The Lalgudi Express - Celebrating the Maestro's Bani

Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman - Sri Ramanavami 1987 Concert

By R. Sachi

The idyllic city of Mysore boasts of a heritage railway station through which many of who’s who have passed to experience the wonderful city over long years.

Among the many musicians who arrived by train in Mysore to perform at the home of Parvathi, the legend Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman was a special one, who came countless times.

The Railway Museum, Mysore

In this 1987 Sri Ramanavami concert with accompaniment by his son Vid. GJR Krishnan, Vid. Vellore Ramabhadran, and Vid. Bangalore Venkatram, Sri. Lalgudi gives us a ride on the Lalgudi Express train. There is a brisk tempo throughout, with never a dull moment. Vid. Ramabhadran’s sarvalaghu style of playing the mridangam is like the steady beat of the train wheels on a well-laid broad gauge track! This concert augurs for the Vande Bharat Express being launched to garner many accolades.

Sri K. Srikantiah is quite fond of recollecting his long association with Vid. Lalgudi since circa 1948. Both were very young then and a thick friendship grew. The family of Parvathi celebrated every achievement and award bestowed on the great vidwan including the first Chowdiah National Award in 1982 and an International Award for the best of world music. Readers can discover the family connection with the Chowdah Hall too in this blog. We have also shared many brilliant concerts of Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman – both solo and playing as an accompanist, already.

It is now a happy occasion in our Finale to share this concert recording from 1987, especially since Vid. GJR Krishnan has been named as the awardee of the Sangeeta Kalanidhi title for 2022 by the Madras Music Academy which will be conferred on him along with his sister Vid. Vijayalakshmi.

The Lalgudi musical lineage traces back to Saint Thyagaraja himself, as has been well narrated in the biography of the Vidwan titled “An Incurable Romantic.” Being a truly multidimensional musician and composer, Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman won worldwide acclaim for his many accomplishments as a soloist, accompanist, composer, teacher, and the creator of the Lalgudi Bani.

This concert begins with his own composition, a Varnam in Sama. The next song in Dhanyasi is short and sweet with these words:

The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja, RK Math, Chennai 

Thyagaraja is summarising the entire personality of Sri Rama: Rama the beautiful one, the powerful one, the giver of delight, the punisher of the evil, and the indweller in the heart of the devotee. The same sentiment is expressed also in the Huseni song so evocatively played by the maestro after a dynamic Shanmukhapriya.

The rendition of Sakalagrahabala Neene in Athana is excellent.

Concert Details

Lalgudi Jayaraman   --------- Violin
GJR Krishnan                 ---- Violin
Vellore Ramabhadran ------- Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram ------ Ghatam
on 11-4-1987at 'Parvathi' Sri Ramanavami Festival.

Song List

• 1.       Tarunam en Thaye – Sama Varnam – Lalgudi Jayaraman
• 2.       Shyama Sundaranga – Dhanyasi – Thyagaraja
• 3.       Paramatmudu – Vagadheeshwari – Thyagaraja
• 4.       Sakalagrahabala Neene – Athana – Purandaradasa
• 5.       Ramachandram Bhavayami – Vasantha – Muthuswami Dikshitar
• 6.       Marivere Dikkevaraiyya Rama – Shanmukhapriya – Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer
• 7.       Raghuveera Ranadheera – Huseni – Thyagaraja
• 8.       Bhavanuta – Mohana – Thyagaraja
• 9.       Kharaharapriya alapana

This is only Part A of the concert recording. Unfortunately, we are unable to locate in the heap of tapes the second part of the recording. So, as the maestro builds up the alapana of Kharaharapriya, the recording ends. It is as if Mahaveera Hanuman has brought an invitation to the ensemble to move and to continue the concert in front of  Lord Sri Rama himself in his Ayodhya Durbar.

 

We extend our felicitations to Vid. GJR Krishnan and Vid. Vijayalakshmi on the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award. We earnestly wish continued glory to the Lalgudi Bani in the future.

