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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Art charade
An introspection
By Mythili Prakash
When one thinks of Art, one thinks of beauty, of experience, observation, transformation, discipline, and abandon. At least that is what we think we should think, when we think of “Art.” But has the word “Art” itself become mere lip service? Has it become a charade?
There are so many sides to this issue that I hardly know where to start. It almost feels like a “chicken or the egg” situation to me. Who is accountable for what has become, or what is becoming of “Art.”?
I’m reminded of a T.M. Krishna concert that I attended recently, in which he requested the audience to approach the concert as a musical experience rather than a cutcheri, a term that comes with a certain baggage and expectation. He pushed barriers, some gently and some not, but all the while his request to us, the audience, made me aware of myself as a rasika, and reminded me of a dilemma that I frequently find myself in while in that seat. How much of me is usually in judgement? And for how much of a concert am I evaluating and re-evaluating the performance? Without even intending to, we compare the artist to other artists, or to his or her own concerts in the past, etc. How often are we actually there – present– in the moment, experiencing the concert not for what it could be or should be, but what it is. Do we gain anything by being in judgement? Or is it merely to make ourselves feel good, educated, intelligent, and make for interesting conversation after the concert? Do we see ourselves as consumers, and the concert as a commodity that must suit our expectations? If Art is truly about beauty, experience, observation, transformation, discipline, and abandon – don’t those things apply to the artist as well as the rasika?
Are we more interested in using Art and the experience of it, to inflate ourselves intellectually, or are we interested in using it as a vehicle for a deeper transformation? I am often reminded of J. Krishnamurti and an exercise that he encouraged of just observing a sunset, or any objective thing for that matter.
“Have you ever experimented with looking at an objective thing like a tree without any of the associations, any of the knowledge you have acquired about it, without any prejudice, any judgement, any words forming a screen between you and the tree and preventing you from seeing it as it actually is? Try it and see what actually takes place when you observe the tree with all your being, with the totality of your energy.” – J. Krishnamurti
Of course what he is talking about is a mindfulness, a deep investigation of the mind itself, which one may argue is a much weightier subject? But isn’t it actually the same subject? Isn’t “Art” inherently linked to the “totality of being” that he talks about? Isn’t “Art” inherently aimed at experiencing the “totality of being” that he talks about?
I feel we are losing that aim. The arts scene, especially in India, sometimes feels like Hollywood. We, as a society, pride ourselves on having resurrected the status of “Art” from the times it was looked down upon and disrespected. It has its origin in worship, and even though it has moved from ritual to performance, we still proclaim it to be sacred. But look at the way it is talked about and perceived now. Besides the rampant politics, it is sensationalist and it is a “scene” where words like “diva” are thrown around. Constructive criticism is often replaced by sarcasm and even malice. Who is doing what? Who is performing where? Who is wearing what? Who is getting what award? Who is on their way “in” who is on their way “out”? Who pulls the most crowds?
What happens to “Art” in all this? Where is the reverence and sanctity? Is it possible to find beauty and silence in all this chatter? Is it possible to feel transformation for both the rasika and the artist, amongst all this noise?
Til now, I’ve talked about the rasika.
What about the artist?
Why is the artist on stage? Is it a burning desire to create, express, and share something that emanates from one’s being? Or is it a burning desire to prove one’s artistic virtuosity, and to inhabit the “prestigious” slots? How often do we see artists who are lost in the “Art”? Are artists even encouraged to be lost in the “Art?” In an environment like ours, is it possible for artists to be lost in the “Art”?
Artists are frowned upon for “playing to the gallery,” but is that really in any way discouraged?
Sometimes I wonder, what are the purpose of reviews anymore? At some point last year, I stopped getting the newspaper. I lost interest in reading reviews. Why are opinions valued so much? Immediately after a performance, what is most important to the artist – how he/she felt about the experience? Or what everyone else thought?
Don’t get me wrong. Of course there MUST be desire for growth, improvement, discovery, learning, guidance; in fact, that forms the very basis of the artist’s journey. But to what extent is this journey shaped by what the public thinks? How much have artists become focused on being in the public eye? How important to artists is appearing on the concert stage? Obviously it is what makes it a career….a profession. But how many would still be practicing with the same intensity irrespective of performance? Is the focus on delivering a good performance, or on being alert and sensitive to savoring the experience regardless of practice or performance? Are the externals given larger priority than the internals? Does that tilt the balance more toward “entertainment” than “Art”? Does the public nature of performing arts feed this preoccupation with public opinion? Sometimes I wonder, when a painter paints, or a poet writes, do they think about what images will sell and create accordingly? Or do they follow the impulses that come from their artistic centers?
When I occasionally voice these frustrations, the response that I get is usually something along the lines of : “But one has to first go through the ‘externals’ before getting to the ‘internals’. That comes later.” I understand the intention in this statement, but I think that it has things a bit mixed up. When I talk about “internals”, I in NO measure overlook discipline and training. I don’t separate that from freedom. So “external” and “internal” really has no correlation with “discipline” and “freedom.” My concern is completely with intention. If, from the beginning, the “Art” is taught and practiced with the intention of it as something sacred, as deeply personal, as a “Sadhana,” then chances are – it may continue that way. One would immediately argue - it is! Ok, agreed- in dance we begin and end classes with the namaskaram and prayers, bowing to the feet of the Gurus, etc. But thenwhat? Is the rest of the process and environment in keeping with this reverence? Where does competition and ambition find its way into all this? Is it through parents? Peers? Teachers? Media? Audiences?
