Ranjani Gayatri Jottings

Our Music Season 2010

2011-01-11T22:09:00.006+05:30

From the aspiring musician to the senior veteran, the December margazhi festival in Chennai evokes feelings of anticipation, heightened expectation and a throbbing excitement. All the sabha venues are abuzz with the busy hum of the Season activity - from concert to canteen, discussions of the latest concerts, lec-dems, who is in form or out, abound. We have been part of this wonderful Margazhi from the year 1988, and the joy and thrill that the music season brings is still as fresh as it was for us when we were young girls.

Starting with our concert for Kartik Fine arts on 4th December 2010, and ending with two very special concerts, December season 2010 has been full of exciting and fulfilling concerts.

A few memorable concerts were our concerts at Brahma Gana Sabha, Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha at Vani Mahal, Narada Gana Sabha, The Music Academy and our four hour concert for Kalarasana at Rani Seethai Hall. In Brahma Gana Sabha, the lovely vivadhi raga Manoranjani was the highlight, as also the Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Raga Abhogi. Like last year, we presented Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi-s in not-so-familiar ragas. In Season 2009, it was Tri-raga Pallavi in Saraswati, Lalita and Durga, and RTP-s in Saramathi, Sarasangi, Khamas, Kamalamanohari to name a few of the Pallavis that we handled. This year, we sang Ragam-Tanam-Pallavis in Ritigowlai at Narada Gana sabha, Dwijavanti at The Music Academy, Dvi-raga pallavi in Mohanam/Ranjani at Kalarasana. The Ritigowlai pallavi was a Thirukkural. It was a joy to sing the RTP in Dwijavanti, which seems an unlikely choice, given the seemingly limited scope of it in the Carnatic context! However, the raga has immense possibilities, and we tried to weave in both the Carnatic and Hindustani styles of rendering it. Kambhoji, Bhairavi, Thodi, Karaharapriya, Saveri, Kalyani - the infinite possibilities and the richness of these ragas leave us with a sense of wonder and reverence. These familiar, oft-repeated ragas sometimes bless you with a vision so fresh and new, yet timeless in its charm and beauty...

What was perhaps most satisfying to us were our violin duet concerts at the Krishna Gana Sabha and Kalarasana. To come back to the violin after a gap, was a trip down memory lane, kindling nostalgia of our earlier years when we were violinists. It was a joy to go back to the instrument and discover that the old skills still linger! Our violin concert at Kalarasana was dedicated to the memory of our guru Late Sri T.S.Krishnaswami. Another memorable concert was the four hour concert for Kalarasana, where the audience not only were there before we arrived in the hall, but stayed back till the end of the concert which lasted for well over four hours.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our accompanists who were instrumental (pun intended!) in lifting our concerts to greater heights. H.N.Bhaskar, Manoj Siva and Arun Prakash have been performing with us for so long, that they are virtually third voices and not accompanists! Charumathi Raghuraman, who accompanied us in Narada Gana Sabha and The Music Academy was in fine fettle - incidentally, it was her maiden evening concert at the Academy and she did a fantastic job. The nadam and aesthetics of K.V.Prasad stand out, his playing for our Indian Fine Arts concert was a joy to hear. Each and every accompanist - Poongulam Subramaniam(Mridangam), Delhi Sairam (Mridangam), Neyveli Skandasubramaniam(Mridangam), Karthik(Ghatam), Trichy Murali (Ghatam), Ravi Balasubramaniam(Ghatam), B.S.Purushottam(Kanjira), B.U.Ganesh Prasad(Violin), Mysore Srikanth (Violin)Guruprasad(Ghatam), K.V.Gopalakrishnan(Kanjira) have contributed immensely to the success of our concerts.

But as a fitting finale to the Season, there was a surprise in store for us. For our vocal concert at the Anjaneya temple at Nanganallur, the violinist could not accompany us due to ill health. We could not find a violinist to take his place at the last minute, and we ended up accompanying ourselves! Though many of our rasikas have asked us to simultaneously do both vocal and violin on the same platform, we have never tried doing this! Perhaps it was the will of Lord Hanuman that we had to do it here! It was quite a challenge, and an exciting one! To be honest, we had a few misgivings about doing both and wondered if there would be a missing link in the concert. But surprisingly, we felt quite at ease handling the dual roles of vocalists and violin accompanists and the concert was a tremendous success.. A nice way to end a memorable season!