Musical Genius is always through Divine Grace

Vid. Mandolin U. Shrinivas 1984 'Parvathi' Ramanavami Concert

Review by R. Sachi

We are pleased to share yet another wonderful concert of an unprecedented genius in the Carnatic world, Mandolin Shrinivas. Shrinivas was almost a member of the Parvathi family.

Nowadays we are presented a number of youngsters hardly ten to twelve years old, as prodigies. They are also compared to Mandolin U Shrinivas. But we think at Parvathi that there can be no other musician like him. He did not have a family tradition in Carnatic music, nor rigorous training from infancy, nor influential patronage. He emerged from the rustic hinterland on to the concert stage through sheer effort and more importantly, divine grace. His success, his enchantment, and his leaving us destitute through his early passing away, are all part of a unique “divine leela”.

There is this famous shloka of how Goddess Saraswati confers literary and musical gifts like a mother breastfeeds her child:

saṅgītamatha sāhityaṁ sarasvatyāḥ stanadvayam |
ekamāpātamadhuram anyadālocanāmṛtam ||

So a Shrinivas is nurtured musically by Divinity in ways we cannot fathom.

In this 1984 concert, where he is ably assisted by senior musicians like Sri. Govindaswamy, Sri. Upendran, and Sri.Venkatram, we see the early signs of his genius, through his rendering a wide variety of famous compositions with panache.

His choice of the song, “Marivere” appears to be his constant prayer to the Goddess for grace.

Come, let us enjoy the concert without further ado!

Details

U.Shrinivas....... Mandolin
M.S. Govindaswamy... Violin
Tanjore Upendran... Mridangam
Bangalore Venkataram.... Ghatam
On April 10, 1984 at 'Parvathi' during Sri Ramanavami Music Festival.

Song List 01. Vanajaksha Atatala Varnam - Kalyani –Pallavi Gopala Iyer *** 02. Srimahaganapathi – Gaula – Muthuswami Dikshitar *** 03. Raghunayaka – Hamsadhwani –Thyagaraja *** 04. Endaromahanubhavulu – Sriraga- Thyagaraja *** 05. Saraswathi raga *** 06. Anuragamule – Saraswathi – Thyagaraja *** 07. Marivere – Ananda Bhairavi – Shyama Shastri *** 08. Niravadhisukhada – Ravichandrika – Thyagaraja *** 09. Todi alapana *** 10. Tana+Kaddanuvariki – Todi-Thyagaraja *** 11. Enta muddo – Bindumalini – Thyagaraja *** 12. Raghuvamshasudha – Kadanakutuhalam – Patnam Subramanya Iyer *** 13. Jagadoddharana – Kapi- Purandaradasa *** 14. Baro Krishnayya – Ragamalika – Kanakadasa *** 15. Thillana – Desh – Lalgudi Jayaraman *** 16. ? -Sindhu bhairavi -? *** 17. Thriuppugah – Hamsanandi – Arunagirinathar *** 18. Mangalam ***

Rama, the good, great and gracious always!

Vid. Sanjay Subrahmanyan- 1994 'Parvathi' Ramanavami Concert

2017 RamaNavami thoughts by R. Sachi

We extend our prayers and wishes to Rasikas worldwide on the auspicious occasion of Sri Ramanavami, 5th April, 2017. We feature a wonderful concert of Vid. Sanjay Subrahmanyan this time, from our archives of the 1994 Ramanavami concert at Parvathi, Mysore.

Vid, Sanjay is accompanied in this concert by Vid. S.V. Narayan on the violin, the leading mridangam doyen of our times Vid. T.K.Murthy, and Vid. Bangalore Venkatram on ghatam.

Vid. Sanjay Subrahmanyan, already a Sangeetha Kalanidhi at only 48 years of age, has had a greatly successful musical career for nearly 3 decades. He has impeccable dedication to his art, and exults in the youthful exuberance of his music as well as the worldwide adulation from his listeners. His concerts are a textbook standard for the concert planning, punctuality, stage chemistry, repertoire, especially the absence of mnemonic aids like pieces of paper or ipads, the use of a real tambura always, and even his attire.

For many youngsters, Sanjay is also a role model for his wide-ranging interests in sports and his blogs on books and fitness and everything else.

