallen but after a few reiterations of my deep desire, she suggested that I self-learn them from the YouTube album Kodai Amudam by Archana & Arati. I had made a mental note to do that someday. My initial fancy turned into an intention that is beginning to manifest and the golden reference for learning has been identified which meant that my ThiruppAvai yajnam had formally begun. However, it continued to be on the back burner for a little longer.

Sadhana - The Learning

    In the summer of 2024, I sensed a looming hiatus in my music learning in general due to my teacher's and my own potential travel. While I did have several projects of practicing old compositions, reviving and refreshing songs I learned many years ago from my previous teachers and recording them after I reach certain fluency in rendition, a thought flashed in my mind. I thought I should start with a few pAsurams of ThiruppAvai during this break and submit them to my teacher for review when she gets back from her holiday. I am glad I did.

    I started with the very first pAsuram - 'Margazhi thingaL' in Natta which I had heard in a junior musician's concert the year before. I also felt that the raga was familiar to me since I knew a few compositions in it. It took me a week of constant listening to the nuances, recording my rendition and self-correcting my attempts. The process of recording and self-correcting has helped me sharpen my ear since I started employing it since 2020 remote learning period. Since I was learning ThiruppAvai on my own, I used the same method to learn the pAsuram, a line at a time until it flowed naturally for me. In a week, I had a recording of my rendition that I was happy with. 

    I would go about learning the rest of the pAsurams in a random sequence guided by my familiarity of the pAsuram, ragam, complexity of the tune etc. Before learning a new pAsuram, I would transcribe the lyrics into Telugu by consulting both Tamil and Telugu text references and comparing them to what was sung in Kodai Amudam apart from watching Deepa S Pillai's abhinaya videos in her The Divine Doll series to get a broader picture of what I was going to attempt. At the outset, I eased the stress on myself by reminding myself that there was no time limit to learn these. All that I cared was that I learned them, learned them well and enjoyed the process.

    I had 4 pAsurams ready for my teacher's review when she returned. A few would pass her fine-toothed comb unscathed while a few others would require some changes in the ragam, talam and/or my pronunciation. Being a non-native speaker of Tamil, I wanted to be correct in the language department for sure. Overall, I recall the exultation of getting a thumbs-up for 'Margazhi thingaL (#1), Ongi (#3), UngaL (#14), Elle (#16), Ambarame (#17), Kuttu ViLakkeriya (#19), Anru ivvulagam (#24), Vanga (SuruTi) without any revisions. For others, I would go back to the pAsurams with suggested corrections and record them again after several practice sessions depending on the complexity. I am indebted to my teacher for suggesting a wonderful reference to learn from and guiding me in the process. The reference renditions were classical, crystal clear and easy to learn from. I cannot say that about various versions that abound on the internet. 

    As I learned and recorded them, I used to send the then final versions to a few of my friends who used to humour me by listening to them and commenting on them. For one, my wife, a Balaji bhakta used to love them despite her unfamiliarity of the language. A friend, Tara used to egg me on to learn the rest by the margazhi of 2025. My stock response was that I was in no rush and was not marching to any timeline. I, of course wished that I could be ready with all before the Margazhi 2025.  All this has only helped me move forward a bit by bit.

The Signs

    During the year of learning ThiruppAvai, I met so many kindred souls along the way in the uncanniest ways and enjoyed the interactions while they lasted. I also made some effort to drop my guard a bit and even be overwhelmed by them. 

    In November 2024, stars aligned in such a way that I could visit the amazing Kanchipuram. On the very first evening of my visit, I went to the Kamakshi amman koil and on my return to the hotel, almost bumped into the UlagaLanda PerumAL koil as it sort of juts out into the road at an odd corner.

    On the second day too, I repeated my temple wanderings and stopped at the UlagaLanda PerumAL koil on my way back. It was raining quite steadily but I had an umbrella and a jacket for protection. There was very little crowd due to rain. I had the darshan of all 4 PerumALs as I did not note the names properly the day before. The garrulous priest was missing in action as other priests were preparing to close the temple down early due to inclement weather. 

    I did complete the pradakshiNam despite the rain thanks to the umbrella (the metaphor of VAmana approaching Bali with an umbrella is not lost on me here!) and collected the delicious prasAdam (Pulihora) and came back to Azhwar mandapam to pause and relish the prasadam. Just then, a magical episode happened.

    As I was enjoying the Prasadam, an old couple wanted to borrow my umbrella for doing their pradakshiNam. I let them though I was in a hurry to see an old friend in town. While I waited, I had the idea to offer all 4 new pAsurams to AnDAL who was standing there peacefully and patiently. I sang them all to her with not a soul around. Towards the end, MaNi, the security guard came to me and appreciated it and was reminiscing how he learnt them all as a teenager. I took a picture with him. God appears in mysterious ways for sure!

With MaNi who knew to recite Thiruppavai

    In January 2025, I learned that a ThiruppAvai story telling session was being presented in two parts at a private residence in North Bangalore. I was familiar with the venue as I attended a different session there earlier. I was able to attend the second ThiruppAvai session though I had to miss the first one unfortunately. It was conducted by two dancers Smt. Deepa S Pillai and Smt. Anushka as a dialogue between Sridevi and Bhoodevi. They covered pAsurams #16-#30 in the session that I attended. It was very engaging and towards the end, the host offered them the AnDAL malas that a devotee brought all the way from SrivilliputtUr. They really looked divine, and this special gesture added to the mystique of the poetry they were elucidating for all of us.

                                                        

    During that session, a painting of AnDAL was exhibited in the background. The artist of the painting, Kumari Ananya Rajesh was introduced towards the end. When I was congratulating the artist after the session, I learned that she was offering a canvas print of it for those who are interested. It did not take me long to sign up for it. Ananya along with her mother came one evening to our house and delivered it by hand. It felt like AnDAL came home. She adorns a prime spot in our house now. 

    During a trip to Visakhapatnam and Araku last year, I came to know that my friend Ravi was from a town very close to SrivilliputtUr and knew a lot about the temple and the people there. I will soon meet with him to plan my trip to The Town in the near future and hopefully offer all that I learned. 

    It all made me feel that there are signs all around to nudge me along the way even if I were a tiny bit open to whatever came my way.

MArgazhi 2025

    After some sustained learning through 2024-2025, I completed learning all 30 pAsurams of ThiruppAvai a couple of weeks before MArgazhi 2025 was to begin. Soon after, I came across Malyada series by Sri Dushyant Sridhar. He enunciates the words and explains the meaning of each pAsuram followed by a dancer's interpretation - all under 30 minutes per pAsuram. I went through it all one by one and freshly transcribed the lyrics into Telugu and captured the meaning in a nutshell by the side. That would surely be a great reference for me in future.