Our upcoming concert at Rutgers, NJ on 29 Oct 2010

2010-10-12T23:28:00.000+05:30

Our concert on 29th October in Rutgers University will be in a format different from the usual carnatic concert format. We will be presenting an eclectic selection of songs of various saints and composers from the kirtanas of Tyagaraja and Purandaradasa, Tamil Viruthams to the bhajans of Meera, Tulsidas and Kabir and Marathi abhangs.

In a typical carnatic music concert spanning three hours, starting with a varnam, two to three major compositions with detailed alapana, nerval and swaram are presented. To rasikas who are relatively new to the Kutcheri experience, sitting through the entire concert may be a little difficult. We have had people frequently come up to us and ask us to come up with a concert format that would be a kind of bridge that would help people get familiar with our music, while retaining the sanctity and values of this great system.

This concert is an effort to reach out to people from a wider spectrum, and to give them a taste of classical music. The so-called “thukkadas” which generally appear at the end of a carnatic concert will be woven into the concert from the beginning itself. For the classical music lovers, there is going to be a jugalbandi piece - a Hindustani/Carnatic exploration of a raga which is common to both systems- with all the manodharma aspects like Alapana, Neraval and kalpana swaram.

This concert is also going to be a relatively new experience for us, as we have not sung classical Hindustani music much on stage. Much of our knowledge of Hindustani music is through listening- we grew up in Bombay listening to greats such as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Smt Kishori Amonkar, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansoor, Gangubai Hangal….An unforgettable experience is a concert that happened in the early hours of the morning and the artiste was the great Mallikarjun Mansoor. Our father actually made us stand and listen so that we wouldn’t fall asleep during the concert! We also learnt briefly from the veteran Hindustani vocalist Pandit K.G.Ginde.

We will be accompanied for this concert on the violin by Sri.H.N.Bhaskar, Delhi Sri Sairam on mridangam and Sri Sai Shyam on tabla.

Ranjani's thoughts on Dec Season 2009

2010-01-27T14:10:00.002+05:30

As I take a breather after the hectic season, many things are in my mind, both the mundane and the special. Mundane as in the usual warm up before the concert, child care logistics, and other matters which come up in the course of running a household without the help of Krishnan, my husband who was in most part of December in London on official work.

What makes the life very interesting and meaningful are the special moments when you give your best and everything clicks to make the moment so memorable. These moments stay with you for a lifetime.

After a very long gap of two years, we performed a violin Duet concert for Brahma Gana Sabha due to a very bad throat infection. We were to sing on the 16th, but all the medication and salt water gargling could not cure the sore throat. We called the secretary up ,told him about our inability to sing and asked him to fix up someone else in our stead. But the secretary explained that he would not want to look for a suitable replacement in two days time and requested us to play violin instead. We were quite hesitant, as we were honestly out of practice and were not sure if we could play to our satisfaction. But surprises of surprises!! All those years of practice and passionate involvement stood us in good stead. I felt very comfortable with the violin as if I have played on it almost everyday. Gayatri said that she felt the same way too.We were very happy with the performance that day, our accompanying artistes Manoj on the mridangam and Guruprasad on the Ghatam did a fantastic job. I could feel my late Guru T.S. Krishnaswamy smiling and blessing us! Maybe, everything - even throat infections happens for the good!

Each of our concerts this season was special in different ways. The Narada gana sabha sound system I heard has been upgraded and we felt the difference right away and enjoyed singing there. Krishna Gana Sabha also has a very good ambience and acoustics, we discovered what a beauty the ragam Sarasangi was in that concert. It is quite surprising that there are not many compositions in this wonderful raga save a couple.

