S > S .N.Ghandrasehkar © 6675758 Bangalore K Venkataram © 6630079 Dr M. Surya Prasad © 2253975 Editors B.Rajashekar ©2216459 Advertising Manager R.Shashikala Circulation Manager m Contributions from readers on music and dance are welcome. They should be neatly typed in English on one side of the paper double spaced. Adequate return postage should be enclosed for the return of unaccepted articles. No remuneration is payable at present. But when adequate circulation is built up, contribu- tions will be adequately compen- sated. Annual Subscription: Rs 55-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulation Manager 138, 5 til Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 RN 45468/87 i — Cover Photo: R.K. Srikantan • by N.Sundarraj 1 * 4 J Phoenix Journal on Music and Dance V - / Vol 1 November 1995 No 1 •i Contents Messages 4 Editorial 5 + Calling AIR 6 Quiz 7 RRK The Indefatigable Sadhaka 8 Mysore Dancer Makes a Mark 9 R.K.Srikan tan Joins the Galaxy 1 0 Udupi Hosts Memorable Venu Utsav 12 Quiz Solutions 13 The Unity in Carnatic Music 14 * Cassette Causerie 16 Young Talents IS Published by N.Janardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at IPC Grades, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 I I t is but fitting that my esteemed friends S.N.Chandrashekar andM. Suryaprasad who are deeply inter- ested in the performing arts like mu- sic* dance and drama are embarking upon the publication of a new maga- zine devoted to fine arts to be named as Phoenix which will be unique in its contents and presentation. It is a fact that there is a paucity of such infor- mative good magazines particularly devoted to the advancement of music and dance. Art students and rasikas are in need of more knowledge both critic aland analytical of our perform- ing arts which would certainly help them f especially youth to understand the intricacies of the fine arts and thereby appreciate better our price- less heritage in all its grandeur. Consequently the number of knowledgeable rasikas will be in- creased for the promotion of these arts. I firmly hope that this magazine will have a vital role in art education and I congratulate my enthusiastic friends on their venture. I wish the magazine all speedy progress and to- tal success. R.K.Srikantan, Bangalore II I t is a matter of great pleasure to know that a magazine devoted to the cause of music and dance is being brought out. There are a few newslet- ters, monthly and quarterly, published by some music organisations mainly to focus their programmes. But there is room and need for a high quality magazine exclusively dedicated In the promotion of music and dance conveying authentic knowl- edge in this vast field, narrating ac- counts of the lives and contributions * of the great vidwans, rendering in- formed criticism and assessment of the activities in the field, including books, treatises and cassettes etc to mention only some items. Knowing as I do, the deep interest in the cause of persons involved in this venture and their rich knowledge and experience, I am confident that the periodical will make a significant contribution to the cause and I do hope Lhai it will received solid sup- port from the interested public and the concerned authorities. I wish the venture all success. Justice Nitlor Sreenivasa Rau President, Percussive Arts Centre(Regd), Bangalore hi 1 am much delighted to note that under your visionary editorship an English journal for music and dance is being published. Thus you are not only filling up a big void but also contributing to the healthier develop- ment of the classical music and dance field and artistes. I wish all die best to the very ambitious magazine, “Phoenix”. Pandit Seshadri Gawai Principal, Sri Aravinda Sangeetha Vidyala, ^Editor, Guyana Gang a IV 1 am delighted to hear that you and S.N.Chandra Sckhar are planning to start a magazine which is to be devoted solely to music and dance and oppex arts in Karnataka (in En- glish) with the worthwhile objective of projecting our arts and artistes be- yond Karnataka. I wish you all suc- cess in your venture, both in my per- sonal capacity, as a dancer and as die President of theKamatakaNrity a Kala Parishath. I have always felt that the artsand artistes of Karnataka need a widermedia coverage inside and out- side the country for in my opi n i on we have some very great artistes, both young and old in our State. Leela Ramanathan President, Karnataka Nritya Kala Parishath, Bangalore, v It gives me great pleasure to know that a new profusely illustrated monthly magazine in English , 1 Phoe- nix', will be launched. It is a pity diat great artists of Karnataka in the fields of music and dance are little known outside Karnataka as most of the magazines are in Kannada and hence restricted to only our State. Phoenix will bring our artists and heritage of Karnataka into focus and limelight thus expanding the spheres of Indian art and artists into a larger world of appreciation and recogni- tion. I wish this in teres Ling magazine great success and I congratulate S.N.C and M.S.P for undertaking such a laudable enterprise. U.K. Chandrabhaga Devi President, Karnataka Sangeetha Nrithy a Academy, Bangalore VI I am more than happy to hear that the greafiy felt need of popularising Karnataka's performing arts outside the state and the country is being considered by our veteran art critics, S.N. Chandrasekar and M.Surya Prasad who are