.................... by Sivapriya Krishnan
After listening to a concert at the AIR Chennai auditorium, held under the banner of Prasar Bharati ( All India Radio, Chennai) alongwith AIMA ( an organisation managed by Mridangam vidwan Sri.T.V.Gopalakrishnan) in the AIR auditorium, I was compelled to pen down my thoughts about the contribution of AIR and DD to our Indian culture.
Prasar Bharati needs no introduction, but definitely needs some advertisement, especially in the wake of todays multiplicity of channels, fragmentation of audiences, fragmented taste preferences and influence of the internet. It also deserves that special pat on its back and a kudos mainly because of the yoeman service that AIR and DD have done in the last 50 years to propagate art , culture, music, social causes et all.
All India Radio, Chennai vaanoli nilayam !!! Isn't this a refrain that many of us in the South are so familiar with ? And the signature tune in raga Sivaranjani ?
AIR in general has been a promoter of music and has given a solid platform for performing artists to display their talents. Though one cannot see the face of the artist, many a vidwan , ustad and pandit have etched their remarkable human voice or the voice of their instrument strongly in the minds of the listeners , through the megahertz frequency !
What a pleasure it is to hear our favourite music or musician sitting comfortably in our couch or chair with a radio on the lap or by the side !!
My memories of growing up as a child in Mumbai, are so strongly drawn towards listening to the radio. I used to be woken up with the strains of music from a radio kept on by my mother at my bedside!! Somehow the radio would catch on the frequency from Chennai, Trichy, Vijayawada (not withstanding the "grrrs" and " hisss" intermittently singing along with the artist). We used to wait for the December season concerts to be broadcasted over the radio and then analyse with a frenzy, the concert and the artist amongst ourselves and friends.
With all the onslaught of a variety of TV, Internet and other electronic and digital options fighting for the mind space of the listener , the AIR has with some intermittent shake-ups, has slowly stuck to its knitting and also evolved with a variety of FM options, privatised broadcast and a wide repertoire of programmes.
The auditorium at the Chennai station of AIR is really big and the acoustics quite good. The staff at the stations are quite competent and have a good experience in matters of recording, broadcast, programming etc.
What the government could however do better would be to motivate the employees, not so much with more money , but with equipping them with better technology, training, attention to a few details, more professionalism in work, reacting to competitive forces, better marketing and administrative abilities.
Archives and recordings of old masters could be made public, with innovative product and marketing techniques and thereby the music and art world will stand to benefit better with more listenership and effective learning.
December 06, 2009
Margazhi Raagam, the concert film is now on DVD
During the last December Season (2008), a fill length film with a Carnatic music concert and just with that, was released. Featuring Bombay Jayashri and T. M. Krishna singing classical Carnatic compositions ending with a Vande Mataram, is all that the film has in it.
Passionately produced by director Jayendra, the audio recording was done by one of the best sound engineers in the field, H. Sridhar, who is no more around now.On the launch the producers - Real Image and the team announced that this film will be released on Blu ray, DVD and audio CDs in future. The DVD is being released today in Chennai.
On the official website of this film, many had registered to receive information about the release of the DVD and a few days ago they opened a pre-release booking for those who have registered with them.
Priced at Rs. 1250, this DVD is all set to be released on Dec. 6 at Cafe Ashwita on Dr. Radhakrishnan Salai, Mylapore. US Consul General Andrew Simkin and film maker Mani Ratnam will be the guests at this function.
This DVD is packaged in a colourful booklet with pictures of the concert at the venue, Mutha Venkatasubbarao Hall, Chetpet taken during the making of the film.
The book will also contain lyrics of each song the artistes performed for this film.
If you are the first timers at Cafe Ashwita, contact them on phone no. 2847 6063 to find your way to the location.
You can buy the DVD online at http://www.kalakendra.com/shopping/margazhi-raagam-p-2103.html
December 05, 2009
Hitchcock in Carnatic music concert
Carnatic music concerts are no more in 'the same old' format.
