Happy New Year 2011

Another year, bright and new

An era dawns, fresh and dew

My words of wishes are few

For nothing is left due!

May this year bring the best to everyone, fulfill every dream, bring no tear to any eye and fetch songs of cheer and glory! When I thought - what’s there in it, it’s just another day; My heart whispered - "it’s a blessed day and you are as blessed as the day for you have these near and dear ones to convey your wishes !"

Happy New Year :)

 

Every Happiness Always!

Stage to Screen

I was restless to hear the ring at the other end of my mobile go by; each time I get ready to sing “Happy Birthday ", all I could hear back was the "Trnnn Trnnn", continuing. This was strange and one of its kind in the last 20 odd years. Sneha would wait for my wish; the first wish for her Birthday every year was mine. With the ring not being answered, I could guess she was not by her phone. I knew things were not going too well with her. But how could she miss my wish?

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I have known Sneha from the age of 5. While I saw myself grooming into a strong bold lady, Sneha was sculpted into a graceful woman. She was a rare beauty! Her slender fingers, her sharp facial features with a gentle smile dressing them all through, her thick hair plaited to walk down with her long legs, her simple dress collections enhancing her curvaceous splendor - she was an archetypal depiction of South Indian beauty. I often would slip down in thoughts - Had I to be a guy, I wouldn’t have missed a single chance to make her my partner for life. She was more beautiful from inside. She had a nature to help others. She was very candid. She was passionate about arts. She was specially devoted to music - was a veena artiste herself. Infact it was this which brought us close. We got to know each other from the Veena class, where we were classmates from a tender age. Years passed, with each getting to know the better of other. While we had few striking contrasts, we had lot similar interests. We had started giving performances together and by the time we were 20, we were affably known in the nearby areas and people looked forward to our concerts.

Sneha grew up in a Christian missionary quite close to my home. Having lost her parents in a calamity in the nearby village at a young age, she learnt to self-support and grew independent. My father was in a Government job with not many transfers which helped my family station at one place. Sneha took up teaching in a nearby school after completing her Bachelors, harmonizing with her nature and personality. I enrolled in an animation course finishing which I had a flattering offer in hand. Despite our different career paths, we made time for our rehearsals during evenings and had a couple of performances on festivities and weekends. Life was beautiful. We saw the seasons unfurl by. With time, we saw the two of us maturing. We enjoyed each minute of our friendship. We met every day to renew it and add more colors. It was an unparalleled relationship ever known.

Soon we were of marriageable age and began to receive proposals from known and interested people. My parents found an eligible boy and got me married. I was lucky to be shifted just a few streets away. Life did not change much. Nishant was an extremely agreeable character, understanding and highly compatible. I often prayed for one such partner for Sneha too. Though he was not fond of music he never stopped my rehearsals with Sneha and our routine continued after my marriage, with the 3rd person - my encouraging partner being a motivating source.

Few months after my marriage, a big marketing company MD, Suhas approached Sneha and sought her hand. Suhas was captivated by her at first glance when he had come to serve a donation to her school. Perfect hair, piercing eyes, and a faultless personality - Just one glimpse of her and one is sure to be mesmerized. Sneha mirrored the same interest and the two got married.

2 years of 2 successful marriages rolled by. Suhas's business started seeing a drift. With too many competitors in the market, he was not able to keep his pace. As we know, with business, it’s either a high or a low, never a mediocre life! In months his business was in rags. This began to reflect on his mood and family. Evenings, back at home after work, all Suhas did was sit in a dark corner and think through the darkness of his life. Sneha knew she wasn’t street smart; she dint consider herself eligible to give business suggestions to Suhas. She wanted to give him time and solitude to help him get out of the setback. She so continued with her routine. Suhas's time began to grow worse with his temper worsening by days. Sneha's music that one enchanted him was now no longer soothing. When she sat to observe her riaz (rehearsal), it felt to him as if she cared nothing for him and lived her own life. For she, on her part thought was trying to ease his mood with music. The sloping days saw no improvement in Suhas’s marketing business. He was conked out. The MBA guy with all his esteem did not have time and patience to heed to his wife. He barely knew, a homely lady like her could help him with his business. Distance grew between them. They both shared the same house, but as roomies and not as partners. Suhas was a nice guy though. The drop in business had blurred his senses. He could not come in terms with reality.

I was with Sneha all the while but did not know of what help I could be. I was daring, I could for sure face Suhas, his temper and set things better between the two; but I did not prefer prodding in their personal affairs, how-much-ever close she was to me.

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Minutes later, Sneha returned my call..."Hey Radha, Sorry I missed your call. Thanks! You called up to wish me. Can we meet for a while? Please... it is a little urgent! Take the day off if you can.”