Music Academy as always was very special for us. We sang the three raga Ragam Tanam Pallavi based on the Durga Lakshmi Saraswati theme. Singing RTP is such a pleasure, it gives the artiste the freedom to handle it the way he or she wishes. Gayatri was as usual excellent in shifting from one raga to the other in quick succession and bringing out the essence of each of the ragas in the first phrase itself. We also were awarded The Best Concert in the senior category and all this has made our season 2009 a special one.

The only regret this season was that I could not listen to many concerts, especially the concerts of Parasala Ponnamma, Nedanuri Krishnamurthy, R.K.Srikanthan to name a very few, I hope to make it up the coming season.

2009-11-29T10:51:00.003+05:30

This month we performed a couple of very well organized concerts and thought we would share our experience about them.

The annual music festival organized by Ganjam in Bangalore was a copy book of how a concert should be organized. Right from choosing the right hall (The Chowdiah hall), excellent sound system with an able sound engineer to man it, seating, back stage arrangements, stage décor, hospitality,…….. everything was in place. This concert was a memorable concert for me in more ways than one. Kudos to the Ganjam family and every individual who have contributed to the high quality concert presentation.

I would call all the above mentioned factors as providing the right ambience which is vital to presenting a classical concert. On a subconscious level, the artistes on stage would be affected by the ambience, and this will definitely dictate the mood and quality of the performance.

During every December music season, we get invited to perform from roughly twenty five organizers out of which a couple of them would be sabhas which would be hosting the music festival for the first time. I am not sure if it is a healthy trend to have a sabha in every small neighbourhood. This would in fact lead to dilution in the quality of the concerts and would result in spreading the existing resources very thin. Is not high quality presentation of a handful of concerts better than scores of concerts indifferently organized? I am sure that in time to come, the audience will seek and demand better facilities which will result in sabhas organizing themselves better and upgrading their existing infrastructure.

My wish list:

Every hall should be acoustically sound with comfortable seats and back stage amenities.

A top notch sound system in place with a sensitive and knowledgeable sound engineer.

Ample parking facility, this is very vital in metros and major towns. Invariably, before a concert we would find a big queue of cars outside the gate of the sabha premises, and the passengers arguing vehemently to be let inside and watchmen helplessly standing there not knowing what to do which would lead t traffic jams in front of the sabha. We have had to, on a few occasions, trek down from the gate to the green room, lugging our instruments and other paraphernalia. However, some leading sabhas have provided alternate parking facility within close proximity of the sabha premises which is a welcome and noteworthy effort.

A simple and pleasing stage décor, and good lighting to provide the right ambience for the concert.

I am indeed looking forward to the season concerts, they are just round the corner…..

Ranjani

The Music Academy, Chennai

2009-05-29T16:44:00.005+05:30

December 21 2008, 4 PM, The Music Academy, Chennai. There was a minute for the curtain to go up and our concert to start.

It was a moment that was filled with mixed emotions, of nostalgic memories that only heightened the sense of anticipation in me( Gayatri). The two bells signaling the time of commencement of concert, the hushed murmur of the filling audience behind the curtain - all this added to the swelling expectation in the air. As I looked around me, I could see my accompanists and co-artistes on stage filled with a similar anticipation - anxious and eager to give their best at what would be one of the most prestigious and important concert of the year for us. It was by no means my first concert; we had been here before several times, as violinists - accompanists as well as playing the duet, and vocalists. Yet it was a strange moment, a moment of quiet introspection on what this stage had meant to me through the years.

For a few seconds I let my mind go back to the first time I ascended the platform to perform here. It was 1991, and I was a slip of a girl, all of 15 years old, accompanying vocalist Balaji Shankar. Since then, every year, both Ranjani and I peformed as accompanists, sometimes twice in the same festival, for different main artistes- but what remained unchanged was the feeling of reverence that every musician had for this hallowed stage. When one sits here, one cannot help but muse on the fact that this is a dais that has been occupied by every single musical giant of carnatic music. This was the stage that shaped the careers of musicians who rose to leave their indelible mark on the carnatic music world. The stage that remained, and remains to this day, the single most prestigious venue, the single most awaited concert, the moment of reckoning for any musician! One thinks of occasions when the most eminent musicologists and musicians argued on topics, the expert committee who would sit through and arbitrate the proceedings of the morning lectures or lec-dems. These morning deliberations have many times, have been the basis for books and dictionaries on carnatic music. This was a stage that would bring butterflies in the stomach to the most seasoned of performers. And to think that we are another link in this wonderful tradition, inheriting the same platform...as I sat there, I was hit by a sensation so powerful - of immense pride, of a profound sense of humility, of a sense of responsibility and elation. That was the moment when the ball of anxiety inside me dissolved to give way to a sense of happy anticipation, a thrill of expectation, I suddenly couldn’t wait for the moment when the curtain would rise and we would start singing and revel in the joyful experience of sharing our music.