In this concert, several gems of songs on Sri Rama have been sung. The word that stood out to us is Rama-“Bhadra”. We reproduce below the meaning of the word Bhadra in the VS Apte dictionary:

Rama, with epithets like Rama-chandra, Rama-bhadra, has to be the eternal inspiration for our Samskruti. Rama is timeless. Rama has to be worshipped in every act and thought. Celebrating Rama is our tradition and greatest fortune.

Concert Details:

Sanjay Subrahmanyan --------- Vocal
S.V.Narayan ------------------------ Violin
Tanjore K.Murthy ----------------- Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram -----------Ghatam
on 21-4-1994 during Sri Ramanavami.

Song List:

01. Inta Chalamu – Begada Varna –Veena Kuppaiyyar *** 02. Brochevarevaru – Sriranjani- Thyagaraja *** 03. Sundarataradeham-Pantuvarali-Thyagaraja *** 04. Ragaratnamalikache- Reetigowla-Thyagaraja *** 05. Kambhoji alapana *** 06. Evari mata- Kambhoji- Thyagaraja *** 07. Ramaya Ramabhadraya Shloka, Janakipathe-Kharaharapriya-Papanasam Sivan *** 08. Manadhir Kugandadu-Sindhu Bhairavi-Tanjavur Sankara Iyer*** 09. Govardhana Giridhara – Darbari Kanada-Narayana Teertha *** 10. Sapashyat Kausalya – Jaunpuri-Panchapakesha Shastri*** 11. Taam Taam Taam – Khamach Thillana- Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer *** 12. Thiruppugazh – Bageshri *** 13. Mangalam ***

The Primacy of the Raga-Tana-Pallavi

Vid. T. N. Seshagopalan, 1984 Ramanavami at 'Parvathi',Mysore

Preview from R. Sachi

We are delighted to share this time, with rasikas everywhere, a lovely RTP concert of Vid. T. N. Seshagopalan in the able company of vidwans Mysore Nagaraj, Srimushnam Raja Rao and Bangalore Venkatram.

The time of this concert is the 1980’s, when Vid. Seshagopalan stormed the Carnatic music scene with his exuberant style, vocal range, and ever-innovative manodharma. Young stars of today are often guided by the methods of the early innovators in Carnatic music, and that list includes for sure GNB, BMK, and TNS. Being a thinking musician with a pliant voice, TNS wowed audiences all over with his impactful concerts in that period. He also had good accompanists always, and this concert is no exception.

The format of Raga-Tana-Pallavi or RTP is of great importance in Carnatic music. Its history goes back several centuries, and the concept of Pallavi is said to be traceable to concepts in Sangita Ratnakara. Many great musicians made their name in the past centuries based on their mastery of this idiom and an RTP concert would last several hours. Mr. Srikantiah recalls how Mysore Vasudevacharya was unmatched for his tana singing, in three octaves and three speeds.

In this concert, only a few portions of which survive on the spool tapes available, the RTP in Shankarabharana, with raga-malika swaras, lasts over 70 minutes. Even though the pallavi starts off in Khanda Triputa tala, it is presented with delightful laya and raga variations. We can begin to fathom the manodharma of a great artiste in the way he approaches the Raga-Tana-Pallavi, in the sense of whether it is a mere “check in the box” affair, or is meant to showcase some “cleverness”in sahitya, or he really explores its scope in a grand scheme of interpretation.

So come, and enjoy, the feast of TNS’s manodharma music! Mysore Nagaraj has played a highly competent accompanist role, especially in the raga-malika swaras. The percussion support too is admirable from Vid. Srimushnam Raja Rao and Vid. Venkatram.

Concert Details

Madurai T.N.Sheshagopalan ----------- Vocal
Mysore Nagaraj --------------------------Violin
S.Raja Rao ------------------------------ Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram ------------------ Ghatam
on 16-4-84 at "Parvathi" during Ramanavami.

