Catering solely to the performing arts, the journey has not been a bed of roses for the niche magazine. Sruticontinued to earn name and fame, setting standards in arts journalism, though it was never a financially profitable venture. It was faced with trying times on the sudden passing away of N. Pattabhi Raman in December 2002, but the small but enterprising Srutiteam rallied together to keep the magazine going till The Sruti Foundation found secure ground under the guidance of N. Sankar, Chairman of the Sanmar group. The Covid-19 pandemic raging for almost two years starting 2020, has hit the entire performing arts scene, the reading and writing habits, the finances, including print publications. The digital media has meanwhile grown in leaps and bounds and has emerged as a promising alternative for the future. Watch out for important announcements in the next issue.
In this October edition, we pay tribute to Carnatic music maestro T.V. Sankaranarayanan who passed away on 2 September this year in Chennai. He had a big fan following and consistently held sway for several years, and won due recognition. In his peak, he captivated audiences with his zestful, vibrant singing laced with emotion, spreading the joy of music. I remember that in the 1990s he was top of the charts in the ‘Frequency analysis of musicians’ that we published in Sruti during the music season. He sang in almost every sabha, big and small. Living just a shout away from the Mylapore Fine Arts Club, he would happily fulfil the requests of rasikas and sing for long hours at the venue. Am sure you will enjoy the analysis of TVS’s music that two rasikas have presented in this issue.
The second cover story is about an excellent senior Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher G. Narendra. Like TVS, he too has the rare ability to convey the joy of his art to the audience. It is an irony that he entered the dance scene at a time when the going was not that good for male dancers; unlike now, there were not enough opportunities then for boys to make a living through dance. He faced many ups and downs in his life and career, but his passion for dance has kept him going through all these years. His art has a rare luminosity. The Sruti feature provides an insight into his life and principles.
Our readers will be happy to know that the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts has set up the Dr. Sunil Kothari Honorary Lecture Series in his memory. He was Sruti’s Roving Critic for several decades. The first lecture was presented by star Odissi dancer Bijoyini Satpathy.
In conclusion, Sruti extends its hearty congratulations and best wishes to classical dancer-scholar Dr. Sandhya Purecha, on her appointment as the Chairperson of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi.