RELEVANCE OF RAGAM TANAM PALLAVI IN TODAY’S CONCERTS
Ragam Tanam Pallavi is an important part of a concert in the realm of Carnatic Music.
It is regarded as the “piece-de- resistance” as it provides the ideal platform for a performer to exhibit his/her “vidwat” in terms of improvisation.
To draw a parallel it can be compared to writing an essay in English where the writer needs proficiency in Grammar and Language, besides being Imaginative in his approach. Essay writing also tests the ability of a person to weave a synchronous thread of continuity. In other words, the “story telling” capability of a person comes to the fore. Similarly, when singing a RTP the performer needs to have a strong grasp of “Raga Lakshana”, “Laya” and vivid imagination – strictly within the realms of the accepted grammar. This restriction makes performing a RTP challenging as well as exciting.
It is interesting to see the evolution of this aspect of performance in today’s context. To do proper justice to a RTP it may not be out of place to allot at least one hour for the same in a concert. In the days gone by it was quite regular for a performer to allocate even 2 hours to RTP if not more.
The accepted practice has been to:
• Sing / Play the Ragam in three stages;
• Sing / Play an elaborate Taanam;
• Engage oneself in a detailed neraval exercise; and
• Do a “Thri-kalam” of the Pallavi Passage;
o Many established performers like the inimitable Alathur Brothers would only chose a 4-kalai Pallavi or an 8-kalai Pallavi which would mean that “Anulomam and Prathilomam” would inevitably follow.
• This would then be followed by “kalpanaswarams” in Raga maligai.
In this context it would be most appropriate to mention Sangeetha Acharya Vidwan Shri Chengelput Ranganthan Sir. His neraval singing is a benchmark in itself! 4-kalai and 8 kalai pallavis are like child’s play for him! We only wonder how his Guru Maha Vidwan Shri Alathur Venakatesa Iyer would have performed!
Today – the “accepted practice” is under scrutiny. We find RTPs rendered in 15-20 min. 4-kalai and 8-kalai pallavis have become a rarity. The reasons perhaps are not far to seek:
• How do you do justice to a Pallavi when the concert duration is only for 2 hrs or less?
• Is there a danger of losing Rasika Interest if the performer indulges in a detailed RTP exercise?
• Does it also point to a rather embarrassing question, namely the ability to perform, for instance, an 1/4 eduppu 2-kalai or 1/8 eduppu “4-kalai” or “8-kalai” Pallavi?
• Should a detailed Pallavi be performed only if the concert is touted as a “4 hr” concert or a “Pallavi concert”?
This is a topic that does not have straightforward answers. This is open to discussion.
In this context, we are going to reproduce an excerpt of what the great vidwan late Shri S.Balachander had to say in this regard. Vidwan Shri S. Balachander never minced words. He was very forthright in his opinions and he had the mastery (read Vidwat) to back his words. So, here it goes – Ladies and Gentlemen - please tighten your seat belts:
Excerpts from the foreword written by the late Veena S. Balachander (in 1971) to "Icai-ulakil Maka Vaittiyanata Civan' by V.S. Gomathisankara Iyer
“How sad is the level of Pallavi-singing these days! For this deplorable condition prevailing today, I totally and unreservedly blame only most of those prominent musicians of "YESTERDAY". Except for 'Mudikondan' Venkatrama Iyer, G.N.B., and Alathur Brothers and a very few more, the majority of the others took no care, interest or efforts in learning, striving and maintaining the proper 'Laya-personified' and Thaala-interwoven' intelligent ...intricate...involving, intellectual...inspiring and inimitable PALLAVI-singing. They thought it wise not to take any risk! They were just satisfied traversing the "safe-sure-successful" path. "Success' mainly depended in not achieving the 'impossible', but only in as much maintaining all that was 'possible'. That is why we had (and suffered from) a surfeit of "Aadhi-thaalam Mukkal-eduppu PARIMALA RANGAPATHAY"... & "Aadhi-thaalam Sundu Viral Sama-eduppu THILLAI EESANAI" PALLAVIS! How so pathetically easy! How so shamefully simple and elementary! WHO CARES!? One just made "mountains out of mole-hills" with no substance but with lots of Pretence! Effortless Success was assured! And the fame won was Safeguarded! Just imagine as to what would have tragically happened if the same, very same (course of utter safety) was also adopted by those of the still previous eras...like 'Mahaa" Vaidhyanatha Iyer himself for instance, or 'Poochi' Srinivasa Iyengar or "Namakkal' Narasimha Iyengar, or...(the list seems endless).