As young children, Ranjani and I have heard so many memorable concerts, mostly sitting on the stage, near the dais. As visitors from Bombay, to us, this unique feature of dais tickets, from where we could watch and listen to our favorite musicians from close quarters was a refreshing experience. One of my fond memories is that of Sri Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer whom Ranjani and I spotted sitting a few seats away in the first floor, his head sheathed by a muffler, listening quietly to a junior concert! Another unforgettable vignette is that of the packed hall and huge TV monitors in the parking area which was also packed to capacity during the concert of Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam. So when we performed our first vocal concert in the Music Academy in 2002, the overflowing auditorium and general clamour for seats, awakened a curious sense of deja-vu in me. After our concert here on December 25, 2003, a rasika came up to us and said,” The day is not far when you will sing at the evening slot”. As it happened, we sang our maiden senior slot concert the very next year! No matter how many times one performs to a house-full auditorium here, one can never get used to the exulting thrill and rush of adrenaline that performing here inevitably brings!

Today, the extraordinary fact about the Music Academy is not just its unmatched heritage that it can be justly proud of. Rather, it is the way in which this great sabha has re-invented itself, has become a standard-bearer in every sense of the term, and has defined, by example, what an ideal sabha can be like. This great renaissance, so to speak, has been possible because of the vision and dedication of the President Sri N Murali, and no less, his team of dedicated committee members. The sound system has been totally revamped with a top quality PA system. The schedule of back-to-back concerts does not leave the sound engineer any time for a sound check, which is vital for ironing out problems that crop up with changing dynamics. Yet, in those few minutes between concerts, the audio team ably led by the head sound engineer, flits between the stage and the sound booth, checking out monitors, and making sure that everything is in place. The sincerity and ability that they bring to the job at hand is heartening.

Every single detail has the same commitment to high standards. A notable feature is the valet parking service, which ensures that the musician doesn’t have to hunt around for a parking or go through the hassle of taking care of the car. The volunteers who wait to escort the artiste backstage and hospitably offer snacks and beverages, make sure that the artistes are in a relaxed mood before the concert.

Another notable improvement has been in ensuring that the musician gets a good attendance for the concert. Previously, most of the seats in the hall were reserved for members and season pass holders, substantially restricting the availability of daily tickets for interested rasikas. Often, the season pass holders or members would not turn up, thus putting the organizer and artiste in a situation which ironically combined an half empty auditorium and "tickets not available" board for those interested in buying daily tickets! For the past few years now, member or patron or pass holder, one is ensured of a seat only if he turns up in time for the concert. This has resulted in better turnout for the concerts. Nothing like a filled audience to motivate the performer!

The punctuality observed in the start and end time of the concerts at the Academy is a byword in the carnatic music world. The honorarium offered to the musicians is among the best in Chennai sabhas. Above all, it is the spirit of commitment, of sincere duty, devoid of vanity, a quiet reaffirmation of the best of values which the entire Music Academy team headed by Sri Murali exude, that make the sabha so special. We feel indeed proud of our association with this great institution, and pray that it will go from strength to strength; setting new standards in sabha culture that will be an inspiration to artistes and rasikas alike.