launching an art jour- nal in English titled, * Phoenix \ aimed at propagating the artistes of Karna- taka. I join the artistes of Karnataka in congratulating our friends as their venture and wishing the journal all success, Maya Rao Natya Institute of Kaihak and Choreography k Phoenix November 1995 A periodical dedicated to the performing arts is no new idea. At any rate PHOENIX is not the first in the line. There have been quite a. few predecessors, some surviving and some others folded op for extraneous reasons* A majority of them, including those which have stood the test of time, have been in Kannada and understandably so. It is here that PHOENIX makes a departure. Perhaps it will be the first in the State to come out in English. That doesn’t in anyway mean that the promoters of this venture arc less proud of their State language. Nor docs it betray any slavish mentality towards English, as it is generally made out to be. In fact, all four of them are bom and bread on this soil, none being less proficient in that language tool Hence an explanation for an English journal. However much a journal in Kannada serves the twin arts of dance and music, its appeal can * t cut across the borders of our State. Under the circumstances there are few avenues through which even our own immediate neighbors can come to know about the state of the ait on this side of the border. This can be done only by an English journal. And hence its justification. In a world which dazzles in publicity, a medium of this kind thus is an imperative need. Phoenix is a sincere attempt to ful III that need, nay a desideratum!. As a journal it will not only be a chronicle of artistic events in the State, but will keep a tab on artists espousing the twin arts. Hence it would be an ideal forum for the release of publicity material relating to activities of music and dance, including ‘arangetrams’. Of special interest should be the column on radio music, a genre which has been neglected by the print media of long. The promoters earnestly hope that all those engaged in the twin use the columns of this new journal to our mutual benefit. SjV. Chandrasekhar. Fulfilling the Need 5 Earlier, Padma Gurudutt (8:30 a.m on August 8) had captured die listen- ers 5 attention with a wholesome Bila- hari (Copal am Sevcham). The effu- sion of well kniL ‘sancharas 1 lent a convincing imagery of Lhe melody. T he advent of the Radio is one of die best things that could have happened to connois- seurs in general and musicians in par- tial! ar. Besides the featuring of top- no tchers regularly, there is ample scope for the listener to hear artistes not commonly available otherwise. There is as much incentive for young artistes. The radio, on its part, has devised a near perfected system of assessing the quality of each performer. The grading is done by panels of experts both for the frequency and duration of die programme assigned to each. But it can't be as readily conceded that there is strict adherence to standards, judging by the quality one has to contend with. Sub- standard stuff is by no means a rariLy. This column is an attempt to keep tab on as many broadcast programmes in die preceding month. The stress is on artistes from the State though ref- erence to those emanating from other stations is not ruled out. It is hoped the artiste community, the authorities as also the listening eognesccnti will take the asides in the right spirit and help PHOENIX to serve a worthy cause and thereby the AIR to serve the listening public better !b ■t The impressive feature on “5rikrishna ,, (morning of August 17) should be the most auspicious curtain riser for this column. It was designed by ‘Shathavadham’ R.Gancsh, who has made a name in spontaneously meeting die needs of many an aspir- ing choreographer to devise dance features and dance-dramas. The il- lustration through music was entrusted to lhe tested vocal of T.S*Satyavati. — i The selection of verses on Krishna was as purposeful as it was judicious, /' Padma Gurudutt i i • a tribute to die genius of Ganesh. Their rendition, ensconced in choice rag as was as effective, impactful. Shahana (Ikanarmu), Riligoula (Jan an in inn u) and Savcri w-ere the ragas SaiyavaLi chose Tor her regular programme (9: 1 5 a.m., Sept. 1 ). There can't be Lwo opinions about Satya’s voice, talent and manner of singing. With equal stress on *mattf and *dhatu\ what she sings verily surges out of her very being. It is difficult to imagine how she lias not gone up the ladder. / Later in the day Tara Mohan's Kccravani revived memories of a bygone era. It was pleasant, absorb- ing listening. Another vainika who has a repu- tation for consistency isSudhaVadiraj (9; 3(1 am, August 18), But her rendi- tion of the celebrated Swaraj ati in B h aira v i w as n ot ful ly e v oc ati vc. Her Kalyana-Vasantha number put her back on the rails. The 'nyasa' and the phraseology were impressive. “Dinamani Vamsha”, the soulful Harikambodi composition of Thyagaiah gave K.V.Shantaratnam (morning of August 19) a sound be- ginning, Thekriti, especially was full of feeling. Pantuvarali (Aparama Bhakti) was more impressive for all its subtleties of ‘niravaf and “swara 1 passages. It all made one wonder ho w she is not heard much on the concert stage. When one 1 is Lens to veteran R.R.Kcshavamurihy on the violin (8:30 a, m,, August 20), it is impos- sible to believe that he is past his pri me . K ed aragoul a