Divine Grace- its Processes and Effects

Hyderabad Brothers, 1998 - Ramanavami

An introspection by Shri R. Sachi

We are very happy to share with Rasikas worldwide excerpts from a brilliant vocal duet of the senior vidwans, D. Seshachary and D. Raghavachary, popularly known as Hyderabad Brothers, held during the Ramanavami festival at "Parvathi", Mysore, in 1998.

The Hyderabad Brothers duo made a mark for themselves during late 1970’s and have won many honours since, especially the prizes for for the best concerts of the season in the Music Academy, Madras, year after year. They have a beautiful vocal duet technique and employ a deeply classical idiom to connect instantly with their audiences. They received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for the year 2013.

The excerpts we share here have an enduring musical value. Consider the range of ragas essayed: Nata, Sriranjani, Ravichandrika, Kambhoji, Bhairavi, Tilang, Durga…What a range of krithis, and what contemplative lyrical depth. Many of the compositions dwell on the aspect of divine grace. What is divine grace and how does one become ready for it?

The very first song, a classic composition of Muthuswami Dikshitar, gives an inkling…

Swaaminaatha paripaalayaashu maam… kaamitaartha vitarana …bodha roopa nityaananda karana

So at a basic level, the Lord protects and nurtures us. At the next level, He fulfils our desires and wants. But His grace has its full effect in enlightening us on the ultimate reality of divine bliss, and taking us beyond worldly wants.

The following songs also highlight the same theme:

Brochevaarevare…bhavaabdhitaraNopaayamu nerani tyaagaraajuni karambidi..

Who else, but you, oh Rama, will take me across by hand over the ocean of worldliness.

Niravadhisukhadaa..saadhumaanasa susadana

Dwelling in the pure heart, you confer eternal bliss…

The Kshetrayya padam sung here, Rama Rama in Bhairavi, may appear at one level to depict the pangs of a lover, but Shringara is one of the nava vidha bhaktis. Radha, Andal, and Meera, all represent the yearning for the Lord that results in Mukti.

We also have in the concert an interesting admonition to the worldly man by Purandara Dasa. This Durga raga composition Dharma Shravanavidetake was made famous by GNB. The words used by the composer are quite strong, stating that it is totally futile for a man, even if born in the upper caste, to observe religious rituals and listen to spiritual discourses, until and unless he realises the futility of pursuits in the material world and yearns for liberation. He says, huttukurudage deepavidetake bhrashtanigeke kuladharma, meaning that the light of a lamp is useless for a man born blind, just as a depraved man should not flaunt the rituals of his high birth.

We can thus conclude that being eligible for grace is the only thing within our powers. Grace flows and confers on us the pleasures of this world, but more importantly, the bliss of liberation. And as all the saint composers stress, it is a question for us of looking for the true enduring reward of existence and not the trinkets of material prosperity.

Come, let us enjoy a brilliant concert recorded at Parvathi 16 years ago!

Concert Details

Hyderabad Brothers
(D.Seshachary and D.Raghavachary) -------- Vocal

H.K.Narasimhamurthy ----------------- Violin
Cheluvaraj ------------------------ Mridangam
Srinath ------------------------- Ghatam

on 9-4-1998 during Ramanavami at Parvathi.

Song List

01 Swaminatha-Nata-Muthuswami Dikshitar*** 02 Brochevarevare-Sriranjini -Thyagaraja*** 03 Niravadhisukhada-Ravichandrika-Thyagaraja*** 04 Kambhoji Raga-Tana*** 05 Pallavi-Kambhoji & swaras-Kambhoji, Bilahari, Saveri*** 06 Rama Rama- Bhairavi padam - Kshetrayya*** 07 Rama Rama-Tilang-Purandara Dasa*** 08 Dharmashravana-Durga- Purandara Dasa*** 09 Mangalam***

The Importance of Team-work in a Carnatic Concert

Vid. Nedunuri Krishnamurthy – Ramanavami concert 1971 at Parvathi ( Excerpts )

An analysis by Shri R. Sachi

We feature this time the well known Vidwan, Sangita Kalanidhi Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, one among the many stalwarts who have come and performed in Parvathi over six decades. Endowed with a very resonant voice, and presenting a large repertoire in Telugu, Sanskrit and other languages, with chaste diction, with a pleasant, engaging, manodharma, Nedunuri has achieved success with audiences as well as accompanists for a long time.

In this concert from 1971, he is accompanied by Vid.Lalgudi Jayaraman, Vid. Umayalpuram Sivaraman, and Vid. TH Vinayakram. This is a star-studded ensemble and you can surely look forward to some wonderful music, the result of great team-work. After a very emotive Mohana and Nanu Palimpa, we have three very rakthi-filled renditions. There is also a percussion interlude between Umayalpuram and Vinayakram. The whole concert exudes a sense of balance and melody.