North American Tour 2008 - Part 2

2008-11-07T23:02:00.003+05:30

The Canada weekend
Ottawa, Sept 26 2008
Toronto, Sept 27 2008
Montreal, Sept 28 2008

Canada in so many ways is such an amazing country! A country where people from different ethnic backgrounds co-exist in absolute harmony and freedom, a land of extraordinary beauty and charm. As we discovered, people here stand very little on ceremony. Though elections were just round the corner, there was no hype whatsoever about it. Actually the media were focusing more on the impending US elections! There was a very interesting incident that happened in Montreal as we were driving past one of suburbs. We were idly watching the election posters which were stuck here and there, and looking at the photo of the candidate who was contesting for that area. Imagine our surprise, as we saw the candidate himself standing at the traffic lights, giving out pamphlets! He actually came up to our car and offered a pamphlet with a smile on his face to our host who was driving the car!! In our country, traffic would be halted, roads cordoned off, and security personnel and black cats shielding the politician who would wave distantly to the crowds!!

Though the carnatic listening population in Montreal and Ottawa is limited, the enthusiasm and sincerity with which they listen is indeed heartwarming! The sound engineer for the Ottawa concert was, to our surprise, a young lady. Again the total absence of any kind of gender prejudice or concessions is so striking. Here was this young lady, hauling heavy equipment, running up and down between the stage and the sound booth, confidently handling the controls, and eminently capable of more than holding her own in a field that is generally dominated by men!

Boston, Oct 3 2008
Philadelphia, Oct 4 2008
Columbus, Oct 5 2008

These concerts were right in the middle of Navaratri. Generally, Navaratri is a time for people here to invite friends over for golu, and socialize. Especially when concerts happen during the Navaratri weekend, it is a tough balancing act for most people! Despite this, the turnout for these concerts were substantial. The credit for this must go indeed to the organizers and the rasikas themselves, who despite so many other distractions and commitments, make concert attendance a priority.

The Navavarna kritis of Muthuswamy Dikshitar are gems beyond description, and singing them is a blissful and spiritually elevating experience. But as we sang a few of these songs over the Navaratri weekend, we felt all the more emotionally charged. What greater delight and divine grace could there be!

Augusta, Oct 10 2008

Though the bigger centers can boast of bigger numbers and wider membership base, sometimes it is in the smaller centers that we find people who give so much of their time and efforts in bringing carnatic music to their towns. Augusta is one such small town, where a small group of dedicated carnatic music rasikas devote so much of their resources and energies in making concerts happen. In particular, Dr Dharma, a young professor of mathematics and statistics, lets nothing stand in her way of organizing concerts- health, limited financial resources or any other. She is virtually a one-woman powerhouse, powered by nothing other than sheer love and passion for carnatic music! And organizing a concert here is no mean effort. As the concert was on a Friday, the organizers had to arrange for snacks before the concert, dinner after the concert, in addition to all the other standard concert arrangements! When one thinks of the enormous load of work that goes into making every concert happen, you cannot be but touched by the passion and commitment that people such as Dharma, Dr Manjunath, and the rest of this small group of people have. Hats off to them!

Tampa, Oct 11 2008
Raleigh, Oct 12 2008

Stepping into the warm balmy air of Tampa is a homecoming of sorts! The same goes for Raleigh! The warmth of the climate is evenly matched by that of the people! We were particularly touched when a young child of barely four years of age actually sat through our concert in Raleigh, that too in the first row! It is an interesting fact that the average age of the rasika in USA would probably be 35-40! Not to mention the abundant presence of young children, who stay through the concert and listen with attention and enthusiasm. Back home, we often hear people joke that the audience for carnatic music seem to consist mostly of retired, elderly people!

Seattle, Oct 17 2008

One of the most scenic cities in USA, Seattle must be enjoyed during the summer months when the city is at its most beautiful! Most other times, the weather seems to be dominated by drizzly chilly weather, which has a charm of its own! We did a lecture-demonstration the previous day of our concert on the devotional aspect of carnatic music, with special focus on bhajans and abhangs. This was held at the ISKON temple. We were quite thrilled with the turnout for the event. Interaction with the rasikas always is a very exciting experience. Here, there was an interactive session at the end of the lecture demonstration and the audience showed a lot of interest, asking penetrating questions. As requested by the temple priest, we ended the presentation with a thaalattu song (lullaby) for the deity of the temple Lord Krishna, Madhava Mamava in Nilambari. It was indeed a sweet experience that lingered in our minds.