and H i nd ol a were the two ragas that came for sustained treatment. The very applicability of the nuances peculiar to the ragas sqrved as an example of a complete art is te Lira L he is , In deed , here i s a c ase where one unhesitatingly would use the appellation "Vidwan” In Lhe prestigious South-Zone hookup on Lhe same night, MX, Pranesh (Elute, student of M,R, Doreswamy) easily carried the day. Though he seemed a lillle hesitatanl as he began with “lambodara 1 ' (Kambodi), he warmed up with Pantuvarali (Raghuvara), It acquired a special delight at the improvisa- tions! flashes. Tara Mohan Phoenix November 1995 followed it. It was his Shan- mukhapriya that revealed his bril- liance, both in technique and raga bhava, the familiar kriti Marivere ac- quiring a delight as Suri drifted to a neat Thanam. Kashi Vbhalakshi (3:30a.m Au- gust 30) is no unfamiliar name either. Her Siddhivinayakam (Shanmuka hapriya) appeared pedestrian. Her alapana fox Khamas was more ma- ture, the delineation standing out for its sLcady lay a, Vinayak Toravi in his night con- cert on August 31 gave a majestic portrayal of Jaijaivanti. It was chis- elled with fleeting 4aans\ acquiring a fine balance between 'chalarf and ‘lay a’ . Vinayak lived upto his repu- tation. 1 . When was Thyagaraja born? 2. What is Bismillah Khan fa- mous for? X 3. How many chapters has Bharatamuni's Natya Shas- tra? 4. Who are the authors of "Natya Darpana"? 5. Name the person who reju- venated the Kuchipudi Natya? 6. Date of Thyagaraja's Death? 7. Name a few sushira vadyas. 8. Who is a Keertana vidwan? 9. Namethedivisionsof Mano- dharma Sangeetha. 10. Name a few vidwans who name ragasfor exppellation. (Solutions to Quiz-1 on page 14) Vinayak Torvi Suma Sudhindra’s veena recital (9:30 a*m on August 22) fell short of expectation. TheNayakimimber(was it Pal ay am am?) was run through with an easy gait. But Purvikalyani (Meenakshim) was not in good shape. She appeared certainly out of sorts, not in shape. As usual, R.K.Srikantan's con- cert on die same night was a propor- tioned presentation of choice melo- dies. “Sri Narada” (Kanada) showed a mastery one associates with an ar- tiste of his generation. His Kedara- goula (Tulasibilva) flashed in its bal- anced alapana, the infrequently -heard Thy agar aja kriti glorying in its mea- sured development of ‘niravaT and ‘swara’ passages. Bui the voice of the seasoned C.K.Tara (9:30 am. August 24) was seemingly not in mettle. Her Amritavarshim gave glimpses of her past records. But neither the alap for Kharaharapriya nor the fine Vasude- vachar kriti “Ra Ra Rajeeva" could stand a test. Nor was there much to write home about N. Chokkamma’s veena (8:30 a ,m. August 25). Her Behag (Smaraja naka) meandered rather aimlessly to show r that her best is far behind her. Popular R.K.Suiyanarayana was featured in a veena concert (1 0: 1 Oa.m, August 22) There was customary abandon w r hen he began with a V ar- nam in Shankarabharana, But the piece was not convincing, norMukhari that Obituary S.Prakash Dear Reader Your comments and views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish the best. But, for maximurq impact and better coverage, make them brief. Send your com- ments to: S. Prakash, noted Mridangam artist died of heart attack on Sep- tember 10, 95 at Bangalore, at his residence. He was 47. Prakash had accompanied many leading artists of Karna- taka. PHOENIX conveys its con- dolences to his family. Editor The Editor PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross, Gandhina gar, Bangalore 560009 Govindaraja Pillai, to name only a few, reigned supreme* As cadging for favors is not in his nature, Keshavamurthy remained contented lo lay low and has never regretted it either. He Look his chances as they came and as luck would have it, they came in trickles, certainly not enough to fully exhibit his innate talent. In such adverse circumstances and in the face of stiff competition, what E lsewhere in this issue is a note Which means he was a content- ^ ^ ac j ^ eve 4 i s something com- on a violin solo of veteran porary of the famous T. Chowdiah. m endablc. His stature in music circles R.R. Keshavamurthy broad- l ^ e ^ alter Keshavamurthy ^ as as ot ] iers 0 f his genera- cast recently over the AIR. The high- perfected the seven-stringed don, having displayed his virtuosity light of that recital was Kedaragoula variation, (hough most of his disciples ^ emphatically as a soloist and an (Vcnugana loludu). As the virtuoso including the late AnoorRamakrishna accompanist. Having completed the unfolded the majestic melody, one hadopted for the original five-stringed degree course, he can express himself was struck by the depth of his tech- lucidly in both Kannada and English nique and imagination, accounting for the completeness to his music. As is his wont, Lhe tone was a little harsh, but the ‘gamakas* and l sangatis' were clear, heightening the total gestalt of the rendition. It was good music, his playing standing out for its cleganL coherence. Though on the wrong side of eighty, what a control he exercises both on his mode and mood! That indeed is the speciality of Keshavamurthy, a ‘sadhaka* right through, a ‘sadhana’ which has given him complete control both over his music and the instrument. Like most artistes of his genera- tion, the octogenarian was brought up in an exclusive musical coterie. Train- ing in music was imparted to him early in life by