The following two excerpts from “An Incurable Romantic”, the authorised biography of Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman, by Lakshmi Devnath, show what an excellent rapport Nedunuri enjoyed with Lalgudi.

Recently, when Nedunuri was conferred a title by a reputed Sabha in Bangalore, a glowing tribute was paid by Vid. Umayalpuram Sivaraman.

For the past 40-50 years, these three artistes have been shining stars on the Carnatic concert platform.

We read in the “Karnataka Sangita Vishaya Vishwakosha”, by Dr. V. S. Sampathkumaracharya, that Nedunuri was born in East Godavari district in 1927. He comes from a family of musicians. He went to Dr. Pinakapani in 1949 for advanced studies. In his long career spanning more than six decades, apart from being a very respected concert artiste, he has held many teaching positions in several established institutions all over Andhra Pradesh. His lessons on radio and television have helped thousands of music students. He has received the title of Asthana Vidwan from Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam for his great contribution to popularising Annamacharya compositions. In fact the song, in Revathi, “Nanati Bratuku” made famous by MSS, was tuned by him. He has also set to music the compositions of Kaivara Yogi Narayana, hailing from a small town in Karnataka.

Come, let us enjoy a vintage concert from the masters.

Concert Excerpt details

Nedunuri Krishnamurthy-Vocal
Lalgudi Jayaraman-Violin
Umayalpuram Sivaraman-Mridangam
TH Vinayakram-Ghatam 6-4-71 at "Parvathi" during Ramanavami.

Song List

01. Mohana Raga *** 02. Nanu Palimpa – Thyagaraja *** 03. Tani Avarthanam *** 04. Challare Ramachandru-Ahiri-Thyagaraja *** 05. Ramamantrava Japiso-Jaunpuri-Purandara Dasa *** 06. Gayathi Vanamali-Durga- Sadashiva Brahmendra ***

2008 - K.K. Murthy Memorial Chowdiah Awards
Nedunuri Krishnamurthy (left) with R. Vishweshwaran
[ Photo Courtesy: The Hindu ]

Mandolin Srinivas – A Prodigious son of Music

In our Eternal Memories: Mandolin U. Srinivas (1969 ~ 2014)

A Tribute by Mysore Prabha

“U. Srinivas passed away” was the breaking news on TV. It was heart-breaking news for us.

Though Lalgudi Krishnan had already given us the shocking news, my mind just refused to accept the fact. How could this happen? Though we knew that he was ailing, we never doubted his recovery. But fate snatched U. Srinivas away from amidst us. To put it in renowned novelist and writer R. K. Narayan’s words, “He jumped the queue”. U. Srinivas has moved on to another world, leaving behind his prodigious, melodious, soul-stirring music for us to enjoy.

There is probably no other musician from India who attained national and international acclaim at such young age as U. Srinivas did. He was recognized as a child-prodigy when he started performing at a very young age of 8-10 years. He continued to be a prodigy even in his 40s, because, no other musician produced such wonderful music on the mandolin (the supposedly ill-suited instrument for carnatic classical music) like Srinivas did. It is to Srinivas’ credit that he has greatly popularized Indian music in western countries. He was always a crowd puller whenever and wherever he performed-in India or abroad. His music always pleased the connoisseur and the layman alike.

My family’s association with U. Srinivas dates back to 1984. It was on 10.4.84 that Srinivas first visited our home,”Parvati”, in Mysore, to perform during the annual Ramanavami music festival conducted by my father, K. Srikantiah. He was a small-built lad and I remember the shy boy sitting on the carpet with his mandolin next to him, gazing and touching his mandolin continuously, as if afraid someone would snatch it away from him. He had no eyes for anything or anyone else, and spoke only in monosyllables. The pandal next to our house and the roads surrounding it were jam-packed with music lovers waiting to listen to the highly acclaimed child-prodigy. The little boy timidly got on to the stage – and then! The audience was transported to a heavenly world of music emanating from his magical fingers! Starting then, he gave about 8 to 10 concerts for us spread over two and a half decades. Surprisingly, despite all his name, fame and glory, he was still the same, child-like, humble Srinivas when he performed for our K. Puttu Rao music festival (Inaugural concert) in 2011. Little did we know that it would be his last concert for us, and also in Mysore. It was our privilege to honour Srinivas during our Silver Jubilee year Ramanavami festival in 1994. It warmed our hearts when Srinivas said in his speech that he considered himself one in our family.