Most of those of 'YESTERDAY' who, day in and day out..year in and year out, spoke volumes about the musical-glories of the past, of their Masters, of their Paramparas, of their ancient styles and hereditary assets, never exerted even their little-finger in the aspect of "PALLAVI singing". I can excuse their incompetence in this regard if need be. But, i have never tolerated and never forgive them for their wanton (and highly motivated) insolence in heartlessly discouraging even those few other (not yet prominent and not so successful) musicians, who, fervently wishing to preserve the 'sathya'-laya-oriented style of singing PALLAVIS as done in the good old days, were genuinely spending hours and hours in fruitful - truthful study, research, practice and pursuit. These sincere but not so popular musicians were told and advised that such 'intricate' & 'involved' Pallavi singing was out-moded and out-dated and out of style and out of the reach of listeners!THOSE VERY SAME VIDWANS who time and again insisted that THEY WERE PRESERVING ALL THE ANCIENT, TRADITIONAL, HEREDITARY AND SAMPRADAYA-BOUND "MUSICAL HERITAGE".If only they had the open goodness to admit that certain of these ancient Pallavis were only out of _ THEIR - reach and far - from - THEIR - grasp and if only they had had the graciousness to faithfully encourage those others who were attempting laya-oriented truly 'Sampradaya - PALLAVIS', then, today this sorry state of affairs could have been totally avoided. Even maintaining a rhythmic-tempo of "Sarvalaghu-suddham" had to be considered as a great formidable (and at times 'unsurmountable'!) task by certain Vidwans of yesterday.And thanks to them, as already quoted, the present 'upto-date' Pallavi-singing brought into popular vogue by them is nothing different from a most-simple and most-elementary and most-bland "Arai-eduppu' Pallavi as in the first line of the song "Brovabharama" .. or, even that of a "sama-eduppu" Pallavi as in the first line of the song "Daarini Telusukonti"!!! One should truly be ashamed to call them (under the grossly misused title of) PALLAVI singing.
(stuff deleted)
Before being conferred the Title of "Mahaa", Sri Vaidhyanatha Sivan, on that occasion, chose to sing the raagam, "CHAKRAVAAKAM". The mere rendering of the raaga-aalaapana itself made the entire Sadas start wondering as to "What" Ragam it was!!! They had never heard it before! They could not 'identify' it! ........ (stuff deleted) This incident happened more than one hundred years ago. And...even TODAY... inspite of the passing of years, ragas like even Vakulaabharanam, Kokilapriya, Hemavathi, Bhavapriya, Gamanasrama, Dharmavathi, Natabhairavi, Shadvidamaargini, Sarasangi etc, etc. are YET TO BE MADE POPULAR AND EASILY IDENTIFIABLE BY WE MUSICIANS, TO THE AUDIENCE AT LARGE!!! (Leave alone ragas like Naaganandini, Navaneetam, Maanavathi, Dhaatuvardhini, Roopavathi, Jankaaradhwani, Raghupriya, Kosalam, Soolini, Chitraambhari, Kantaamani, Saalagam, Naasika Bhooshani, etc etc etc) Again, who is to be blamed for this sorry state of affairs? I personally can and shall blame only those who, all these years kept on singing REPEATEDLY (as per their self-imposed SAFE MEASURE) ragas like Kalyaani, Kaambhoji, Sankarabharanam, Bhairavi, Thodi, Keeravani, Karaharapriya, Shanmughapriya ... and I am afraid the list ends here...full-stop!”