I find that our culture has subconsciously engrained in it, the concept of order, perhaps based on the traditional Hindu idea of “ashramas” in life: first being a “student,” then a “householder,” then a “hermit,” and finally an “ascetic.” The general consensus is that there is a certain age after which Self-introspection begins. Elders seem skeptical, almost worried about people on the other side of that age who are focused on Self-introspection. In the same vein, it seems generally accepted that younger artists should be concerned with virtuosity, and internalization comes later. But shouldn’t Self-introspection in life be encouraged from the start? When it comes to “Art” and training, shouldn’t the focus be encouragedinward from the start?
If it was, would the energies of the scene be altered? Would artists perform from a different center of focus? Would audiences receive from a different center of focus?
I often wonder what would happen if, for a period of time, all “editorial” media coverage of performance was suspended: newspaper reviews, online sites, blogs, etc.
And then what if audiences put the onus upon themselves to “experience” rather than “evaluate” each concert. What if audiences members behaved less like consumers, and more like rasikas, open to experiencing the concert?
With judgement relegated to the backseat, would the quality of performance change?
Would artists remember that this is a first a journey to be experienced, and then shared?
Would we have less entertainment and more “Art?”
Would we as individuals and a society be able to move away from the sensationalism that we have created around “Art” and more towards the totality of being that “Art” is intended to stir in us?
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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At the Tamil Isai Sangam
By BuzyBee
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The Tamil Isai Sangam conducted the Pann research conference from 23 to 25 December 2014. The panns taken up for discussion were Desakiri, Malavakiri, Ariya kuchchari, Mudirnda kuchchari and Savagakkurinji. Their equivalent present day ragas were decided as Ranjani, Hindolam, Amritavarshini, Suddha Dhanyasi and Muktidayini (a janya of Vachaspati without the nishada). The researchers present were President of the Tamil Isai Sangam Justice P.R. Gokulakrishnan, Lepa Karu Ramanathan Chettiar, Dr. Ananda Nataraja Dikshitar, Dr. M.A. Bhageerathi, Dr. Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram (recipient of this season''s Isai Peraringnar title), Dr. Pushpavanam K. Kuppusamy, Tiruppanandal S. Muthukandasamy Desigar. Sirkazhi Thirugnanasambanda Oduvar, Muthukumarasamy, Dr. Lakshmi Poduval, Dr. Thangarasu, Dr. E. Angayarkanni and Dr.S.A.K. Durga. The Pann research conference was presided over by vidwan A.K.C. Natarajan.
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Music students of Oppilal Isai Palli, below 15 years of age, presented classical music on the keyboard at the Tamil Isai Sangam during the 72nd annual music and dance festival held at Raja Annamalai Manram in December 2014. The Oppilal School for Music was started three years ago in Abhiramapuram by Seeta Chidambaram, a patron of art and culture. A number of youngsters and women attend music classes in vocal, veena, gettuvadyam and keyboard.
The Tamil Isai Sangam conducted the Pann research conference from 23 to 25 December 2014. The panns taken up for discussion were Desakiri, Malavakiri, Ariya kuchchari, Mudirnda kuchchari and Savagakkurinji. Their equivalent present day ragas were decided as Ranjani, Hindolam, Amritavarshini, Suddha Dhanyasi and Muktidayini (a janya of Vachaspati without the nishada). The researchers present were President of the Tamil Isai Sangam Justice P.R. Gokulakrishnan, Lepa Karu Ramanathan Chettiar, Dr. Ananda Nataraja Dikshitar, Dr. M.A. Bhageerathi, Dr. Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram (recipient of this season''s Isai Peraringnar title), Dr. Pushpavanam K. Kuppusamy, Tiruppanandal S. Muthukandasamy Desigar. Sirkazhi Thirugnanasambanda Oduvar, Muthukumarasamy, Dr. Lakshmi Poduval, Dr. Thangarasu, Dr. E. Angayarkanni and Dr.S.A.K. Durga. The Pann research conference was presided over by vidwan A.K.C. Natarajan.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Five voices for the future identified
TAG-Music Forum-Sruti Talent Hunt
By V Ramnarayan
To our great pleasure, the triad of Tag Centre, Karnatik Music Forum and Sruti succeeded in unearthing some promising vocalists at the end of our six-day long talent search in January 2015 at the TAG Centre. Out of the 18 voices shortlisted from among 70-odd applicants (by listening to their CDs), five were selected by a three-member jury of vidushis Seetha Narayanan, Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam and Jayalakshmi Sekhar.
The selection was based on the percentile method styled the BITS Pilani method by RT Chari – the founder of the TAG group – whose brainchild the whole programme ‘Five for the Future’ was. Impartiality was ensured by the complete absence of discussion among the judges as well as the organisers. The marksheets were, for instance, collected from the judges, who sat far apart, immediately after each 55-minute concert. Surprisingly, an audience poll showed very similar results.