U. Srinivas has left us after leading a highly worthy life in his short life-span. He has achieved in about three decades what probably would take three births for others to achieve. The country and the Carnatic music world have lost one of its rarest gems. The Indian music world will forever be proud of its prodigious son- Mandolin Srinivas. There cannot be another Mandolin Srinivas.

My family and I pray that Lord Rama blesses Srinivas’ soul with eternal peace.

LONG LIVE THE LEGEND

PARVATHI's TRIBUTE TO VIDWAN MANDOLIN U. SHRINIVAS (1969-2014)

A Heart-felt Testimony by Shri R. Sachi

Life’s most stirring moments come when we are least prepared. Who can forget the wide-eyed wonder of a child witnessing the sunrise or a rainbow.. Who can explain the joy of meeting one’s beloved after a long separation. Who can explain the unbounded joy that a legendary musician gives with almost no warning?

And who can articulate the utter, desolate, loss felt by us when we heard this morning of the passing of Mandolin U. Shrinivas?

All within a short span of time, this boy wonder won millions over with his bewitching smile and bewildering mastery of an art form as complex as Carnatic music. Add to that his mastery of an instrument as foreign to India as the Mediterranean Mandolin. And we begin to appreciate the phenomenon of Mandolin U Shrinivas. As a boy of humble beginnings in an Andhra village, he came from as far away as you can imagine from the Brahmin bastion of the Carnatic Tanjavur delta. He came on the musical stage like the child Krishna strode the streets of Mathura. And everyone of us became for a moment a child full of wonderment, beholding the sunrise, or witnessing the rainbow in the sky for the first time.

Paeans have been heaped on Mandolin Shrinivas by every rasika, critic, and art patron in every genre- Carnatic, Jazz, Hindustani and World music. In a normal year, Shrinivas would traverse the continents a dozen times, and enthral audiences one day at the Music Academy, next day at Parvathi, the day after at Kala Ghoda and the next somewhere in London.

To the home called Parvathi, Shrinivas came often, like a school boy to his grandparents for summer holidays. He gave unstintingly of his brand of music which had a pristine thrill. And he would go away smiling, with the promise to return soon.

But today, he has travelled to a different plane. Bathed in tears, we can only envy the world he has gone to, because our loss is the gain of those souls in that world.

Long live the legend.

Shrinivas plays Siddivinayakam as only he can, at the age of 16 (1985)

Shrinivas speaks about his association with Parvathi (2011)

Shrinivas plays Saramathi – Mokshamu Galada (1988)

Rama’s Coronation – the glory of righteousness and devotion

T. V. Sankaranarayanan Ramanavami concert, 1991

An Appreciation by Shri R. Sachi

In this excellent concert, held more than 23 years ago, Vid. T. V. Sankaranarayanan gives a very classical recital in his energetic style with fitting accompaniment.

After presenting many great pieces, he sings this traditional shloka in a Ragamalika:

Vaidehi-sahitam suradrumatale haimE mahaa-mantapE
madhyE pushpakam-aasanE maNimayE veeraasanE susthitam|
agrE vaacayati prabhanjanasute tattvam munibhyah param
vyaakhyaantam bharataadibhih parivritam raamam bhaje Syaamalam ||

MEANING: I bow down to Lord Rama, the dark-coloured one, who is seated in a heroic posture along with his consort Sita, who hails from the kingdom of Videha, beneath the heavenly Parijata tree, under a golden canopy, on a flower bedecked gem-studded throne.

With Hanuman, the wise one, seated in front, Rama interprets the lofty scriptures to the sages present, while the sole subject extolled by the scriptures, the divinity incarnate Rama himself is resplendent, surrounded by his virtuous brother Bharata and others.

This shloka holds in its brief discourse all the essence of what Rama and Ramayana stands for. After he won the hand of Sita, the divine daughter of the enlightened king (Rajarshi) Janaka, Rama obeyed his father’s order (handed out under Kaikeyi’s duress) and spent fourteen long years in the forest. During that time, he played his regal role of upholding righteousness and protecting the good souls. He liberated, with the help of Sugriva’s army, Sita from the evil kingdom of Ravana and returned to Ayodhya. His virtuous brother, Bharata, lay in waiting, having served as his designate all these years, just to see Rama established on the throne. At the coronation of Rama, many sages gathered, along with that great hero among devotees, Hanuman, and Rama found the occasion to be appropriate to expound the scriptures to those present. The scene was truly a sight for the gods.

We can observe how the poet has woven in the virtues so many great characters in Ramayana as well as so many beautiful aspects of that moment of coronation. This was the high point in India’s celebrated ancient epic poem, Ramayana.