    I was in Chennai during December for attending the mArgazhi music season of concerts. When I am there, I become fully immersed in music by attending lecture demonstrations, katha kAlakshEpams, concerts or even reading a book on music. Now that I have just completed learning the ThiruppAvai, my heart would jump with indescribable joy whenever I listen to a pAsuram being presented as part of a concert. I listened to the day's pAsuram in one concert or the other on a daily basis.

    Much to my joy, a heritage walk that I participated in took me to Sri Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha in Mylapore. This was apparently the sabha that Sri AriyakkuDi RAmanuja IyengAr premiered his musical renditions of ThiruppAvai in the city for the first time after his initial offering at SrivilliputtUr. I also learned that it was Kanchi Maha Periyava who had requested Sri AriyakkuDi to set the ThiruppAvai to music.

    Tara (my friend who appeared earlier in the story) chose to send a link to my rendition of the day's ThiruppAvai along with a really wonderful depiction by the artist Vishnuprabha, to all her friends. She was sending the poetry, meaning and some other renditions in the previous years. It is very kind of her to offer mine instead this year. I have been forwarding her post to a few friends who receive my recordings almost on a weekly basis. I also requested my friends Karthik and Krishnan to play my renditions in their beautiful shrine daily and they happily did that. Blessings grow only exponentially, it seems!

The Last Word

    I was thinking that AnDAL came into my life just a few years ago but I recently realized that she had been there with us in our house from the beginning. We had two Tanjavur paintings with us from 1995 onwards and they have graced all our homes. We kept thinking it was Meenakshi and Krishna till we realized just recently that it was indeed AnDAL and baby Krishna. No less! It felt like she had been with us all along hoping that we will open our eyes one day!

    AnDAL is the only female Azhwar and what she wrote is considered equal to Vedam by Srivaishnavas. But to me, AnDAL brings to mind the image of a charming poet and a beautiful baby girl who is intense in her devotion to her Krishna and relentless in getting all her friends (us?) together on her life mission.

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+ It is a miracle that I was able to learn ThiruppAvai set to music. Here are my renditions. 

https://tinyurl.com/2a9vtjby

+ The Splendour of Srivilliputtur by Dr. Chitra Madhavan 

+ Amuktamalyada by Dr. Srinivas Reddy

Now, coming to think of it, I just realized that I wrote this entire blog during MArgazhi and completed it on Day 30!

My Journey in Music

    I have crooned for as long as I can remember. As a child in the mid '70s, I couldn't resist humming a tune especially if it was a good, catchy one. When we used to go to see a cinema, I would insist that my father buy the song books that used to be sold along with samosas and other snacks.

    Most of my childhood memories begin in the town of TenAli when I was in my 5th grade. We used to be able to listen to the dialogues and music coming from the Venus Theatre if we went up to the rooftop in the evening and then that would repeat during the second show. Once a popular and a hit movie called 'Sri Krishna Vijayam' was being screened there for over 100 days which meant that we could hang on to those dialogues, verses (Padyalu) and songs during all that time. I still remember some verses and songs, like the one SatyabhAma would launch into when she gets angry with Sri Krishna, from that movie.

    A few years later, we moved to VeTapAlem which is about 6 km from the sea coast of the Bay of Bengal during my 9th and 10th grade years. My sister's friend, also a family friend, Gowri akka who had a wonderful voice would encourage me by teaching some songs and bhajans such as SivakAnta Sambho and Tani KhAyee KhAyee bol sunAvA.  She had a tuneful and bell-like voice. I still sing those songs quite faithfully.

    I had 'influenced' my parents to buy me a cassette recorder available usually in the 2-in-1 format (with integrated Radio) which was a rage then. They bought it in the Burma Bazar of the then Madras.  I used to do several experiments recording and editing various voices including mine in the few limited ways it could be done.

    When there is a song in you, none can stop it, can they? For one of our school annual day competitions, I had worked on a state patriotic song "Maa Telugu Thalliki" with the help of one of my teachers. The annual day function was conducted on one late evening, I recall. The school was a stone's throw from our house, but, strangely no one from the family attended my live singing for the competition. Another kid had sung a Telugu Christian song for the competition. We were both adjudged joint winners of the First Prize. I still remember that I was given a fountain pen and a book of Vemana's poems as the prize.

    My dalliance with film music continued through my junior college and Engineering degree at REC, Trichy. I used to enroll for elocution and music competitions and I would sing some of the classical music-based songs from Hindi and Telugu movies. 'Maanasa VeeNa Madhu Geetam' from America Ammayi was one of them.

    Through all these experiences, I remember being turned off by any Carnatic music I may have heard on the radio. It was never my aspiration as I wasn't exposed to 'good' classical music other than a few stock songs from my mother. I had heard some of it at home when my sisters were forced to learn but they didn't follow through. Most of the music on the Radio was uninspiring and hence never figured in my list of aspirations. 

Initiation

    Given that context, I was initially reluctant when my Sister-in-law (SIL) suggested that I learn Carnatic music from an aunty in the opposite house. My SIL wanted some company to learn with. I remember singing 'MarugElara' from the movie SankarAbharaNam smugly in an informal audition of sorts. Aunty was gracious enough to not point out any of my lapses.

    One fine evening, I started my classes with Aunty - Smt. Rajam Rao or Rajalakshmi Rao, wife of Brig. R. R. Rao who used to live in a palatial house opposite ours in the tranquil, leafy neighbourhood of Sainikpuri in Secunderabad. I went in cagily at first and started with SaraLi varasalu (Simple swara sequences). Something about the purity of those swaras struck me deeply. I was an instant convert. That was 1983 right after graduating from REC.

    During 1983-87, my career was at a low ebb and was devoid of purpose, meaning or excitement. I used to feel like a square peg in a round hole. All that vacuum was however quickly filled when music, bhajans and chanting of Vishnu Sahasranamam, Hanuman Chalisa and Nama Ramayanam etc came rushing in. We used to have a small devoted group of friends of Aunty and Uncle who used to meet to chant these together. It would often be followed by beautiful meditation led by Aunty. She had a magnetic personality and could spread her own love and devotion like a magic blanket over all of us. I certainly felt comforted and protected by that.

    Aunty, who was later to be christened as Om Aunty by my nephews and niece, was also a disciple of Swami Sivananda of The Divine Life Society, Rishikesh. She used to sing from the bhajan tradition of Sivananda Ashram mellifluously with a lot of devotion. I was smitten by that magic and hence, used to spend time with a number of elders during those formative years.

    There were also times when Aunty and Uncle used to travel to the USA for many weeks to visit their 3 sons and their families. During those weeks, I used to house-sit for them. I used to stay there, read there, meditate in their puja room, take their pet Leo (a Cocker spaniel) for walks, sleep and shower there. I used to come home only for meals. It was all uncontroversial as my sister-in-law was understanding and the rest of the family with demands on my time were busy or living elsewhere. That was the time during which I virtually devoured a number of books on music (Prof. P. Sambamoorthy etc.) and spirituality (by Swami Sivananda (a loving Guru and a prolific author) and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa etc. 

