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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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What we hear is not what they render
By S Sivakumar
(Based on an article written by Shaji in the Tamil magazine Teeranadi. This writer feels greatly indebted to Shaji in this regard)
The Sound Engineer seated in front of the computer was in particular enamoured by Melodyne, the latest version of music creating software. “Look at the magic this software can turn out.” He had picked up a song that a famous singer had just sung and was able to break it into small fragments that were manageable in size. The song was now in the form of wave blocks, each note in a separate colour. More excitement was in store for us.
The notes C D E F G A B C were arranged one below the other in a frame, and against each swara stood the appropriate wave block in a neat manner. The Sound Engineer seemed well-versed in the grammar of music and the intricacy involved in the Melodyne software. He was thus able to travel with complete confidence through the many opportunities this software affords. The point with all these manipulations was that in half-an-hour’s time, the same song with the same voice could now be presented in a different tune altogether. The pitch and the beat had changed! But, neither the lyrics nor the voice rendering the song had changed at all. And we were left amazed.
In this manner any song can be changed an infinite number of times. The singer’s flaws can easily be set right. He may have not sung the song to your satisfaction or indulged, in all his ignorance, in a misalignment of pitching. Any song can be easily “de-constructed” based on your requirement. What wanted, expected to hear, envisioned, can be yours, rendered so by these manoeuvres. The final product obtained through Melodyne can resonate and leave the listener enthralled.
With a computer with the necessary software, you can become a music director! The lilting musical pieces, phrases and rhythm patterns created by someone somewhere are all in your hands now. Pick them up, elongate or shorten them. Better still, make unrecognizable changes here and there. And voila! The music is ready! Feed into the software the beat specifications, where they should begin and end, what notes should come into play, and lo and behold, you have become a singer!
In whatever manner the singing is done, it becomes easy to use Autotune, another state-of-the-art software, which will be able to correct the pitching to perfection even as the singing is on. The pitch correction can be nuanced even after the singer completes the song. The recording of sound, the mixing and the editing part were hitherto held to be professions. Now add pitch correction to the list!
What we watch day in and day out on our TV screens is all cooked-up music of this kind. Hum what you will, and that will become a song. Singers who belong to this category and who do not have any inkling of the concept of pitching are made to sing and the result is later brought to recording centres, where pitch correction is done. Then the voice is made to synchronise with video and telecast to the listening public.
This trick, manipulative music of this trade dates back to 1997 when a company named Antares came out with the automated pitch correction software Auto Tune. And in 2002, the first version of Melodyne was made public by Celemony, a German firm. These came to India between 2005 and 2010.
Country singer Alison Moorer attached a tag to a 2002 album that read: “The songs in this album have not used Auto-Tune”.
Software and music have come together and made available to us many short cuts to cook up and construct music. You can manipulate voices in umpteen ways. Make the voice sound mechanical, cast a single voice and falsify it to sound as a thousand voices, create harmonies artificially. The pitch can be altered at will. The beats can be made quicker or slower. We can hold the singer’s breath to sing long notes or produce many notes in a single breath. It can all be done by machine-replicated methods. And you can copy/paste anything from anywhere. Gone are the days when a musician must have immense range or depth in his voice. He need not care about his pitching, music knowledge or breath control at all. Catch hold of a person who does not have even the basic understanding of music and get his ‘singing’ recorded. Then run it through Melodyne, Auto Tune or Waves Tune. Maybe it will turn out a chartbuster. Who knows?
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Talented flautist Jayanth
A correction
By V Ramnarayan
Jayanth has in fact been a successful solo artist, much in demand during the recent season, for example. He has informed us that he has done only 4 fusion concerts in his career, while he has been very active in the solo concert circuit for some years now.