Concert Excerpts

01. Endaro Mahanubhavulu – Sri raga – Thyagaraja *** 02. Ksheerasagara Shayana – Devagandhari – Thyagaraja *** 03. Shankarabharana Raga *** 04. Tana-Pallavi-Ragamalika (Vasantha, Dwijavanti, Maru Bihag, Hindustani Kapi) ***

Satyam Shivam Sundaram

Vid. Trichur V. Ramachandran - Vocal, 'Parvathi' Ramanavami 1994

Perceptions on Noble Qualities by R. Sachi

We present, on the occasion of Ramanavami 2016, this beautiful concert full of melodious gems from Sangeetha Kalanidhi V. Ramachandran, with lovely accompaniment provided by Vid. Mysore Nagaraj, Vid. K.V. Prasad and Vid. Bangalore Venkatram.

The verve and musicality of the concert is heightened by the great sahitya of Saint Thyagaraja and others, emphasizing the divine triumvirate of Satyam Shivam Sundaram. Lord Rama embodies these three qualities and they can be perceived at least in part by every creature and being. Even Mareecha and Shurpanakha saw the Sundaram in Rama. All the virtuous denizens of the forest as well as the citizens of Ayodhya, Mithila, Kishkindha and Lanka could see Rama's auspiciousness or Shivam. But it was given only to a few to perceive the Satyam in him, like Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata, Hanuman and Vibhishana.

Come, let us enjoy the concert from 22 years ago!

Concert Details

V.Ramachandran ---------- Vocal
Mysore Nagaraj ---------- Violin
K.V.Prasad _----------- Mridangam
Bangalore Venkataram --- Ghatam

concert held in Mysore 'Parvathi' on 24-4-94 during Ramanavami.

Song List

01 Vandisuvudadiyali -Nata- Purandaradasa *** 02 Sugunamule -Chakravaka- Thyagaraja *** 03 Sundaratara deham-Pantuvarali- Thyagaraja *** 04 Paramatmudu velige -Vagadheeshwari - Thyagaraja *** 05 Mohana Raga *** 06 Nannu palimpa-Thyagaraja *** 07 Narayana ninna - Suddha dhanyasi - Purandaradasa *** 08 Ninyako ninna hangyako- Jaunpuri - Purandaradasa *** 09 Yetavuna nerchitivo- Yadukula kambhoji - Thyagaraja *** 10 Muralidhara gopala -Mand - Periyasamy Thooran *** 11 Sloka-Janati Rama -Ragamalika *** 12 Teerth Vitthala-Abhang- Ahir Bhairav *** 13 Karuniso Ranga- Jogiya*** 14 Mangalam ***

From String to Song to Symphony – A Cadence of Excellence

Chitraveena N. Ravikiran – Parvathi Ramanavami 1988

Reflections by R. Sachi

We bring to rasikas worldwide a wonderful concert of Chitravina (earlier name gotuvadyam) by prodigy N. Ravikiran, held at Parvathi in 1988.

Born in Mysore in 1967, the phenomenon called N. Ravikiran made an impact on the Carnatic scene as early as in 1969. He astonished the greatest musicians with his ability to recognise a vast array of ragas and talas when other children would be lisping baby words. M.S. Subbulakshmi, T.R. Mahalingam, Mysore Doreswamy Iyengar, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and others, expressed astonishment and delight at this phenomenon called N. Ravikiran. After training intensely under his father, Chitravina Narasimhan, Ravikiran debuted as a vocalist in 1972, at a record-setting age of five in Coimbatore and presented concerts in prominent venues. He won a scholarship from the Madras Music Academy at that young age.

At the age of 10, he switched over to the 21-stringed chitravina (earlier called gotuvadyam) and gave his maiden chitravina concert at age 11. He established himself as a frontline Indian string instrumentalist within the next 3 years with recitals in major venues and festivals. He won an exemption to perform professional concerts for Indian Radio and Television (Doordarshan) at age 12 and was invited to represent his country in Festivals of India all over the world. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer presented the gotuvadyam that had been played by his guru Vid. Sakharama Rao, to Ravikiran.

From 1986–96, Ravikiran underwent training under the celebrated vocalist T.Brinda, an acknowledged musicians' musician, renowned for her microscopic nuances, authentic repertoire and uncompromising values. His own approach to ragas, songs, and especially javalis and padams, reflects this.