    I used to discuss many of these topics with Aunty at length as I had many questions. The immersive experiences I had during those years were instrumental in shaping the rest of my life. That was pretty much a 4-year tapas (Penance) and Seva (Service) with a single-minded focus.

    I think aunty was also happy to have an eager and receptive young student in me who wanted so much of what she had in her. I do not believe that her own children received as much from her. It helped as well since I did not have much else going on in my life and I was young and unentangled! Our classes would often go on for hours while ending with dinner with them on many a night. They used to have a wide variety of fresh and left-over food which I used to help uncle with in preparing and clearing. We would continue to talk late into the night or chant something after dinner.

    I distinctly remember one late night when I was learning 'Nindati Chandana', a Jayadeva Ashtapadi in Darbari Kanada based on the reference of Bombay Sisters. The lofty tune with loftier poetry along with the harmonium aunty used to play might have hit a crescendo one night that we got some complaints from neighbours on the next morning! The voices obviously travelled a long distance on those straight roads of Sainikpuri in the still of the night!

    During those 4 years of my life, I was initiated into classical Carnatic music, learnt several Geetams (short songs by major composers which provide a succinct introduction to several ragas), Kritis and light classical songs from whichever new albums that I fancied. I also learnt many nuances of the English language and the art of communication from Aunty. Music filled my life from 0 to infinity during those magical years.

The Hiatus

    As my listless job at HAL was getting to me and obviously others too, I did what I did best - to study and write several competitive exams for MBA of all kinds, not sparing even Forestry and Rural Management. I think I wore the exams out more than they wearing me out! On a lark, I also applied to business colleges in the USA after writing GMAT and TOEFL. I used to enjoy the verbal part and score better in it than in Quantitative. Finally, I decided to go to the USA to study interdisciplinary programs in Engineering and Management instead of General Management to maximize my chances for financial aid. That meant that I needed to write GRE a couple more times. As a sort of final redemption, I got into the prized IIM, Bangalore, but not before I got mentally ready to go to NJIT, USA for MS in Engineering Management and had a visa in hand to boot. I did not budge from my resolve to go away a long distance from home just so that I can clear my head a bit and be myself. I would learn much later that the decision turned out to be the best one for me as the experience while doing something is more important than WHAT we actually do. WHAT is always incidental and just a detail! Journey over Destination!

    However, that decision meant not much scope for continuing with my music. That barren phase in my music journey continued for at least a decade. However, singing did not stop completely as I used to sing a few from my tiny repertoire at various Indian Associations (Telugu, Kannada sangha, Tamil etc.). There was some self-learning too of simpler songs that I felt were accessible.

    Aunty visited us in Arizona after my marriage in 1989 in her only visit to my house. She taught me several Kritis during that time. 'Kaligi unte kada' by TyAgarAja in Keeravani and 'Thomthadare' by Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar in Kaanada from those days are still green in my memory. The learning did not match my earlier phase as I was married, living away from home and was studying my Ph.D at ASU. But, I am thankful for those times with aunty. 

    After getting my first job at Intel during recession of the early '90s, I used to commute to North Phoenix, 45 minutes each way. I found a teacher Smt. Padma Sivaswamy along that route. But, somehow, that didn't last. 

    When we moved to Portland, OR in 1994, I joined a small private group called 'Saptaswara' as their sole male voice. We used to meet every Sunday for practice and learning and would also perform together on various occasions. Most of them were not trained musicians, but, they were very enthusiastic. During that time, I had a chance to learn group singing of Tyagaraja Pancharatna Kritis (modelled after Sri Maharajapuram Santanam) for the annual Tyagaraja Aradhana. I still sing those after making some alterations for the version modelled after Sangeeta KaLAnidhi Sri D.K. Jayaraman in the current group.

    In 1995, there was an opportunity to learn from Smt. Indira Menon, a disciple of Sri S. Ramanathan in Portland, OR. I learnt over 10 songs (Thiruppugazh, Tyagaraja, Narayana Teertha etc.) I practice those till today and they have remained etched in my memory. In fact, I am in Whatsapp touch with aunty who lives in Chennai.

Indira Menon and uncle
at the music academy in Dec 2024

    It was good fun for 4 years till 1999 when I finally took the plunge to restart my formal Carnatic music learning from the legendary VaiNika and Vocalist Smt. Sreevidhya Chandramouli. I don't know why I waited that long to restart my journey in music on a serious note though I had known and interacted with Sreevidhya from 1994.

    I still remember Sreevidhya commenting that she found natural melody lacking in my voice and wasn't sure why. She later realized that I was singing in the wrong shruthi. My natural shruthi changed from F# to B. I was fully aware of the great fortune of having a legendary teacher like Sreevidhya, a 10th generation Karaikkudi bANi VaiNika, living a mere 10 minutes away from my home through serene backroads. Over the next four years, I learnt a lot from her and am happy to note that I still sing almost all of what I learnt from her. It is also my bhAgyam that I was able to learn a couple of Kritis from her mother Late Smt. Rajeswari Padmanabhan (a Kalakshetra teacher and a 9th generation Karaikkudi bANi Vainika). I still sing those songs as well - 'Sri Hari Vallabhe' in Suddha Dhanyasi (Mysore VAsudEvAchar) and 'Kripa Joochutaku' in Chaya TarangiNi (TyAgarAja).

Homebound

    I made a snap decision in 2001 to move back home to India and engineered the big move finally in January 2002. Apart from moving countries, jobs, and domains, the company thankfully remained the same. The decision did seem like a huge deal for our friends in the US, but, for me, it was crystal clear and continues to be so till today.

    Despite all these changes around me, I was still very intent on continuing my music journey in this blessed land of divine music and culture. Sreevidhya requested a student, Sri Sankaranarayanan of her mother, Rajeswari maami to help me out. He was a sweet, soft-spoken man. He heard me sing 'Amba Sourambha' (Arabhi) and later took me along to meet Smt. Satyavathi, a disciple of Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri R.K. Srikantan, in Rajajinagar.

    She had a class going on at that time and I could hear the pleasing strains of Tambura in the background. She however recommended that I go and see her Guru Sri R.K. SrikanTan Sir because of male shruthi.. Srikantan sir was living in Guttahalli in North Bangalore. He took me in as I don't think he was very selective. He is capable of teaching anyone with his clear, no-frills music known for Shruthi purity, clear enunciation and adherence to tradition. His voice was as transparent as pure water and needed no further adornments. I learnt a couple of varnams - Saveri and Pantuvarali, but, it used to be quite a drive from Whitefield even 20 years ago. He would sometimes lean on me for driving him to some of his concerts and speaking engagements. He was over 80 when I learnt from him. Eventually, in 2004, I had to discontinue classes with Sir because of the long distance. I really wish now that I had learnt some rare dAsara padas from him. That would have been a precious capsule of his legendary music that I could have preserved in my voice and heart. 

    I continued my music lessons with Smt. Savitha Kartikeyan, a disciple of Sangeeta Kalanidhi Sri D.K.Jayaraman. My colleague Muthu whose two daughters were learning from Savitha, connected me to her. When we went to meet her in Golden Enclave on old Airport Road close to Intel office, I clearly remember that she was humming Kharaharapriya. As they were about to move to Palm Meadows in Whitefield, I started my classes with her there. Again, as my luck would have it, I was just 10 minutes from her home. I would often ask for classes during my work lunch time and practice with a tape in the car while driving. I always wanted to have music as a constant thread in my life irrespective of how busy I was otherwise. It was slow but, was surely present.

Early Retirement

    When planets aligned to make my wish to retire early came true in 2012, I only wanted to have enough time for exercise, writing and music. I had been ready to retire for a long time! 

    But, I often entertained some doubts about what the purpose of my learning was - the so-what of it. It was clear that I was not preparing to get on the concert stage at my age and capability. My music learning was surprisingly infrequent despite all the time at my disposal then either due to difficulties in scheduling classes or my own lack of purpose and practice. However, music learning never stopped but continued to hobble along. 

Amma's Passing

    In 2018, my mother travelled to my home all alone despite all the mix-ups plaguing her due to neurological issues, on what was to be her last flight. Her situation quickly leapt from one difficult situation to another. Finally, the diagnosis of her terminal brain tumour came as a bolt from the blue. We took her back to Secunderabad  while her issue was held at bay with steroids. She left us after 2 months while closing out the passing of her generation, but not before triggering in me, some revelations about the role, music can have in one's life.

    In the first month, she was more conscious though still somewhat unaware of her location or affliction. It was fortunate that she was still able to enjoy music deeply. I would have a 24-hour play list of devotional and Carnatic music going continuously by her side. I would also sing many songs to her and she would often ask me for specific songs. I still recall how she broke into rapturous applause on listening to my 'TheerAda ViLaiyATTu PiLLai', a gem of Sri Subramania BhAratiyAr.

    However, she fell into a coma the moment she was off steroids and never opened her eyes again from that stupor. We would still play her favourites continuously as we felt certain that music resonated deep inside her being even though all other senses were failing. This continued till she finally passed 'peacefully' in the early hours of 16th, November 2018.

    What struck me the most then was the critical role that music played in her final days. Music preserved the connection she had with her core self in tact. It perhaps carried her to the other side by holding her hand without too many bumps during the final transition.

    A few months after that, I rededicated myself to music by resolving to focus only on compositional music in stead of wrestling with the development of various technical elements necessary for the concert stage. I loved the beauty of poetry, melody, devotion and the wonder of history that music evoked in me. It was fortunate that my teacher Savitha agreed with my decision as well.

    I also started practicing at 4 PM daily and my learning became steadier. Daily practice showed in the ease and joy of my music.

Pandemic - A Game Changer

    When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in March 2020, it gave a new twist for the better to my music. I was learning 'O Jagadamba' in Ananda Bhairavi, a Syama Sastri's classic then. I started to learn the remaining song line by line in many iterations through Whatsapp with my teacher, Savitha. The laser focus and rapt attention in the Whatsapp medium was a new experience for me when compared with physical classes that were few and far between. When I finally learnt the song successfully, it gave a new impetus for my subsequent learning during the pandemic and continues till today. 

    I started learning many diverse magnum opuses like 'RanganAyakam' in NAyaki, 'Cetah Sri' in DwijAvanti and popular songs like 'BrOchEvArevarurA' in KhamAs and several others like Tunbam NErgayil, Bruhi MukundEti etc. My list of songs to learn was long and the learning was relentless. It opened a new and a more flexible mode of learning which could beat the scheduling issues with physical classes. Consistent practice also helped my music a great deal. In contrast, my progress and learning were spotty at best when the physical classes were the norm before the pandemic.

    Savitha rarely compliments me since she probably sees many areas that need perfection in my music. It is actually as well since 'not yet perfect' means there is a purpose and path ahead for my music without the baggage of too much pride or complacency. There were several times she said that my music started blossoming. Relentless practice, learning and newfound dedication certainly made a huge difference. I remember many specific instances: BrOchEvArevarurA swara passage, Sri VEnkaTa GirISamAm' (SuruTi), Sri RanganAyakam (NAyaki), Pankaja lOchana (KalyANi) and Mandhir Kugandadu (Sindhu Bhairavi) evoked her spontaneous positive affirmation for my attempts.

    That was the time as well when I started recording each current and old song after several practices till I got one successful rendition as error-free as possible. In fact, one good recording is the mark of closure of my learning of any song. It also serves as my future reference.  It was during that time that my teacher gave me a Student-of-the-Month commendation and shared the video recording of my Sri RanganAyakam across all of Parampara, our music school ecosystem. I had also started sharing the recordings of my renditions to a few interested friends and family. It would gladden some of them and they sometimes let me know how they felt.

    Overall, my resolve to focus only on compositional music in order to immerse myself in their lyrical beauty, poetry, rhythm, mythological nuggets, philosophical truths, wisdom and Bhakti (devotion) started sowing its precious seeds deep into my being. Performance ceased to be my focus, if there was any of that lingering need for adulation. I hope these seeds will sprout and grow even when everything around me may be failing. I have seen it live in my mother's precious final days. In fact, I feel she left me an effective lesson even as she passed.

My Music Today

    I learn music today rain or shine, in town or out with a sense of urgency. There is an urgency because I am aware that my time is limited. I am not sure how many years I will still have with the ability to know, hear, learn and sing.

    I try to motivate myself with various projects and treat them as Yagnas. I am working on Pancha bhuta linga yagnam which started in the late '90s with my learning of 'Jambupate' (The element of Apam/Water) and ArunAchala (The element of Agni/Fire). I had learnt AnandAmrita (The element of AkaSa/Space) a decade ago and have just finished learning Chintaya (The element of Prithvi/Earth) and I am on the home stretch now and will need to learn Sri KALahastISa (The element of Vayu/Air) next.

    I also would like to get started on ThiruppAvai yagnam. I know only 2 of 30 with a long road ahead to tread. It is a deep desire and I hope to realize it one day.

    I also enhance my regular learning by reviving songs I had learnt from as far back as 40 years with my many teachers over the years. I am going through them composer by composer to give my reviews a theme. I listen to the teacher's reference a few times, practice it over several days, record it and self-correct it several times before making one good, final recording which I share with friends and family and post some of those on my YouTube channel as the closure. It of course does not mean I will remember them for ever. Music needs constant practice to stay in the foreground.