They are now set in themes.
Many of the themes are chosen by the organisers, who do a bit of research to know who is the best to present specific themes. But some are left to the artistes, who do their homework to bring out their strength out in the open.
Jaya TV's Margazhi Maha Utsavam this year has various themes celebrating different things and moods.From a straight forward theme like 'Celebrating D.K. Pattammal' by her granddaughter Nithyasree and 'Celebrating Earth, seasons and festivals' by the violinists duo Ganesh and Kumaresh to intriguing themes like 'Celebrating Myriad Hues of Ragas' by S. Sowmya, the list is long.
The one which made many eyebrows raise was a theme and name - 'Celebrating Suspense' - given to T.M. Krishna's concert on Dec. 4.
The auditorium inside Chettinad Vidyashram School began getting filled up by 5.30 p.m. when Gayathri Girish was singing her main piece.
When it was time for Krishna's concert at 6.30 p.m., the gallery in the upstairs was also 75% full. Many were curious and waiting for Krishna to reveal the 'suspense'!
Krishna said 'Namaskaram' with a mischievous smile and expressed his 'surprise' over the theme printed on the Jaya TV's event invite. "I never expected that the organisers would mention the theme as 'Celebrating Suspense' in their press releases and invites!'' He continued to say that he could not find an apt name for the set of songs he selected for that day and so he called it a suspense and wanted the rasikas to assist him in giving a theme name at the end of the concert.
The concert began with the song 'Anbe Jeevadharam' in the raga Bahudari composed by 'Spencer' Venugopal and in Tamil. The next was from a Kannada poetry collection on winter season followed by a Malayalam piece from Mayura Sandesham. Krishna said that this piece was set to tune by Sangeetha Sivakumar.
Then came 'Kathamaham varnayami ramyalila' a composition in Sanskrit. He announced, "This is a composition of R.K. Sriram Kumar, my close friend."
After a Bengali song from Rabindra Sangeeth, Krishna wrapped up the concert with Subramanya Bharati's 'Chinnanjiru kiliye' again in Ragamalika but with a different set of ragas.
It was time for the question hour. When the audience started moving, the organisers requested them to stay back at least for the first question, as the reply to the question will be a surprise.
"This team of T.M.Krishna, R.K. Sriramkumar, Arun Prakash, and Purushotham is a powerful team. Can we have four lines of a mikeless singing?" was the question. Krishna's team was game to respond and the mikes were muted.
Then came the real surprise. Krishna sang 'Modi jesa velara', the Khamas raga javali in the fast pace. The team proved that it was really a powerful one.
But what was the theme 'suspense'? Krishna finally declared that he gave the title for the theme of his songs presented, 'Bhakthi'. Anything that has to do with devotion irrespective of whether it is love, affection, celebration... is Bhakthi!
Season's calendar pocket book
With a sabha inaugurating their December season of art festivals each other day, there are a goodies and stuff that are worth a grab also roll out.
The first one to come out is the pocket calendar booklet, published by S. Kannan at the inauguration of Brahma Gana Sabha's festival.
Kannan has been bringing this out for more than 10 years now and he works on a simple Excel sheet and classifies the calendar into date-wise and artiste-wise. He includes all the artistes and venues he gets details of and makes the book useful to those who live on the outskirts also. It lists the events at sabhas in Tambaram, Nanganallur, Velachery also.
Copies of this book can be had from S. Kannan, 2nd Floor, Sundaram Apartment, No. 3, Anandapuram, Off Dr. Rangachari Road, Mylapore, Chennai - 4
It is also available at various outlets of Nalli in T. Nagar, Adyar, Alwarpet and Anna Nagar.
December 04, 2009
From a Master...to... a Maestro : Chitravina Ravikiran
............. by Sivapriya Krishnan
Ravikiran and Chitravina are but an obverse and reverse of the same coin. He is a “child prodigy” who had the rare capacity to identify ragas and swaras at the tender age of two, an age, when many a child still fumbles with amorphous sounds and actions.
