Monday, October 31, 2011

Vibrations by Sri Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan

For a long time Mridangam professionals have been dealing with the audience walking out on them during their Thani Avardhanam, their solo part. It is a very rude behavior and actually shows the ignorance of some of the Carnatic music audience. Lately the trend has been positive in this behavior but the scar is deep. Mridangists have their own ways of coping with this. Some adapted a lot of flair and theatrics in playing keep the audience engaged. Some have taken the “Mrid” or softness out of the Mridangam to keep the audience entertained. Some have even tried admonishing the audience.

This situation may have also forced some creativity out of some mridangists. We shall call it the “reengineering” of the Carnatic musician ensemble. They are asking questions like – Why not try placing the mridangist at the center of the stage instead of being on one side? Why not start the concert with a Thani Avardhanam instead of sticking it towards the end of the main piece? Why don’t we use “konnakkol” alongside mridangam playing? And so on and so forth. By the way, Konnakkol is the language of the mridangists. Many of you will remember the song from Thiruvilaiyadal, Pattum Nane in the Ragam Gowri Manohari. Konnakkol is extensively used during the swara section (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_hBWlR3h0). In the west the music is notated extensively but the beats are not notated. In Carnatic music it is the reverse with Mridangam strokes extensively notated. We will talk more about this “reengineering” and the Vibrations concert in a bit.

As Carnatic music fans, we owe it to ourselves to learn the basics of tala. Driving my son every Saturday morning to the mridangam class and staying behind gave me a fairly decent exposure to appreciate mridangam playing. During the weeks preceding Prem’s arangetram I was drinking from the fire hose. But in general, I think even a small amount of exposure to the mridangam basics will make Carnatic music more enjoyable. For those with an analytical or mathematical bent of mind, the “laya” part of our music will be particularly attractive.

Chaturasra Eka – 4 beat cycle

Khanda Chapu – 5 beat cycle

Rupaka – 6 beat cycle

Tisra Triputai – 7 beat cycle

Mishra Chapu – 7 beat cycle (my favorite)

Adi – 8 beat cycle (most popular)

Khanda Jathi Triputai – 9 beat cycle

And son on.

There is a lot more to the field of laya. Some songs are played in double count of the same base tala called “Rettai Kilai” or double branched. The “nadai” or the flow pattern might change. For example, a favorite of everyone, knowingly or unknowingly, is the Adi Talam in Tisra Nadai – sounds like the Western Waltz, makes you want to get up and dance. Here you stay for three counts on every beat of the Adi Talam.

It only takes minimal effort to understand the basics our tala system. Once you are able to follow along the beats of the singer or some advanced rasikas your enjoyment will double – guaranteed. But do the talam subtly until you have mastered the basics. If you place wrong talam loudly you may encounter the wrath of the fellow rasikas or even the artists. Alright, let us go to the concert.

Vibrations led by Sri Thiruvarur Vaidyanathan on the Mridangam and Konnakkol, Raghavendra Rao on the Violin, Sundar on the Tabla and Morsing, Guruprasad on the Ghatam, Vocal music by Kashyap Mahesh and Janardhan on the Guitar and Mandolin. Let us discuss this type of “reengineered” concerts as genre first before going into the specifics of this program.

In this genre of music, I think you will agree that we are at the point of departure and the point of arrival is nowhere in sight. Currently we are experimenting with both the artists and the audiences delicately positioned. The artists who are promoting this genre are either top rated in their fields or budding musicians aspiring to grow. Talent is certainly not in question. It is definitely in a novelty category given that carnatic music tradition is over several centuries. There is definite appeal to the crossover audience into this genre. Highly traditional audiences and some artists might consider this as blasphemy. And then there is a whole spectrum in between. We have a long way to go before this is time tested. Personally, I welcome experimentation like jugal bandi’s with Hindustani, fusion with Jazz and percussion centric concerts like this one.

Alright, let us talk specifically about the concert. Sri Vaidyanathan has a supreme command over the instrument and has a very rich voice suited for delivering konnakkol. Initially the singer’s voice was completely drowned by the percussionists but his later song renditions were excellent. The violinist Sri Raghavendra Rao, who I consider one of the best in the traditional concert circuit, played with flair especially in one Jazz fusion number. There were too many instruments in the concert which distracted more than add value. At times when all the percussionists were playing together it was jarring. In a percussion centric concert, I expected a variety of talas to be presented but this concert had an over emphasis on Adi talam. Overall, it is an E for effort. Let us go song by song.

Adi Tala – concert started with a Thani in Adi. When tabla joined in for a low voice rendition of Vakra Thunda Maha Kaya in Arabi, is sounded more like light music program. Konnakkol was rendered very effectively in a rich voice and the phrases were nicely replicated by the Tabla player.

Song in Nasika Bhushani/Kanda Chapu - Lyrics were barely audible

A special composition in Thilang – had no lyrics. Sounded a bit cinematic, fast paced. Konnakkol again was great.

Mana Vyala Kim in Nalina Kanthi/Adi – started with a Thani. Playing the mridangam on the Toppi side only (the side usually without the black part) was unique. The experience was like listening to a western song.

Suddha Danyasi song – great energy and good fusion.

Maya Malava Gowle song – staged some unique duos like konnakkol/morsing, guitar/table. But the hand offs were not clean.

Main piece in Saraswathi/Adi – turned Mandolin into a percussion instrument for a brief period by repeating the konnakkol phrases. Mrigandam Thani was amazing. Ghatam was played with deft. The control displayed by Morsing vidhwan was fantastic. Tabla added a nice departure from the usual routine. Clarity at high speeds was amazing. The part for singer was only the Thanam. Violinist showed amazing talent. Engaged the audience in the entire song – best song of the concert.