The incredible saga of Ravikiran’s musical journey is well narrated over the Internet and well documented at ravikiranmusic.com. Today, N. Ravikiran is one of the most highly accomplished and respected musicians around the world, performing, teaching, composing and conducting music concerts of several formats and genres round the year around the globe. He plays the chitravina as well as gives full-fledged vocal concerts.

Ravikiran is making fundamental contributions towards popularising Oothukadu Venkata Kavi’s compositions. He is helping musicians to hone their skills in advancing both lakshana and lakshya of their Carnatic competencies through conducting many lec-dems, and Internet teaching sessions. Many of his students have been well recognised.

Ravikiran's significant contribution to world music is 'Melharmony', a new approach to compositions and aesthetics that he initiated in the year 2000 at the Millennium Festival in UK. The impact of this has been reflected in Melharmonic concerts, collaborations, academic papers and recognitions. Melharmony harnesses melodic concepts of the East and harmonic concepts of the West. His 72-raga melakarta melharmony presentation and his composing and performing music for a dance ballet performed by Pandit Birju Maharaj are among many recent achievements.

The present concert is a good example of how balanced, sparkling and fulfilling Ravikiran’s music has always been. The range of ragas and compositions leaves the listener highly satisfied. As Ravikiran enters the “golden age” in a Carnatic musician’s career, we wish the maestro all success and happiness in his multifaceted endeavours.

Details

N. Ravikiran ------------------- Chitravina (Gotuvadyam)
T.G.Tyagarajan ----------------Violin
T.A.S Mani ----------------------Mridangam
Bangalore Venkataram ------- Ghatam (Ramanavami Concert held on 2-4-1988 at “Parvathi")

Song List

01 Raghunayaka-Hamsadhvani- Thyagaraja *** 02 Simhendramadhyama Raga *** 03 Natajana paripalaka-K.V. Srinivasa Iyengar *** 04 Manavinala-Nalinakanti- Thyagaraja *** 05 Todi Raga *** 06 Emi Jesite – Todi- Thyagaraja *** 07 Sudhamayee – Amrutavarshini- H Muthiah Bhagavatar *** 08 Kamboji Raga *** 09 Tana in Ghana Ragamalika *** 10 Pallavi –Parimala Rangapathe *** 11 Yare Rangana –Hindola- Purandara Dasa *** 12. Vagaladi Bodhanalaku-Behag Javali – Tirupathi Narayanaswamy *** 13 Mangalam ***

A Concert to Remember

Vid. T.V. Sankaranarayanan, Ramanavami 1986

We are very happy to share a full Ramanavami concert from the 1986 series, by Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.V. Sankaranarayanan. This was a memorable concert in the company of stalwarts Vid. Lalgudi Jayaraman, Vid. Vellore Ramabhadran and Vid. Bangalore Venkataram. We have shared portions of this concert already, but we discovered the remaining tracks and felt compelled to share the full concert with rasikas worldwide, given the weighty offering by some of the greatest names in Carnatic music.

Concert Details

T.V.Sankaranarayanan ------- Vocal
Lalgudi Jayaraman --------- Violin
Vellore Ramabhadran ----- Mridangam
Bangalore Venkataram ----- Ghatam
on 23-4-86 at Parvathi during Ramanavami festival

Song List

01 Yochana-Durbar- Thyagaraja ***
02 Brochevarevarura-Khamach – Mysore Vasudevacharya ***
03 Raju vedale-Todi- Thyagaraja ***
04 Mohana Raga ***
05 Mohana Rama-Thyagaraja + Tani(cut) ***
06 Bantureeti- Hamsanada - Thyagaraja ***
07 Neene doddavano- Revathi- Purandara dasa ***
08 Shloka- Kedaragowla, Kapi, Hamsanandi + Srinivasa – Papanasam Sivan ***
09 Dasarathasuta- Jaunpuri-Vanamamalai Jeeyar ***
10 English note- Muthiah Bhagavatar ***
11 Mangalam ***

The Lalgudi wave continues

As our tribute to the continuing Lalgudi legacy, we bring you a full-fledged concert from the Ramanavami series of 1997.