We have taken this excerpt from what was reproduced by “Ramana”. Ramana - thank you very much for bringing this piece to light.
Disclaimer: This is not intended to be a finger pointing exercise. If it can bring people together for a meaningful discussion, it is something that would be followed with a lot of interest.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Veenavaadhini Students Performances
On the 27th and 28th of December, 2008, the Gayatri Fine Arts, Rohini, New Delhi, organized a Talent Promotion Concert Series. On the 28th was a solo Veenai recital by Veena Venkatramani. The songs played were Kedaragowlai varnam, Vathapi Ganapathim, Shobillu Saptaswara, Ananda Amritavarshini, Mamavatu Shree Saraswati, Devi Neeye Tunai, Desh Thillana, English Note and Vaishanava Janato.
ON January 1, 2009, Kamakshi and Meenakshi sang a vocal concert at the Kalikamba Temple in Parrys, Chennai. The songlist comprised mostly of those in praise of Devi, including a rare composition of Muthaiah Bhagavathar, "Kalarathri Swarupini" in the raga Urmika.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
PILGRIMAGE TO TIRUVANNAMALAI AND VIRINCHIPURAM
On December 5th we embarked on a trip to Thiruvannamalai and Virinchipuram as part of our Pilgrimage with Dikshitar. It was a truly unforgettable experience! We are immensely grateful to Sri Chandrasekara Sastrigal, who arranged the darshan, the group singing sitting in front of the shrine of Arunachaleshwarar, and took wonderful care of us, despite it being very crowded, the time coinciding with the Brahmotsavam period of Karthigai Deepam. We sang Arunachalanatham Smarami, Dishitar's composition in Saranga, sitting just a couple of feet away from the shrine. The temple authorities then requested us to sing a song in front of Amman as well. Since Dikshitar has not composed any kriti on Abheetakuchambal, we sang Kamalambam Bhajare in Kalyani in the Amman sannidhi. Thereafter we proceeded to listen to Veda Parayanam, and Vastradanam was made to the priests (shawls were presented). We would like to acknowledge the contributions of Smt and Sri K. Balasubramanian, Smt and Sri H.P Ramamurthy and Smt and Sri Arjun Shankar for their contributions towards the Vastradanam made by the Veenavaadhini group in Thiruvannamalai.
After lunch we proceeded to the Margabandheeshwarar temple in Virinchipuram, which is about 13 km from Vellore on the Gudiyatham route. What a magnificient temple! We were completely overwhelmed by the architecture and the serene peaceful surroundings. We soaked in the atmosphere to our heart's content. When we entered the Margabandhu shrine, there was no electricity. It was about 5:30 PM and we witnessed the beautiful sight of the abhishekam being performed on the lingam in the light of the lamps lit there. Oh! What a sight! We sang Margasahayeshwaram Bhajeham in the raga Kasiramakriya as well as Parvathikumaram Bhavaye in Nattakurinji while the abhishekam was being performed. After partaking the abhisheka theertham, we proceeded to the Maragathavalli Amman Sannidhi. The idol was beautiful. It is interesting to note that from this Sannadhi there is a tunnel (surangapadhai) which goes right up to the Vellore Fort. This, we gathered, was for the royal family to use in case of an emergency. We sang Maragathavalli Manasa Smarami in the raga Kambhoji in the Amman Sannadhi. There was a feeling of contentment, which is difficult to describe in words.
We did take some pictures which are uploaded here. Also is a slide show on Virinchipuram which we found on the web, in an album created by Mr. Achyutha RN. Unfortunately he has not indicated his email id, whereby we would have acknowledged to him in writing. We hope he chances upon this post and writes to us, and we can profusely thank him for his beautiful pictures.