Keeravani – Devi Neeye Thunai/Adi – soft song, quite a contrast to the rest of the concert. Very traditional

Brahmam Okate – brisk number

Special composition in Sri Ranjani by the violinist – nicely executed

Sri Chakra Raja – for the traditional fans in the audience. Well rendered

Chinnanchiru Kiliye, Tisra Nadai Adi – Great singing

A song in Revathi and Dhaneshri Thillana – Fantastic

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Abhishek Raghuram Vocal Concert

It is a good thing that Moammar Gaddafi is out of power in Libya. Ending his life in a gutter is a fitting end to this ruthless tyrant. It is hard to believe even after centuries since tyrants like Narakasura received their brutal end, we still got them ruling sections of this world. So called civilization is yet to have its complete hold when it comes to forms of government and how we accept being ruled. Anyway, for those of us celebrating Diwali to commemorate the death of Narakasura at the hands of Krishna, it got a little sweeter with the end of Gaddafi. Though I will admit it is difficult to imagine how an Indian sweet can be sweeter. Wish you all a Happy Diwali season moving right into Kanda Sashti celebrations.

Sri Abhishek Raghuram’s concert was very different from the beaten path. Not that there is anything wrong with the path we have been. I came out of the concert a bit confused. How come Hindolam did not sound like Hindolam in a few places and the same with many other songs and alapanas. I discussed with several musicians among the audience to find out about the Sruthi Bhetham or Graha Bhetham. It is a deliberate attempt on the part of the musician to go off track and come back in. It takes incredible talent to perform this feat. I understood that stalwarts do this only for a few seconds and snap right back. Also, they do it for one or two songs in a concert. But many in the audience believed that Sri Abhishek did the Shruthi Bhetam for longer and also too many times in one concert. Beauty is very subjective and in my own subjectivity this took the beauty away from the concert.

Mridangam by Sri Anantha Krishnan (aka Anand) carried the entire show. Anand and Abhishek are cousins and they are both grandsons of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Palghat Raghu.

Not everyone felt that way I felt. Here are the comments from a local supporter, singer Sri Prasanna Padmanabhan. Prasanna Wrote:

Abhishek Raghuram started the concert with a brisk Tyagaraja keerthana, Nadatanumanisam, in the rare ragam Chittarajnani. In a small but creative aalapanai, he was able to bring out the subtle prayogam differences with its almost identical twin Karaharapriya. This was followed by Muthuswami Dikshitar's Suryamurthe in the ragam Sourashtram (moola kriti in the Navagraha set of kritis). What better song for a Sunday afternoon in the Sunshine State (ironically, it was raining outside.. but we do need the rain here in South Florida, so I am not complaining)!

Next was an elaborate aalapanai in Hindolam which he seemed to explore in a refreshingly unconventional way (with a touch of the Hindustani Malkauns) as the basis for Tyagaraja's keertana Manasuloni. Vittal Ramamurthy on the violin responded well to Raghuram's intricate and mathematically brilliant kalpana swarams.

He then went on to Dwijavanti. For the aalapanai, he did something very creative - he used an interesting iPad/iPhone app called iTanpura (Incidentally, I had stumbled upon the same app and download the "Lite" version, just a few weeks back) which not only gave a nice dual-tanpura effect but also soothingly interspersed the aalapanai with interludes of the raag played on a santoor (or some sort of similar stringed instrument). While Dwijavanti/Jaijaivanti is originally a Hindustani raag, his aalapani was uniquely Carnatic. I felt he could have slowed down a little to bring out the essence of the Hindustani style. While the audience seemed to be holding their breath for Akhilandeshwari Rakshamaam, he pleasantly surprised us all with another genuinely Dikshitar composition - Chetasri Balakrishnam. Again, I felt with a little more slowness, he could have done better justice to the vilambit style in which the song was probably conceived by Dikshitar. However, Vittal Ramamurthy, brought out the grace of the raag through deliberate slowness in his aalapanai. So overall, the entire song was a nice treat to our ears.

For the next piece, Raghuram intelligently substitued a request from one of the audience members for Tyagaraga's Ksheera Saagara with another (perhaps less heard of but very beautiful and fast-paced) composition of Tyagaraga in the same ragam, Devagaandhari, called Koluvai Unnaade.

The main piece for the concert was Muthuswami Dikshitar's Sri Krishnam Bhaje in the raagam Thodi. After a very elaborate and somewhat complex aalapanai (whereas the violinist seemed to respond in a more traditional and simpler style), he started the song with a slight twist - starting with the anupallavi (Paakashaasanaadi vinuta charanam) and then going on to sing the Pallavi. I am not Mridagnam expert to talk about the intricacies, but for sure, Anantha Krishnan's ThaniAavardhanam kept the audience fully engaged.

The thukkada section of the concert was filled with songs like Purandara Dasar's Chandrachuda Shiva Shankara (in Darbari Kaanada - which he nicely elaborated in a short aalapanai), Manadirkku Ugandadu in Sindhu Bhairavi (there seemed to be a slight but intentional diversion to subhapantuvarali in the aalapanai.. not sure why he did that!) and Yenna Tavam Seidanai (Papanasam Sivan's masterpiece, which again, he started with anupalllavi first).

Overall the concert was a feast to everyone's ears. Although only 26, Abhishek Raghuram's brilliance and prodigy was clearly evident. He was somewhat unconventional in his style, but that made it quite refreshing. With some more clarity and crispness in his presentation style, there's no stopping him from reaching the stars.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Sikkil Gurucharan Concert

South Florida finished another fantastic Navarathri season. Every year the Navarathri activities have shown an increase. Jayanthi and I have crossed over two decades of celebrating the Navarathri here in South Florida and we wish our community all the best. It was heartening to see our children participate eagerly in this colorful tradition. Along with celebrations it is great that our culture is being preserved.Our Shiva Vishnu Temple also conducted a special function with over 101 ladies participating in a special pooja during this season. In short, this is a festival highlighting our respect for women in society, passing our tradition to our youngsters, growing our rich heritage in a variety of art forms, sharing, displaying our creativity, food (of course) and many more. Nice job by our entire community in doing our part to lift the spirits during this economy.