( Courtesy: The Hindu )

Details

Sri Ramanavami Festival 1997, Parvathi, Mysore
Concert held on 21-4- 1997.

GJR Krishnan---------Violin
Ramesh-----------Mridangam
Bangalore Venkatram-------Ghatam.

01 Varna- Lalgudi Jayaraman (Garudadhvani)***
02 Janaki Ramana- Thyagaraja (shuddha seemantini)***
03 Sri Narada – Thyagaraja (Kaanada) ***
04 Smaraneyonde salade- Purandara Dasa (Malayamaruta)***
05 Shanmugapriya Raga***
06 Mariveredikkevarayya-Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer ***
07 Enta muddu- Thyagaraja (Bindumalini)***
08 Lavanya Rama - Thyagaraja (Poornashadja)***
09 Kamboji Raga***
10 Sri Raghuvaraprameya - Thyagaraja***
11 Tani***
12 Rama Rama – Purandara Dasa (Tilang)***
13 Manasa Sancharare – Sadashiva Brahmendra (Sama)***
14 Tillana – Lalgudi Jayaraman(Bhimplas)***
15 Mangalam***

In Memoriam 2011: Kunigal Puttu Rao - 1

The son, Mr. K. Srikantiah, is the direct and last surviving relative of Sri K. Puttu Rao and is, by himself, well into the Octogenarian years.

You would think, at his age, that Mr. Srikantiah would choose the comfort of a quiet life nestling mostly with one's own grandchildren. But, no, that’s not for him. He has soaked up Carnatic Music (CM) all his life, with its world of great composers and artists like no other. He is what you call a living encyclopedia to all of CM’s hallowed memories. So, what does such a person do? He dives in again, into that same world where he once lived supreme; he wants to work in that same universe of music’s joys and share the rewards of that joy freely with everyone. This time he wants to do it with a difference. He feels, he owes everything in life to the memory of a father. It is his ‘tarpanam’ to a hallowed name. He now wants to invite the world to a musical sequence of five days in the company of some great maestros, to the redoubtable sanctuary of the famous Jagan Mohan Palace of Mysore.

The venue is a 150 year old Palace!
The coronation of H.H. Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV
was held here in 1902.
The Viceroy and Governor-General of India,
Lord Curzon, too, attended that ceremony.

So, here is Mr. Srikantiah's invitation. Please find it issued to all of our gentle readers who may find themselves in Mysore, from August 31 to September 4, 2011, and lucky enough to find a seat in the auditorium.

( click on photo to magnify )

Mr. Srikantiah has chosen some eminent and elderly names, to preside over this occasion. They are India's, Karnataka's and Mysore's very distinguished sons such as Dr. SL Bhyrappa who is regarded as one of India's most powerful and award winning novelists in the last twenty five years. Joining him are Mr. Krishna Vattam, another powerful journalistic voice for over six decades whom we have mentioned before in our blog. The third distinguished member to grace the opening is none other than revered Mr. M.A. Sampath Iyengar Esq. President Emeritus of Mysore's famous National Institute of Engineering (NIE) Rounding up the group, will be another distinguished personality, Mr. K.B. Ganapathy, Law Graduate and Founder of Mysore's famous newspapers, Star of Mysore and the Mysore Mithra.

Our salutations to all four of them and to the very distinguished artists !

( click on photo to magnify )

Mr. Srikantiah, wants to open with none other than the Indian Mandolin Prodigy U. Srinivas. In a lot of ways, Sri. Srikantiah admires Srinivas, not only for the artiste’s genius but for his rare humility (“God has given him everything! Yet, look at that grace and respect towards others, particularly towards elders! ”). We have remarked elsewhere in our blog, that Srinivas first came to the attention of Mr. Srikantiah at a tender, shy age of nine. He came many a time afterwards to perform in “Parvathi”.

This is U. Shrinivas (video below) performing an enthralling piece in “Parvathi”, in 1985, at a youthful age of 16!

Before that, we bring you the viewpoint of our own brilliant 'Rasika' R.Sachi on this segment of the music.