Los Angeles, Oct 18 2008
San Jose, Oct 19 2008.

The last two concerts of our tour, these were indeed a fitting finale to our North American trip! In fact, the San Jose concert reminded us of the Season concert at The Music Academy, Chennai with the overflowing audience, the hushed atmosphere, and people even sitting on the dais! The only difference was that, here in San Jose and LA, you could sing to your heart's content without having to look at the time, while generally during concerts in Chennai during the Season, one has to be very conscious of sticking to the time limit. Again the profusion of children in the auditorium was such a heartening feature. What better exposure to carnatic music can parents give their children, than getting them to concerts! This only shows the commitment that the parents have. Beyond doubt, there is whole generation of budding musicians in North America who will make a fair bid to change the nucleus of carnatic music from Chennai to America!

Thoughts on Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer

2008-09-17T21:08:00.001+05:30

The earliest memory I (Gayatri) have of Semmangudi Thatha is his concert I attended when I was probably three or four years old! He was singing Deva deva Kalayaami in Mayamalavagowla and the niraval that he sang at Jaatha Roopa is distinctly etched in my memory. Incredible though it is, I can still recall it after so many years!! My father was an avid carnatic music fan and the radio always was tuned into any carnatic music broadcast there was. And whenever Semmangudi Mama's nasal voice filtered in through it, I used to jump in joy. I was too small to appreciate the nuances, the subtleties and understand the greatness of his music. But perhaps the joy I felt was instinctive, there was something about the voice and the music that thrilled me to no end!! In fact, it was a game with my family, to tease me when the radio played his music. Appa, though he was a big fan of Semmangudi mama, jokingly used to tell me," ayyayo, idha paaru, andha thatha mookk-aala paadaraa...nannaave illai!" And watch me in amusement as I cried my protest against his criticism.

Memories of the Jaatha Roopa niraval sustained us during the arduous Sabari mala trip that I took with my father when I was six. My father and a close family friend Rajamani started singing the line, sitting in a sleepy village hamlet in Kerala(Erumeli) . I suppose the memories of Semmangudi Thatha's rendition must have been fresh in my mind, for I joined in the niraval with joy. What a wonderful way to beguile the hours of the day.....

We were not to know how much this legendary musician's style would impact our music until much later. Our guru Sri T.S. Krishnaswami had already instilled in us the importance of the vocal approach, a strong bowing and effective fingering technique and above all, the values and aesthetic sense that strongly anchored our music. Years later, when we shifted to Chennai, we approached Sri P.S.Narayanaswamy and had the privilege of being his disciples. In a sense, looking back, we feel that it was meant to be. When we started learning from PSN Mama, we were established violinists, playing the dual role of accompanying violinists and duet violinists. But in more ways than one, we were absorbed into the wonderful bani of Semmangudi under the tutelage of PSN. Each composition that we learnt was a glimpse into the dynamics of the style, the intricacies of the adukku sangathis, the sense of proportion or alavu as it is said in handling sangathis, above all, the predominant sense of beauty and sophistication in kirtana construction. Gradually, this approach became the bedrock of our musical impulses, and what we gained was a firm foundation and clear-cut approach that would define and strengthen our individual style.

What is amazing about the Semmangudi Bani is the universality of the style. The path can be trodden by anyone and the music will shine. Be it a Chetasri, Marubalga or O Rangasayee, the songs have been polished and structured to such beauty and perfection that they are like ripe mangoes- easy to eat and easy to love!! Perhaps one of the reasons why Semmangudi's music has such beauty is that he had a difficult voice to start with. But to overcome this, he created a style that had such musical depth and beauty that one never notices the voice! Especially when songs like Ksheenamai Thiruga were presented by the great doyen, supported by the sonorous voices of his disciples like Palai Ramachandran and V.Subramaniam, the listeners were transported to another plane. Another quality is the sense of proportion he had in his manodharma. Be it raga, niraval or swara, it was never overdone. I remember a recording of his, the famous recording in which he has sung with M.S.Subhalakshmi. He sings a niraval for the line Paluku palukulaku for Ramanee samaana in Karaharapriya- I must have heard this several hundred times! Every time he stops the niraval and goes to the swara suite, I cry out," Please, don’t stop, some more!" How much we can learn from this sense of alavu that Semmangudi demonstrated so beautifully.

Every aspect of his style and music has something that we can learn from. The swaras are so aesthetically presented, his kalpanaswaras are like raga explorations in their melodic sweep, free flowing and filled with raga bhava . And what variety he brought to bear in his raga expositions! Each time, he would explore a different facet, it was never a formulaic pattern of starting from the lower register and working upto the tara sthayi and winding up in the usual fashion, Depending on the song and his mood, the raga pattern varied.... sometimes dwelling in the middle register and just skimming the tara sthayi, sometimes taking off in the upper reaches. Each time was a different experience.

One of his greatest qualities as a musician was his total dedication and commitment. He had the spirit of a true seeker and saadhaka- never content to rest on his laurels and achievements. He worked on his music constantly, constantly re-inventing it; which is why his music always had that rare quality of freshness. Till the very last, he was always notating songs, reworking compositions, singing.

Words are inadequate to express the depth of the joy that we have experienced from listening to his concerts and the many things that we have imbibed in the process. We prostrate before him and pay homage to him.

North America Tour , Fall 2008 - Part 1

2008-09-17T05:16:00.002+05:30

Sept 4 2008- Satya Sai Center at Tustin:

We started our North American Fall Tour of 2008 on a very special note, with a concert for the Satya Sai Center. This was not the usual carnatic concert, formatted in the usual pattern of starting with varnam and going on to the classical pieces and ending with tukkadas. Rather, it was a celebration- of melody and pure bhakti, the spirit of devotion. Starting with Shri Mahaganapatim Bhajeham in Atana, we went on to Rangapuravihara and weaving in bhajans, a tamil virutham, and also one or two heavy compositions of the Trinity.

The atmosphere was truly magical- charged with positive vibrations, lit with the lamp that was placed near the portrait of Swami Sri Satya Sai and alive with the shared emotions of the musicians and the audience. As we sang the concluding pieces- a Marathi Abhang in Rag Bhatiyar and a bhajan by Khalas, we could feel the divine presence and a bliss that comes with the blending of melody and bhakti. The feeling is all the more heightened when the music is received by the listener in the same spirit that it issues forth from the musician. It was truly an extraordinarily beautiful experience.

What a lovely way to start our concert tour!

Sept 5 2008 – Fine Arts Association of Arizona, Phoenix

We frequently talk of how carnatic music halls are filled with senior citizens, and that there are hardly any young people listening to carnatic music. Well, welcome to Phoenix! Here is an organization which keeps bringing in young people in droves. With every subsequent visit, we see new faces, young people full of energy and fresh ideas. We are so happy to see young people in charge of organising the events to the finest details. It was a rejuvenating experience to sing before this audience.

An interesting part of the concert was an short interactive session that we had with the audience, where the listener could pose any music-related question to the musicians on stage. The questions ranged from technical questions on Ragam-Thanam-Pallavi to questions on concert planning and voice culture. But the best and sweetest question came from a seven year old child who asked us earnestly, “ How many hours should I practise?!!”As always, Kalyan and Chitra, our hosts made our Phoenix stay so comfortable and memorable with their warmth, care and affection.

Sept 6 2008- Bharathi Kalai Manram, Houston, Texas.

The concert was held in a newly built hall at Baptist University. It was a very unique auditorium encircled by huge transparent glass doors letting the sunshine stream in, giving the place a very sunny bright look. The acoustics were superb and made our concert experience all the more special.

On request, we sang a Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Nalinakanthi. A few years back, we would dismiss Nalinakanthi as a minor raga with not too much possibility. But when we decided to sing a RTP in that raga for the first time at our concert for Narada Gana Sabha during the last December music Season in Chennai, we were struck by the possibilities that the raga had. Just makes you realize that any raga is beautiful in its own way- it is just a question of discovering its innate and special charm. Somehow we actually rediscovered Nalinakanthi when we sang it in Houston. The raga has such a lilting charm and delightful grace. The ragam and thanam suite lasted for over twenty minutes.