We regret the error, and wish the artist the very best.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Remembering G. Harishankar
The Kalaimamani G. Harishankar Admirers Circle has been has been paying homage to the khanjira maestro every year on 11 February. This year too the Circle observed his Remembrance Day at the Raga Sudha Hall in Chennai. Sangita Kalanidhi M. Chandrasekaran and mridanga vidwan Trichur C. Narendran were the chief guests. Senior gethuvadyam exponent Avudayarkoil H. Subramanyam was honoured on the occasion with a citation, a cash award of 10,000 rupees and a shawl. This was followed by a violin duet by M Chandrasekaran and G. Bharathi, with accompanists Trichur Narendran (mridangam), B Shree Sundarkumar (khanjira), and H. Subramanyam (gethuvadyam).
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Ganakala editor passes away
Munuganti Sreeramamurthy of Kakinada passed away on 12 January 2015. Born on 25 March 1925, he was 91 at the time of his demise. Sreeramamurthy established and published the music monthly called 'Ganakala' in June 1962 in Telugu from his hometown Kakinada. He served the field of music for over 65 years by single-handedly bringing out the magazine till he died.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Suguna Purushothaman passes away
A great artist and wonderful human being
By Samudri
Chennai, 25 February 2015
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After a brave and prolonged battle, vidushi Suguna Purushothaman succumbed to cancer at Chennai, today. One of the best known disciples of Musiri Subramania Iyer (as well as Semmangudi Srinivasier), she was one of the most loved and sought after guru, besides being an accomplished concert artist and musicologist of a high order. She was known for her happy temperament, great sense of humour and ready wit.
At a concert-lecture on Musiri a couple of years ago, this is what she said: “The years I spent learning music from Musiri Subramania Iyer marked a golden period of my life.While attending one of his concerts, you forgot after the first few moments that he was singing or even that you were listening, so deep was the bliss of complete absorption in the music.”
She often gave lecture audiences samples of the Musiri way of niraval or swaram singing, with special emphasis on niraval, on how he stressed the importance of getting the lyric right, of choosing the best possible place in the song to do niraval even among a number of appropriate lines, of how vital the meaning of the lyric was to this choice.
If her disciples loved her, Suguna adored them in equal measure. She was enormously proud of them, and enjoyed presenting lectures accompanied by her principal student K Gayatri.
Suguna Purushothaman will be missed by the world of Carnatic music. The void will be hard to fill. We salute her spirit and her devotion to music.
By Samudri
Chennai, 25 February 2015
At a concert-lecture on Musiri a couple of years ago, this is what she said: “The years I spent learning music from Musiri Subramania Iyer marked a golden period of my life.While attending one of his concerts, you forgot after the first few moments that he was singing or even that you were listening, so deep was the bliss of complete absorption in the music.”
She often gave lecture audiences samples of the Musiri way of niraval or swaram singing, with special emphasis on niraval, on how he stressed the importance of getting the lyric right, of choosing the best possible place in the song to do niraval even among a number of appropriate lines, of how vital the meaning of the lyric was to this choice.
If her disciples loved her, Suguna adored them in equal measure. She was enormously proud of them, and enjoyed presenting lectures accompanied by her principal student K Gayatri.
Suguna Purushothaman will be missed by the world of Carnatic music. The void will be hard to fill. We salute her spirit and her devotion to music.
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Natya Sangraham 2015 at Tennangur
By Charukesi
While the music aspect was covered by vidwan T.V. Ramprasadh, his wife Indira Kadambi took care of the technicalities relating to satvika abhinaya and angika. The convener of the workshop, Prof. C.V. Chandrasekar, while overall in charge of the day’s proceedings, focused his attention on workout sessions. These sessions turned out to be vigorous at times and CVC personally corrected the positions of the participants during their work out.
Vidwan Ramprasadh sang the kritis for which Indira Kadambi demonstrated the abhinaya. These included Ramanukku mannan mudi tharithaale from Arunachalakavi’s Ramanatakam and Suryamurte of Muthuswami Dikshitar. Ramprasad stressed the importance of the dancer knowing the kriti. “Try to put in extra effort to sing the song, train yourself to sing your composition,” was his fervent plea to the dancers. According to him, it adds an extra dimension to the artist’s performance.