The most delightful aspect of the results was the emergence of singers from outside Chennai as the top five voices. They were Anupam Shankar (Delhi), Harikrishnan (Ernakulam), Kruti Bhat (USA), Mahathi (Calicut), and Sivaganesh (Bengaluru).
The selected vocalists received cash awards of Rs. 5000 each and a promise that two of them would be featured in TAG’s Future Maestros series of concerts. The next eight participants will be automatically allowed to take part in next year’s Five for the Future.
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An Educator with a Mission
A centenary tribute to VV Sadagopan
By TK Venkatasubramanian
A major concern among educators and researchers is how to enhance the understanding of Indian performing arts in general, but music in particular, as a field of analytical, university-based study.
For a student, who pursues music as a university discipline, both knowledge in music and knowledge about music are essential. In other words, music education requires a basic training in music followed by performance experience of decades and guidance to produce quality research in various sub-disciplines of music. Training enables one to acquire the skill to perform, while knowledge about it points to gaining an academic understanding.
The final goal of a university system is research, where the student is trained to understand the subject individually all by himself and put it to collective scrutiny by standard university disciplines.
The moot question is whether the universities are supposed to produce concert artists or quality researchers. Concert artists have emerged rather than are produced, but researchers can be moulded and guided. Serious research in music departments is a desideratum.
The life and achievements of Professor VV Sadagopan, whose centenary year this is, gives us an idea of the emergence of an artist and an educator who wanted music for all!
A comparison of the career graphs of GNB and VVS reveal similarities as well as differences between two brilliant youngsters who followed two different paths to excellence.
GNB’s graph shows a brilliant student phase (1931), recognition by the Music Academy (1937), entry into the tinsel world (1940), conferment of the Sangita Kalanidhi title (1958) and finally appointment as the Principal of the Swathi Tirunal College, Trivandrum in 1964.
VVS’s career began with a triple First class in BA (1934), migration to Chennai with an ICS dream (1935), accidental entry into films as a singing star in Navayuvan, Adhrishtam and Madanakamarajan, a reasonably successful concert career in the 40s and 50s, directorship of music studies at Gandhigram (1956-59) and finally a professorship in Delhi University during 1959-75.
Both GNB and VVS must have gone through the twenties triangle of the times (Quarter-Life Crisis as against Mid-life crisis), with the three questions- Who am I? What do I want? How am I to achieve it?
Both entered music field, when sampradaya was being recast in a post-industrial modern world, through an effort to put in the authentic form of the real music of the country, driven by nationalism. The social milieu and performance had changed, new patrons were in place of the old, new sensibilities informed the ‘reception’ and ‘representation’ of music and a middle class elite of Madras constituted the modern canon of sampradaya. Concert etiquette was typified by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.
While examining the Carnatic tradition, Sadagopan realised the importance of devonational music. The tradition, in both the South and North, bequeathed the rich legacy of Bhagavata music. In its main form, it was musical worship of a high order. There was enough space for the most gifted musician, the less gifted as well as the layman. Besides a variety of musical forms, it had place for drama as well. The Dasa tradition gave us the distilled essence of ragas, bhavas and talas. The Trinity gave us kritis, and the post Trinity generation transmitted the tradition in a scholarly manner.
Sadagopan’s ideas on sampradaya and change are reflected in his appreciation of Ariyakudi.
“The significant contribution of Ramanuja Iyengar to Karnatak Music, was to demonstrate that Sampradaya in its best sense was something organic and dynamic, which had its roots firmly in the soil of the musical wisdom of the past, but stretched out to receive all new ideas that could happily blend with the old. He was a great living link in the continuing and vibrant tradition of Karnatak Music. Not only did he adapt himself to the times, but also left his impress on the era. He was a great reconciler, reconciling the past and the present, tradition and innovation, abandon and deliberation. In sastraic terms, he was a Bhavukottama.” Iyengar reconciled the contradictions between sastra and sampradaya of the early 20th century music field.
VVS felt the impact of the role of publishing manuscripts and treatises. In fact the main difference between Gurukula and Institutionalised teaching, was this, at that stage. He noticed that neither the concert environment nor the universities offered a forum for resolving contradictions between theory and practice or aesthetic perception (Lakshya) and intellectual abstraction (Lakshana).
He advocated that sastras were to be studied in original, with a caution that sastras incorporated changes with changing times. His friendship with Dr Premalata Sharma of Benares University is the best example of his professed faith in the fundamental research of sastras. He went on to classify sastrakaras as those who handled high art themselves, those who perceived it from secondary and tertiary sources, and compilers who were bhasha gnanis. Raga, prabanda, tala, mela , swara and sruti needed to be researched comprehensively in a holistic manner and not in a piecemeal way. All these ideas landed him in his ultimate mission Tyagabharati , during 1966-80.
VVS strove to combine the finer values of gurukula with the methods of modern scholarship of the 1960s and 70s. He visited several overseas centres like Moscow (1966), Belgrade (1969) and Perth (1974) during this period. He came to the conclusion that before any instruction on forms and formalities of the particular musical culture, or sub-culture began, we should devote ourselves to the drawing out of inner joy or ananda. He once suggested we greet each by saying ''anandam'' rather than ''good morning'' or ''good evening.'' Children should grow with joy, courage and freedom and a discipline born out of these attributes. The fundamental principle is joy, suggestion must be the method, the emphasis should be on the imaginative and creative experience of music and teaching should follow a “flow-form-flow” spiral. He was clearly in favour of lakshya (aesthetic perception) over lakshana (intellectual abstraction) at school, college or university.