Apparently, I missed a great concert by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan that happened right in the middle of this Navarathri celebrations. But thanks to our resident Violin Vidhwan Sri Sanjay Chandran, we have write up on the concert. See his comments below:

Sri Sanjay Chandran wrote:

Sikkil Gurucharan treated South Florida carnatic music rasikas to a sumptuous concert on Oct 1st, 2011 (Sun) evening. He was accompanied on the violin by H.K. Venkatram and on the mridangam by Thiruvavur Bhaktavathsalam.

Gurucharan began the concert with Sriragam varnam, Saami Ninne. He followed that with the Muthaiah Bhagavathar krithi, Bhuvaneshwariya in Ragam Mohana Kalyani and the Shyama Sastry Krithi Devi Brova Samya Midhe in Ragam Chintamani. Rounding out the 1st half of the concert was the krithi Muruga Thirumal Maruga, a composition of Tanjavur Sankara Iyer in Ragam Harikamboji, set to Roopaka Thalam. Both the vocalist and violinist delivered elaborate alapanas in Ragam Harikamboji. Gurucharan showed his creativity in doing Neraval for Karunai Kadale (charanam). Surprisingly, there were no Kalpana Swaras for this item.

The 2nd half of the concert started out with the popular Thyagaraja krithi Chala Melara in Ragam Marga Hindolam. Following that was the main piece Kamalamba Bajare, the Dikshitar krithi in Ragam Kalyani. All the major facets of the Ragam Kalyani were elaborated and expressed by both the vocalist and violinist. The Kalpana swaras, while mathematically complex at times, flowed nicely. The mridangist played a very energetic Thaniyavarthanam. In playing the Nadais, he showed his mastery over the thalam; in playing the Farans, he showed his skill/dexterity and in playing the Mohara and Theeramanam, he showed his mathematical creativity. After the main piece, Gurucharan sang the somewhat rare krithi, Enrikku shiva krupai varumo, composed by Neelakanta Sivan in Ragam Mukhari, set to Roopaka Thalam.

Just as Rasikas were wondering if the concert was coming to an end, Gurucharan pleasantly surprised the audience by singing a Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Ragam Lalitha in Khanda Jathi Triputa Thalam. The Kalpana Swaras had a Ragamalika component and he sang some pleasing ragams such as Ahir Bhairav. The concert ended with lighter pieces such as the popular Annamacharya krithi Ksheerabdhi Kanyakaku in Ragam Kurunji.

The violinist, H.K. Venkatram provided good support to the vocalist at all times and the mridangist, Thiruvavur Bhaktavathsalam was at his energetic best. Overall, the concert was a feast to the listeners’ ears.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Branavan Varathan Mridangam Arangetram

Branavan Varathan successfully completed his Mridangam Arangetram on Aug 14, 2011 in the Audirorium at Bahia Mar Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Before we discuss the Arangetram let us talk a little bit about Branavan’s heritage, Tamils from Ilangai. Until I stepped foot in the United States, I did not know many Tamils from Sri Lanka with the exception of one kid for a year in my Eighth grade class. In Florida, Jayanthi and I have had the pleasure of developing good friendship with several Sri Lankan Tamils in our community. They have truly enriched our family as we brought up two children in Florida. Our daughter, Deepa, learned dance from Mrs. Harija Sivakumar and our Son, Prem, attended Sai Bala Vikas classes conducted by Sri Gobinathan. Both these teachers were from the Sri Lankan Tamil tradition. Over the years I have developed a great affinity for them and our heartfelt thanks for their incredible contribution to the art forms and religion that originated in India.

Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora is most definitely one of the most impressive one in human history. Tamil language and their devotion to Lord Muruga are the main links that connect the two cultures. As we move south from Chennai, Tamil becomes sweeter. It is certainly the sweetest in Sri Lanka in my view. It took me a while to get in tune with their beautiful accent and usage of the language. A Sri Lankan Tamil can live anywhere in the world, but their patriotic spirit and affection to the Tamil language will never go away.

Tamilians have broadly classified the language into three parts – poetry, music and drama. Sri Lankan Tamils have excelled in all three. In every function a Sri Lankan Tamil is always ready with a lovely poem written specifically for the event. Their contribution to music, dance and drama has been really incredible. Language, religion and culture have seeped into them at their DNA level. Hats off to this wonderful community! My heart truly goes out to those still suffering in Sri Lanka. In this social networking era, many oppressive regimes are being toppled one-by-one around the world. Hoping Lord Muruga will hear the prayers of Tamils around the world and bring relief to those who are still suffering. Peace.

Branavan is another wonderful example of the next generation Tamil to absorb the culture. He delivered a wonderful Mridangam Arangetram to the vocal music of Sri Madhu Chandrasekar and violin support of Sri Sanjay Chandran. Let me first congratulate Dr. S. Ramakrishnan, Branavan’s mridangam teacher for a wonderful job in bringing out the student’s talents. Let us go program:

Varnam in Vasantha/Adi (8-beat cycle) – very good start to the program. Madhu was at his best delivering a fluent rendition of the varnam. Branavan started to warm up

Mooladhara Moorthe in Hamsadhwani/Adi – On the violin, Sanjay’s swara passages were excellent. Branavan’s hard work was evident in this. He matched the song with speed and pitch with his instrument.

Sogasuga Mridanga Thalamu in Sri Ranjani/Rupakam (6-beat cycle) – very apt song for a mridangam centric concert. Branavan is completely warmed up by now and ready for the rest of the evening.