Dallas, Sept 12 2008

Though we have been to Dallas thrice before, this time around, it felt so different, and so heartwarming! Here, there is a big community of people who are passionately interested in Carnatic music. They meet, listen to recordings, discuss, sing and exchange musical ideas to create a wonderful atmosphere of music-filled camaraderie. From budding music enthusiasts to accomplished artistes- they are all here- all filled with a uniform love for music. It reminded us of our childhood, when we had impromptu musical sessions with our friends – Sanjay Subramaniam, Ashok Ramani, Arunprakash, Narayan Rangaraj to name a few with whom we have spent many a happy hour exploring different ragas, songs…..

When the screen went up in the Plaza Theatre, we were greeted with a houseful, nay, overflowing auditorium. The concert lasted for over three and a half hours, and nearly all the audience stayed till the mangalam was sung, even those with young children. Considering that the concert lasted till 11 PM, this was indeed amazing. Young children must indeed be encouraged to attend carnatic music concerts, never mind the little noises or sounds they may make in the course of the concert. When we were young ourselves, our father used to escort us to most concerts, though we must admit we weren’t on our best behavior exactly! Is not listening the best way to imbibe music and its subtle nuances?

Detroit, Sept 13 2008

Concert tours of USA can get really exhausting. It is not the back-to-back singing that is difficult; rather it is the travel that can get really tiring. Getting up at 4 am in the morning after retiring at 1.30 AM after a late Friday evening concert, standing in queue at the airport check-in, not to mention the elaborate security checks at every point…by the time one reaches the final destination, it is time just to change and leave for the concert venue.

Well, to cut a long story short, when we finally made it to the concert hall, we were tired out. But, somehow all that vanished into nothingness when we started singing. That day, it was RTP in Kapi- Kanna vaa manivanna vaa, kamala padam vaitthu viraindhodi”. From then on, it was Lord Krishna all the way- though we certainly did not plan it, it just happened! With a virutham on Krishna, a Devarnama, Bhaavayaami Gopalabalam and a Marathi abhang- it recalled the Janmashtami mood!

Siva Vishnu Temple, Lanham, Maryland, Sept 14 2008

Another wonderful venue to sing in! It was the fourth time we were performing at SSVT, and performing in front of the audience here is more like a homecoming! The rasikas here are no different than the Chennai rasikas- informed, knowledgable and inspirational. May their tribe increase!

Shruti Laya, New York, Sept 19 2008
Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam, Sept 20 2008
CMANA& IACRF Inc, New Jersey, Sept 21 2008

This was the big weekend- New York, Chicago and NJ all in a row.Audiences like the ones at Chicago and New Jersey remind me of Orwell's famous line " All things are equal, some are more equal"! All audiences are special- but audiences like these are indeed more special! When you have rasikas so receptive, so finely tuned, performing becomes such a joy!

Our concert at New York was organized by “Sruthi Laya”, an organization which has been recently formed by a sincere, committed group of carnatic music enthusiasts. The sound system here deserves special mention. We wish them all the very best and several years of great concerts ahead!

At the Rama Temple Auditorium, where the CTU (Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam) generally organize the concerts, the atmosphere was so wonderful- the festival feel was in the air, the anticipation building up nicely, people exchanging notes and so on... The music competitions that were held in the earlier part of the day added to the color and bustling activity. As always, Mr.Raghavan and other members of the organization did an exemplary job of organizing the concert, taking care of every detail to perfection.

Coming to New Jersey, ah, what can one say! We felt much like, say, Sachin Tendulkar would feel after hitting a century in the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai!! Here you can just sing to your heart’s content, soak in the warmth and enthusiasm of the audience, which indeed takes the music and the experience to a new high! From the pacy Entharanee in Harikamboji to the sedate, majestic Raksha Bettare in Bhairavi and the feisty Ragam Thanam Pallavi in Ranjani, it was an exciting three and half hours. Kudos to CMANA and IACRF Inc. who jointly organized this concert. Singing here and interacting with all the people here, makes one feel truly rejuvenated.