What Music Means to Me

    I like to learn music just for the sake of learning without missing a beat till my time is up. I feel it is the best preparation I can do for my final moments so that they are charged, intense and deeply meaningful. Though I do feel happy to receive validation from other mortals, I am trying wean myself from it or not place too much value on it. Though it is considered a performing art, I try to conduct my music learning and practice to not depend on it for it to be complete. I consider an occasional performance opportunity to be a fitting avenue for the art but not essential. As Sri M says, music is meditation. I derive huge inspiration from that since meditation does not otherwise come easily.

    When I reflect on the series of legendary lineages that I came into contact with, through my teachers - Rajalakshmi Rao aunty, Sreevidhya Chandramouli, Indira Menon, R.K. Srikantan and Savitha Kartikeyan - I am moved by the good fortune bestowed on me in this short life. It is a blessing that they also chose to share their precious music with me. I distinctly sense the blessings of Sri Saraswati as the kind of opportunities that came by my way are simply phenomenal and could only be attributed to the magic of divine providence. All my teachers are exceptional, sincere and humbly carry the torch of sublime music and all its traditions. It is one of the miracles of my life that I sat at their feet, but was acutely aware of its preciousness even as I lived those moments. 

    Music is a divine vibration of longing and striving of many noble souls that came before us. It expresses the essence of my deepest self. It is perhaps the deepest I can go within, at the moment. It is my daily offering. It is a gift that I do not want to fritter away. One day, when everything about me and around me has gone numb, I hope and pray that my being resonates to music in some corner of it. I hope that I will feel comforted and nourished by the protective envelope of divine vibrations that follow in its wake.

    It is a journey that I hope will continue at some level till the end and hopefully beyond.

__________________________

My current teacher Smt. Savitha Kartikeyan's YouTube Channel

PantuvarALi varnam by Sangeeta KaLAnidhi Sri R K SrikanTan

Smt. Sreevidhya Chandramouli's Recordings on YouTube

Smt. Indira Menon's NavAvaraNa Kriti album on Spotify

My YouTube Channel serving as an archive of some of my learning 

(Caveat: All errors in any of my renditions are entirely mine)

Homage to MS

 

Homage to MS

December, 16, 2004

 

When I first heard a few days ago that MS was critically ill, my heart skipped a beat for a second. I tried to look away mentally from where this might lead to in a few days/months. I wondered what the connection is that makes me feel this way much as I would feel if this was happening to a parent or sibling perhaps. The connection, as I looked deeper into myself, is clearly more than a familial connection; it is a deeper bond born out of choice, by inner yearning, reaching out to the spirit within.

 

When the sad news of the physical demise of MS reached my years in the early hours of Sunday, I tried, almost as an involuntary reflex, to fill the void by filling the space around me with nothing but her music. Hasn’t she generously given us many jewels of melody and divine devotional outpourings?

 

When I was dwelling on the strains of her ‘Enneramum Undan Sannidhile Naan Irukkavendum Ayya’ in Devagandhari, it felt that she was having an intimate dialogue with the Almighty pleading to be with Him always. When my wife said that she would be at the feet of the divine without a minute of delay, I said that she was already there every moment of her life.

 

How else could I explain the radiance that she exuded when I had the rare opportunity of visiting MS at her residence 10 months ago? Her soulful music reflected her inner joy, radiance, tranquility and touched the hearts of millions just as she was touched by the music she was rendering.

 

One thing I do know, I am blessed to have the gift of music appreciation, to have been able to attend two of her live concerts in Hyderabad, to have been able to meet her in person before she merged in eternal kalam and in fact, to have coexisted in the same times as MS, though for only a few years.

 

When I hear the music of MS now, it is obvious that she sang each and every composition with conviction and sincerity. When I hear the line ‘Tirayin pin Nirkindrai Kanna…jnaniyar matrume Kaanbaar’ from her ‘Kurai Onrum Illai’, it seems that she has now merged with her Kanna and become invisible herself. But, like her Kanna, she is there to be seen, felt, and revered as before if only we have the inner eye or the Jnanam.

 

I would like to console myself that MS has not been lost to the world as she has securely become a part of our collective spirit and our very being long ago.

 

In homage and reverence,

Krishnaprasad Kamisetty

Bangalore

Capturing the spirit of Tiruvaiyaru

I read a report in The Hindu and also Sruti magazine about the 3 concerts at legendary venues of Tiruvaiyaru - Pushya Mandap, Panchanadeeswara temple and a Rajah college quadrangle. It was called "Tiruvaiyaru on Kaveri - a festival of sacred music".

What a laudable venture! Just reading about it and looking at the serene pictures of Bombay Jayashri in concert against the backdrop of the ancient temple was a hair-raising experience. The cool breeze of the night, the inspiring backdrop of the temple, the presence of music trinity in spirit (the very place they had once touched with their feet) and the soulful music of Jayashree...Wish I had been there.

http://www.sruti.com/2009/sruti_magazine_april_2009.php#nn1

Post Music Season Murmurs

This has been published with a few minor changes by Sruti (India's premier music magazine) in its January 2009 edition.



The season is over, at least for me as I have wound up my 4 day sabbatical in the temples of Carnatic music. There are several aspects to drinking in the nectar of good music. The aspect of humour is not lost on me..

RASIKA DEMOGRAPHICS:

• There are many kinds of rasikas. They come in all types of sizes and shapes (literally and of course, figuratively!). There are those that are die-hards and are single minded. They come armed with snacks, water, medicines, books to read during those bald patches. They are there from 8 am to 10pm not getting distracted by the mere mortals and their noises. For them, food, wonderful canteen food it may be, is just sustenance for the body (and perhaps, mind, if they are being a bit generous!)



• There are those whose natural state is to be in constant motion between Sabhas, the inveterate sabha-hoppers! They seem to always feel that they need to be at some other concert when they are attending one concert. I have overheard several whispering to their tolerant better halves, " Aval ROMBA nalla paduvala! Ange poyi avaloda Thukkada kekkalama?" (I believe she sings very well. Shall we go and listen to post thani items?). They are for ever flitting from concert to concert like butterflies while doing worse than them in the bargain!



• And, then, there are those who talk more than they listen. They have apparently been veterans on the sabha circuit for the last 50 years ..generally, a number bigger than your age. They break into ecstasy of their own nostalgic recollections of yesteryear musicians. Typically, the conclusion is in favour of the yesteryear musicians. "Ayyo idenna Sankarabharanam! Anda avar inda alapanai rendu mani neram paduvar" (Oh! How great is this Sankarabharanam? That great musican used to sing this for 2 hours). When the ecstasy doubles, they even do a parallel concert for the benefit of their unfortunate neighbours.