his father Ramasw'amiah, a vocalist and violin- ist of considerable prowess. That, however was only die groundwork, a sound one at that no doubt. Even at that stage, Keshavamurthy had a vi- sion of his own, to fulfil which he went to masters like ChLkka Ramaiao and later to Bidaram Krishnappa, one of the pillars of the cultural edifice that the Mysore palace of that era was, to become one of his best-known dis- ciples. But for some inexplicable reason, Keshavamurthy did not win as much and as fast a recognition as his con- temporaries did. True, to be a con- temporary could be as much an ad- vantage as a disadvantage, fn many instances the only satisfaction could be to be known as a compeer of such stalwarts. And in the case of Keshavamurthy, his was a time when not only Chowdiah, but stalwarts like Rajamanickiam Pillai, Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, Papa Venkataramiah, Mayavaram and his lecture -demonstrations to nu- merous distinguished gatherings have been received with utmost respect. More importantly K'eshava murthy has to his credit as many as 14 works on subjects relating to music. They are invaluable for students of music. Equally significant is his role as a teacher, a role which has given him supreme satisfaction. Though not as dramatically as in other cases, rec- ognition has not been denied to him after all. The most coveted of them all is the prestigious “Kanaka- Purandhara” prashasti, the highest honour for music in the Stale* The two revered Pcethadh ipati s of R ambhapuri and Sringeri have conferred titles on him and the Bangalore Gayana Samaja, the premier music sabha of the South had invited him to preside over one of its annual conference. He is also the recipient of the Chowdiah Memorial award of Lhe Academy of Music, The State Sangcct-Nrutya Academy of which he was a member for more than one term, has also ho- noured him with its award and the Rajyotsava Award came to him just before the “ Kanaka- Purand hara’*. All In all, his is a life not without its challenges, challenges which he has met dispassionately so as to be at peace with the world. 8 Phoenix November 1995 [ijllljiM aV-V iYsYcY:Y-'-Y ' . . . . . . A fter the visual holiday spurt* with several NRT groups vying wiLh local talent to hog headlines there has been an inex- plicable slump in the City’s dance scene* The only exception is a couple of recitals under the auspices of the Every Friday Cultural fare at Yavanika. One of them was a dancer from Mysore* the erstwhile seat of culture in the State. The dancer Kiran Ganesh, a student of Vasundhara Dores wamy, is certainly no novice* though she was being seen in the City for the first time, Besides distinctions in exami- nations* Kiran has several prizes to her credit, Nor is she short of stage experience. All this was borne out in her el- egant stance. Her ’ihatm-mettu’ is equally steady as evidenced in the two -tier invocatory of a Mallari and Ganesha Panchakam. The Nritta for- ays in the contrived vamam 4 ‘Srikrishna K am alanath o’ * (R iti goul a) culled out from “Sri Krishna j Kamamritam”, revealed a strict ad- herence to ’anga-shudham’, though her ’are mandi 1 could not stand the test of proportion. But the abandon w ith which she dispo sed of LHft ‘theermanams ' was reasssuring. But the choice of the repertoire, including the Vamam left much to be desired. None of the pieces could meet the demands of Yasabhinaya’* the underlying Yasa* in each case being ’Bhakti” which falls outside the purview of Yiav a rasas’* Evocation for the Vamam as also the Kanada padam “Elliruvano" was fines to a description of Krishna* and in the Delineation appeared redundant. The musical support in the wings was as revealing, Guruprasad’s vocal refrain was undoubtedly a high-spot in the 90 minute fare, while Vasundhara’sNattuvangam was fairly assertive. Under the same banner, later in the month was seen another artiste of nom, Nalini Prakash, a student of Sudharani Raghupathy of Madras, is also anew face and hails from outside the State, Her stance and confidence with which she ran through a com- pact programme made an immediate impact on receptive audience. Nalini Revealed a firm grasp of the grammar of dan ce in the in v ocatory stage itself. Her ’angikas 1 were well defined and the * chari s’ not short of variety* But her facials, as exempli- fied in the vamam "Vanamayile” (Shanmukhapriya) had their limita- tion. The underlying ‘virahotkhantida 5 nayika came alive only in the Ythukade’ stage. The piece, there- fore* had to sustain on the Nrita which one must concede was substantial. Another dance programme which deserves note for its sheer choreo- graphic adventure is "Daksha Yagna ’* a dance drams froup under B J.Meer a. It was part of the 1 41 st B irthday cel- ebrations of Narayana guru* Hence, the justification of Malayalam script. Yet the denouncement was so dramatic that it was not beyond the comprehension of the learned and the laity alike. Though the mixed group comprised both Bharatanatyam and Kuehipudi dancers, the two Ku- chipudi exponents, Shibu Joseph and Deepa* both disciples of the famed Manju Bhargavi, were head and a shoulders above their Bharaihanaty am counterparts. In their lead roles, they carried the day! Stories like ’Daksha Yagna 5 cer- tainly are not irrelevant as a layman’s de Ugh t. But it cal Is fora certain amount of refinement if they have to sustain the interest of the urban