Idathu Padam in Kamas/Adi – very peppy and a popular dance number. In this version the singer gave a lot of room for the mridangam artist to showcase his talent in changing the Nadai (flow pattern). Mridangam playing is very mathematical and when the teacher is a professor of mathematics there is no end to the permutations and combinations. Adi is an eight beat cycle. However, the Nadai can be in a sequence of four (chathurasra) or a sequence of three (tisra) or a sequence of five (khanda) etc. This is all expressed within the framework of an 8-beat base thalam . The change between the Nadais is really beautiful to listen to and Branavan executed them nicely.

Bhajarere in Kalyani/Mishra Chapu (7-beat cycle) – Madhu’s voice during the alapana was very powerful. Both Sanjay and Madhu traveled through this mesmerizing ragam. Mridangam blended beautifully with the song. Mridangam, by design, is a supporting instrument to vocal or instrumental artist. When the supporting instrument dissolves into the song the audience will experience divinity. This song had a small solo piece for Branavan. Great job!

Thunai Purindarul in Varamu/Adi - the artists were very comfortable on stage

Main Piece: Punniyam Oru Kodi in Keeravani/Double branched Adi(16-beat cycle) – alapana was very elaborate. I am not very familiar with this ragam but it was quite evident that Madhu had worked very hard to deliver a fantastic alapana. Song was a bit on the slow side.

Thani Avardhanam, percussion solo – this is the main part of the mridangam arangetram. The artist shows his mastery over the fundamentals and also attempts some advanced combinations. Branavan has worked hard through the years under the able guidance of Dr. Ramakrishnan and it clearly showed. The strokes were clean and the audiences were able to hear clear separation of sound between strokes even at high speeds. Since Branavan did not have another supporting percussionist, it put a lot more pressure on him but he came out in flying colors. Awesome!

Bhogeendra Sainam in Kundalavarali/Khanda Chapu (5-beat cycle) – Nice peppy number. Branavan had a lot of opportunities to show some nice flourishes.

RTP in Shanmuga Priya/Khanda Jathi Triputa - double branched (18-beat cycle) – Alapana was fantastic. This is a beautiful ragam and there are many songs on Lord Muruga sung in this ragam. Branavan executed the patterns in three speeds and it takes a lot of concentration. Dr. Ramakrishnan was in the front row working much like an orchestra conductor. The ragamalika section of the song was very entertaining with a lot of popular ragams like Mohanam, Hindolam and Ranjani.

Enna Kavi Padinalum in Neelamani/Adi – great bhavam in the singing. Madhu is gifted with his ability to bring out the emotions of the song. Nice job!

Bhaktha Jana in Brindavana Saranga/Chathurasra Eka (4-beat cycle) – energy!

Unnaiye Ninaindu Urugum in Madhyamavathi/Adi – Soulful Sai Bhajan!

Thillana in Revathi/Mishra Chapu – very powerful.

The concert ended with few verses of Thevaram followed by Mangalam.

With the permission of the South Florida listening audience, I would like to make a special recognition to our resident singer Sri Madhu Chandrasekar. He has put in immense effort in practicing for this concert. Madhu has a wonderful voice that can pack a lot of power especially when he sings in Revathi. He can show the beauty of Kalyani ragam and can bring out the emotion of the lyrics. I especially liked his alapana before every song. I am sure you will agree that it won’t be an exaggeration if we call him “Alapanai Arasan” (king of alapana). Nice job, Madhu – save that voice!

If you notice the thalams played by Branavan is a wide variety from 4-beat cycle to 18-beat cycle. He clearly showed a breadth and depth of his learning. As I always have said, arangetram is not the end but the beginning. There is no end to how much you can learn in this. But in keeping with your heritage, I have not doubts that you will surely learn, perform and eventually teach this art form. Jayanthi auntie joins me in blessing you to receive everything your heart desires in life. Our congratulations to parents Varathan and Pragashini and also to elder sister Arabi, you have all done a great job in bringing Branavan to this level.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Neha Govindaraj Arangetram

Once More!

Neha Govindaraj gave a riveting performance on Aug 13, 2011 at the Miramar Arts and Cultural Center. Yes, let us call it a performance rather than an Arangetram.

Couple of years ago, when I was watching a group performance of Sangeetha Sridhar’s students, it was very clear that Neha was separating from the group and moving faster and farther in this art form. Naturally I had great expectations for her Arangetram performance. Neha blew through my expectation and took the evening to a level of a professional dance performance. “Once More” is a cliché that receives the attention but let me ask you Neha – Many More!

Sangeetha Sridhar, the Guru, is well known in the community as a creative choreographer. We all come with great expectations. Her repertoire seems to be so extensive that she can do a hundred programs and not repeat a single item. Congratulations in bringing out contemporary themes as the tough economic times, manmade/natural disasters and wars around the world into the performance and at the same time reminding us share the wealth, friendship across religious and cultural borders as solutions to such problems. All with a song written by Kanchi Maha Periyaval in 1966 – great work. I am sure all of us would like to see more such inclusions in future performances as the contemporary themes always strike a chord with the audience and help to keep the art form alive.

Jayanthi auntie is tickled pink that Neha decided to join Northwestern University, the alma mater for our daughter (Deepa) and the current school for our son, Prem. We wish you the very best and bless you to achieve everything your heart desires. Let us revisit the evening.

As we entered the hall the decorations were a feast for the eyes. As if that is not enough the Govindaraj family has provided a real feast as well with sumptuous appetizers and a grand sit down dinner at the end of the program. The flow of the program was excellent. The MC’s, Prerana and Pinky, did a superb job keeping the audience engaged. I really liked their pronunciations of the difficult dance terms in a variety of Indian languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada. The backdrop of Lord Nataraja inside a Temple that is depicted in Earth tones added to the beauty of the performance. Jayanthi joins me in congratulating Padmaja and Govindaraj – you should be extremely proud of your accomplishments as parents of such beautiful children, Pinky and Neha. God bless.