• I am afraid that I become close friends sometimes with the "Find the Raga or perish!" types. We can lovingly call them buzzing bees. The moment the musician begins, they enter into a long and soporific humming phase. They won't give up until they land on the name of the raga in time. I feel like ending their agony by whispering the raga to them (unless I myself am buzzing!). There was one person who announced the name as 'Pashupatipriya' after a long bout of buzzing. I had to tell him politely, "Sir, it is Pahadi, by the artist's own admission".


• There are those folks who seem to spend more time outside the auditorium than inside - The casual wanderers. In case they are caught in their non-native state, actually enjoying the main composition, they shudder into normalcy and walk out crossing and stepping on the entire row full of listeners once the thani (tala solo) begins. Thani means a bio-break or a coffee break for these.
  

As you can see, Rasika demographics is a fertile area for further research.

Concert Humour:

• There are those who build the raga with their voices and hands. They are builders. There is a good dose of calisthenics and it all slowly culminates when they literally put a roof on top of it when they reach the thara panchamam (Pa in higher octave). It is an easy glide from there. Not recommended for acrophobiacs!


• Whoever said that alapana (raga elaboration) is supposed to employ Tha, Da, Ri and Na as the primary syllables. I have heard Rarra, lalla, Hummm, Vivvivvi, uhwwvonn (almost unspeakable) and it was the ultimate when I heard 'Thu Thu' (the sound associated with spitting). I am not a puritan, but, at the least, the guideline in a music concert should be aesthetics.


• Musicians can get lost (they are supposed to, aren't they?) during their performances. A good dose of thigh slapping and rocking around the center of gravity (Man, they rock!) in jerky gyrations are all amusing. I don't have an opinion on this...as long as they don't do a Michael Jackson!


• And, of course, there are numerous lyrical slips.


• I noticed the following in concerts. "Nada sudha Rasam Pilanu" (Nada Sudha Rasambilanu), "Pakkala Nila Padi" (Pakkala Nilabadi), "Valli Devasenobheda" (Valli Devasenopeta). They almost always lead to jarring and unintended set of meanings.


• I found these in the special supplements produced by The Hindu. You can tell that I literally devoured these during the breaks.


• "Bamamani Janaki Sowmitri" (Bhamamani ...) in Rama Katha (Madhyamavati); "Sarasooda" (Sarasuda) in Saveri; "Palukavemi Na Deivama" (....Daivama) in Purnachandrika; "Tharaloni ni saati" (Dharaloni...) in Mari Vere (Latangi); "Vadera Deyvamu" (...Daivamu) in Pantuvarali; "Soga Sukha" (Sogasuga) in Sriranjani; "Tharahasa mukham buruhe" (Darahasa...) in Sri Saraswati (Arabhi), "Vinaradana" (Vinarada Na) in Devagandhari. I wish more people refer to authentic texts before their public performance.
  

All in all, the music came through despite all the idiosyncrasies of the raskisas (listeners) and the musicians. Music has such ennobling qualities that it does come through, come what may..

- Krishnaprasad

Music Season - 29th December 2008

Lec Dem - the one and only one - Drama music from AP, TN, Karnataka

A popular drama practitioner/Vidvan Sri Meegada Ramalinga Swamy (Visakhapatnam, Andhra), Sri Arimalam Padmanabhan
(Tamil Nadu) and Sri Balakrishna Bhat (Yakshagana, Karnataka) presented their individual specialties.

It was thrilling to hear old Telugu Padyam with dialogues interspersed, after a long time...e.g. "Bava, Eppudu vachithiveevu....bava Krishna". I liked the passion and love with which the Sri Padmanabhan presented with a lot of excamples. Time was the culprit to cut him short. Sri Bhat demonstrated the Yakshagana to taped music. The folk dance form obviously borrows from Bharata natyam etc. and lends it a larger than life treatment. I had to leave to get the tickets for Sanjay's concert and head to Visakha Hari's Harikatha in earnest.

Visakha Hari - Sri Ranga Mahatmyam - Part 3 - Krishna Gana Sabha

This was well worth attending and brought tears to many (including to 'Yours Truly') listening to how Kaveri was born, how Ranganayaki, Tayar were brought to Sri Ranganatha and the phala shruthi (fruit of listening to the Hari Katha).

A few take-aways from her Hari Katha today:

• This was all based on Sri Ranga Gita and with several other references from other puranas and Classical music lore.
• Lalgudi Jayaraman himself was there (he was the guru of Visakha) to bless and felicitate her.
• She was also a CA Gold medalist, we were told. She is a humble person (always refers to Anna, Hari katha guru as having said something that she is sharing with us) with a love for her art.
• You can see the wonder in her eyes and ease in her singing. Her fluency and knowledge of the puranas is simply stunning!
• Agastya = Kumbha tanaya (this comes in Vatapi kriti ..'pura kumbha sambhava muni vara prapujitham'
• Kaveri = Sahya kanyaka (born from Sahya mountains where Agastya did penance)
• She is widely available on You tube and on DVDs a few of which I picked up.

She rendered the following kritis in the course of her story:

1. Ranganathude - Tyagaraja (Sowrashtram)


2. Hiranmayim - Dikshitar (Lalitha)


3. Vellai Thamare (Abheri/Bhimplas)


4. Slokam (Kharaharapriya)


5. Phanipati Sayi


6. Vatapi (Hamsadhwani)


7. En palli kondirayya (Mohana) (why are you lying down?)


8. Bhagyada (Madhyamavathi)


9. Mahalakshmi (Sankarabharanam)


10. Yare Rangana (Hindolam)

I felt blessed to have been able to attend this almost on a lark.

Sriram Gangadharan (Academy) and Shubashree Ramachandran (NGS)

It was either too lound, grating voices, or musical calisthenics (Visakha gave an example "pattinile mallayuddham pannuvargal silar"!)

Bombay Jayashree - Narada Gana Sabha

This concert was even better than the one at the Academy. I was sitting in the wings of the stage and was able to enjoy it at close quarters. She was in top form and the last Thillana in Pahadi (slow unlike typical thillanas) was a clincher. What honey like voice, finesse and shruthi and such lack of frills. Music alone is enough to make a statement as I said yesterday. Hall was fairly full (around 80%).

1. Tatvam Ariya Tharama (Ritigowla)


2. Darini Telusukunti (Suddha Saveri)


3. Hiranmaym (Lalitha)


4. Manavyalakincha radate (Nalina Kanti)


5. Kaligi Yunte kada (Kiravani)


6. RTP (Khamas and Bhageswari)

"Guhane Siva Balane Vadivelane Mamayil eri varum" misra nadai, chathusra Roopaka
with ample dose of swaras in Hamsanandi, Sindhu Bhairavi.. There were forward and reverse sweeps a few times through this string of ragas.
7. Kanda nal (Kalyana Vasantham)
8. Thillana (Pahadi)

I overheard a knowledgeable foreigner saying that this is real music and not the acrobatics that he hears everywhere. He also mentioned TMKrishna favourably. He did not like twin raga RTP and he felt that it was a spoiler though each raga is wondeful by itself..You can not have a fruit salad with RTP..Good metaphor..about time too for dinner!