Indira Kadambi demonstrated the dance for certain kritis sung by Ramprasadh and showed how the dancer could ornament it with each word and sentence. “Like niraval in music, it is also relevant to dance” she said and added that “it provided ample scope for the performer’s imaginative skill.”
She demonstrated abhinaya for the lines Paadhi udalil pennai maraithirupanadi from a Tamil kriti in Todi. Here she drew the attention of the participants to the scope for robust imagination.
Indira also demonstrated certain passages to explain angika aspects.
The poetry appreciation session by Dr. Sudha Seshayyan was, as usual, a treat for the participants. “Poetry need not be connected to words at all, it is beyond words", she said. She allayed the fears of a few who raised the question, ‘Can poetry appreciation be taught in a session?’ According to her, appreciation comes from interpretation. Sudha dwelt at length on poems from Kannadasan to Kamban, drawing references to situation, mood and the art of communication.
The participants demonstrated the lines Thedi choru nidham thinru of Bharatiyar depending upon their understanding of the crux of the poetic narrative and drew applause from the faculty.
“Allow the poem to sink in. Ask questions. Be emotional. Have sensory experience. Try to live it!” she advised.
In his aharya session, Ramani requested the services of Balaji Bhattacharyar of the Panduranga temple to demonstrate the wearing of panchakacham properly.
There was a brief session on compering for progammes in which well known stage artist and director and Natyarangam committee member P.C. Ramakrishna gave some useful hints and tips.
The merriment of the villagers around Tennangur was seen on the days of Dolotsavam and Golden Chariot, when vidwan T.V. Ramprasadh (vocal) and committee member K.S. Subramanian (mridangam) entertained them with music. The evening dance presentations by participants also drew visitors to the auditorium. They sat with eyes glued to the stage and enjoyed the performances.
On Republic Day, flag hoisting by Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar was followed by singing of patriotic songs in which all the members of Tennangur temple management and the staff of the caterers enthusiastically participated.
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Nandini Sharma Anand
Musicians for classical dance
By Anjana Anand
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When I first started singing, my focus was only on my music and about singing correctly. I would even close my eyes and sing in my own world! It took many years before I began to see the performance as a whole, where the music interacts with the dance. That was quite a learning curve for me. Today, when I sing, I feel very much part of the whole presentation. I watch the dancer very closely and I sing for the dance.
By Anjana Anand
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Nandini Anand began her career with training in both the practical and theoretical aspects of music. An ‘A’ grade vocalist from All India Radio, she is at present a full time Bharatanatyam vocalist who has accompanied senior artistes in the field. She speaks to Sruti about her entry into the Bharatanatyam world and her satisfying journey to date.
Has music been a part of your life since childhood?
Yes, my parents were interested in music and my sister used to learn Carnatic music when we were in Bombay. I moved to Chennai when I was in my second standard and my exposure grew. I started going for competitions and took music more seriously. My early training was with a teacher named T. Vijayalakshmi. By the time I finished my 12th standard, I knew that I wanted to take music up full time.
You started your career in music in the formal setting of a university. Did research interest you?
I finished my B.A in music at Queen Mary’s College and Masters at Madras University. I also completed the Junior Research Fellowship exam by UGC and had an opportunity to apply for a PhD. However, I decided not to continue in that line. Somehow, I felt I wanted to focus on my singing and research did not interest me anymore at that point in my life.
What was the turning point as regards your entry into the Bharatanatyam field?
During a series of concerts, mridangist Viswanathan, asked me whether I could sing in a recording for Dr. Nagaswamy’s production. Many dancers heard the music in that production and Revathi Ramachandran contacted me to ask me to sing for her.
Who were your music gurus?
I continued my learning with DK Pattammal. At the University, I had many teachers, Ritha Rajan, Suguna Varadachari and Karaikudi Subramaniam to name a few. The standard of teaching was so high that I felt very confident of my foundation in music. I could feel that I had moved to another level because of that exposure. My last stint was with the late Suguna Purushothaman.