"August brings the start of famous Indian festivals. The incomparable story of Krishna's birth, in a prison at midnight amidst a monsoon deluge, is the basis of a big celebration. Soon comes the month of Bhaadrapada, with the sun starting to peep out of dark monsoon clouds. And on Chaturthi, the fourth day, the ever-delightful god of auspicious starts, Lord Ganesha, is installed and worshipped by the devout. This is tellingly pictured by Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar in the hugely popular song, Siddhi Vinayakam in Shanmukhapriya. The raga, the lyric, and the tempo always kindle a concert and take it to great heights. Dikshitar's songs like Siddhi Vinayakam and Vatapi Ganapathim are very popular, but musicians know how difficult it is to do justice to them, replete as they are with lyrical grandeur, musical richness and a taut tempo. Especially for instruments, they are always a challenge.

So consider this on the mandolin. A bubbling teenager cast a spell with this opening piece 25 years ago in Parvathi. We are happy to share this video with you, of the grand opening by Mandolin Shrinivas. The accompanists look absolutely delighted, especially Sri Vellore Ramabhadran.

The song itself is noteworthy in describing how sattvic are the worshipers of Lord Ganesha. After all, he is totally bereft of violent temper and desire ( raudrabhAva rahitam dAsa janahRdaya virAjitam rauhiNEyAnujArccitam IhanA varjitam )".

"Parvathi" Videos: Sangeetha Kalanidhi D.K. Jayaraman and Vidwan Vidyabhushan Swami

We have been, till now, providing you with audio concerts and showing you rare and still photographs of "Parvathi", Mysore, infusing you with memories of a great era in our Carnatic music heritage.

Now, for the first time, we attempt to do the same by showing you views of some of the great concerts in video snippets.

VIDEO 1:

April 8, 1985

For our very first video, we offer you a very soulful artist, none other than Sri Vidyabhushan Thirtha. Back then, he was a Swamiji affiliated with the Subrahmanya Matha. Having been blessed both with the vocal chords and the inspired heart of a great devotee, he cast many a spell all over southern India, on the several that thronged to hear his music in 'bhakti'. We present to you his first performance in "Parvathi". Even though sick at the time of the concert and being treated for fever by an ENT professor/doctor from Mysore's famous Krishna Rajendra (KR) hospital, he refused any obligatory rest and stepped onto the podium to provide one of the most thrilling of performances in front of what was a mammoth crowd that day.

And, who were his accompanists? None other than Mysore's Vidwan Nagaraj (Violin), Vidwan Erode Gururajan (Mridangam) and the redoubtable Ghatam Vidwan Bangalore Venkataram.

Though he relinquished the Sanyasa Ashrama, at a later stage, and entered the 'Grihastha' (family) life, Sri Vidyabhushan still continues to provide rave concerts in devotion, even to this day.

Memories, only Memories

Release of M.S.Subbalakshmi's Biography by T.J.S. George

[ L to R: India's former Union Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, Chowdiah Memorial 'visionary' K.K. Murthy, India's current External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna , author T.J.S. George ]

[ Courtesy : The Hindu ]

K.Srikantiah honoring eminent Mrudanga Vidwan T.K. Murthy in "Parvathi"

[ Rasikas will remember him accompanying M.S. Subbalakshmi in our 1967 concert posting. Vidwan Murthy graced the podium innumerable times in "Parvathi". ]

VIDEO II:

April 7, 1985

The irony with our featured artist Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vidwan D.K. Jayaraman, here, is that he came to "Parvathi", first, all by himself, and it is only after stealing the hearts of all the Rasikas did he lay the stage to accompanying his ever famous sister, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vidushi D.K. Pattamal onto the "Parvathi" platform.

As Rasikas will recognize, he is accompanied here by the redoubtable triumvirate of M.Chandrsekharan (Violin), Tanjore Upendran (Mridangam)and once again, Bangalore Venkataram (Ghatam). You will see what their unified zest does to the ambiance, and why Vidwan DKJ was such a favorite of the cognoscenti! You will also get to hear parts of a rare Kambhoji piece "Sriraghuvaraaprameya".