We met at our usual coffee shop. Unlike the previous years when we celebrated her Birthday cutting a cake, we were today sipping a dull coffee. Sneha cleared her voice and began. “Do you have the contact of Mr. Sharma, MD of the Recording Company who had commended us requesting to sign for an album for their international customers? I think that was some 4 yrs back, during one of our concerts at Cityhall auditorium. Do you mind if we go back to him agreeing with that offer?”…… “Hey that’s perfectly fine Sneha. I am more than happy with your decision. I was infact ready for the recording long back, you weren’t much for it then.” I replied. “No Radha, it isn’t just that” – Sneha added. “Can we do the recording free of cost for Mr. Sharma and request him to give the distribution and marketing of the cds to Suhas. This is the least I can do to him to help him out of the crisis he is in.” –Sneha spoke in a requesting tone.

I gladly agreed. We had a week's relentless practice session; I took the week off since evening practices were almost nil owing to Suhas's moods. By the end of the week, we were all set; I spoke to Mr. Sharma and with no slightest hesitation, he agreed. He cheerfully approved of our deal and our request of not revealing the recording details to Suhas before he signed the agreement.

Things went as planned. The Recording was a grand success. Mr. Sharma was a gentle man. As promised he called Suhas to sign up with him for the distribution. Suhas knew not our plan; the very call from Mr. Sharma was quite motivating for him, it soon was seen in his temperament.

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Clock striked 10. It was a bright Wednesday morning. Suhas had an appointment with Mr. Sharma at 11; he was an hour early. Suhas had a great sense of time and commitment to work. "Mr. Suhas, glad to meet you. I am happy to have you with us for the launch and distribution of a CD to our international customers. Normally we do the distribution ourselves. This time we plan to involve you in this journey of ours. This CD is a beautiful rendition of Indian music to the audience of West. The 2 artistes have played like two lovers enticing each other, trying to outdo one other at places, yet culminating in to leave the appeal. You must listen to it, am sure you will market it with all your soul " - said Mr. Sharma. Suhas wishfully nodded, signed the agreement and took his complimentary copy along.

On reaching his car in the parking, the first he did was unwrap his gift - the complementary CD. In all his mind, he was thinking to rush home and gift the CD to his wife, Sneha, seeking her apology for his recent bad behavior.

Shock, surprise dawns upon Suhas as he reads “SOULFUL – veena recital, with a difference - by Sneha Suhas and Radha Nishant” on the CD cover. To add to his pouring emotions, the footnote read, “Dedicated to my husband Suhas – Sneha”. Suhas was smart to read the many pages that ran behind the day's episode and rushed to his wife thanking her for the thoughtful and timely act, all the same requesting forgiveness for his temper.

Happy era dawns upon the 2 couples again!

Curtains drop with Radha thanking the audience for an overwhelming response to her soon stage-to-be-screened drama.

-Sirish, I could at last bring you to the staging of this drama. You MBA guys have no time for wives and entertainment.huh! I better go and tell Radha that hers is a stolen story; she ought to pay me royalty"

PS: MBA guys out there - no hard feelings please... You just fit in well in my story :)

- Revathi Sridharan

Sanjay Subramaiam at Nadhasurabhi (22nd nov 2010)

Difficult to keep short a review of Sanjay’s concert. However I shall try to do so.

Vidwan Sanjay Subrahmanyan     Vocal

Vidwan Mysore Nagaraj               Violin

Vidwan Tumkur B.Ravishankar   Mridangam

Vidwan Guruprasanna                 Khanjira

@ Nadasurabhi Annual Music Festival – 2010

Sanjay was at his ever best. I know I say this after every concert of his. But that’s what he does. He keeps the crowd spell bound by his creative explorations. Nothing seems to be left behind to explore! There was tradition, innovation, excellence and an effortless blend of the trio on stage at Nadasurabhi  by Vid. Sanjay Subramaniam today. 

-Varnam - Hindolam
-Shankari neeve - begada
-O raajeevaksha - Aarabhi
-Kanthimathi karuna - kalyani
-Niravadi sukhada - Ravichandrika
-Kori sevimparada – kharaharapriya
-RTP – Tilang, hamsanandi, kadanakuthoohalam, vakulabharanam, bhagyashree
-Ninnaye rathi endru - bhagyashree
-Nanda tanaya govinda - bhagyashree
-Tunbam nergayil – desh
-Mangalam(Pavamana) - sowrashtra

He kept the varnam simple. Subbaraya Shastry’s shankari neeve in begada was a neat presentation. Aarabhi was very articulate. The expressions mirrored fertile imagination. References were peeking in from Sandhinchane swara patterns, yet maintained striking difference. There was a full import of kalyani ragam in “kanthimathi karuna”. The aalapana reflected traditional kalyani  and the krithi was handled with due care considering its vilamba pace. Niravadi sukhada was delightful. Alapana in ravichandrika is a rarity. Sanjay’s committed endeavors in the various departments of this piece kept the interest of the audience high. Neraval at “maamava marakatha” was most welcoming. The 3 swara edupu at mamava-marakatha gives a beautiful space for swara exploration and Sanjay made every bit of it. Then came kharaharapriya. This raga seldom needs extra effort to beautify it; Sanjay glorified the raga. Neraval at pallavi “ Oh rajeevaksha Orajupula juchedha”  was exemplary and had fitting swara prasthara. This was followed by thani.