Bhavani did it again. Below are her comments about the performance. Enjoy.

Mrs. Bhavani Nirmal wrote:

Yesterday’s arangetram of Neha Govindraj at Miramar Civic Cultural Center is yet another rose in the bouquet of achievements of Smti. Sangeetha Sridhar, our renowned dancer/teacher in South Florida. As expected, the songs selected for the performance were carefully selected to bring out the best in the debutante. As Sangeetha herself mentioned, she gave Neha the opportunity to learn not merely the nuances of the art form, Bharatanrityam but understand the meaning of the songs and learn the cultural and religious significance of the songs. At a time when we elders are worried about the future of our religion and culture, I must say that last night I could sleep peacefully.

As usual, the highlight of the performance was the Varnam which kept the audience in an euphoric state. Neha, I must say became Andal herself and I was expecting Lord Ranganatha to appear on the stage from Srirangam to bless his ardent devotee. Neha’s facial expressions of the longing for her Lord and the pangs of suffering from the separation from her beloved were very elegantly portrayed. As a devotee who is partial to Sri Krishna, I enjoyed the abhinaya of Neha for both Chikavane Ivanu and Baro Krishnayya But Idadu padam Thooki was another highlight of the evening’s performance and Smti.Padma Subrahmanyam’s style of typical movement of the legs and the hips was beautifully executed by Neha. As the anniversary of 9/11 tragedy is coming soon, I was moved by the message of peace so artistically presented by Neha to H.H.. Shri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi’s Maithreem Bhajatha. When the compere’s were describing the item, I was wondering how Neha was going to portray the Twin Tower terror air strike. I liked the way Neha depicted it so swiftly which reinforced my faith that terrorism can never succeed in our soil or destabilize our democracy. Sangeetha’s choreography was as usual splendid but I was told that Neha also had her input in it. This is what makes a performance memorable when the learning objective is achieved through a synchronization of the mind of the teacher and the taught. The music by Mr Sudev Warier and the Mridangam by Shri Sudhaman and the flute bt Shri Krishna Prasad was divine and added to our enjoyment. Priyanka and Prerana were great as Masters of Ceremony and tried their best to pronounce the names of the Ragam and composers correctly and their introduction and description of the items helped all of us understand the expositions on the stage better.

Neha: It was a memorable arangetram and I only have a satisfied feeling about the whole event. That does not mean that you cannot continue to practice and achieve greater heights. Please enjoy the art form and enrich your experience by experimenting with innovations and additions from not merely Bharathiya culture but from World culture. The language of art is universal and for any art form to survive, its appeal must be universal. At the same time I do not expect you to convert it to a tap dance or Boogie Woogie! May Lord Nataraja bless you in all your future endeavors.

Padmaja and Govindraj you both outdid your selves in making the entire arangetram an enjoyable experience for all of us and it was not merely a feast for the eyes but our palate too. You are really my vision of ideal parents and I must specially commend both of you for providing a growth and nurturing environment to your two charming daughters to succeed in life. Hopefully, your humility, despite all your achievements in life should set an example for Neha and Priyanka to follow. Now it is up to them to take up the challenge and live up to the expectations of not merely you but all of us in the community.

Bhavani Nirmal

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Sathvika and Dhivyankka Arangetram

Mesmerizing Performance by Miramar Sisters

Miramar sisters Sathivika Ramaji and Dhivyankka Ramaji completely mesmerized the audience with their Arangetram performance at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center on Jul 30, 2011. They owned the stage and audience with a riveting performance in the Bharathanrithyam tradition.

Many of us knew that Sathvika, as the oder of the sisters, has grown very gracefully in this art form through many of her stage performances. Dhivvu, who has always been a darling of the community, has now become the darling on stage as well with her memorable performance at a tender age of 13. Especially when she came on to the stage as a solo performer in Andal costume we could hear the gasp among the audience. Sathvika was a beautiful picture of confidence and grace. Well done.

Jayanthi auntie joins me in congratulating both of you. We wish you to achieve everything your heart desires. Hope to see you continue this art form. It is rare to achieve up to this level in art and it is now your responsibility to maintain this as an ambassador of the art in America. As your guru Smt. Sangeetha Sridhar said in the end, Arangetram is only the beginning. Keep it up.

Thanks to Bhavani for reducing my work load. Below are her comments about the performance. Enjoy.

Mrs. Bhavani Nirmal wrote:

I have a compelling need to express my appreciation of yesterday's arangetram. I always come with great expectations when I come to witness any program in which Sangeetha is associated whether it be a dance drama or an arangetram of her students. Creativity and innovation flow from the stage and mesmerizes the audience always. Yesterday was no exception. I liked the choice of lyrics which was refreshingly out of the beaten path. Having learned our classical dance under the famous Late Vazhuvoor Ramiah Pillai, though for a very short while, I understand how difficult it is to teach the art form to young students who are torn between several curricular and extracurricular activities and interests. It requires not merely patience and excellence in the art form but the ability to motivate the youngsters and take on the role of a friend and a guide. When two dancers perform an arangetram on the stage, normally they both appear and perform together on the stage and at times it is distracting to the audience as we try to concentrate on one performer at a time. I really enjoyed how the two young artists moved in and out of the stage and showcased each one's talents both separately and together.