Did you find it difficult to adapt to different teaching styles?
People used to say that I had the MLV school of music in my voice and music. When I joined Pattammal, I was not conscious of styles. I just absorbed and learnt the way I was taught. I am not a great fan of divisions based on banis and styles. I feel we should focus on the music and take the best from each teacher. Some things might be easier to adapt depending on your voice and we have to be aware of that. Of course there is a difference in pathantaram from teacher to teacher but when you learn from the best, this only gives you a wider understanding of music. Finally, your music will only get better if you keep an open mind.
The artistes you have sung for in the Bharatanatyam field?
I have sung for Sudharani Raghupathy for many years. Singing continuously for different schools helped me because I began to understand how my music could help the dancer. In Revathi Ramachandran’s school, the music was more fixed and I noted down the repetitions, whereas in Sudharani aunty’s school, it was more fluid. I had to watch for a cue from the dancer to move to the next line of music. Recently, I have sung for Alarmel Valli, Malavika Sarukkai, students of Jayanthi Subramaniam and Roja Kannan.
From the time you started singing for Bharatanatyam, how has your music changed ?
To be honest, when I first started singing, I was not aware of the dance! Of course I loved Bharatanatyam. From a young age, I used to watch performances with great interest but perhaps it was the costumes and glamour that I was attracted to! Because even back then, I was not aware of the music being sung while the dancer performed.
When I first started singing, my focus was only on my music and about singing correctly. I would even close my eyes and sing in my own world! It took many years before I began to see the performance as a whole, where the music interacts with the dance. That was quite a learning curve for me. Today, when I sing, I feel very much part of the whole presentation. I watch the dancer very closely and I sing for the dance.
Has your music changed in any way after singing for Bharatanatyam?
The most noticeable change for me was an improvement in keeping tala. As a concert artiste, I never paid much attention to my tala as it moved naturally with the music. When I started to sing for Bharatanatyam, I had to concentrate and be very precise with the tala as there were so many cross rhythms happening simultaneously. My concept of bhava also expanded. In a kutcheri when we sing keertanams, the emphasis is on raga bhava. Once I started singing for natyam, I became more conscious of the words and bringing out the emotion the dancer was portraying.
Have you composed music?
Yes I composed music for some of the Natyarangam thematic series, like Amba- Shikhandi performed by Priya Murle. I set the music for the Pillai Tamizh choreographed by Uma Namboodiripad.
Do you continue singing in cutcheris?
I find it difficult to juggle both. Singing for Bharatanatyam takes a toll on the voice because of rehearsals. Also, now I have reached a stage where I enjoy singing in a natyam performance. There is no tension because my practice is complete and my mind is tuned to the work. To sing for cutcheris regularly, I need to practice for that specially. To be honest, I don’t see the necessity to pressurize myself and become tense by over working. I believe that music should be an unstressful part of my life!
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Bharati: Shraddha’s play for children
By Charukesi
If Shraddha's inaugural production Dhanushkoti was a whiff of fresh air in the Tamil sabha theatre scene, it indeed created a stir among the audience, for its unmatched set design with rain water pouring from the top in the middle of a house in the coastal town of Dhanushkoti. The play was set in the midst of a tempest when rain lashes the town.
Prominent Tamil writers like Anand Raghav and Era Murukan contributed unsual scripts to Shraddha’s subsequent productions such as Doosra Valai, Vadavooran, Vyuham, and Viduran, which were different in conception and presentation,
Bharati was different. It was meant for children, but the audience consisted entirely of elders. Vijay Tendulkar wrote this script over thirty years ago and Yadartha Penneswaran an avid theatreperson from Delhi thought it fit to translate it into Tamil for its contemporary relevance.
An employed couple leave Bharati, (played by Mahima) at home for work but return only in the night, when the girl is asleep. When the incomes of both husband and wife determine the economic prosperity of a normal middle class family, children like Bharati tend to suffer alone.
What stands out in the production is its true to life make-up of the artists, costumes, sets and utterly enjoyable acting of the first timers – all of them.
YadarthaPenneswaran has translated the original Marathi play (‘Bobbychi Ghostha’) with all its powerful scenes and mild humour.
The background music by Ramesh Vinayakam is very appropriate and he sings a song, too!
Shraddha staged the play for the first time on Children’s Day, but only very few children were there in the auditorium. One hopes Shraddha will take it to many more venues so that children enjoy the play with all its lovable characters and superb music.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Vempati’s Helping Hands
By Nandini Ramani
Vempati Ravi Sankar, son and torchbearer of the Kuchipudi tradition of the illustrious master Vempati Chinna Satyam, recently launched his new venture “Vempati’s Helping Hands”. Ravi Sankar presented cash awards to longtime associates of Vempati Chinna Satyam who had provided orchestral support in his long journey to propagate the art of Kuchipudi in Tamil Nadu. Octogenerian musicians Sangeeta Rao and C.P. Venkatesan and vocalist D.V. Kanakadurga, received a purse contributed by Guru Vempati's students. Ailing make-up man, Nageswara Rao, though not connected directly with Vempati's Kuchipudi Arts Academy, also received a cash award as he had worked with several artists over the years. Well known exponents T. Lokanadha Sarma, S. Rajeswari, Padmini, and P. Surya Rao, who were members of the orchestra for many years, were also honoured on the occasion. Kuchipudi dancer and teacher, Bala Kondala Rao, prime disciple of Vempati Master was accorded special recognition, as were Kishore Mosalikanti and a few other senior students.
There were several moving moments during the "kala aradhana" function as each artist was introduced, fond memories of guru Vempati Chinna Satyam were shared, and many lauded Vempati Ravi’s new endeavour called “Helping Hands”. Earlier, Vempati Ravi, himself a multi-faceted artist, sang and conducted (ably assisted by Kalpana) the Kuchipudi concert by his junior and senior students who performed a jatiswaram in Athana, Sivashtakam, and Rukmini Patra Pravesam (performed by his wife Priyanka Vempati), all of which highlighted the mesmerising choreography of the late Vempati Chinna Satyam. Veteran Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam exponent and guru M.V. Narasimhachari and this writer were the chief guests. M.V.N. Murthy, Kuchipudi dancer, teacher and senior disciple of Vempati Chinna Satyam was the master of ceremonies. It was a heart-warming event.
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Suguna Purushothaman: a remarkable person
By Sandhya Vinjamuri
The demise of vidushi Suguna Purushothaman on 25 February 2015 has dealt another blow to the world of Carnatic music. An ever smiling person with incredible knowledge of laya aspects of Carnatic music and with a gamaka laden sonorous, sweet voice, Suguna’s concerts were enjoyed by connoisseurs and the lay audience.
I had seen Suguna Purushothaman at the Central College of Carnatic Music in the early 1970s. My next encounter with her was in 2001 in Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A. at our music academy SIMA. We had arranged her lecdem followed by a concert with both the Sugunas of the Musiri school – Purushothaman and Varadachari – singing together. Suguna Purushothaman arrived early and while the stage arrangements were undeerway, our president Dr. Vijayaraghavan requested me to give her company. Greetiong her with a namskaram I introduced myself as Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar’s daughter. She smiled and told me that she had visited my father at our house in Himayatnagar, Hyderabad in 1959 along with her guru Tinniam Venkatarama Iyer. She recalled how my father had persuaded her to taste her first cup of tea, saying it was a special tea imported from London. I was amazed at her memory.