Saint Thyagaraja worshipped the Rama Pattabhisheka idols all his life. The great composer Muthuswami Dikshitar is stated to have composed his Manirangu masterpiece “Mamava Pattabhirama” when he visited Thyagaraja and witnessed his worship of those Pattabhisheka idols.

The themes of righteousness and devotion form the core subject of Carnatic musical compositions. The home of Parvathi has worshipped Lord Rama in his Pattabhisheka form under a Parijata tree for decades and served the cause of Carnatic music with devotion. This presentation of Vidwan T.V. Sankaranayaranan, with excellent accompaniment by vidwans Mysore Nagaraj and Harikumar, is another gem in Parvathi’s offering to rasikas.

Concert Details

T.V. Sankaranarayanan-------vocal
Mysore Nagaraj------------------violin
Hari Kumar------------------------Mridangam
on 24-3-91 during Ramanavami festival at Parvathi.

01 Vigneshwara-Arabhi-Tulasivanam*** 02 Rara mayintidaka-Asaveri-Thyagaraja*** 03 Pantuvarali Raga*** 04 Appa Rama bhakti-Pantuvarali-Thyagaraja*** 05 Kharaharapriya Raga*** 06 Rama neeyada-KHP-Thyagaraja*** 07 Sloka(Ragamalika)-Mangalam***

Instrumental Innovations in Carnatic Music

Kadri Gopalnath Saxophone, 1982

Reflections by Shri R. Sachi

( Photo courtesy: The Hindu )

Carnatic music gives a prominent role to melodic instruments and instrumental innovations. Since the time of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, the western instrument violin has been embraced and enhanced in our music. The traditional veena and flute have undergone many innovations. In addition, the clarinet, the mandolin, the guitar, and even the keyboard have all made inroads into Carnatic music. Most importantly, the saxophone has made an emphatic entry as early as in the 1970’s, and its synonym is Vid. Kadri Gopalnath.

Born into a Nagaswara vidwan family in Mangalore (1949), Kadri was fascinated when he heard the saxophone in the Mysore Palace band. He took to the instrument, tamed it to Carnatic ways, and has an impressive list of admirers over the years, from Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer to A R Rahman. He has been conferred a doctorate by Bangalore University, the title Sangeetha Kalashikhamani from Indian Fine Arts, Chennai, and most recently the Veene Sheshanna Memorial national award. He underwent advanced musical training under Vid T. V. Gopalakrishnan (this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi designate by the Madras Music Academy.) Whereas some purists may criticise the saxophone as being less than perfect in microtonal raga and gamaka reproduction, there cannot be any debate regarding Vid. Kadri Gopalnath’s contribution to popularising Carnatic music and the instrument saxophone especially among lay audiences of this generation.

We reproduce below an extract from his concert review in the New York Times, 1987:

" KADRI GOPALNATH plays South Indian classical music on the alto saxophone. A western listener, trying to imagine this, might expect something like the sinuously bluesy playing of a few jazz saxophonists, notably John Handy, in encounters with Indian musicians. But Mr. Gopalnath's approach is quite different. He originally played the nadaswaram, a large, throaty South Indian reed instrument, and has been able to transfer the bends, slurs and quavers of the traditional instrument to the western one with remarkable thoroughness. He is more or less reinventing the alto saxophone, using it to do things neither its western classical exponents nor the jazz players who have perfected it as an expressive instrument could have imagined. "

Vid. Kadri Gopalanath has been popular among Parvathi audiences, especially youngsters and lay listeners. We are glad to share some excerpts from his 1982 concert held during Ramanavami celebrations.

Concert Details:

Kadri Gopalnath ---- Saxaphone
A,R.Krishnamurthy --- Violin
P.G.Lakshminarayan -- Mridangam on 9-4-82 at 'Parvathi'

Song List

01 Srichamundeshwari-Bilahari-Mysore Vasudevacharya *** 02 Panchashatpitharupini-Devagandharam-Muthuswami Dikshitar *** 03. Nanati bratuku- Revathi-Annamacharya *** 04. Baro Krishnaiyya- Ragamalika- Kanaka Dasa *** 05. Smara Varam varam – Bahudari- Sadashiva Brahmendra *** 06. Venkatachalanilayam – Sindhu Bhairavi – Purandara Dasa ***

2014 - K.Puttu Rao Memorial Music Festival

An Invitation

DEAR "RASIKAS"

Its getting close to that time of the Year again !

Spring-summer time and with it a celebration in Carnatic Music !

Please welcome once again to Mysore !

To the 2014 K. Puttu Rao Memorial Festival !