Coming to the items performed, the Varnam was superbly executed with very minor trepidations and that is easily forgiven in an arangetram. I enjoyed Dhivyankka's facial expressions throughout the performance. She flitted across the stage with gay abandon. Sathvika, being the older one showed great maturity and her footwork was almost flawless. Krishna Kaliya Nrityam according to me was the highlight of the performance, though it is difficult to choose between all the items presented. Vasumathi Swamy's choice of the Narayeeneeyam verses and the tune set by her and the performance by the young dancers took me to the banks of Yamuna. The choreography using Bhujanga Karanas will remain forever before my eyes and mind. I am not critiquing the performance but I have only positive feelings about the entire arangetram. The music and accompaniments was as usual great. Madhu, Sanjay and Murali are not new to our audience and they added to our bliss. I must of course say that I enjoyed Smt. Saraswathi Ranganathan's rendition in between the performance and I hope we can have a solo performance of her in the near future in South Florida.

I congratulate Janevi and Ramaji for having such talented daughters who no doubt could not have been such great achievers without the parent's wholehearted support and nurturing. (I must say that the jewelry in the goody bag was so artistically chosen that it will form a part of my heirloom collection.) Thank you, Sangeetha, Janevi, Ramaji, Sathvika and Dhivyankka for a very delightful performance. Dhivyankka and Sathvika: please keep up your interest in the art form and do everything in your might to nurture and propagate it. May Lord Nataraja bless you both with fulfillment of all your wishes.

Bhavani Nirmal

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Rajesh Vaidya Veena Concert and Carnatica Brothers Vocal Concert

We all know a few Type-A personalities and in fact some of us are Type-A in our own right. One of my uncles was one such personality – I will call him Type-A++. He was a Yale alumni from early 60’s with a successful career as an Economist in India. Though stationed in Delhi he would trot the world on UN assignments to well known places like Geneva, Switzerland and to unique places Sokoto, Nigeria and Lesotho near South Africa. My aunt is so skilled in telling stories about these exotic trips it would be like being there, we will listen with rapt attention. My uncle had such a magnetic personality that he would connect with everyone he met in some way or other. If you met him once you cannot forget him for the rest of your life. He also had a booming voice to top his personality which would fill any place he visited. As soon as he arrives at our house in Chennai the neighbors will know. My first task will be to go to Prakash Hotel (across Mandavelli Bus Terminus) and take out Idlies and Vadais with varieties of chutneys and sambar. These items would be wrapped in dried Mandara tree leaves sown together hence the Tamil name “Thaiyal Ilai” or “sown leaves”. The leaves added a unique flavor to the dishes. My uncle called it the best Vadai in the world. Whenever we go to Delhi, he would immediately take us to Nirulas for Masala Dosa. Nirulas, proud of their clean kitchen, allowed customers watch the Dosa making through a glass window (wish I could say the same thing about more places). We had to come home and lie to my aunt and quietly eat another elaborate meal she would have prepared for us. My uncle was on strict diet with constant supervision, you see. Remember I wrote about my father, the Jangri eating diabetic? This uncle was his younger brother, Dosa crazy diabetic with one addition – blood pressure. But there wasn’t a single lazy bone in his body. He was always on the go and would drag everyone around him. Hot sun or rain doesn’t matter. He was just wired like that. Many in our family, including myself, considered him as a mentor. Peace.

Veena by Sri Rajesh Vaidya, Mridangam by N. Mohana Raman, Ghatam by Trivandrum Sivaramakrishnan on Apr 29/2011:

Speaking of being wired, Sri Rajesh Vaidya was certainly that with his Veena playing. He was made for speed and his talent was unmistakable. But there was one big problem – the audience was not as wired. In my view, it was a great concert but to a wrong audience, at least a good portion of the audience. Attracting the crossover audience between light music and classical would have made it a bigger success. I must say that the concert was a treat to those spouses who usually got dragged by their carnatic crazy partner. Ghatam was simply amazing. One song in the concert touched everyone’s heart – that is Kanda Naal Mudhalay in Madhuvanthi. Ok, let us go to the songs:

Mohana Varnam – the song was preceded by a Veda chanting in Chakravaham. Fingers were flying through the Veena in playing the popular and classic Varnam. I only remember hearing the varnam in one speed – the top speed. Were there two kalams?

Vatapi Ganapathim in Hamsadhwani – he took this traditional song and played segments in different ragas.

Sarasa Sama Dana in Kapi Narayani – opening and closing of the song were with nice flourishes

Pavana Guru in Hamsanandi – the alapana sounded more like a composition. There were many theatrics and show through the entire song.

Rama Bhaktha Samrajyam in Sudha Bangala – beautiful flow with a lot of energy

Thelisi Rama in Purna Chandrika – Nice ghatam pieces, good coordination with the percussionists. However the mridangam is underplaying so far in the concert, thought very talented.

Dhwani in Panthuvarali, a Rajesh Vaidya composition – very nice symmetry in raga presentation, need I say fast paced.

Raghuvamsa Sudha in Kadana Kuthoohalam – played in two speeds on an already fast song, amazing accuracy of notes. The song was played with chords, sounded different

Espresso in Kapi, another Rajesh Vaidya composition – again the symmetry in the raga presentation was remarkable. Very nice melody phrases in the song. Thani was really spirited with mridangam showing what he was made of, very nice.

Ayyane Va Appane Va in Sindhu Bhairavi – must have been one of his favorite ragas. He played several times in the rest of the concert

Kanda Naal Mudalay in Madhuvanthi – Paisa Vasool. Went very deep and touched the inner core.

Theeratha Vilaiyattu Pillai – beautiful variations to capture the imagination of the audience

Baro Krishnayya – changes ragas and speed at the same time. Great command over his instrument

Wedding Bells by Chitti Babu – for the Royal Wedding day? Very nice and appropriate

Bho Sambho – not afraid to go off the beaten path, played with confidence and flair

Venkata Chala Nilayam in Sindu Bhairavi – nicely rendered

Sri Chakra Raja in Raga Malika – straight through, surprisingly no surprises

Katrinile Varum Geetham – I am drawing a blank – sorry

Chandrasekara in Sindu Bhairavi (again) – nice rendition of the sloka “Rajathi Rajaya Prasagna Sahine” chanted during harathi in temples. I wonder if the Veena could speak Sanskrit. Nice feeling in this song

As you can see he played a lot of songs – 19 to be precise. Surely takes the title of Type-A++ Veena player.