elite. Espe- cially out of tune were the sequences where the Shiva Ganas make their appearance. One wonders how lord Shiva, the embodiment of ‘Satyam, Shivam* Sundaram’ could account for such crude elements! Obviously* it is conceived to cadge to popular appeal, Though the choreography lent itself was stamp of coherence was in “Shivashtakam H * highlighting an as- pect of ShivaTandava. Naturally too* as the credit for its choreography goes to veteran Vcmpati Chinna Satyam! ESSENCE 9 R.K. Srikantan Joins the Galaxy S.N. Chandrasekhar T ie tidings from across the bor der that one of our esteemed vocalists, R.K. Srikantan has been selected for the year’s / “Sangceta Kalanidhi” title of the Music Academy, Madras has heart- ened all music-lovers of the S tatc. It is a distinction which had eluded him for long and it is good that the leading music organisation of the In this connection, it may not be outof place to recall that when speaker after speaker at a function got up to almost the ul Li mate in the life of a musician* They included Dr.Scmmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, the doyen of Carnatic music, who was himself generous in his references to SrikanLan’s standing in the genre. Those blessings which Srikantan himself have valued immensely, has borne fruit much to the delight of his numerous admirers here and elsewhere. Yes, it is no exaggeration if one were to say that Srikantan has won as many awards outside the State as in it Why! among his many honours is an "As than a Vidwan" of the Sri Venkateswara temple in Pittsburgh, U.S.A. Equally worthy of mention is the privilege of being the visiting professor of a Canadian University, the other university which has ho- noured him similarly being the Pal ghat University in Kerala. \ But strange as it may seem un- like most of his contemporaries, nei- iherSrikantan himself nor anyone of his equally reputed brothers violinist, R.K. Venkatarama Sastry or Vocal- ists. R.K. Naiayana swamy and R.K.Ramamthan had enjoyed thesta- tus of an 'Asthana Vid wan' in Mysore. Though he had started giving recitals almost at the same time he began his schooling, recognition came to Srikantan only after he PhS joined the AIR as a staff ar- tiste, first at Mysore and later in Bangalore when the station moved over there. During a career spanning nearly 30 years, Srikantan served live in- stitution in varied capacities- Srikantan himself is no stranger to that august body of musicians. He has been a regular invitee at its annual events for nearly four de- cades, both as a performer and for lec ture demon strat ions . Even o ther- wise, his reputation as a consistent per former in that citadel of Carnatic Music, as much as he is in his home state, is unquestioned. He is as popu- . lar in the other centres of Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala as he is in the Hindustani belt. Yet as destiny would have it, it took almost 10 years after veteran vainika V.Doreswamy Iyengar was conferred the title for another artiste of similar stature from Karnataka to gel the coveted honour. With that he joins a gal axy o f hi s co mp atrio ts 1 i kc Mysore Vasudevaeharya, Rallapalle Ananthakrishna S harm a, T.Chowdaiah and Dr. Iyengar. Indeed, it is Kff well deserved, a crowning jjgj glory to an illustrious career || jj that is studded with distine- LJES / “tr. . dons all the way. felicitate the maestro on his 75th birth- day were singing plaudits on his achievements, the one thought up- permost in their minds was that he was not favored for this title which is *t j concert mm Phoenix November 1995 T.S.SalhyavatL Uma Gopalaswamy and Vainikas Suma Sudhindra and Shanti Rao arc a few of them, Srikantan turn ed 7 5 onl y a couple of months ago . He was bom at Rudra- pamam, a small hamlet in Hass an district on the banks of Lhe Cauvcry, onthe auspicious day of Pong al, 1920. His father Krishna S as try a well- known Harikaihavidwan of his limes, was his first guru. Later he came under the tutelage of his elder brother RX.Venkatarama Sastry, senior stu- dent of the violin maestro T.Chowdaiab. But he evolved a style of his own, his open-mouth technique Sbanihf Rao M,£ Sheet* trim and can withstand the rigours of a four-hour concert, endearing him- self as much to his supporting accom- panists as to his listeners. Indeed, his singing is as fresh and sensitive as it was in his youth* a tribute to die care and attention he has paid to his vocal chords, worthy of the sobriquet “S iri k antha 1 \ May that ‘rich timbre 1 endure is the fond wish of all his admirers! ^a performer, producer of features and retired as Producer of Music, the highest position that an artiste can aspire to in that governmental setup. As the veteran artiste himself con- fesses, the AIR had not only given him opportunities to exhibit his in- nate talent, but helped him to come into contact with eminent personali- ties in the field of art and letters. Bui the programme which made him a household name in Karnataka is his weekly music lesson. These pro- grammes won for hun innumerable admirers many of whom became his students. Among them many have SR.S, Ramakanth Bangalore Gayana Samaja's march in 90 years. S ,N.Chandrasckhar traces its glorious history. 27 th Music Conference of Bangalore Gayana Samaja Heritage Kala Utsav of Ster- ling Resorts and Nada Surabhi Cultural Festivals, M. Surya prasad takes a look at the fes- tivals. Cassettes Causerie Calling AIR Young Talents and many more interesting columns. known as much for its modulation as to ‘sahitya shuddhih If is an eclectic style. He had a vision of his own for an artistic flight soaring high. To reach it he needed reinforcements from every available source. And that is what he did, an exercise which demanded incessant ‘sadhana 1 , going through a process of assimilation and transformation. Anyone conversant with the creative functioning in die art can well imagine that this metamor- phosis means continued intellectual pursuit combined wiLh orduous prac- tice. Even to this day when he has Sums Sudhindra Udupi Hosts Memorable Venu Utsav Bangalore K Venkata ram K arnataka Sangeetha NruLhya Academy organised a Venu Utsav at Udupi on Septem- ber 23 and 24, 95, The local Paryaya Sh ecru mutt had hosted the two day fare. Apart from the i naugur a] and v ale- dictory sessions, there were symposia of different aspects of flute and dance recitals. His Holiness Sri Lakshmivara Thinh a Sripadangalavaru inaugurated the festival, KXamamurthy Rao, con- vener, welcomed the invitees. Chandrabhaga Devi, chairperson of the Academy, presented a brief on the Academy's projects. Durga Avarthi, Registrar proposed a vote of thanks. Loka V Shankar in the inaugural recital reg aled wi th 4 G anamurthc * L and ala Gopala 1 (Bhairavi), She i was supported by B, Raghuram I and S,R.Anantharaman on violin , and mrudanga respectively. A.V.Prakash commenced I with a Chowdiah composition in Bahudari ‘Prasanna Ganapatheh His Lathangi and Shuddhasaveri were neat. He was supported by H.K. Narasimhamurthy and 1 Jayachandra Rao on violin and i mrudanga. H.K. Raghavendra Rao, a lo- cal artiste supported by HX. m Narasimhamurthy and Jayachandra Rao on violin and mrudanga dwelt at length on Kanada. Veteran V Desikachar f! opted for compositions on Krishna, like ‘Ganamurthy’, *Vcnuganalodu\ 4 Raro\ 'Madhava Mamava* etc. He was Af.A Chandankumar supported by Ananth apadmanabha and M. Gururaja on violin and mrudanga. M.A. Chandankurrtar, great- ■ W&M ■ , -■ --/j j TLoka V Shankar grandson of Chowdiah had M.G. Narahari and P. Nataraj for his ac- com piini sts , He a Iso c hose Lathan g i T besides Bindumalini and Kaanada. A compacLfare. Kumari Varti, supported by M.G. Narahari and HX, Shivashankar started with ‘Ganamurthe 1 , She elaborated Madhyamavathi while K.P. Upadhyaya supported by H.M. Bhaskar and HX. Shivashankar ren- dered on impressive Saras wathi, Janaranjani and Ranjani were the oilier pieces. A Uugalbandi 5 featuring Mariraja Mcnadala (Hindustani) and G. Rajnarayan (Kama Lie) was marked more on sound than Nada, with the tabla exceeding the acceptable — d ec ibel 1 e v el s . The fl utis is them- i selves played regas Hamsadh’ wani and Abhogi witii restraint and understanding, despite the tendency to accelerate by the Hindus tb ani artiste. Sandhya and Kir an presented a dance duct 'Kolaline Kare\ while Nirupama and Rajcndm presented a Kathak fare. The highlight of Ehe festival was the symposia. The first sym- posium dealt with die historical and literary' aspects linked with die celestial instrument. The key note address of die noted scholar B.V.K. Shastri read by M.S. Sheela referred to Curt Sachs and Pannalal Ghosh to trace the past, co ntemporary scene and the pros- pects of electronic instruments in future. 12 Phoenix November 1995 Lakshmitatachar quoted refer- ence on flute in Sanskrit literature wh i le R ama Bcnnur drew on the m any reference in Kannada liLcrattire. M. Rajagopalachary a referred to the Gra- mas and Samaveda (Nada Shiksha) and the Kharaharapriya and Harikainbodhi scales (Bharaiha Kosha). S.N. Chandrashekar, noted critic, chaired the session. The afternoon session w as eh aired by Eswajiah, editor, Udayavani. The paper of V, Sampathkumaracharya on historical reference to flute was read by K* Ramamurthy Rao, The session centered round the technical aspects of flute. T.R. Srinath referred to the different blowing and fingering techniques including cross fingering and Oat Auguring. He stressed on the 'speaking length of the air column* in the flute. B alakrishna Thantri exp] ained his experiments on the instruments like the PVC flutes, multipurpose flutes, adjustable flutes etc* He recalled the services of Nagercoil Ananthaanarayanan, Sundaram, {fa- ther of flutist Raghu and Ravi) and Madras Shankaralingam. G. Rajnarayan explained the science be- hind the production of sounds and referred lo the vibrations. Variations in pressure due to movement of side and straight blowing, tracing the ori- gins lo closed end pipes (like key rods). Eswariah in his presidential ad- dress said, classical arts were not for the masses . Refinement and elevation of Lasle were to be acquired by inces- sant listening and getting exposed to the arts* The third symposium focussed on the flute in different styles. K.S. Rajesh spoke on flute in Hindustani style, with a demonstration on the bansuri* Bangalore K Venkaiaram traced the elevation to concert status by Sarabha Sasiry from its supporting status, popularisation by Palladam Sanjecva Rao and the elevation to the present exalted status by flute wizard, T.R. Mahalingam (Mali). He also re- ferred to the present day lower sruii flutes and the contemporary sLatc of ait practiced by B.NT, Suresh and the techniques adopted by N. Ramani. Dwaraki Krishnaswamy assisted by Maithili demonstrated flute’s ef- fectiveness in dance, ILS. Anasuya