Virinchipuram Temple of Lord Shiva.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
PILGRIMAGE TO ADIPURISHWARAR TEMPLE
As part of our "Pilgrimage With Dikshitar" endeavour, a group of us went to the Vadivudaiamman Temple in Tiruvottriyur, Chennai. The Moolavar here is Adipurishwarar on whom Dikshitar has composed "Adipurishwaram Sada Bhajeham" in the Raga Arabhi. We sang the songs Adipurishwaram and Tripurasundari (Raga Sama) sitting in front of the Sannadhi of Adipurishwarar. The lingam is described in the song as "Naga Kavacha Dhara Saikata Lingam." It was a wonderful experience to see the golden nagakavacham on the Lingam, and correlate the same with the words in the song as we sung. The rendition is uploaded in Veenavaadhini's podcast (the pink box on the right in this site). For more on the temple please visit the temple website www.vadivudaiamman.org
Monday, November 24, 2008
OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
OH CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN! (An Article on Our Guru)
Have you met a person who lived all his life by the rules he wrote?
We have!
Yes - we are referring to – “SIR” - the great Veenai Vidwan and a fantastic teacher – Late Shri Anantharama Iyer whose contribution to the world of music is by all counts truly immeasurable.
His pedigree was indeed impeccable. But that was not his claim to fame. He was a colossus in his own right! For Countless people like us he was a source of inspiration. Yet he was down to earth, humble, and affectionate. He could be incredibly humorous and his sense of timing was amazing! He taught us what it is to be passionate and what it means to live for one’s belief.
To write about SIR is an honor and at the same time a real challenge! How does one do justice to such a multi-faceted personality? Having taken up this mammoth challenge we sure are going to try!
Having learnt from SIR for more than three decades, we have had great moments of inspiration. Memories of our gurukulavasam-like learning days are fresh in our minds and will continue to be.
The first thing that set SIR apart was his ability to induce people – young and old – to love music! He convinced each of us that Music is a way of life. Each Class would be unique - a different experience. He would expose us to the subtleties of various facets in the way which was distinctly his own! He was a great enabler. He would lead us to the desired destination with minimum fuss and no coercion.
We do not remember toiling hard to grasp the nuances of a Bhairavi or a Todi or a Yadukula Khamboji - however we toiled extremely hard to reproduce the same in our own chosen field. The ethos of a ragam would be seamlessly imparted by SIR but he would ensure we got it right by rigorous practice. He was a stickler for hard work. No compromises from him in that department. His golden words - “ to get something right – a vocalist has to practice at least 10 times ; a Violinist has to play it 100 times and if you were a Veena player you have to practice the same a 1000 times”.
He had a unique way of imparting knowledge. The key feature that differentiated his style from others was his instinctive approach to music. He could gauge the talent of each of his students and would work tirelessly to bring the unique talent in each individual to the fore without comprising on basics. This way he ensured his students moved away from the “herd” mentality, had a distinctive style of their own and at the same time adhered to the core tenets of classical music. He believed in his disciples. We have never seen him give up on ANYBODY. We have seen miracles which only he was capable of producing.
He was a purist yet extremely innovative. A Shankarabharanam would always be of the classical style – but would never be repetitive. Ragas like Begada, Darbar and Saveri would be steeped in the traditions of Carnatic Music – yet his Miya ki Malhar or Gurjari Todi would make one go in a trance. He was extremely capable of singing Mecha Kalyani and Yaman or Madhyamavati and Megh or Jujavanti and Jayjaywanti in the same breath. He could switch from Nayaki to Darbar in quick succession to elaborate the subtle yet poignant differences! It was a treat for us! All of us who have attended those classes would be speechless and would be in a world of own! Yes! We have tasted Nirvana! Surprised? It is true! Did we not say that we were fortunate?