Carnatica Brothers, Shashi Kiran and Ganesh (Vocal), Thannjavur Murugabhoopathy (mridangam), Ranjani Ramakrishnan (violin), Dr. S. Ramakrishnan ( Kanjira) on May 20/2011

Each one of the Carnatica Brothers is fantastically talented. But, let me ask a very fundamental question – do they have to sing together? I am sure I am not the first one with this comment. The voice texture was so different between the singers it actually distracted from the song. One of the singers had an overpowering voice with the other having a subdued voice but more grounded. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to hear them as solo singers – amazing talent.

This was the first time I listened to the ragam Karnaranjani as the elaborate RTP/main piece. The extended individual alapanas by the singers were fantastic. Violinist alapana was also excellent. As a supporting artist the violinist kind of vanishes into the background but comes out in full color whenever there is solo opportunity. Mridangist carried the show. It was very generous of the pros to include Dr. Ramakrishnan, the local talent, on Kanjira. He provided adequate percussion support, but I felt he dumbed it down a bit. We all know he is capable of being more.

Intha Chalamu/Begada – Adi – confident start

Ananda Narthana Ganapathy/Natai – beautifully rendered.

Enda Veduko O Raghava in Saraswathi Manohari/Adi – the difference in voice texture was very noticeable and distracting

Shyama Sastri’s Swara Jathi in Bhairavi/Mishra Chapu – Very soulful, great emotive singing. Mridangam added good color

Sarasa Sama Dana in Kapi Narayani – very nice peppy song, violin has been nondescript so far in the concert. Swaras by Ganesh were excellent. With more seasoning of his voice it will be great in the coming years.

Rama Rama Rama Enniro in Vasantha/Adi Tisram – clean alapanas by all, very peppy song nicely rendered

Mokshamu Galana in Saramathi/Adi (double branch) – soft song delivered with nice bhavam

Bhogendra Sayeenam in Kunthalavarali/Kanda Chapu – another pep to the concert

RTP in Karnaranjani – very nice Pallavi (Om Namo) praising Shiva and Vishnu – appropriate for our temple. Alapanas by each singer and the violinist were simply out of the world. Very well executed. The raga malika section gave work out to the audience with Sumanesa Ranjani (thanks to Madhu for identifying these rare ragas. Where is Anu Aji when we need her?). Thani was amazing

Taarakka Bindige in Tilang – voices came together nicely

Azhagiya Mayiline in Basanth – finally a Tamil song. Nice touch to the concert

Jaga Janani followed by Sobillu Sapthaswara, Ganame in Abheri and ended with Thillana in Bindu Malini. Overall a nice mix of refreshing but infrequent ragas blended with some popular ragas. Overall a sumptuous concert.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

2010 Kutcheri Season and Sanjay Chandran Concert in Mar 2011

We have not connected in a long while. So we have a lot of catching up to do, let us get right to it.

Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba (1926-2011): For a long time I considered myself as a fence sitter than a devotee of Sai Baba. I have never been in close physical proximity with Baba to experience any materialization miracles. That was just as well since for me materialization is a turn off than a draw. Given my attitude, I was very surprised to experience Baba in the ethereal space or dream space. I resisted writing about them because they were personal. With Baba’s departure from the physical world and a lot of information floating in the press, good bad and ugly, I thought it is time to share a bit of my experiences. I will start with the most significant experience with Baba that happened at Vijaya Para’s house in Coral Springs, FL. Let us see where this takes us.

As many of the South Florida readers know that the Para family conducts monthly Sai Bhajans. One time, a few years back, it was a particularly crowded day. I could not make it to my usual sitting area so I sat in the family room closed my eyes and started participating in the Bhajans. A tap on my shoulder, it was Vijayamma. She asked me to go sit inside the altar area where the photo of Baba’s feet is kept as the center piece in a beautifully arranged pooja room. It was a strange suggestion from a person who I have known for a decade but hardly spoke a couple of sentences till then. I complied and went inside the altar area, closed my eyes and continued with the Bhajans. Half way through the Bhajans, I “saw” Sai Baba floating into the altar. He noticed me sitting inside and made a 90-degree turn facing me. The ethereal form Baba must have been at least 15-20 feet tall. I looked up to see his face as he looked down smiling at me. I experienced an indescribable feeling of calm, joy and contentment all at the same time. To me this is real, not an imagination nor hallucination.

Many in the South Florida community are distraught about Sai Baba leaving the world. It certainly is difficult news to process when their relationship with Baba is personal. It is an emotion that is even stronger than losing a close family member. Hopefully, focusing on the inner experiences will help to heal.

December Season in Chennai:

This section is dedicated to my beloved cousin Sri Venkatramani. He passed away in December 2010 when he was only 61. Ramani was an avid listener of Carnatic music and was present in Chennai every year. He was a linguist with mastery over eight languages including French. He was probably one of the few Indians who can speak in Swahili. Ramani was a rasika to the core of his being who simply enjoyed everything in life be it music, dance, art collection, language, work, food, attire, travel or being with people. He is survived by his wife, Girija, and two wonderful kids, Kripa and Kiran – God bless.

I don’t remember Chennai being this cool in December during my growing up days there. What is happening to my dear Madras? This global climate change is probably having an impact. In talking to my South/Central America friends I get the same impression that the winters are cooler there as well. In fact, I feel the same weather pattern in Florida with cooler winters. I am beginning to think “global warming” is a very limiting or even a misleading headline for the climate changes we are experiencing. If you pay close attention to the weather patterns, you will see that winters are colder and longer and summers are hotter and longer. Fall and spring are compressed with winter and summer extending in both directions. In case Al Gore is wondering why he is not able to get through the thick skull of the Tea Party activists with his Global Warming message, here is the answer. Mr. Gore – the fact that you are a boring speaker is only part of the answer, you need to change your message altogether. The Tea Party guys are simply averaging the temperature of the entire year and refuting the concept of Global Warming. In fact some of them are saying it is a Global Cooling phenomenon and want to put more SUV’s on the road. Good luck with them.