Kulkami Exhibited flutes of several countries like Indonesia, Papua -New Ginea, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Thailand were the countries from where she exhibited these flutes. She also demonstrated the playing on some. The valedictory' session chaired by Chandrabhaga Devi was ad- dressed by veteran flutist M.R. Dares wamy. The Paryaya Mutt Sear delivered the benedictory' address. A noteworthy aspect of the entire proceedings was lire punctuality main- tained right through* Significantly, this is the first time that so many flutists gathered on a commonHais at the pilgrim centre of Lord Krishna, Udupi. If all the papers were to be published, that would be a notable contribution of documenta- tion on the popular wind instrument. Solutions to Qu?z-1 1. May 4, 1767 (Sarvajitu Samvatsara, Chaitra Bahula Panchami). 2. Outstanding Shehanai player. 3. 36 4 Ramachandra and Gunichandra 5. Siddhendra Yogi 6. January 6, 1 847 (Prabhava Samvatsara Pushya Bahula Panchami, Wednesday) 7. Flute, Nagaswara, Mukha Veena, Shehnai, Clarionet. 8. A specialist in rendering musical compositions (krithis). 9. Ragalapana, Madhyama kala (tana.ghana), Pailavi, Neraval and Kalpanaswaras. 1 0. Todi Sitaramayya, Athana Appayya, Todi Sundara rao, Shankarabharana Narasayya, Begade Subramanya Ayyar (Patnam), Narayanagowla Kuppayyar (Veena Kuppayyar), Bhairavi Kempegowda. For a ring side view of dance and music performance, read PHOENIX The Unity in Carnatik Music R.K.Srikantan I n the modem endeavor of educa don in carnatik Music T it is the wish of all who value it that its essential features should not be ig- nored. The medium and technique of any art is put to a new and strange effectiveness by Lhe master artistes. The musician is a painter of sounds. Sounds are his colours, melody and rhythm are light and shade, his own unique personality and imagination are twin brushes with which he cre- ates beautiful forms on the canvas of his voice. The language of art is different in technique and more diffi- cult of acquirements than while study- ing the three ragas. Music is intangible and emodonal in its essence and substance. The edifice of all art is built on values eternal and absolute in human life, not on those which are contingent and topical. Mmhuswamy Dixitar describes goddess Balambika as “bhava, raga, tala modineejm”. Tyagaraja describes Lord Rama as “shining like a beacon lig ht on the mo un tai n o f nad a o f sc v en s war as" (Samajavaragamana) and “samaniga majasudhamaya gana Vichakshan a ”. Lord Genesha is ‘ Yakii bhakti bhava sahitaganaka tadhara 1 '. The fundamental units of carnatik music then are, rakti, bhakti, bhava, raga and tala. In all the classical musical compositions there is a unifi- cation of all these elements. "The pans must be knitted together to get a harmonious whole” applies to music in the striving for achievement of a synthesis of bhava, raga and tala. A person w i thout bhakti canno t perform his karma in the right spirit and also a person devoid of guana cannot enter into the cloisters of bhakti in the dis- charge of his karma. Similarly a true version of music can he obtained only with the three dimensional effect of bhava, raga and tala, as music is a vanishing architecture. Tyagaraja, Dixitar and Shyama Sastry have founded different schools and styles of carnatik music. In Tyagaraja* s melodies bhav a acts as a centra! force, in Dixita’s ragas, and in Shyama Sastry tala, f n each of these schools a perfect unity of the three fundamen- tal units has been brought out by die different workmanship of the three past- masters of carnatik music. Tyagaraja has pitched upon the Ram ay an a as the theme for hi s music. The epic stands immortal for the de- picting of all human emotions in the most simple sonorous language. Tyagaraja appeals lo Ramain various moods and expresses his lofty thoughts and high ideals with all sim- plicity and ease. He does not bring in the complex intricacies of tala. His handling of apoorvaragas with per- fect ease is a remarkable feature of his compositions. The aesthetic merit and scientific approach inhiscompo-. sition are revealed in the k a ip an a of the sangalecs. The emotional Lrend is developed by the beautiful craftsman- ship of sangatoes. The poet's choice of words and the formation of the sentences breathe the odour of prosody to such peaceful extent that one can- not mark the collision of rhythm and melody. The outstanding aspect of Dixitar 1 s compositions is the analyti- cal approach of raga swaroopa. Ev- ery composition is a masterly achieve- ment abiding by the raga paddhad and alapana krama. If, at times, a raga is begun in the higher octave, the student is taught how to develop the raga form in a classical way. The vilambita kalaof the composition with the relief of the madhyama kala at each anga of the kriti brings in the effect of tala. The choice of the San- skrit language enhances the majesty and grandeur of carnatik music. The emotional side of the composer is sublimated in the emphasis of purely ananda aspect with a persistent dispassion. The scholarly attainments in astrology and Literature enabling him to exploit tire kshetrapuranas and critical study of the several deities. Shyama S as try's approach to bhakti and bhava is unique. There is an atmosphere of hopefulness and tenderness from the sincere heart of a child. In Tyagaraja there is the full mystic maturity of a philosopher