His style of rendering Tanam, Neraval and Kalpana Swaram was truly magnificent. Without being biased we can proudly say that his style of rendering tanam (especially in Veena) remains unsurpassed. He would sing Nereval steeped in “sarva laghu” - yet would be pregnant with innumerable mathematical variations. He could move effortlessly between chathushram, thisram and kantam. It would never be hard on the ears! A layman could sit back and enjoy and a student could be delighted in figuring out the laya intricacies. None of this would be imposed on the students – the students would however find it extremely easy to imbibe his technique – it only needed focus and attention!
His Gamakas! Ah! One more of his sweet spots! He had his own style. Perfection! Thou were a slave in SIR’s hands! Each Gamaka was measured and to the point! He was a king in the art of alternating between “Vellinam” and “Mellinam”!
Unknown to many - he had a great fascination for RTP! In one of his visits to Chennai – after dinner – he happened to hear a recorded Pallavi concert of the great Alathur Brothers (our personal favorites!). Sir then proceeded to give us some insights as to how to sing Pallavis and the various facets that would need special attention. At once we were amazed and very sad! Amazed at how simple things can be and sad as to how the world has missed knowing this “gentle giant”.
Another interesting aspect of SIR was his ability to be agnostic to musical forms. Once when we were in a class – a ghazal sung by Begum Akhtar wafted in through the open window. Sir stopped teaching, beckoned all of us to be quiet, closed his eye and listened to the entire ghazal in a meditative mode. At the end of the ghazal he quietly closed shop for the day as he wanted to dwell upon what he had heard! He would appreciate good music from any quarter.
He was Childlike. On a lighter note - at times when we would be less than prepared with the previous day’s lessons – we would try our tricks to get out of an embarrassing situation. We would play a ragam even though SIR would not have specifically asked us to play! We would play specific phrases that were SIR’s favorites! Objective was to take “his eye off the ball”! Sure enough – simple that he was – he would get into the mood and the class would take a different hue! Yet – we would still be nervous! Wonder why? Here in comes SIR’s sister - our beloved TEACHER! At the end of the session - teacher would quietly come in and ask us to follow her into the other room and then start with the “KRITI” taught the previous day! No guesses for what would be our state of affairs at the end of the class! Perfect team work – the best BROTHER – SISTER combination that one can think of!
Punctuality was his buzz word. He would be extremely nervous if people around him did not meet his exacting standards. Here - “yours truly” was hardly successful in coming close to his expectations! I managed to constantly “irk” him despite best efforts! We had to be ready and on stage for a concert at least 15 minutes before time! I have always been a “just in time” person! I would never meet his eye till the concert commenced. This could be resolved only by commencing the concert strongly with a couple of his favorite phrases and I would be back in favor! Well! Jaysri has had no such issues! But true to SIR’s wishes – though we play as a duet team we don’t believe in the “herd” mentality – we have our individual styles that has had its impact on our definition of what is punctual!
We could go on and on about SIR! But some thoughts are too personal and may be a little difficult to share! They can only be experienced!
Whenever we think of SIR (and one cannot separate SIR and TEACHER!) we are reminded of the great Poem – “OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN” - by Walt Whitman.
Some excerpts from the Poem that that are close to our hearts:
"O Captain my Captain! Our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack; the prize we sought is won;
The Port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting”
O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up – for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills;
For you the bouquets and ribbon wreaths for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning……"
SIR was a phenomenon! He lives in all of us!
SIR -we owe you for what we are! You continue to be the guiding light that guides our Ship through difficult waters! We know we will reach the shore – because you are with us!
HARI OM TATSAT!
JT JEYARAAJ KRISHNAN & JAYSRI JEYARAAJ KRISHNAN
This is an extract from an article published in the souvenir of Guruguha Sangeeth Sammelan dedicated to the memory of SIR on his 80th Birth Anniversary.
Have you met a person who lived all his life by the rules he wrote?
We have!
Yes - we are referring to – “SIR” - the great Veenai Vidwan and a fantastic teacher – Late Shri Anantharama Iyer whose contribution to the world of music is by all counts truly immeasurable.