Sorry I digress, what has Al Gore got to do with December Music season in Chennai - nothing. But the climate change has an effect on the voices of the singers. May be we should move the December season to November. It was heartening to see traffic jams around the sabhas that are actually created by Kutcheri goers. But the season overall was a bit disappointing to me from the quality of music. Let us look at concert by concert, the ones I attended:

Sowmya (vocal) with Sri Ramkumar (violin) Neyveli Narayanan (Mridangam) and KV Gopalakrishnan (Kanjira) – Percussionists were overshadowing the singer. Overall Kutcheri was “nothing to write home about”. Varali alapana was miscued in several places (failed experiments?). Bhairavi was the main piece and thani avardhanam was fantastic – especially the Kanjira was simply superb.

Malavika Sarukkai Dance – this was a double header for me – Sowmya’s vocal concert with my son Prem and the dance with my daughter Deepa. Had to swap the kids as we were only able to get two season tickets. The dance was simply superb with the concept of how river Ganges relates to different segments of society. Beautifully done.

Malladi Brothers (vocal) with Mysore Nagaraj (violin) Thiruvarur Bhakthavathsalam (Mridangam) Vaikom Gopalakrishnan (Ghatam) – Very beautifully executed concert. First, about Sri Bhakthavathsalam Sir – His mridangam playing had his usual energy but the sound was softer than his normal – just loved it. Malladi Brothers were in top form, sang some very popular ragas like Sankarabharanam, Bhairavi, Kalyani, Sahana and Saveri.

Aruna Sairam (vocal), HN Bhaskar (violin), J. Vaidhyanathan (mridangam), SV Ramani (Ghatam) – Aruna Sairam made even Prem stop reading and listen to her alapana in Atana that is saying a lot about her singing prowess. Sound system was not set up right. We could hear an echo coming from the back of the hall – very distracting. Kutcheri overall was ok, not to my expectations from Aruna Sairam. Sangeetha Samrajya in Mohanam was the highlight of the concert. Main piece was in Madhyamavathi with nice swaras.

Bombay Jayashree (vocal), Embar Kannan (Violin), Pathri Sathishkumar (mridangam), Udupi Shridhar (Ghatam) – Clearly the best concert of the season, as far as I am concerned. Main piece was in Ranjani with a small ragamalika section in a unique 12-beat thalam. After a few frantic text messages we found that it as Chaturasra Jathi Ata Thalam – two 4-beat laghus followed by two dhrutams. Mridangam was very expressive in his thani avardhanam.

TM Krishna (vocal), TKV Ramanujacharyalu (violin), Karaikkudi Mani (mridangam), V Suresh (Ghatam) – it finally happened to me in a Chennai festival – someone asked me about the ragam for a song and I knew it was Varali. Wow, what a feeling? The concert had the expected energy from the singer especially in the English note. He almost made me a fan of Karaharapriya with his main piece. Thani was amazing. Nice concert.

Alright, enough of Chennai, what’s happening in South Florida? The first half of the music season is in full swing. We had a beautiful start with an instrumental concert.

Sri Sanjay Chandran (Violin) with Dr. Ramakrishnan (Mridangam) – Overall the concert was very enjoyable. Sanjay playing to friends within the South Florida community showed extensive interaction with the audience. The concert really flowed very well thrilling the audience with some popular krithis.

Nattaikkurinji Varnam – very energetic song but needed better coordination between the artists. They settled down after this song.

Siddhi Vinayakam in Shanmugapriya/Rupakam – very confident and fluent delivery

A song in Valaji in Rupaka Thalam – folksy number, very nicely done

Janani Ninuvina in Rithi Gowle/Misra Chapu – one of my favorite ragas. Alapana was very sweet. By now the artists have captivated the audience. They were visibly having fun on stage

Pandurithi Kollu in Hamsanadam/Adi – fast number, brigas fell precisely

Kanchadalaya in Kamala Manohari – very meditative and deep number. Impressive niravals and swaras with mridangam adding color

Amba Brovamma in Dharmavathi/Rupakam a Bidaram Krishnappa composition – I don’t have a lot of exposure to this ragam but nice

A lively number in Bilahari/Kanda Chapu – made people sit up and listen

Purvi Kalyani song – “La Jawab”. I always enjoy Sanjay playing this ragam and he did not disappoint me this time. But the energy among the audience seemed to drop a bit

Jagado Dharana in Kapi – Nice pep

RTP in Khamboji – Surprisingly so deep into the concert this was the best song. Alapana was superb with nice coordination among artists. Audience getting back into the concert

Kaliyuga Varada in Brindavana Saranga – Honestly, I did not give any Raga list to Sanjay but he played many of my favorites. Thanks.

Raghuvamsa Sudha in Kadana Kuthoohalam – a toe-tapping number, never fails to put a smile on everyone’s face. Watch out for some difficult sangathis.

Bhageshwari Thillana with influence from Tarana (Hindusthani) – this is one of Sanjay’s compositions. I don’t remember hearing the Hindustani part. I will listen hard the next time

Madhava Mamave in Nilambari followed by Bhagyatha Lakshmi Baramma – well done concert.

I missed a couple of concerts after Sanjay and Ramakrishnan. I will write about Rajesh Vaidya’s Veena concert the next time.

See you at the next concert – Carnatica Brothers on Friday, May 20 at 7:30pm at the Shiva Vishnu Temple Auditorium.