Suguna Purushothaman won the ‘Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar Memorial’ Gold Medal four times for the best pallavi singing during the music season at the Music Academy, Chennai – in 1996, 1999, 2004 and 2007. In 2005, she also performed for the ‘Vinjamuri Memorial Festival’ conducted by SICA of Hyderabad. She readily gave me permission to record her lecture demonstration on talas. The lecdem revealed her expertise in laya. With her daughter Kumuda singing along, she demonstrated how sarali swaras could be practiced by students to improve laya gnanam by keeping the tala steady and singing in three kalas, and by changing the tala speed and singing in one kala. She also demonstrated ‘dwitala avadhanam’ by keeping two different talas in each hand as she sang and finishing perfectly at the end. She said she had learnt the art from her guru Venkatarama Iyer, by singing the Bhairavi varnam of Pachimiriam Adiyappaiahwhile putting the Ata tala in one hand and the chaturasra jati Triputa tala in misra nadai in the other. She threw light on the creation of the Sarabhanandana tala by composer Syama Sastry and demonstrated the Simhanandana tala (128 aksharas), Sarabhanandana tala (79 aksharas) and also Lakshmeesa tala (24 aksharas). She also sang a pallavi/ tillana she had composed for the demo. It was mesmerising to see her demonstrate such intricate talas effortlessly. I remember, at the end of the demo the official who proposed the vote-of-thanks remarked that he found it difficult to even keep the tala on one hand and it was truly amazing how Suguna Purushothaman maintained two different talas in two hands as she sang.
In 2011 I met Suguna Purushothaman at the Tyagaraja Aradhana in Cleveland. I went up to her as she stood outside the motel and asked her whether she needed some help. She recognized me and told me that she would like to go to the concert hall, but was afraid of crossing the road alone as she could not walk fast and needed someone to assist her. I gladly walked with her to the university hall and we struck up a pleasant conversation. That was one of the memorable days in my life when the heart was filled with joy and contentment. Such was the time spent with Suguna Purushothaman.
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Focus on pallavi singing at Nadasangamam
By Sivapriya Krishnan
Nadasangamam, an annual event conducted by the music wing of Narada Gana Sabha, is a platform for transfer of knowledge from senior musicians to students of Carnatic music. Inspired by Natyarangam’s Natya Sangraham, the much sought after annual dance camp, this music event was launched and is being co-ordinated by Sumathi Krishnan with R.S. Jayalakshmi as the convenor. Thennangur, situated about 117 km from Chennai, is the chosen venue for this camp which has been conducted successfully for four consecutive years. This was the first time I was witnessing the sessions.
The theme for this year was ‘Pallavi’. The sessions were conducted from 6 to 8 February by R. Vedavalli, Chitravina Ravikiran, R.S. Jayalakshmi, A.S. Murali, Shruti Jauhari and Renjith Babu. Vocalists Mala Mohan and Sumitra Vasudev assisted in co-ordinating the event as part of the team.
The serene atmosphere of the place, coupled with the prevailing divinity of the temple was an apt setting to internalise some of the best aspects of Carnatic music. The first evening opened with a session of bhajans by Keerthana Bharadwaj and the second was a musical evening by all the participants.
Renjith Babu, Yoga teacher and Bharatanatyam dancer (disciple of Prof. C.V. Chandrasekhar), set the tone in the morning by discussing the art of breathing, the importance of posture and the right food intake to produce good music. His agility and composure, was enviable. Sumathi Krishnan began the sessions with a couple of slokas and introductions, following which the resource persons for the day would take over.
Chennai-based Shruti Jauhari, Hindustani vocalist from the Maihar gharana, holds a doctorate in music, is an exponent of khyaal and thumri and works at A.R. Rehmans’ school of music. She is endowedwith a voice that travels effortlessly over several octaves and her ideas on how to produce the right voice for classical singing were very interesting. ‘Nabhi-hrut-kantha-rasana’ said Tyagaraja. She demonstrated the way to produce rasa from the navel to the throat. She said a robust voice could be built without shouting or exerting unwanted pressure on the vocal chords. Though Carnatic music may require a slightly different treatment of the voice for the production of some specific gamakas, the underpinning lesson was that full throated music need not necessarily translate into screaming in the higher octaves.