His pedigree was indeed impeccable. But that was not his claim to fame. He was a colossus in his own right! For Countless people like us he was a source of inspiration. Yet he was down to earth, humble, and affectionate. He could be incredibly humorous and his sense of timing was amazing! He taught us what it is to be passionate and what it means to live for one’s belief.
To write about SIR is an honor and at the same time a real challenge! How does one do justice to such a multi-faceted personality? Having taken up this mammoth challenge we sure are going to try!
Having learnt from SIR for more than three decades, we have had great moments of inspiration. Memories of our gurukulavasam-like learning days are fresh in our minds and will continue to be.
The first thing that set SIR apart was his ability to induce people – young and old – to love music! He convinced each of us that Music is a way of life. Each Class would be unique - a different experience. He would expose us to the subtleties of various facets in the way which was distinctly his own! He was a great enabler. He would lead us to the desired destination with minimum fuss and no coercion.
We do not remember toiling hard to grasp the nuances of a Bhairavi or a Todi or a Yadukula Khamboji - however we toiled extremely hard to reproduce the same in our own chosen field. The ethos of a ragam would be seamlessly imparted by SIR but he would ensure we got it right by rigorous practice. He was a stickler for hard work. No compromises from him in that department. His golden words - “ to get something right – a vocalist has to practice at least 10 times ; a Violinist has to play it 100 times and if you were a Veena player you have to practice the same a 1000 times”.
He had a unique way of imparting knowledge. The key feature that differentiated his style from others was his instinctive approach to music. He could gauge the talent of each of his students and would work tirelessly to bring the unique talent in each individual to the fore without comprising on basics. This way he ensured his students moved away from the “herd” mentality, had a distinctive style of their own and at the same time adhered to the core tenets of classical music. He believed in his disciples. We have never seen him give up on ANYBODY. We have seen miracles which only he was capable of producing.
He was a purist yet extremely innovative. A Shankarabharanam would always be of the classical style – but would never be repetitive. Ragas like Begada, Darbar and Saveri would be steeped in the traditions of Carnatic Music – yet his Miya ki Malhar or Gurjari Todi would make one go in a trance. He was extremely capable of singing Mecha Kalyani and Yaman or Madhyamavati and Megh or Jujavanti and Jayjaywanti in the same breath. He could switch from Nayaki to Darbar in quick succession to elaborate the subtle yet poignant differences! It was a treat for us! All of us who have attended those classes would be speechless and would be in a world of own! Yes! We have tasted Nirvana! Surprised? It is true! Did we not say that we were fortunate?
His style of rendering Tanam, Neraval and Kalpana Swaram was truly magnificent. Without being biased we can proudly say that his style of rendering tanam (especially in Veena) remains unsurpassed. He would sing Nereval steeped in “sarva laghu” - yet would be pregnant with innumerable mathematical variations. He could move effortlessly between chathushram, thisram and kantam. It would never be hard on the ears! A layman could sit back and enjoy and a student could be delighted in figuring out the laya intricacies. None of this would be imposed on the students – the students would however find it extremely easy to imbibe his technique – it only needed focus and attention!
His Gamakas! Ah! One more of his sweet spots! He had his own style. Perfection! Thou were a slave in SIR’s hands! Each Gamaka was measured and to the point! He was a king in the art of alternating between “Vellinam” and “Mellinam”!
Unknown to many - he had a great fascination for RTP! In one of his visits to Chennai – after dinner – he happened to hear a recorded Pallavi concert of the great Alathur Brothers (our personal favorites!). Sir then proceeded to give us some insights as to how to sing Pallavis and the various facets that would need special attention. At once we were amazed and very sad! Amazed at how simple things can be and sad as to how the world has missed knowing this “gentle giant”.