Sanjay Subramaniam - Academy

He is in good form. Got in late and tot out early due to my preoccuation with flight changes that I was in the middle of. I am the loser ..not Sanjay

He sang (while I was listening):
..

1. Arulvay Angaiyar Kanniye (Simhendra Madhyamam)



2. Nanni Vidachi (Ritigowla)



3. Raasa Vilasa lola (Kambodhi)

...
It was full house and saw TM Krishna slipping out of the concert 30 min before the end of the concert.

I call it a season now. I will follow this up with a piece on music season related tidbits, hangover and humour and such later..

- Krishnaprasad

Music Season - 28th December 2008

Lec Dem 1 - AKC Natarajan and BM Sundaram - Nagaswaram and Clarinet

Being an ignoramus on this subject, I learnt a lot from this session. First of all, they established with proof of several ancient works that it is NaGaswaram (not NaDaswaram).

• Nagaswaram was limited to temples
• Word Kattai (for pitch) came into parlance after introduction of harmonium in 1700s
• Clarinet was altered by AKC (70 years of music in him!)
• Nagaswaram has 2 reeds while Clarinet has 1
• Clarinet was used by Mozhart etc in his symphonies and is a foreign instrument like violin
• Clarinet was a mandatory instrument for Sadr (Natyam)

Dr. Pappu Gopala Rao (authority on tantra sastra according to the person in my next seat) concluded: A for AKC, B for BM Sundaram and C for Clarinet!!

I had to rush out to head to the Harikatha by Smt. Visakha Hari in Krishna Gana Sabha.

Sri Ranga Mahatmyam - Visakha Hari - KGS

Excellent music, full of bhavam and clean diction and enunciation.
Weaves several carnatic and devotional songs into the story and precedes the song with the context and meaning. It heightens the experience for the listeners. She moved me to tears with her passionate exposition of how Sri Ranganathan came about to what is now called Sri Rangam.

Fortunately, I did not get the tickets. So, I could sit under the shade of a tree on the far side away from road noises and listen to their kind audio/video feed.

Few notes:

• There are 32 things not to do (Aparadham) in a temple environment (no gossip, shop talk etc.)
• Several sayanams (sleeping posture) e.g Yoga Sayanam, Jala Sayanam, Bhoga Sayanam etc.
• Greatness of the creator is expressed through the greatness of creation. When you get fascinated by the ocean, for example, think about the creator of such a wonderful and essential water body.
• Raghu is the ancestor of Rama (Manu-Raghu-Aja-Dasaratha-Rama)
• In Srirangapura Vihara (Dikshitar, Brindavana Saranga), the phrase "Pankajapta kula jalanidhi soma" = "Kamalapta kula Kalasabdhi Chandra" (Tyagaraja, same raga) word to word.
• In Jagadananda Karaka, charam starting with "Padavijitha mouni" depicts bala kandam.
• In Rama Nannu Brovara, there is a reference to how every one including ants queue up to go to Vaikuntam along with Rama when Rama makes an offer to take his subjects
• She ended the program (part 2 - missed part 1 due to misunderstanding) with O Rangasayee in Kambodhi

Anahita Ravindran 12 Noon

This is totally a teen concert. Mridangam player looked like a 6th grader. Ghatam player was very spirited and gifted. The main artist rendered all compositions except one (Amba Para devate in Indrapriya) with maturity. Good, robust voice.

1. Mamava - Varali
2. Paarvai onre podume - Surati
3. Amba para devate - Indrapriya
4. Birana Varalichi - Kalyani
5. Marulanna mata - javali - Kapi

Very pleasant, satisfying concert overall.

Saraswati Prabhu (related to some one in the sabha)

The less said the better..Perhaps, she was nervous. Lot of top voice singing, unstable swara sthanas. She should keep practising...

1. Senthil - Varnam -Neelambari
2. Anandamritakarshini - Amrithavarshini
3. Anuragamule - Saraswati
4. Ganamurthe - Ganamurthi
5. Pakkala - Kharaharapriya
6. Enna Tavam -Kapi
7. Viruttam-Behag
8. Tillana - Bhageswari

Ranjani & Gayathri - KGS

They are obviously quite popular these days. Very clear, pure, soft music with melody (not harsh dramatics) as the motif. They got off to a great start with Kalyani varnam and Gowla kriti. Good concert planners.

• I wish they put a bit more gravity (Azhutham) in their music. It is too frilly and gossamer like..does not last long before it diffuses and becomes one with the atmosphere! (that's a lot of poetry for one night!)
• I wish they don't sing 'Sowka' for 'Chowka' in their 'Korina Varamosagu' kriti
• I wish they realize that 'sowkhyam' (pleasant ease) comes through assimilation and mindset, practice ..not by lowering the volume to the ground. ('putting one's ears to the ground' has a new meaning now!)
• Both of them are equally talented and balanced unlike what happens in typical duo concerts
• Their mandram (bass) is very thin and not highly developed yet
• Every note and phrase was suffused with raga bhavam. Hats off!
  

They rendered the following:

1. Vanajakshi (Kalyani)
2. Sri Maha Ganapathi (Gowla)
3. Maa Ramanan (Hindolam)
4. Korina Varamosagu (Raamapriya)
5. Amba Nilambari (Nilambari)
6. Lalithe (Bhairavi)
7. Kalala nerchina (Deepakam)
8. RTP (Sahana) Ini Oru Kanam(sic) Unnai Marave Ina Kula Thilaka (Khanda jati Adi with different nadai in each half

..missed the rest in order to head out to Neyveli concert.

Neyveli Santanagopalan - Narada Gana Sabha

One of the best concerts I have attended besides TMK, Jayasri. His music speaks..no frills and dramatics needed if you have good music to bank on. Violin by VV Ravi was out of this world. Why don't we hear him more?

Neyveli Sir was in pretty good form. He enjoys his music...we can easily tell.

1. Viriboni - Bhairavi
2. Vatapi - Hamsadhwani
3. Nija Marmamulanu (Umabharanam)
4. Kaaranam Kettu Vaadi (Purvi Kalyani)
5. Marivere (Anandabhairavi)
6. Pullu Silambi (Sankarabharanam) have not heard this before..wish he selected weightier kriti
7. Teliyaleru (Dhenuka)
8. Virutham (Bhageswari)
9. Naadi Thedi (Bhageswari)
10. Maasil Veenayum (Behag)
11. Aadum Chidambaramo (Behag)
12. Tiruppugazh - Madhyamavathi
13. Tiruppugazh - Hamsanandi

Bit more time on the roads riding autos than I like..but, all in all, I stayed put all day in Krishna Gana Sabha to optimize road travel and listen to Ranjani Gayathri in stead of Sudha Raghunathan. Lunch was brief and not up to par. What can I say? I have been spoit by the Music Academy Canteen. They set benchmarks even in canteen fare! No problem, I will make up for all that I missed. There is always a TOMORROW!!