Slowly and steadily, Master Chitravina Ravikiran was honed and moulded into Maestro Chitravina Ravikiran, under the strictest supervision of his father Chitravina Narasimhan, who gave him all the fodder necessary for a superior growth and development in this chosen field of art.
Ravikiran , was not only prodigious, but also steady and steadfast, with an innately developed sense and taste for the finer aspects of musicality and playing the instrument. He ensured that he grew in stature and took on the responsibility on his shoulders of propagating an age old Carnatic musical instrument, which would have otherwise sunk into oblivion. Well versed in vocal music , under the tutelage of Smt.T. Brinda, known for her fastidious and classy music, and having learnt the techniques of playing this instrument from his father Sri. Narasimhan, Ravikiran, mastered this very difficult yet melodious instrument and has carved a niche for himself , in which he is enviably an Emperor !
His students honoured him for the wonderful 40years of musical contribution and as Ravikiran himself pointed out , that he is blessed to be felicitated and blessed by the musical trinity, whose scholarship and musicianship he has been in awe of and who have always been his musical icons, namely Sangita Kalanidhi Sri. M.Balamuralikrishna, Sangita Kalanidhi Sri.Umayalpuram K Sivaraman and Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Madurai T N Seshagopalan, were present there to felicitate and bless him on this occasion.
Sri.N.Murali, President of the Madras Music Academy and Y.Prabhu, President of Krishna Gana Sabha, the two instituitions which promoted this prodigy and offered him a stage to demonstrate his music also spoke of his genius. Sri. V.V. Sundaram of Cleveland Aradhana Committee and Sri Ramnad K Ramanathan (son of legendary Ramnad Krishnan and a well wisher and friend of Ravikiran) also felicitated him.
Some snippets from the various felicitatory speeches :
M.Balamurali Krishna : praised him for his extraordinary brilliance; not common to sustain the knowledge and training of childhood into adult life and blessed him more success, name, fame and money.
Umayalpuram K Sivaraman : age is no consideration for great vidwat and genius and India is a country which has many examples of exemplary prodigies, who are respected for their scholarship.
Madurai T N Seshagopalan : blend of Gods grace and munificence, that he is endowed with so much brilliance and scholarship; sacrifices made by his father Sri Narasimhan in teaching him everything and honing him into a fine musician.
N Murali : rare that a two year old could grasp so much and subject himself to the disciplines set by the Guru and the demands made by the art; it’s the innate ability that has helped in his achievement; rare ability to sustain without becoming a maverick or an eccentric genius.
Y. Prabhu : rare genius and ability which come rather rarely in a lifetime, Krishna Gana Sabha , proud to be the one to promote his genius.
V.V.Sundaram : truly blessed musician, who upholds classicism and traditions , even while experimenting with creative approaches; rare gift from the legendary Sakharama Rao who gifted him his Chitravina.
Ramnad K Ramanathan : father Ramnad Krishnan, amongst the ones who judged him in the Music Academy; association grew strong over a period of time, happy that in this lifetime we have a meritorious person amidst us.
The speeches were specific, succinct and generous , the stage décor and the seating arrangements done with a touch of superior class and elegance and the book on Ravikiran printed with the fine art of printing.
Kudos to the Ravikiran Gurukulam !!
Ravikiran and Chitravina are but an obverse and reverse of the same coin. He is a “child prodigy” who had the rare capacity to identify ragas and swaras at the tender age of two, an age, when many a child still fumbles with amorphous sounds and actions.
Slowly and steadily, Master Chitravina Ravikiran was honed and moulded into Maestro Chitravina Ravikiran, under the strictest supervision of his father Chitravina Narasimhan, who gave him all the fodder necessary for a superior growth and development in this chosen field of art.