Another interesting aspect of SIR was his ability to be agnostic to musical forms. Once when we were in a class – a ghazal sung by Begum Akhtar wafted in through the open window. Sir stopped teaching, beckoned all of us to be quiet, closed his eye and listened to the entire ghazal in a meditative mode. At the end of the ghazal he quietly closed shop for the day as he wanted to dwell upon what he had heard! He would appreciate good music from any quarter.
He was Childlike. On a lighter note - at times when we would be less than prepared with the previous day’s lessons – we would try our tricks to get out of an embarrassing situation. We would play a ragam even though SIR would not have specifically asked us to play! We would play specific phrases that were SIR’s favorites! Objective was to take “his eye off the ball”! Sure enough – simple that he was – he would get into the mood and the class would take a different hue! Yet – we would still be nervous! Wonder why? Here in comes SIR’s sister - our beloved TEACHER! At the end of the session - teacher would quietly come in and ask us to follow her into the other room and then start with the “KRITI” taught the previous day! No guesses for what would be our state of affairs at the end of the class! Perfect team work – the best BROTHER – SISTER combination that one can think of!
Punctuality was his buzz word. He would be extremely nervous if people around him did not meet his exacting standards. Here - “yours truly” was hardly successful in coming close to his expectations! I managed to constantly “irk” him despite best efforts! We had to be ready and on stage for a concert at least 15 minutes before time! I have always been a “just in time” person! I would never meet his eye till the concert commenced. This could be resolved only by commencing the concert strongly with a couple of his favorite phrases and I would be back in favor! Well! Jaysri has had no such issues! But true to SIR’s wishes – though we play as a duet team we don’t believe in the “herd” mentality – we have our individual styles that has had its impact on our definition of what is punctual!
We could go on and on about SIR! But some thoughts are too personal and may be a little difficult to share! They can only be experienced!
Whenever we think of SIR (and one cannot separate SIR and TEACHER!) we are reminded of the great Poem – “OH CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN” - by Walt Whitman.
Some excerpts from the Poem that that are close to our hearts:
"O Captain my Captain! Our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack; the prize we sought is won;
The Port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting”
O Captain! My Captain! Rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up – for you the flag is flung for you the bugle trills;
For you the bouquets and ribbon wreaths for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning……"
SIR was a phenomenon! He lives in all of us!
SIR -we owe you for what we are! You continue to be the guiding light that guides our Ship through difficult waters! We know we will reach the shore – because you are with us!
HARI OM TATSAT!
JT JEYARAAJ KRISHNAN & JAYSRI JEYARAAJ KRISHNAN
This is an extract from an article published in the souvenir of Guruguha Sangeeth Sammelan dedicated to the memory of SIR on his 80th Birth Anniversary.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
VEENA NAVARATHRI
The Veena Foundation and Indira Gandhi National Council for the Arts came together once again this year to celebrate the Veena Navarathri in Chennai with a series of Veena concerts for nine consecutive days. Shri Raghurama Ayyar is the person behind this veena movement so to speak, and his enthusiasm is driven by his passion for the instrument. Karthik Fine Arts, Narada Gana Sabha and Parthasarathy Swami Sabha supported this endeavour. The theme of the festival was Guru-Shishya Parampara and gave us the opportunity to showcase our disciples.
Veena Venkatramani, student of Veenavaadhini, performed at the Veena Navarathri. This picture of hers that appeared in The Hindu Friday Review edition of Chennai and copy of the report is given below:
"The finale to the series came with young Veena Venkataramani playing to the percussion of Ramkumar another youngster. “Ekathandam” in Bilahari, “Kanja dalaya dakshi” in Kamalamanohari and “Saraswathi vidhiyuvathi” in Hindolam were her selections."
Sunday, August 10, 2008
TEACHING CAMP IN TAMPA, FLORIDA
Teaching keen students who are prepared to put in the requisite time and effort is always a pleasure. It is difficult to understand why people talk of veena being on the wane, when you have people with such tremendous interest that they buy the instrument from India and get it transported all the way to the USA even before deciding when, where, how and from whom they are going to learn it. May their tribe increase.
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