Pallavi in thilang was surprising. Thilang is mostly set aside as a ragam for the last part of the concerts like devaranamam, abhang, bharathiyar padal. But Sanjay proved that Thilang could dress the center stage of the concert. 2 nishadhas were shown visibly. Thanam was handled with dignity and finesse. The pallavi “Ninnaye rathi endru ninaikiren adi kannamma” though set to a simple talam – chatusra triputa (adi), had its start at atheetha(begins 1 swara behind the tala starting) making it demanding. Pallavi ragamalika encompassed Hamsanandi, kadanakuthoohalam, vakulabharanam and bhagyashree. He interpreted Subramanya Bharathi’s “ninnaye rathi endru” in bhagyashree with the same grit. This was followed by a kannada krithi, yet again in bhagyashree “nanda tanaya gOvindana”. Tunbam nergayil in Desh was the concluding piece. His lucid tamil diction conveyed clearly the meaning of the lyrics with the needed sentiment.

At some point during the RTP, Sanjay paused to say that he couldn’t match to the speed of Sri Nagaraj’s playing to which Nagaraj modestly said - what he was playing today was because of Sanjay’s splendid singing. This reflected Sanjay’s humility. How unassuming! Vid. Mysore Nagaraj’s simple personality contrasts to his violin’s astounding virtuosity and outstanding imagination. Thani avarthanam enveloped a beautiful conversation between Vid. Ravishankar’s mridangam and Vid. Guruprasanna’s khanjira. The percussion vidwans added to the enthusiasm of the main artiste and gave the extra ingredients making the concert a complete success.

Concert highlights: Krithi selections, Rare raga pallavi (thilang), Sanjay’s style and free expressions

Conversation with God : A drift in the line of thought

At the entrance of HIS abode, a man has this spat with his Lord who denies him entry into heaven.

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So, this man said…

( With a voice of certainty

And a gesture of mellowness )                             

“ I was sent with nothing

And I had nothing to bring back to you…. “

God replied…

“ I gave you everything

But you are left with nothing to carry now; a crook, loser – you are disputing with me?”

Man argued…

“ You just tossed me down, I had a naught.

You gave me not anything, I earned my life”

God disagreed…

“ I gave you …

A family to care

A place to share

Warmth to bear

Fabric to wear ”

God waited; the man had nothing to retort

HE continued..

I bestowed on you …

“ Unconditional love

Unbridled attention

Uncrated freedom

Limitless peace ”     

The man continued his silence…

With a fragile voice, he then asked…

“ What I ought to do now to seek an entry? Don’t make me stand at your gateway as a keeper;  give me a way-out ”

God spoke - “You still hunt for favors from me and end up saying I gave you nothing”. Here is the last I have to suggest, trail back and earn all that you lost in the journey. When you have everything that I gave you, I shall consider letting you in”

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The man wakes up(from his dream) with a jerk and sighs “I thought God is considerate, but He has a note of everything that He loaned me. I may end up incisive-ing on  the lost things for an entire life more. I hope my friends are wise enough not to lose the fine things that God has bestowed on us and later blame Him like I did  -

- Happiness which I lost to greed

- Attention (rampant spotlight that we get as a kid) that I lost to the crave for hyped focus

- Peace of mind which I lost fancying for material things and

- Love which got subdued by hatred due to competition with my own people.

In case you, my friends, line-up with me, start gearing up and keen for the things that you have lost before it gets too late. God may not give everyone a second chance”

A drift in the regular grain of thought :

We usually get to hear this : “We come to Earth with an empty hand and take back nothing when we leave”.

How about this line of thought?  “When born, we are bestowed with everything, but we gradually lose them to the material pleasures. It’s our duty to take them back than go void”

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Any thoughts?  Favoring or contrasting – Most welcome :)

TM Krishna at Gayan Samaj (31st Oct 2010)

While I sit to write this, the smell of TM Krishna’s mellifluous voice is still unsullied. Look at this, my senses seem to be lulled – I smell voice:). Well, just back from Vid. TMK’s concert at Gayan Samaj, what more do you expect from me! This isn’t intended to be a concert review, but is a sincere exposition of what I, as an audience experienced there.

Everyone knows TMK as a man of surprises. One just cannot go and sit in his concert and exclaim, “I guessed TMK would sing this”. The concert opener was one such. “Devadeva kalayami” in mayamalavagowla, the raga often suggested for beginners was handled with “old hands”. What grandeur in rendition! The first brisk krithi in place of the accustomed varnam with a detailed neraval at “Jaatharupa nibhachela” followed by swarakalpana set the concert stage to degree of effervescence. TMK did announce that the concert was dedicated to his Guru Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, so “Deva deva” should have ideally not surprised the audience. The second piece was an atypical composition by Sri Thyagaraja, “Sanaathana paramapaavana ghanaaghana varna kaamadahana” in raga phalamanjari; quite a redolent raga – guess its kharaharapriya’s janyam. Thanks to TMK for introducing such exceptional compositions; every concert becomes a room of learning for upcoming musicians and music students.

A detailed alaapana in Natai trailed. “Jagadaanandakaaraka”  - Thyagaraja’s pancharatna krithi needs no prologue. This was rendered with majesty. Marvelous involvement and an outstanding clarity of diction were exhibited. Surprise element did creep in here too – neraval at “Omkara panjara-kira purahara saroja bhava keshava”.( A sparkling kamach in TMK's style, or SSI’s Kshinamai(mukhari) or Sriranjini(marubalka) was probably what the musical audience looked for.)

Music has come a long way from our learned ancestors. We see a strapping change.  The young artistes have lineage-d the knowledge and skill from our early masters and are seen deploying them with style yet traditionally. If we see the 3 compositions spoken of till now, we will notice that one composition embraced swarakalpana, another - a simple krithi rendition, yet another - alapana and neraval . The various departments of Carnatic system are exhibited with grace and with a difference, each in a separate raga.  

Dikshitar’s “Narasimha aagachcha” in mohanam followed. Crisp clean diction reflected textual understanding, vowel pronunciation, and tonal color. The raga of veera rasa, mohanam was levered with vigor. No show, an undemanding krithi rendition in all its simplicity wedged the audience to their seats.

The main piece began half-way through the concert - an elaborate Natakuranji. After a pancharatna kriti, I was tempted to try a “pattern-find” for the main composition and expected the Navgraha kriti, Budhamaashrayami to commence. Shyamashastry’s “Mayamma nannu brovavamma” was a surprise, extremely pleasant. Natakuranji is a raga which probably goes incomplete if mandara sthayi(lower octave) prayogas are missed out. Krishna demonstrated this aesthetically by reaching down to taggusthayi (taggu = madara = lower octave) nishada and even shadja. What a voice texture!  His voice just listens to his finger movements; as he takes his fingers/hands down, his voice follows like a slave to his command. Can’t imagine the mid-night oil (or should I say early-morning oil :) ) he would have burnt and the energy he would have scalded over the years to master this. The audience were reminded of the masters of the by-gone era for the patient rendition of the vilamba krithi Mayamma. I am tempted to talk about the patterns played-around-with in the kalpanaswara section - the time tested “g3-m1-p-g3-r2-s”, salient use of “m1-g3-r2-s”, natakranji stamp “m1-g3-s-n2-d2-n2-s” or the clever “s-n2-d2-n2-p-d2-n2-s”; sorry (to the non-musical readers) about my indulgence into the technical details, I shall leave it here. But before moving on, the piece was a clear message for the music students on the handling of kampita swaras, exploit of the voice range, and vilamba kriti rendition. 

An impeccable tani by Vid. Shrimushnam Raja Rao and Vid. Ramanujam set in. Sri Raja Rao’s illustrious musical background, his musical voyage speaks for his onstage presence. His scintillating strokes kept the audience seated (there were a few walk-outs during tani, negligible though). His soft and deft strokes were cajoling against the very nature of the instrument. Having performed all over India and the world with leading musicians, he continues to foster his rich heritage and shyli through his numerous students. Vid. G S Ramanujam on ghatam was entertaining and showed his zest and merit while remaining an upa-pakkavadya through the rest of the concert. The masterly duo visually presented the intricacies of laya to the audience consisting of both knowledgeable group and laymen.

 

No filler after this main piece and before the colossal RTP. Expected a thodi, but Shubhapantuvarali was quite welcoming. An intricate aalapana contouring Tarastayi Nishada, shadja with even traces of rishabha(athi-tarastayi) and atimandara stayi sancharams was the pick of the concert. We often get to hear – “it’s the limitation of voice and its range; that’s where an instrument surpasses the vocal instrument.”. Krishna proved this wrong. His sancharams in various octaves looked so much free-of-strain, am still bamboozled.( Should take it up with him sometime over mail if he obliges. )The violin Vid. Sri H.K.Venkatram modestly proclaimed that he needed a 7 or 8 stringed violin to match Krishna’s range. A crisp tanam followed. Pallavi was  a clever-make. It looked custom made for the Bangalore audience “Neere nee kare tare mara sundarana” in chatusra jampa talam(2 aksharam(in 2^nd kala) edupu). His unsophisticated expressions had universality, captured audience of all age groups. The ragamalika section of pallavi revealed an artiste at work, proved that carnatic music is a form that gets structured, chiseled by the musician on stage, a transparent edifice. We heard begada, sri and nalinakanthi in the neraval segment (interesting was the steering-back-to-shubhapanthuvarali part) and a host of different ragams – Kaanada, Hamirkalyani and kapi for swaraprastara. Kapi was outstanding. He exploited the 2 gandharams, 2 daivathas and 2 nishadas of kapi with grace. (Thani thaniya poova thodukaramadri paadi kaamichar). It was precisely a tour de force.

The thukuda section( I understand thukuda is a wrong term, none of our artistes take any composition so light that we can call it a thukuda. anyway….) set in with a beautiful sloka “mounam ganga shasahankam karacharanatale” – a dedication to TMK’s guru SSI. This was set to ragas Aanandabhairavi, sahana , dhanyasi and sindhubhairavi followed by SwathiTirunal Maharaja’s well celebrated Vishvishwar darshan. TMK’s taala jnana is so amazing, he s never seen to tap his lap to keep the calculations unlike some concerts where we see the musician in the center stage vigorously tapping to exhibit the talam (Am not condemnatory, saying TMK is right and the rest are wrong or otherwise; this is just an observation from the concert)

Ka va vaa kanda va vaa in varali was the pre-mangala rendition. It was past 3 hours since Krishna started the concert and the stage looked as if the kutcheri had just begun, there was so much freshness and life in his voice. 

Vid H K Venkatram was never too judgmental or nosey. His rich experience with the instrument never showed up in his attitude but did beautifully screen-up in his playing. His rendition of shubhapanthuvarali was soulful.      

Thanks to Vid. TM Krishna for the brilliant concert.

Concert picks: TMK’s range, his ease of handling daatus(daatu swaras), lucid voice, humorous interludes setting in a homely atmosphere on stage, his warm and witty personality, Sri RajaRao’s speaking mridangam( language is indeed a barrier – I wish to say, avaroda mridhangam pesardhu).

Sanjay Subramaniam at Gayan Samaj (26th oct 2010)

Heaven isn’t different :) I am sure people who attended Vid. Sanjay Subramaniam's concert yesterday at Gayan Samaj would agree with me.

If there is anything called "bliss", "blissful harmony", then it is this!

Do I talk about the soulful madhyamavathi or Sanjay's ever mukhari or the elaborate simhendramadhyamam? Do I talk about his spontaneity in swara prasthara or his creativity in the ragaalapana? His varieties in thanam or the sahitya handling in neraval? Each time I come out of Sanjay's concert, I exclaim that that’s the best ever and so did I yesterday too.

Each piece was unique. Every piece was a master piece.

The concert took off with atta tala varnam, guess that was in kedaragowla. Can’t understand where does he dig deep to get such rare collections. The second piece surprised the crowd. A crisp varali in place of usual natai or hamsadwani, "eti janmamidi". It was crisp and deft yet deep. Varali was followed by a slightly elaborate Marga hindolam."Chalamelara saketharama" – a definite brand for this raga was executed with a detailed alapana and swara kalpana margining the nuances of the raga skillfully. I could hear the crowd murmuring "saramathi" during the alapana of marga hindolam; I would definitely say it was more because of non-expectation of marga hindolam at this juncture, and in this elaborate fashion that even the learned folks were little off-key. Sanjay convoluted on a raga which people don’t even use as a concert filler these days. Kudos Sanjay!

“Bagu meera” in shankarabharanam was lucid and evocative. Shankarabharanam -the old-world charm was handled in its entirety. Mukhari succeeded this. “Shivakama sundari” – I have always associated Mukhari with Sanjay, even after hearing mukhari from several other veterans. No elaborations, no extravaganza, simple krithi rendition; it was out of the world, Sublime!

A detailed madhyamavathi followed this. “Palinchu kamakshi” - What an expansive alapana, a majestic neraval at “kanthamagu peru pondhithivi karunyamoorthivai jagamu kapadina talli” and a vibrant swara prasthara. Madyamavathi was aesthetically rendered, no modern day gimmicks, the traditional raga was given its best due.

Swathi Tirunal’s celebrated krithi in kuntalavarali “Bhogindra shayinam” came next. The Devanagari piece had the needed sahitya shuddhathe(clean pronunciation and rendition).

Next came the main section - RTP in Simhendramadyama . He handled a detailed alaapana, not leaving any bit unturned; Simhendramadhyama raga on its own is quite captivating; Sanjay added to the aesthetics of it giving it his stamp, unexpected brugas, with his head nodding swiftly to match up the pace of his singing. It was a sight to capture, a musical feast to hold on to! Thanam was masterly, reflecting the conventional tanam varieties; Shankha thanam needs a special mention here; Words fall short to explain. By the time he started with Pallavi, in misra chapu the auditorium was completely energized. There was a smell and spell of simhendramadhyama in the ether all around. There was a skillful portrayal of khanda nadai . His manodharma saw no bounds; it seemed as if the notes were dancing to his command. The Pallavi was set to ragamalika. Sahana, mohanam and anandabhairavi were handled briefly; natakuranji, hindolam, kedara, kapi , behag and suruti though gave a swift peek, left an aesthetic presence.
There were few walk-outs during the tani-avarthanam phase, but this no little diluted the pace and the vibrance of tani. Vid Neyveli Venkatesh and Vid Guruprasanna complimented each other gracefully throughout the tani and displayed their mastery over their instruments; Through the reminder of the concert, the layam blended seamlessly with the compositions. There were a plenty of offerings by the violinist Vid Varadarajan in addition to an attentive support to the main artiste. His swara kalpana in madhyamavathi stood apart; manodharma and krithi handling were commendable.

Dasara nindisabeda in Desh and Vishweswar darshankar in sindhubhairavi pleasantly decorated the thukudas section.

Its 15-16 hrs past the concert now and I am still in a state of trance. Sanjay took us through a musical dimension. The audience sat dumbfounded for whole 3 hrs or more.The concert showed remarkable maturity and poise. There was speed when needed, but nothing was compromised for it.
A genuine sensation, a power packed performance , total mastery, a rage of finesse..... Yesterday was a witness to all these!

Experiencing the Navagraha krithis

Cannot thank enough for the wonderful Navagraha krithis’ get-together yesterday at Guru’s place. What a commemoration to the closure of Navaratri! He always has a special and musical way of celebrating occasions.

Thanks to the Musical Guru Dikshitar for making Navagraha homa possible and easy for everyone who is committed to the divine art - MUSIC. It is said that reciting Dikshitar’s 9 compositions on the 9 planets yields the palan(result) of a detailed Navagraha pooja. If I say we experienced, for an hour and half, the direct effect of vibrational energy while singing the navagraha krithis yesterday, it wouldn’t be an overstatement. People who doubt the vibrational medicine should be part of such gatherings to comprehend the experience.

Let me utilize this blog post to heave in details on Navagraha krithis from my other blog (is now obsolete).

Dikshitar was a musical genius. His compositions encompassed every realm of learning - Mythology, Devotion, Divinity, Vedanta, Astrology. In every composition, the lyrics are seen to subtly weave with the talam employed, making it a majestic temple complex. Navagraha krithis are Dikshitar's compositions on 9 planets (grahas). It is believed that "Brihaspathe" in raga "atana" was first of the 9 krithis to be composed. The story(a version known to me, pardon me if there are better and more genuine versions of this narration) behind this great proceed goes like this:

A villager, Thambiappan once suffered from stomach ailment and no Doctor or medicine could come to his help. He approached Sri Mutthuswami Dikshitar, learned man in the neighborhood. On knowing Thambiappan’s ailment, Dikshitar jotted the birth chart of Thambiappan-His horoscope. From the chart, he inferred that Brihaspathi-Jupiter was not in a position much favored and that his ailment could see cure only if the Grahadhipathi of Jupitor, Brihaspathi was pleased. He proposed few rituals to appease Brihaspathi, but a commoner like him would find such rituals difficult to understand and hence to perform.
This enthused Dikshitar to wrap these compound rituals in a package accessible to all. He then composed “Brihaspate” in Atana ragam to propiate the planet Jupiter and prescribed this divine medicine to Thambiappan. As ordained, his ailment was cured in a week. After this incident, Dikshitar composed krithis on all the nine planets.

Salient traits to be observed here are the choice of raga and tala for each krithi. Talas, out of suladhi sapta thalas are carefully chosen to match each planet’s rotary motion. Tala, like the planetary movements, is a measure of time. The astrological periods of time are mapped with the musical intervals - talas.