Ravikiran , was not only prodigious, but also steady and steadfast, with an innately developed sense and taste for the finer aspects of musicality and playing the instrument. He ensured that he grew in stature and took on the responsibility on his shoulders of propagating an age old Carnatic musical instrument, which would have otherwise sunk into oblivion. Well versed in vocal music , under the tutelage of Smt.T. Brinda, known for her fastidious and classy music, and having learnt the techniques of playing this instrument from his father Sri. Narasimhan, Ravikiran, mastered this very difficult yet melodious instrument and has carved a niche for himself , in which he is enviably an Emperor !
His students honoured him for the wonderful 40years of musical contribution and as Ravikiran himself pointed out , that he is blessed to be felicitated and blessed by the musical trinity, whose scholarship and musicianship he has been in awe of and who have always been his musical icons, namely Sangita Kalanidhi Sri. M.Balamuralikrishna, Sangita Kalanidhi Sri.Umayalpuram K Sivaraman and Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Madurai T N Seshagopalan, were present there to felicitate and bless him on this occasion.
Sri.N.Murali, President of the Madras Music Academy and Y.Prabhu, President of Krishna Gana Sabha, the two instituitions which promoted this prodigy and offered him a stage to demonstrate his music also spoke of his genius. Sri. V.V. Sundaram of Cleveland Aradhana Committee and Sri Ramnad K Ramanathan (son of legendary Ramnad Krishnan and a well wisher and friend of Ravikiran) also felicitated him.
Some snippets from the various felicitatory speeches :
M.Balamurali Krishna : praised him for his extraordinary brilliance; not common to sustain the knowledge and training of childhood into adult life and blessed him more success, name, fame and money.
Umayalpuram K Sivaraman : age is no consideration for great vidwat and genius and India is a country which has many examples of exemplary prodigies, who are respected for their scholarship.
Madurai T N Seshagopalan : blend of Gods grace and munificence, that he is endowed with so much brilliance and scholarship; sacrifices made by his father Sri Narasimhan in teaching him everything and honing him into a fine musician.
N Murali : rare that a two year old could grasp so much and subject himself to the disciplines set by the Guru and the demands made by the art; it’s the innate ability that has helped in his achievement; rare ability to sustain without becoming a maverick or an eccentric genius.
Y. Prabhu : rare genius and ability which come rather rarely in a lifetime, Krishna Gana Sabha , proud to be the one to promote his genius.
V.V.Sundaram : truly blessed musician, who upholds classicism and traditions , even while experimenting with creative approaches; rare gift from the legendary Sakharama Rao who gifted him his Chitravina.
Ramnad K Ramanathan : father Ramnad Krishnan, amongst the ones who judged him in the Music Academy; association grew strong over a period of time, happy that in this lifetime we have a meritorious person amidst us.
The speeches were specific, succinct and generous , the stage décor and the seating arrangements done with a touch of superior class and elegance and the book on Ravikiran printed with the fine art of printing.
Kudos to the Ravikiran Gurukulam !!
Natya Kala Conference 2009
Sri Krishna Gana Sabha hosts seminars and lectures in dance under the banner 'Natya Kala Conference' Every yaer as part of the December Festival of the sabha.
Dr. Ananda Shankar Jayant, a bharatanatyam exponent, is the convenor of the conference this year. She convened the last year's conference too.
The theme of this year's Natya Kala Conference is 'Danc Matters'
The lec-dems, events, discussions will be held from Dec. 26, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2009.
The schedule is as follows:
December, 26 2009 - Past - Present continuous
Session I - 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m
Inauguration by Smt D Purandeswari, Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Government of India
Convenor’s address by Dr Ananda Shankar Jayant
Key Note Address by Jayant Kastuar, Secretary, Sangeet Natak Akademi
10.30 a.m. to 10.45 a.m. - Tea break
Session II - 10.45 a.m. to 11.40 a.m.
Plenary session:
Where do we go from here? - Dr Sunil Kothari
Session III - 11.45 a..m to 1.00 p.m.