Vidwan MannarGudi Easwaran being presented with the "K.Puttu Rao - Palghat Mani" Award

[ Courtesy : Percussive Arts Center, Bangalore ]

Celebrating an Unbroken Tradition – Vidwan T.V. Sankaranarayanan

Carnatic music is a continuing tradition that traces back to Sama Veda and the musical tradition started by sage Valmiki, the epic poet who sang Ramayana:

kUjantam rAma-rAmeti madhuram madhurAkSharam Aruhya kavitASAkhAm vande vAlmIki kokilam

Our prayer before reciting the Ramayana remembers Hanuman also:

sItArAma-guNagrAma-puNyAraNya-vihAriNau vandE viSuddha-vij~jAnau kavISvara-kapISvarau

Sage Valmiki sang Ramayana, and his greatest audience was the eternal rasika and bhakta Hanuman, ever present under the Parijatha tree, engrossed in Rama nama. Those in Parvathi, too, enjoyed the festive tradition of Ramanavami for over sixty years.

Maestros in "Parvathi" 1985 Vellore Ramabhadran, T.V. Sankaranarayanan, G.J.R. Krishnan. [ In our featured concert from 1986, the violinist has been replaced by his father ]

Mysore Prabha, hailing from the home of Parvathi, made her foray into Carnatic music in 1986 and her first album was released by the legend of our times, Lalgudi G. Jayaraman.

[ Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman speaks in Tamil ]

You can hear Lalgudi explain what is so special about the ambience of Parvathi that made

[ Vidwan T.V. Sankaranarayanan in a recent photo - courtesy Kartik Pashupati ]

musicians give unforgettable music to eager rasikas year after year. Coming to the concert featured this time. This concert held on the same day in 1986 is a superb example of Carnatic music's unbroken tradition. Vidwan T.V. Sankaranarayanan hails from the Thyagaraja-Muthiah Bhagavathar-Madurai Mani Iyer lineage. He became famous in the seventies as a gripping concert perfomer. The Hindu paid him a fine tribute describing his career as a joyous musical journey, when he received the Sangeetha Kalanidhi title from the Madras Music Academy in 2003. In this concert, he is accompanied by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, a fourth generation musician in the Thyagaraja lineage. And they together create magic with the song Brochevarevarura by Mysore Vasudevachar, a disciple of Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, continuing Thyagaraja's disciplic line. He was a frequent visitor and performer in Parvathi for many years. In this concert, excellent percussion accompaniment is provided by Vidwan Vellore Ramabhadran and Vidwan Bangalore Venkataram.

Joyful Supplication – the hallmark of a blessed devotee

Brochevarevarura rendered elaborately by Sankaranarayanan, is lyrically and musically a shining example of joyful supplication, an attainment given to few bhaktas. Vasudevachar composed this masterpiece in Khamach (a raga synonymous with positive energy), extolling Rama's grace that readily showers on the devotee. Vasudevachar invokes the example of Hanuman, the unparalleled devotee with these words: vAtAtmajA-rcita-pAda. Sankaranarayanan's concert begins with Yochana in Darbar, and builds up the mood of joyful supplication in Khamach. This mood continues in Mohana Rama. The concert climaxes in Revathi, wherein Purandaradasa tells the Lord that He is great but His devotees are even greater, able to summon Him at will and imprison Him in their devoted hearts. Purandaradasa gives the example of the boy Prahlada who could summon the Lord's incredible avatara of a man-lion out of a pillar! Sankaranarayanan's Revathi is a brilliant outpouring, matched by Lalgudi's gifted exposition. The ambience of this occasion, the music of T. V. Sankaranarayanan and Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, and the magnificence of Mysore Vasudevachar's composition – this is a real treat for all of us. What better way to begin 2011!

The Concert T. V. Sankaranarayanan - Vocal Lalgudi G. Jayaraman - Violin Vellore Ramabhadran - Mridangam Bangalore K. Venkataram - Ghatam Held at Parvathi on 23 April 1986. Song List 01. Yochana Kamalalochana – Darbar – Thyagaraja *** 02. Brochevarevarura – Khamach – Mysore Vasudevachar *** 03. Mohana Rama – Mohana – Thyagaraja *** 04. Neene Doddavano – Revathi – Purandaradasa ***