Sampoorna-bhashanga ragas are chosen for these exceptional krithis. “Sampoorna” ragas musically indicate the complete mastery(independence) of each Grahadhyaksha/Grahadhipathi on that particular planet. The free unfettered movement of the grahas is mirrored by bhashanga ragas which do not get disturbed by shackles of janaka ragas, but freely imbibe anya swaras.
1. Suryamurthe Namosthuthe -Saurashtra Raga, Chaturasra Druva Tala
2. Chandram Bhaja Manasa -Asaveri Raga, Chaturasra Matya Tala
3. Angarakam Ashrayamyaham - Surati Raga, Rupaka Tala
4. Budham Ashrayami - Nattakurunji Raga, Misra Jhampa Tala
5. Brihaspathe Tarapathe -Atana Raga, Tisra Triputa Tala
6. Sri Sukhra Bhagavantham -Paraj Raga, Khanda Atta Tala
7. Divakaratanujam Shanaishcharam -Yadukulakamboji Raga, Chaturasra Eka Tala
8. Smaramyaham Sadarahum -Ramapriya Raga, Rupaka Tala
9. Mahasuram Ketumaham -Shanmukhapriya Raga, Rupaka Tala

Navagraha krithis are known for their musical and lyrical brilliance. (Singing) These compositions shield us with divine power; leave us with an out of world experience. It feels as if everything is still, yet active; asleep yet awake; These masterpieces take us to a trance.

Carnatic maestro Vid. Madurai Mani Iyer yet again proved the gratified essence of these compositions by being an example himself. (http://maduraimani.tripod.com/id11.html)
Our musical ancestors knew and showed that music heals, ages back, and we are still contemplating!

Ref:journal of guruguha gana vidyalaya - Dr.Gauri Kuppuswamy and Dr.M.Hariharan
Wikipage for Navagraha krithis

Carnatic music - Is it only for a few ? - A random thought

People claim that Carnatic music is more popular among the aged population than the trendy ones. They shore up their tirade by quoting that Carnatic music is mostly based on divinity and religion and that says it all. This puts up a question - Can an atheist enjoy Carnatic music? Is Carnatic music meant only for a creamy class of people? Is it meant for the matured and the aged minds alone?

The forefathers of Carnatic music undoubtedly took to the path of Music to realize God. While God realization was the ultimate goal, they enjoyed the trail as much as the destination. Music (singing as an exercise) encompasses Holistic breathing and chakra stabilization - Healthy mind, healthy body and Healthy body, healthy mind. This lit their journey driven by a body, pink in health and a white peaceful mind. Religion and divinity were then the two topics aspected to a good living. Any new venture was then to either embrace or oppose these. The musical ancestors combined the elements of Bhakthi and Music passionately. The initial endeavors paid off well. More people were attracted towards this artistic form. This heralded a new era to the preachers of other dimensions like philosophy, jingoism etc. Capturing the underlying rule, the raga and the bhava, on the whole the medium – MUSIC imprisoned the crowd-following and not the orientation, be it spiritual, patriotic or religion. Music then was taken as a podium to unite people for a single cause. Carnatic music can hence be said to have originated from the spiritual and religious milieu. But it dint stagnate there, it gradually crossed the boundaries.

It’s the strengths that makes Carnatic music, Music oriented and not situation bound.
Simple and expressive, intricate and challenging: The range of melodic and rhythmic ideas that Carnatic music offers can be employed in a simple, appealing way or in a subtle structure as well. Saint Thyagaraja’s early compositions, Divya nama sankeerthanams make easier meal compared to Dikshithar’s Navagraha, Navavarana krithis. While that serves the religious and theist populace, lighter compositions like the javalis, challenging nadais in thillanas and Pallavi(RTP) have the ability to hold tight the younger generation.

Carnatic music thus offers a wide scope to quench the desire for expansion, be it in the lyrical, melodic or the rhythmic direction. Ragas and swaras are bound to no God, no religion. They just belong to the language of music, the religion of music. A phrase with no words absolutely can be remarkably intellectual compared to a composition laden with words.

Why is it then people still associate Music to God and divinity? In my idea, the depth of expression and directness that Carnatic music offers can probably be not compared to anything mortal or easily known. Carnatic music dwells in the soul, lights the inward journey and hands an easy path to converse with the mind.

Bhakthi, divinity, devotion, theism are topics not comfortable for many these days owing to the growing diverse tastes, beliefs and rationales of people. The contemporary ideas could probably make the younger crowd stay away from core Carnatic music and embrace new-fangled music. Let the ideas of philosophy and religion not dilute the traditional art forms. Human life wouldn’t be complete if the aesthetic angle is ignored and the young minds have to be exposed to such beautiful artistic forms early in life. Spirituality and religion can be late comers but not art.