Changing Kinetics by Harikrishnan, Srividya Natarajan, Priyadarshini Govind
December, 27 2009 - Legacy
Session I - 9.15 a.m. to 10.05 a.m.
The Balasaraswati legacy by Nandini Ramani
Session II - 10.10 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
The male dancer – Kalakshetra legacy by VP Dhananjayan
Session III - 11.10 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Kuchipudi – The Vempati China Satyam legacy by Dr Anuradha
Session IV - 12.10 p.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Documenting Dance - The Mohan Khokar legacy by Ashish Mohan Khokar
Special Evening Performance
NATA SANKIRTAN of Manipur, 27 December 2009, 7.30pm
By Jawaharlal Manipuri Dance Academy, Imphal
Sponsored by Sangeet Natak Akademi
December, 28 2009 - Inner World-Outer world
Session I - 9.15 a.m. to 10.05 a.m.
The Expressive Body by Sujata Mohapatra
Session II - 10.10 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
Essence of Abhinaya by Lakshmi Vishwanathan
Session III - 11.10 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Panel: Media and Dance : Participants - Sadanand Menon, Ramnarayan, Anjana Rajan, Chitra Mahesh, Anuradha Ananth, Aniruddhan Vasudevan
Session IV - 12.10 p.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Past Forward Excerpts from new works by Arangham Trust, Natya - STEM dance company, Thiruchelvam, Samudra
December, 29 2009 - New Directions
Session I - 9.15 a.m. to 10.05 a.m.
Re-imagining the image by Chitra Vishweswaran
Session II - 10.10 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
In Conversation -Collaborations by Anita Ratnam, Astad Debbo
Session III - 11.10a.m. to 12.00 noon
Thaka Dimi Tha - TV,Reality shows and dance by Radhika Shurajit
Session IV - 12.10 p.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Panel: Dancing Difference Moderator: Anita Ratnam, Participants : Lata Pada, Rama Bharadwaj, Ratna Kumar, Harikrishnan, Aravinth Kumaraswamy, Siri Rama
Satellite activity:
TWINKLE TOES: 29 December 2009, 3pm – 4.30pm
A special afternoon of dance, for and by children - Curated by Churchill Pandian
As part of CSR (Cultural Social Responsibility)
Venue: Kamakoti Gana Mandir (Mini hall of Krishna Gana Sabha)
December, 30 2009 - New Directions
Session I - 9.15 a.m. to 10.05 a.m.
Dance Choreography by Kumudini Lakhia
Session II - 10.10 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
In Conversation: Stretch Marks by Geeta Chandran, Ramli Ibrahim
Session III - 11.10 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Panel: Young Gurus - Gen Next Moderator: Leela Venkataraman. Participants : A Lakshman, Gopika Verma, Kishore Mosalikanti, Deepika Reddy, Anita Guha
Session IV - 12.10 p.m. to 1.00 p.m.
Film Choreography by Saroj Khan
December, 31 2009 - Dance Matters
Session I - 9.15 a.m. to 10.15 a.m.
Dance Lights by Gautam Bhattacharjee
Session II - 10.20 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.
IPR and Dance by Uttara Asha Coorlawala, Jayaprada Ramamurthy, Universal-Legal
Session III - 11.10 a.m. to 12.10 p.m.
Panel: Art, Beauty, Creation Moderator: Anil Srinivasan. Participants : Unnikrishnan, Rajeev Menon, Devdutt Patnaik
Session IV - 12.20 p.m. to 1.20 p.m.
Valedictory - Shanta Serbjeet Singh participates
Satellite activity:
TWINKLE TOES: 29 December 2009, 3pm – 4.30pm
A special afternoon of dance, for and by children
Curated by Churchill Pandian
As part of CSR (Cultural Social Responsibility)
Venue: Kamakoti Gana Mandir (Mini hall of Krishna Gana Sabha)
COFFEE DIALOGUES - Everyday post conference at venue
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