Joy is the natural state of any child. It is the motivation for self-expression, as well as the means. It is the subject as well as the object. Joy must be traced, tapped and used. Joy also has a base in rhythm. It has roots in the imagination of the child, which can conceive all the wonders of the world. Music as an expression should be the starting point of music education. This should be followed by an awareness of the level of musical perception.
VVS identified three broad stages as the fundamental, the functional and the professional.
For a child, rhythm and movement come first. Melody comes next, simple tunes with a dominant rhythmic element can be easily learnt. Every language has nursery rhymes, nonsense rhymes and playful jingles. Music should be introduced through story-telling and dramatics. Group singing is also important, because it gives us the joy of sharing.
In short, Thyagabharati is a mission in Integrative Music Education. Over the years, it has spread its service to reach growing children everywhere, in schools, homes and social circles. It would be appropriate to produce an extract from the writings of Professor.Dimitrje Stefanovićof the Musicological Institute, Belgrade.
“Sadagopan considers children his friends and works with them, so that they all take equal part in this work which teaches them the joy of singing, playing, and dancing together” He is sure that by teaching others, we teach ourselves, that through systematic musical education, important results can be reached. This visit of a rare tireless, good, great but also modest man, who is so affectionate to music, will long remain in our memory.”
Sadagopan authored Folk Music and Dance in Tamil Nadu (1955), he edited the Indian Music Journal during the period 1964-80 and wrote under the pen name of Nandan ( A musical pariah).
His skill as a tunesmith came to the fore when he composed music and notation for Ambujam Krishna in Gitamala I. He created a few compositions like Sada enadu in Manohari, sung by Ananthalakshmi Sadagopan and Palukina matalu vinaleta in Sankarabharanam and Kandan karunai purindu in Vachaspati.
VVS tuned Kamba Ramayana songs for TKC in the pallavi-anupallavi-charanam format and gave a three- hour concert. We could count only four disciples of his, including my father the late Dr TV Kuppuswamy, KR Sundaresan, Leela Omacherry and Sri Ram Bharati. He was a guide, philospher and friend of my father and remains an inspiration to me and those who knew him well.
Dr TK Venkatasubramanaian is a historian and mridanga vidwan
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A sammelan to savour
By Sakuntala Narasimhan
Move over, Chennai. Your place as a hub for an annual music extravaganza is likely to be usurped by Kolkata, where the ITC Sangeet Research Academy’s annual sammelan in December 2014 set benchmarks that other organisers could aim for.
First, the highlights of the sammelan (5th to 7th, December2014) before I make my points about lessons that can be learned (by performers as well as organisers). All three days of the sammelan were all night sessions, beginning in the evening around 6 and going on till 7 AM or beyond. (On the last day, the sessions began even earlier, around 3 pm, in order to accommodate an extra session on dhrupad that was not originally in the schedule). The sizeable audience sat through it all, despite the wintry weather and the open air shamiana, every day, all night, till well past daybreak.
This SRA annual sammelan is anticipated by music aficionados and genuine rasikas, we are told, because of the quality fare that SRA promises, the selection of the performers not on the basis of their “crowd pulling” reputations but for their musical abilities, and the extra transport arrangements at the end of each session in the early hours, to cover multiple destinations, but more than anything else, the quality of the music.
This year’s sammelan focused on SRA’s younger generation of scholar-trainees, selected by a panel to receive scholarships for intensive training under leading gurus. These gurus--each with an enviable reputation as an eminent performer-teacher--are provided with bungalows on campus, with freedom to fashion their one-on-one teaching regimen to suit individual apprentices. The emphasis is on classicism, and the scholars who had a platform to showcase their guru’s training and their own talent, made full use of the opportunity to establish themselves as soon-to-be leading lights on the concert stage. In fact, some of them were so good that they could qualify for ustad status right away.
The opening item was a display of rhythmic competence by tabla scholars, of whom the youngest was five years old; most of the group of 13 (including one girl) were not yet ten. Instead of having the conventional lehra (melody repeated on a stringed instrument, to keep track of the tala cycles while the tabla improvises) guru Samar Saha used a tabla tarang by the kids themselves, providing a melodic reference cycle (using tablas tuned to different notes) while individual participants took off on improvised rhythmic variations. This was a novel experiment. Some of the tiny tot tabalchis were barely visible over the top of the tablas they were handling – but their talent was astounding . This was a tribute to the calibre of teaching as well as the rigorous process of choosing scholars with innate talent and unmistakable promise. Some of these kids will soon join the likes of Zakir Hussain as popular icons of percussion, I am sure.
The vocalist and instrumentalist scholars took over next and each one of them was an ustad-in-the-making. There was no playing to the gallery – every young scholar performed with the finesse, poise, and confidence of a veteran, showcasing the training of the gurus. Given one hour each, they did full credit to their apprenticeship and their own musical capabilities. Young vocalist Arshad Ali Khan, with his astounding, super fast taans, promises to be another Rashid Khan, today’s leading Hindustani vocalist with an international following (Rashid was himself inducted as a scholar at SRA at age 11, for gurukul apprenticeship under Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan of the Rampur gharana, the legendary “tarana samrat” who passed away in 1996 after 17 years as a guru at ITC-SRA. Rashid lived with the guru, and imbibed the finer points of the gharana before acquiring a reputation as the youngest ustad of all time)
The sarod and sarangi have very few exponents today among the younger generation (especially the sarangi, which is a difficult instrument) but young Mallar Rakshit and Abir Hossain (sarod) and Sarwar Hussain (sarangi) restored our faith in the future of these traditional instruments in the hands of Gen-Next.
Every one of the vocalist scholars, both girls and boys, sang with a ”khula awaz” (full throated, open voice) especially in the upper octave, which was a treat, testifying to the strict standards that the gurus insist on (no false voice, no short cuts). Anyone can teach the intricacies. Only a senior guru can insist on uncompromising standards in basics like voice production. Every vocalist scholar also stuck to “sureelapan” (sounding aesthetically melodious ) especially in holding the top shadja, while instrumentalists like Saket Sahu who played the violin, displayed a maturity and skill that marked them as front ranking artistes, despite their age. That was a testimony to their training under SRA’s gurus as well as the scholars’ innate musical talent. Even if I am only mentioning a few names, all of the participants were awesome; there was not a false note, not one recital that was below par, in all the three days of extended sessions.
Each day’s schedule included also a recital by a senior guru. The first day saw Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar, one of today’s leading vocalists and one of the most popular gurus at SRA, treat the audience through the night, before signing off with the morning raga Bibhas (at 7 AM) and the popular thumri Jamuna keteer in raga Bhairavi (by popular demand) while the last day had octogenarian Girija Devi perform with incredible verve and stamina, assisted by two of her understudy scholars. In over half a century of attending music conferences and sammelans, I have never seen one that had participants ranging from a gifted five year old to an 87 year old, both equally spell binding.
Uday Bhawalkar, a young guru at SRA, took the stage on the last day, to present a very impressive dhrupad in raga Adbhut Kalyan. He announced that this raga which eschews both the madhyama and the panchama, is known as Nirosh in the south but I could find neither Adbhut Kalyan nor Nirosh in any of the comprehensive lists of ragas that I have access to (including Ranga Ramanuja Iyengar’s compendium, Bhatkhande’s books, and the 500 raga listing published by Dr Lakshminarayan Garg of Hathras who brings out a comprehensive monthly magazine called Sangeet in Hindi).
Using just sa, ri , ga, dha and ni, (of Bilawal or Sankarabharanam scale) Bhawalkar spun out the item for a full hour, accompanied by a young pakhawaj artiste (again, another instrument that has very few practitioners, due to the decline of the dhrupad form itself). And he made it sound melodious too, not just a tight rope circus item despite the absence of both ma and pa. It was a musical feat. Notwithstanding the esoteric form and the rare raga, the audience heard him out with interest ,respect and appreciation.
How does one commend an audience too – for providing the right ambience for listening, without any show, or distraction ? There were no ‘page 3’ personalities, or VIPs, flaunting new shades of an exclusively woven sari, or diamonds, or gossip. At one point, when the stage was being reset for the next item, there was complete silence in the audience for several minutes. I have never seen anything like this before. The bane of many a performer today, is the distraction of an indifferent audience. A keen and receptive one draws out the best in a performer and lets him/her rise to greater heights. This is what a sammelan should be like, I caught myself saying. We all stayed awake through the night, for three consecutive days, for a veritable feast of good, unadulterated, high class music. Including the recitals by the youngsters, mostly teenagers, including t he daughter of Pandit Suresh Talwalkar of Mumbai who matched her distinguished father stroke for stroke on the tabla.
Entry to the sammelan sessions was free, and though the first two rows of seats in the audience were reserved for gurus and parents of scholars, I saw no “press enclosure”, unlike in other prestigious sammelans. SRA is an ITC entity, part of a corporate set-up, but where the music sammelan was concerned, there was no pandering to the press by the organisers or to the gallery by the performers, no advertisements, no hoardings, no banners, no flaunting of products (even ITC ‘s own brands like Ashirwad or Sunfeast). Just music, good classical music, and more music, from beginning to end, whether it was a teenage scholar performing, or a veteran guru.
Last year an Italian sitar player, Fulvio Koren, was at SRA for training, and this year there is a Japanese girl, Eri Yamaguchi, a south American (who sat onstage behind Girija Devi, helping with the tanpura) and a Pakistani girl Maham Suhail, from Lahore.
The sammelan has also established a collaboration with the Bangladesh Foundation, for cultural exchange . Perhaps SRA could become a hub for south Asian networking, a kind of cultural SAARC, since we share musical roots and heritage. Last year, ITC-SRA collaborated in holding a music festival in Dhaka where the audience was reportedly over 31,000 strong. Leading flutist Hari Prasad Chaurasia echoed my sentiments when he commented that he felt “jealous” of SRA’s scholars, since they “get everything”. Quite.
Along with music, the gurus also impart related cultural lifestyle ethics – there is much “touching of feet” (not just one’s own guru’s, but those of all the elders who teach at SRA) as a mark of respect for mentors. At the same time, once the disciple takes the stage, he/she is trained to perform with great self-assurance and aplomb (after paying the ritual obeisance to the guru). There is camaraderie, rather than jostling for primacy, among the scholars, who encourage and appreciate each other in a spirit that sidelines everything except musical scholarship. SRA’s initiative for training future generations of eminent musicians is a unique revival of the traditional gurukul, with disciples having access 24X7 to their mentors and gurus. The green and spacious campus ambience adds to the enriching atmosphere that scholars are fortunate to live and learn in. The team of gurus at SRA includes centenarian Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan who still turns up to attend sammelan sessions.
In addition, SRA ensures that there is minimal interference in the process of learning, with rules interpreted to suit each individual prodigy, backed by an administrative and executive team that ensures that the annual sammelan is something all connoisseurs eagerly look forward to.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Shekhar Sen is new Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi
By S. Janaki
Shekhar Sen has been appointed Chairman of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) for a term of five years. Fifty three-year old Sen (b. 16 February 1961) hails from a musical Bengali family settled in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. He is an accomplished singer, music composer, lyricist and actor.
He moved to Mumbai and started his career as a music composer. He subsequently started writing and composing devotional music. He has written, composed and rendered many bhajan albums. As a playwright, he has created and presented several mono-act musicals like Tulsi, Kabeer, Vivekanand, Sanmati, Saahab and Soordas. He has done considerable research on historical and literary themes and produced musicals like Dushyant ne Kaha tha, Madhya Yugeen Kavya, Pakistan ka Hindi Kavya, Meera se Mahadevi tak.
Sen has performed to wide acclaim in India and abroad. He has presented his musicals in the U.S.A., the U.K., Belgium, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Surinam, South Africa, UAE, Mauritius and Trinidad. His mono-acting musicals – Kabeer which he performed in the Lok Sabha in May 2005, Vivekanand at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in April 2013, and Soordas premiered at NCPA, Mumbai in June 2013, were well appreciated.
He served as expert committee member of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India for two years, and as member of the Central Board of Film Certification for four years. Sen has also dabbled in colours and his traditional yet modern paintings stand out for their vibrant flat tones.
Among the many honours conferred on him, are the Padma Shri from the Government of India (2015), the V. Shantaram Samman by the Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Academy (2008) and the Safdar Hashmi Puraskar by the State Sangeet Natak Academy of Uttar Pradesh (2001).
For more information visit: http://www.shekharsen.com
He moved to Mumbai and started his career as a music composer. He subsequently started writing and composing devotional music. He has written, composed and rendered many bhajan albums. As a playwright, he has created and presented several mono-act musicals like Tulsi, Kabeer, Vivekanand, Sanmati, Saahab and Soordas. He has done considerable research on historical and literary themes and produced musicals like Dushyant ne Kaha tha, Madhya Yugeen Kavya, Pakistan ka Hindi Kavya, Meera se Mahadevi tak.
Sen has performed to wide acclaim in India and abroad. He has presented his musicals in the U.S.A., the U.K., Belgium, Singapore, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Surinam, South Africa, UAE, Mauritius and Trinidad. His mono-acting musicals – Kabeer which he performed in the Lok Sabha in May 2005, Vivekanand at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in April 2013, and Soordas premiered at NCPA, Mumbai in June 2013, were well appreciated.
He served as expert committee member of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India for two years, and as member of the Central Board of Film Certification for four years. Sen has also dabbled in colours and his traditional yet modern paintings stand out for their vibrant flat tones.
Among the many honours conferred on him, are the Padma Shri from the Government of India (2015), the V. Shantaram Samman by the Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Academy (2008) and the Safdar Hashmi Puraskar by the State Sangeet Natak Academy of Uttar Pradesh (2001).
For more information visit: http://www.shekharsen.com
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A Workshop on the Mohamana Varnam
Paramparai Foundation will take a small group of dancers, teachers and students of dance to Tirupugalur, a village in Tiruvarur district. Over ten days in March/April they will explore the dance text, its choreography and especially the world from where this famous the padavarnam emerged.
Tiruvarur town, the Kamalalaya temple tank and huge chariot, the many shrines in the Tyagarajaswami temple, its daily and festival worship - form living sources for abhinaya. In performance, dancers evoke these images for the audience. To see and walk through such manodharma in real time and real space would provide an unique experience and inspiration.
This experiment, curated by Saskia Kersenboom, attempts to contextualise the traditional dance repertoire in today’s continuous past. It will draw on related works in poetry, painting, sculpture, music and dance that are seen today in urban venues as well as in temple ritual. Fieldwork will lead to six other Tyagaraja shrines in Tiruvarur district. They form part of local legends on the Tyagaraja cult. During the Pankuni Uttiram festival, Lord Tyagaraja dances his famous ’Ajapa Natanam’. That night he celebrates his reunion with goddess Kamalambika, offering darsan of his left foot: his ‘sakti pada’.
For more information visit: www.paramparai.eu/html/pdf/MOHAMANA.when.pdf or www.paramparai.euada.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Vignesh Ishwar
Young voices
(Conversations with emerging artists)
(Conversations with emerging artists)
By Sushma Somasekharan
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| Photo By: Hariharan Sankaran |
Sonorous voice. Charming stage presence. Effortless brigas. Perfect diction. Vignesh Ishwar has these and more and it is of no wonder that a national newspaper recently hailed him as an artist to be watched. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Vignesh started learning music at the age of three. He had his training with Palakkad Anantharama Bhagavatar for over 15 years and started learning from T.M. Krishna in 2008.
An undergraduate in Electrical Engineering and a graduate in Sound and Music Technology from the Music Group Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Vignesh is now based in Chennai to pursue Carnatic music full-time.He recently spoke to Sruti.
How did you come under the tutelage of T.M. Krishna?
I heard him for the first time at AFAC school in Mumbai at a kutcheri arranged by my guru then, Anantharama Bhagavatar, for our music school Nada Brahmam. I was awestruck by his music. Following that, I attended all his concerts in Mumbai without fail.
My first close interaction with him was in 2006 at family friend Hariharan Sankaran’s residence in Mumbai. I decided that day that I wanted to learn from T.M. Krishna. Thus, every time he was in Mumbai after that, I requested him to take me under his tutelage. It was a dream come true, when in August 2008, he was in Mumbai to present a ‘Voices Within’ workshop, and asked me to come for class on Vijayadasami that year!
What art projects or events are you involved in, apart from performing?
Apart from performing, I am involved with Svanubhava – a festival by students for students in which we try to expose children to the various Indian art forms and create interest in them. It has been an amazing experience for me and I am sure it will continue to be so.
I was also a researcher at IIT Madras in the Computer Science department under the CompMusic project. This project aims at developing technologies for computational analysis of Art Music traditions. We are currently working on five music genres: Hindustani, Carnatic, Makkam Music of Turkey, Arab Andalusian music and Beijing Opera. The IIT Madras team’s primary focus is on Carnatic music. We are hoping to build technologies that enable exploration of music collections in a musically meaningful manner, using relevant properties from the music tradition thus making these technologies culture-specific.
For example, one of the technologies we have developed is to automatically extract the tonic or adhara sruti from the audio signal of a Carnatic music or Hindustani music recording. We are working on and have made significant progress in the spotting of similar phrases that are repeated in a song, and this leads to many other applications. I was in Barcelona last year doing my Masters in this project. My thesis work was to extract the pitch of the voice from an audio music recording.
My guru and I published a paper in one of the CompMusic project workshops on the various relationships between swara, gamaka, phraesology and relevance to raga identification. I am still involved with this project helping out in many ways.
Tell us about your fondest memory of the classes with your current guru.
Every class with Krishna Anna is a memorable learning experience for me. The one closest to my heart is my first class with him. I still remember waiting on Vijayadasami day with varied emotions such as anxiety, nervousness, happiness and excitement. He taught me Mahaganapatey palayasumam in raga Natanarayani and Veena pustaka dharini in raga Vegavahini. His unabated energy and enthusiasm for music are something I can only aspire to emulate!
What is your most cherished concert experience?
While every concert has taught me something different, the most memorable concert experience for me would be one at the Swathi Sangeetotsavam at Kuthiramalika, Trivandrum, in 2013. I was in awe of the grand ambience, the feeling it invoked within me and the rich history of the place. All I had to do was sing and everything else was taken care of on stage by the amazing team of artists – S.R. Mahadeva Sharma, K.V. Prasad, N. Guruprasad and Udupi Srikanth. The entire experience is still fresh and vivid in my memory.
Which artist has had the biggest influence on your musical journey?
Apart from my gurus, the artist I listen to the most is Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. The bhava in his music and the feeling that it evokes are so unique. Even a small sangati is entrenched in so much bhavam, it is hard for anyone to not soak in the essence and beauty of the raga. The sheer brilliance and ease with which he handles his music leave me spellbound every time I hear him.
What is the most memorable concert that you have been to?
There are so many that I have enjoyed, it is difficult to pick one. If I really had to name, one of them would be the concert of Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty at the IMG Janfest held at St. Xaviers College, Mumbai. He sang an astounding Pooriya that day.
Another one that left a lasting impression on me would be the Kalarasana concert of my guru T.M. Krishna on 4 January 2011 with R.K. Shriramkumar, Trichy Sankaran, B.S. Purushotham and N. Guruprasad. The Sankarabharanam ragam-tanam-pallavi left me in tears; I was taken beyond the realm of this world.
Another concert that left a mark was one by my other guru Palakkad Anantharama Bhagavatar at Borivili Ayyappa Samajam in Mumbai. I was providing vocal support that day. His rendition of Swararaga sudharasa in Sankarabharanam still gives me goose bumps when I think of it.
What changes have you witnessed in the Carnatic music industry over the years?
One of the biggest changes which I have personally witnessed is the gain in popularity of this genre of music not just in India, but overseas as well. The keenness with which Europeans follow Carnatic music was evident during my research work in Spain. I would attribute the growing awareness of our music to the increasing number of young musicians in the industry. There are many talented young musicians who have taken their pursuit in Carnatic music seriously and they are striving to create awareness and interest amongst everyone through their performances. It is very encouraging and heartening to see that more places and people are celebrating Carnatic music.