Be it teaching, singing, or playing the chitraveena, N. Ravikiran articulates complicated subjects so clearly, that even an elementary student finds it easy to grasp. He explained in a lucid manner with sound examples and explanations how to construct a pallavi and how it is important to balance the tala, sahitya, bhava and the intellectuality of treatment. He explained that in a pallavi construct, the sync between music, lyrics and metre is of paramount importance. Ravikiran’s ability to connect with the youth was amazing. With references from the computer lexicon, he told them that the memory size of the hard disk (brain) has to be constantly expanded, with many file partitions on the disk, but will not suffice if the random access memory is not fast enough to quickly retrieve and connect the dots! He beautifully explained that music presentation on stage should follow the CID principle (content, intent and delivery) and said that unless the three fall in place at the same time, the presentation cannot be a success.
Veteran vainika and teacher R.S. Jayalakshmi could also easily connect with the youngsters, despite her age and seniority. Her demonstration of pallavis, especially the rettai arudi ragamalika pallavis was very interesting. She explained various aspects like how and when anulomam and trikalam are done, as well as the various points to sing tisram for a pallavi. She elaborated on raga nuances and pallavi patterns with several examples and gave the students small pallavi exercises. She was quite a favourite with the participants.
A.S. Murali of Kalakshetra, a disciple of P.S. Narayanaswamy, is a vocalist and a percussionist. He explained the systematic approach to kalpanaswara singing in Carnatic music. Starting from small one-fourth avartana swaras he moved on to complicated poruttams and korvais and explained the method behind the mathematics of swaras. He showed that sarvalaghu swara patterns are not rambling swaras strung together; it is essential to be practice them well as these swaras demanded both imagination and arithmetic, balanced in proportion. He made a complicated subject seem easy with his interesting approach and comments.
R. Vedavalli, the doyen among Carnatic musicians, has been a great resource, guide and mentor for Nadasangamam over the last four years. This year too she participated with great enthusiasm and provided essential inputs on many aspects of Carnatic music. She gave a brilliant lecture on the art of niraval singing and its importance to pallavi exposition. She emphasised that a pallavi is complete only if it allows for an elaborate and expansive niraval singing. A pallavi construct according to her, has to have minimal words and a measured spacing between words (karvais) which then lend the musician enough scope to explore the kalpana aspects of niraval singing. She also elaborated on the comparisons and contrasts of the two schools of thought on niraval for pallavi singing and demonstrated some old pallavis. A master teacher, she directed the students so skillfully, that she made a group of students who were relatively new to this concept, actually sing a pallavi by giving them small assignments in different talas.
The highlights of the two-day sessions were the little quiz on a video about T. Brinda that was screened, the extempore little viva held for each participant to help them understand was taught, and the open discussions and clarifications in the night after the close of the days sessions.
The finale was a small examination. The students were given a set of words and they had to gather in groups of five and compose a pallavi in any raga and tala, but set only in chatusra nadai. The group had to sing the pallavi and demonstrate trikaalam for the basic construct. Prizes were given to the top two renditions and the sessions came to a close with the valedictory function where certificates were distributed to the students.
Two days of unhindered immersion in music, the gourmet food, the divine darsan of the Lord, the singing sessions in the evening in front of the sanctum sanctorum, the vivacity of the young participants, the approachability of senior artists, and the fun and games centered around Carnatic music in which all of us took part during the return bus journey – all these made for a true nada-sangamam.
(The author is a marketing professional, Carnatic vocalist and senior disciple of R. Vedavalli)
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Shakti Swarupa: overcoming disability
By Nita Vidyarthi
A pleasant surprise was in store for the audience at the Guru Krupa Nritya Samaroha 2015, organised in mid-February by the Debaprasad Nrutya Pratisthan at Jayadeva Bhawan in Bhubaneswar, Shakti Swarupa Bir, a sensitive, graceful and competent dancer, can neither hear nor speak, yet she performed Jayadeva’s ashtapadi Sakhi heyKesi mathanamudaram without slipping a single beat. She has been trained by guru Chittaranjan Acharya, a senior disciple of eminent guru Pankajcharan Das.
As you watched Shakti’s soulful abhinaya for the song in Pahadi raga set in Yati tala, you could not at any point question her hearing disability or training. Even though she cannot hear the sound of her own ankle bells, she matched her steps with the vibrations of the mardala and percussions accurately to live music. She perhaps employs some method of calculation of numbers to maintain the laya and tala. While dancing to recorded music she followed instructions from her guru in the wings. She seemed to be following the hand movements of the pakhawaj player while performing solo, and very easily danced the duet with her guru as she did not have to follow any instructions. What was impressive about her performance was that all this was skilfully done and the audience was not even aware of her disability.
The one-day celebration of Odissi dance spearheaded by Gayatri Chand, senior disciple of Guru Debaprasad Das and Founder-cum-Trustee of the Pratisthan, was a maiden venture of the charitable organisation. Organised in memory of guru Debaprasad Das, the aim was to provide a platform to talented young dancers. Shakti Swarupa is Gayatri’s find. Shakti’s father Durgamadhab Bir was a clerk and Odissi guru Chittaranjan Acharya an engineer at Talcher Thermal in Dhenkanal district in Odisha. As guru Chittaranjan Acharya lived close to Durgamadhab Bir's house, Shakti started learning Odissi from him at the age of seven along with his daughter who is also an Odissi dancer. Acharya took pains to explain the techniques and nuances to her and today Shakti is quite a competent dancer. Having watched Shakti in Chittaranjan Acharya's classes, Gayatri Chand decided to promote her as a student of the Pankajcharan Das style. During 1985-86 Shakti performed solo at the Kala Bikas Kendra in Cuttack, under the aegis of the State Sangeet Natak Academy, at the Kalavikas Kendra, and in 1996 she presented a duet with her guru at Rabindra Mandap under the banner of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi. Shakti acted in the Bollywood film 'Hamari Beti' which was sent as an entry to the 42nd Chicago International Film Festival 2006. At present she is working as a dance teacher at the Sai International School.
Shakti has set an example with her will power, perseverance, ambition and courage, to emerge as a dedicated and graceful dancer.<>
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Award for Sruti's executive editor
By Samudri
On the occasion of International Women's Day, S. Janaki, Executive Editor, Sruti, was honoured with the Women Achievers Award, for her service in the field of arts journalism, by the Women's Voluntary Service of Tamilnadu and the University Women's Association of Madras, on 7 March 2015. V. Susheela, Principal, Avvai Home, and Janaki were each presented a shawl, citation and memento by Dr. Yashodha Shanmugasundaram, Asst. Director, WVS. Leelavathi Patrick, Dr. K. Hari Priya and Shantha Venkataraman were also felicitated on the occasion. Scholarships were presented to college students and cash assistance was provided to destitute women. A group of WVS staffers presented Villupattu.
Dr. M. Priyamvadha, Asst. Professor , Dept. of Criminology, University of Madras, inaugurated the Legal Aid Centre and delivered a talk on Legal Protection for Women. She said that female infanticide and geronticide are even now rampant in Tamil Nadu. It was horrifying to learn that as many as 108 ways of killing infants and 27 ways to finish of the old are being adopted in different regions of the state.
In her acceptance speech, Janaki drew attention to the role of arts in society. Arts can play a major role in this violent world by spreading harmony, developing sensitivity and shaping better human beings, she said. Music can soothe even a savage beast. An idle mind is a devil's workshop and it would be good for children to learn some art or the other – music, dance or painting – to channelise their energy and creativity; to pursue the arts as a hobby if not as a profession. The arts inculcate discipline, focus and a sense of fulfilment. Music and dance can make learning more fun in school. If arts and sports are re-introduced for students in schools and colleges, youngsters will shape up into better citizens and there will be less criminals and rapists in society. She exhorted the Central and the State governments to integrate the arts into the school curriculum, give more space to the arts, and allocate more funds to support the arts and artists because the rich and unique heritage of art and culture are India's intangible assets. <>
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