A fitting conclusion to this post would be to recollect Sri TM Krishna's words from one of his Marghazhi utsavam's concert. He said Music is divine, and anything that’s being sung is divine and slopes on Bhakthi, with Bhakthi meaning deep focus on a theme, not necessarily God. And if he sings a composition on love or even just about a stone, its all in the name of BHAKTHI.

PS: Do not mind my bias to this art form. Intention is not to neglect the rest.

Articles published in Whiteline journal(Bombay)

Whiteline journal:

http://issuu.com/sasidharannair/docs/wl_eng-june2010 (pg 43)
http://issuu.com/malayalabhumi/docs/whiteline_journal_may_2010_issue (pg 34)
http://issuu.com/sasidharannair/docs/wl-eng-july (pg 38)
http://issuu.com/premlal/docs/wl-eng-sept_ (pg 40)

Carnatic Ragas

This post shall be updated as and when new ragas are posted on Kamalakeerthana website:

Vagadeeshwari : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Vaagadeeshwari.php

Reethigowla : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Reethigowla.php

Shubhapanthuvarali : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Shubhapanthuvarali.php

Hamsanandi : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Hamsanandi.php

Gowrimanohari : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Gowrimanohari.php

Lathangi : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Lathangi.php

Kamalamanohari : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Kamalamanohari.php

Kalyanavasantha : http://www.kamalakeertana.org/Kalyana_Vasantha.php

Visit Later

"It has been a while since I got time to sit back and recollect the green chapters of my life. Shahrukh's fan club bunking classes for his first day first show, chitchat with Leena by the college compound, lastbenchers' gossips..."Listen, you got to concentrate. You have to complete the code review by End Of the Day”, heard Hamsa saying to herself.

"The team has spent on him sending him to many trainings in and outside the company. He has got no better. He thinks he can write bit-banging code. But only he can understand, not even the compiler which has to optimize it." retorted Hamsa a little louder this time that she heard it hitting her own ears; that’s when she realized she was indeed loud.

Masters, PhD, marriage, kids, and career got in way. Moving in pursuit of her dreams, Hamsa had lost track of the path that had led her to who she was today. If at all a time machine were to be employed to track the rush hour performance of her busy life, it would start emoting like a human and cry to death.

Heeding to her mind's voice Hamsa got immersed in her review work till she came across a comment by the author in the code. "Naveen: Visit this function later. But do visit. It is important to fix this". She sternly added a review comment to the developer saying, this function is left unattended. "Visit later" just means it isn’t immediate, but you need to close such remarks before you come to the reviewer. Hamsa, though was a good techie, was never so strong in her words. Today her mind was elsewhere, it was pre-occupied.

Though the line dint mean a deal for her in the code, it took her back by years.
Her memories traveled back, back by 7-8 years and landed on the wooden bench of a corner dark room of her college. Hamsa used to spend more time at college than home. A popular student in her small college, Hamsa was acing her courses well. Having lost her father early in life, she had the best influence and protection of one of her lecturers which kept her strong and spirited. Mr. Rathore was a lecturer of a class. Though the subject he handled was Computer Architecture, he taught more on life than on the subject. He often urged students to discuss life and was sure each had a good bit to share. Some of his colleagues passed snide comments on Mr. Rathore, but he never was troubled as long as the students were him with. Hamsa had not come across a lecturer of his kind till then and never later, in her Post Graduate and Doctoral courses. If she were a successful person academically and in her career today, it was partly due to her commitment and majorly due to Mr. Rathore's shade. He would push for students to study more, not for a job or for the money, but for knowledge. His thirst for knowledge was insatiable. Though Hamsa was a grade A student, her inclination towards Rathore's subject would get her a grade above A in it if there was one. Rathore was passionate about what he taught and he passed on the same to his students. Hamsa wished to do her higher studies under Rathore and specialize in his subject.

Hamsa graduated in flying colors and her merit fetched her admissions in distant graded Universities. But she insisted on continuing in the small college under her much preferred lecturer Rathore. He tries his part to convince her to embrace bigger and better opportunities. Hamsa doesn’t easily get swayed. He then says something that makes Hamsa agree, though diffidently, "Leave now, visit later, but do visit. This college and I shall be happy to welcome you as our professor.”

Hamsa comes back in time. This time she lands inside a sleek, modern, architectural glass structure, sitting on a sophisticated computer chair with the world's slimmest and top brand laptop in front of her, doing the code review. It’s difficult to say no to fancy life, big money. But Hamsa decides to trail back the path which led her here. She convinces her partner and children to go back to the little corner town and lead a simple yet meaningful life.

She finally returns to her village just to hear from Mr. Rathore "Thanks for the comeback. I knew this would happen before my retiring from the college and you marked my retirement day. You shall handle my subject here forth".