(Sushma Somasekharan is a young Carnatic vocalist)
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Music Forum Awards
Two eminent writers on music, Deepak Raja and Lakshmi Devnath, were honoured on 17 January by the Music Forum, Mumbai. Sruti takes pride in the fact that both are its long-time associates who have been writing for the magazine for more than a decade.
Deepak Raja received the Dr. Ashok Ranade Memorial Award 2014, for his "valued and distinguished contribution to the field of Indian classical music" as a noted sitar player, musicologist, and author of books on Hindustani music.
Lakshmi Devnath has written books on art personalities, several articles on music and her pioneering effort is the pictorial series on Carnatic musicians which aims to reach out to the next generation. The Music Forum Media Award 2014 was presented to her for the promotion of Indian culture through media.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Murali Parthasarathy
Musicians in Classical dance
By Anjana Anand
An enthusiastic and talented vocalist, Murali Parthasarathy is a much sought after musician in the Bharatanatyam field. He is a sensitive musician who understands the need for music and dance to come together for the success of a programme. An asset to his field, Murali Parthasarathy speaks about the influence of his family, gurus and his decision as an MBA graduate to take the ‘road less travelled’.
What part did your family play in encouraging you in this field?
My whole family supported me in different ways. I must say that without my mother’s encouragement, I might never have taken to music full time. My brother, Madipakkam Suresh, is a mridangist. I started learning at the age of four, along with my cousin, a young girl herself. My mother woke me up at 3 am every day and made me practise. Today, I realize how much that early morning sadhakam has helped me. Parents play a vital role in an artiste’s life. Unfortunately my mother did not live long enough to see me well settled as a musician.
Who were your gurus?
I was lucky to have gurus at each stage of my learning. My first teacher was Needamangalam V.V Subramanyam. He used to teach me small songs along with my basic lessons. I started attending Tyagaraja aradhanas along with him. My next guru was Padma Veeraraghavan. My pathantaram was very extensive and I learnt music in a very methodical manner. From 1992 to 1995, I came under the tutelage of Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan while I was completing my MBA. I learnt many things from him, including how to correctly tune and play the tambura. I studied Music Pedagogy - Teachers Training at the Music Academy in 2000. In 2001, I completed my M.A in music. I learnt Hindustani music as well under Kedar Devidas and Meera Savur. I was eager to learn--be it for performance or academics – and broaden my understanding of music as a whole.
How did your entry into the Bharatanatyam field take place?
In 1994, I sang for Ranganayaki Jayaraman in a kalyana kutcheri . After that, I went back to my studies and had no touch with the world of Natyam! I took up a job but my heart was in music. With my parents blessing and support, I left my job and decided to become a full time musician. Karaikudi Mani was largely instrumental in my entry into the Bharatanatyam field. He told me that good vocalists were needed for Bharatanatyam and introduced me to Rajeswari Sainath. I sang for her for 4 years. In 2004 Adyar Gopi arranged for me to sing for an arangetram in Germany. Many good things followed. I was lucky to meet Chitra Visveswaran through her student Vijay Madhavan and I began to understand how to sing for Natyam. I also worked with Lavanya Ananth. I have been singing for Malavika Sarukkai since 2005. I worked for Dhanajayan Sir and Shanta Akka as well. That added another dimension to my singing for Bharatanatyam.
How different is singing for dance from being a mainstream vocalist?
The technique is the same for both unlike the case of mridangam playing, where it is quite different. The only difference in singing is in how we use Carnatic music to support the dancer. This happens in the raga bhavam, voice modulation, attention to sahityam and choosing appropriate sangatis.
How do you prepare for a rehearsal or performance?
I learn the given song from the cassette or CD if the composer is not available. Then I ask the dancer what sangatis he or she would like me to use to suit her composition. Some schools prefer particular sangatis they are used to and which are traditionally sung in their bani. For that, I do a bit of homework, notate my songs and prepare before my rehearsal. I have to keep my mind open and try to help the dancer with her visualization. I feel that by singing for natyam, the stamina in my voice has increased and I bring more bhavam to my music. Having learnt Hindustani also helped me in singing for dance productions which sometimes require a mixture of genres.
Were you exposed much to Bharatanatyam before you started singing?
I learnt Bharatanatyam for a year! After singing in this field for many years now, I am more familiar with it now.
Looking back today, how do you feel about your choice of specialisation?
I am very happy to be in the Bharatanatyam field. I find it satisfying as a musician. I could have established myself as a concert singer but when I got the opportunity to sing for Bharatanatyam, I made a conscious decision to stay in this field as the work was to my liking. I feel that whichever field we choose to be in, we have to give it a hundred per cent. I know how much work a Bharatanatyam artiste puts in to create his or her art. There is so much involved in this performing art. The dancer has to understand the music and give it a visual form. I am amazed at the way all the streams of art come together in natyam. My job as the vocalist is to support this process. I had an opportunity to teach at the Cannanore University in Kerala many years ago but my mother felt that I should become a performer and so I did not take that job. That was the only time in my life when I was tempted to leave this field.
Some of Murali Parthasarathi's awards and honours
Music Academy- Best student of the Teachers Training College (1999-2000)
VDS Academy – Best singer award - 2008
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