- Krishnaprasad

Music Season - 27th December 2008

Lec Dem 1 - Sangita Kalanidhi TK Govinda Rao on Perisami Thooran's compositions

Unfortunately, I could only hear only two of his demonstrations as I had to battle with the authorities to get some ticket for TM Krishna's concert in the evening. Finally, I was lucky to get a seat in the mini hall with a audio/video feed.

Sri TKG presented:

1. A composition in Kiravani
2. Nenjam Eni - Husseni?

Obviously, we are there at the lec dems not for the great performances, voice etc..TKG sir's erudition and context of his times are what I wanted to capture, some hints of it at least. I am sorry to have missed the rest.

Lec Dem 2 - Tiruchi Thayumanavan - Konnakkol

Amazing and spirited performance from who looked like septuagenarian. He supposedly has several sishyas who made it big on the music scene. His 'sol' (verbal syllables for rhythm instruments) was so robust and crisp. I really enjoyed him articulating various ways of punctuating the tala cycle with interesting patterns of rhythmic syllables.

The most interesting part was when he showed how the 'konnakkol' would be like when accomanying for a few specific kritis. A lot of work goes on on the side line to make the main performance succesful.

Veteran Concert - Charumathi Ramachandran

I remember listening to her during 1980s in Hyderabad. She is evidently past her prime, but, there were a few flashes of brilliance for us to capture.

Her disciple as pinpattu (vocal support) was quite good. A budding artist, I am sure. Enjoyed most of the compositions before Charumathi's voice gave way during RTP. Krishna Nee Begane Baro (Yaman) was delightful especially the way both sang it in tandem and alternately.

1. Mayamma (Ahiri)
2. Chitra Ratna (Kharaharapriya) lovely and rare piece
3. Orutti Maganay Pirandu (Behag) prefixed by a slokam
4. RTP (Atana)
Mohana Rama Lavanya Rama Rama Rama Dasaratha nandana dasarathi
5. Malayalam lullaby in what sounded like Arabhi
6. Muralidhara Gopala (?)
7. Na Mritya (Nirvanashatkam - Hamir Kalyani, Darbari, Sindhu bhairavi)
8. Viswesvara (Sindhu Bhairavi)

Interesting element of RTP was the way each phrase was suffixed with the composition starting with that phrase ..during swara phase. (Mohana, Purnashadjam, Simhendra Madhyamam, Asaveri, Todi)

My only grouse is that it is disturbing how she chose to do neraval on 'Mitri vaibhavam' in stead of sowmitri vaibhavam... Bad choice. (Lyrical purity police alert!!)

Amritha Murali - 12 Noon

Phenomenal concert. Excellent rendering, sukham (ease), modulation and diction and high quality music.

1. Raghupate (Sahana)
2. Soundara Rajam (Brindavana Saranga)
3. Vara Narada (Pantuvarali)
4. Sankaracharyam (Sankarabharanam)
5. Virtuttam (Behag, Kapi, Manji)
6. Varugalamo (Manji)

Each and every piece was weighty, delicate, subtle and pleasant all at the same time. Certainly, some one to watch out for next year.

She should try not to appear to labour with clenched teeth while singing..hard to correct perhaps.

R. Suryaprakash - 2PM

He appeared extremely confident and enjoying the limelight and his presence at the academy. He overdid it several times especially during his RTP and fell flat on a wrong foot (note). Very jarring..

1. Anu Dinamu (Begada)
2. Manasuloni (Hindolam)
3. Pahi Sri Rama Ramana (Atana)
4. Kava va (Varali) - started from Anupallavi and at a brisk pace..good!
5. Marakatavalli (Kambodhi)...never heard it..great piece by Dikshitar
6. RTP (Shanmukhapriya)
etc.

I hope he focuses on not projecting everything he knows on the stage. More humility and balance will do him a world of good!

Aruna Sairam - 4:15pm

I know I am going to upset the throngs of Rasikas who love her music. I am really sorry to say that I am not one of them. I love her tukkadas but, I am unable to grow to like her heavier pieces, neraval, swara kalpana, alapana etc.. She seems to focus on impressing the lay rasikas who are ready to break into applause every time they hear her crashing with a loud thud at the end of several swara patterns (korvai). Alas! the more the volume the more the noise and the less the signal (I mean music) S/N ratio is low!! Besides, her voice was grating and harsh till the end of her RTP.

Some of her earlier pieces were uncharacteristically slow, but did not exude sukham (pleasing ease).

1. Ninnu Kori - varnam in natakurinji
2. Sri Manini - Purnashadjam?
3. Narahari (Simhendra Madhyamam)
4. Raka sasi vadana (Takka)
5. RTP - on Trinity of carnatic music (Todi)
followed by 11 ragas in which she featured their famous compositions.

Tyagaraja (5), Dikshitar (3), Syamasastri (3)

It was a bit tedious and not well strung together. They appeared to be hanging loose on the RTP framework as if it were an after thought.

6. Brindavanam (Kurinji)
7. Savare (Malkauns)
8. Viruttam (Shanmukha priya, Hamsanandi etc.)
9. Enna kavi padinalum (Siva Ranjani)


TM Krishna 7pm.

First time, in my experience, the concert started 15 min late due to chaos and delays caused by rasikas of Aruna Sairam swarming her on the stage to congratulate her. No big deal...we can wait...reading the Hindu supplement or Kutcheri buzz.

Amazing concert. His voice seemed to need lot of hot water (or whatever!) this evening..perhaps, due to grinding schedules during the season. His alapanas, swaras were mind-boggling and enertaining. Amazingly enough, he also excels in slow compositions caressing notes literally.

1. Intha paraka (Mayamalavagowla)
2. Karuna elaganti (Varali)
3. Na jeevadhara (Bilahari)
4. Mangala devate (Margadarshi)
5. RTP - Bhairavi
6. Idu thane thillai sthalam (Behag)
7. Viruttam (Ananda bhairavi, Kharaharapriya, ?, Khamas)
8. Karpuram narumo Kamala Pu Narumo (Khamas)

Na Jeevadhara was scintillating and the alapana was very sedate appropriate for the song. The piece in Margadarshi was exotic ..very hard to croon or repeat. Has both Madhaymas, he said.

He chose to sing Viriboni in 2 speeds (with some additional chitta swaras that people don't generally perform) before he took up a line for exploration. I personally would have preferred a regular pallavi loaded with rhyme and poetry. The line he chose did not have much lyrical beauty.

Behag piece among the thukkadas was extraordinary.

What a classical singer he is? Perhaps, old masters were like this!!

- Krishnaprasad

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