and in Dixitar, the detached nature of a metaphysician. Shyama S astry has revelled in the intricacies of rhythm and has merged the raga swaroopa and bhava with Tal a. W t t3i die introduction of S an gati Ty ag araja has enriched the bha v a o f a composition, while Shyama Sastry has enhanced the richness of rhythm in the handling of Sangatis. His choice of IheChapu tal a reveals his rhythmic pattern. He has cared more for style in music and hence the raga swaroopa features as a powerful picture, with die stress and strain produced by the rhythmic effect prevalent in his com- positions. Dixiiar’s compositions arc Miltonic. The three colours of these compositions do not lie in the over lengthened vilambita kala but in die correctness of blending Lhe tala and bhava in the raga farm, Tli us in the study of great com- posers the student of carnatik music is guided at every step, how a perfect integration is effected in the three fold path of bhava, raga and tala. 14 oenix November 1995 Set your Jewellery with Fine quality Americal Diamonds Ask for tmmair SriLakshmi Vittobha Complex, 160 Big Bazar, Tiruchirapally 620008 © 31359 LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY NAGARTHPET, BANGALORE 560002 ' , © 2212635 Estd 1940 Dealers in: Precious and Semi Precious Stones Manufacturers of: Shields, Trophies, Lapel Badges and Medals Swwa U .-.l z, 1r^r*--;=i K. AN ANTI! A HAM Phoenix November 1995 jesiti (Todi). Side B — ‘Tanamidane cheppukovala’ (Bhoosavali) and ‘Ramachandra nee daya T (Suruti). Dr.M.Balamuraliicrishna, thewell known vocalist has done full justice to the krithis and rag as in this cassette* Melodious and multi -ranged voice and sensitivity mark his singing. He opens with an alapana in madhya sthayi in H an kambhoj i rag a. The entire g amut of the raga is covered in the elabora- tion, Rendering of the charana ‘Meppula kai’ in madhyama kala is attractive. The expansive and en- chanting Todi has fine details. The akaara sangathees in faster tempo and even sometimes in ati tar a sthayi are evocative. Thekrithi is embellished by nominal swaras. On side B, a quaint raga and krithi is rendered, Raga Bhoosavli, a de- rivative of 64th melakarta Va- chaspathi, is a shadhava - - sampooma raga. Imagine Kambhoji with prati madhyama, you could visualise the above raga. BalamuralPs alapana is both educative and enjoyable. The krithi ^Tanamidane cheppukovala” appeals to the heart. The singer en- chants us by presenting “Ramachandra nee daya” in Sruruti raga. B.V.Raghavcndra Rao (violin) Vasudeva Keerthana Man jar i (Sri Sharada Kala Kendra Vol. 16 Rs 30) V+Kalavathi-Singer; Nalina Mohan- Vioiin; V. Krishna Mridanga and M A . Krishna-Ghata * Sri Sharada Kala Kendra of popu- lar vocalist R.K.Padmanabhahas ren- dered yeoman service to Carnatic music. Its cassette series comprising the compositions of Mysore V asudevacharya has proved very use- ful to learners and performers alike. As many as 15 such cassettes are al- ready in the market, compositions ren- dered by Padmanabha and his vocal partner D P ' V , Nagarajan, R . K. Srik an tan and M.S.Sheela, The 16th volume highlights many more masterpieces of the celebrated composer. They are rendered by young V.Kalavathi, a -promising disciple of the late Anoor Ramakrishna. The cassette is sure to become as popular as its predeces- sors. „ ESSENCE Saxophone by K* Anantharam (Sangeeth a- Stereo. Rs 30) The master Recording Company of Madras, this time has cut a com- pact concert on Saxophone by K.Anantha ram of Mangalore. Like his senior from the same town, Kadari Gopmath, the youngster has mas- tered the technique of this essentially western instrument. His blowing power is remarkable as is evidenced in the easy flow of the soulful melody Gowk. Hmdola, Arabhi, Yamuna Kalyani, Hamsadhwani and Mohana are among the other rag as. There is no lack of Tagabhava’ in the rendi- tion, Mohana (Sadapalaya) among them standing out for its modal grace. ESSENCE S$*PifiSg Thyagaruja Krithis Carnatic classical vocal: DrJVI.Balamuralikrishna; San- gee t ha live cassettes 6 ECDB 584 Stereo* Songs rendered: Side A: ‘Rama nannubrovara’ (Harikambhoji); 4 Emi Phoenix November 1995 and M.Balachandra (Mridanga) have Jent appropriate support. Dr M. Surya Prasad SHRUTI LAYA SUDHA: Sangcetha Live Cassettes; 6 ECD 6199 stereo. Saxophone with Tavil. Kadri Gopalnaih (Saxophone), A.Kanyakumari (violin), A.K.Palanivel (Tavil), S.Karthick (Ghata) and B.Rajasekhar (Morning) Krithk rendered: Side A - -“Paratpara Paramcshwara" (Yachaspathi; Papanasham Shi van). “Tulasidala” (M ay am al a v ag o w 1 a; T hy a garaj a) . “Padmanabha Paltimurare^fHindola; Swaii Tininal), Side B - - “Upacharamu” (Bhairavi; Thyagaraja) and "Hari Chitta Satya 1 ' (Jompuri; Pnrandaradasa) This is one of the most interesting and ear-catching cassette, The sushira, avanaddha and tala vaadyaas blend together in a refined manner and evoke beautiful pictures of rag as. The in- strumental flourishes do not dilute the aesthetics. The cassette opens with "Paratpara” tagged with brisk swaravinyas. Vachaspalhi brims with beauty in the hands of seasoned Kadri Gopalnaih and Kanyakumari. The next song l T ul asidala 1 ’ is made memo - rable by detail edkal pan as waras, The swings and twists of Hindol a are mag- nificently etched in the alapana, “Padmanabha Mur are' 1 is ornamented by swaras. These s warns are not only rhythmically taut but expose all the possibilities on an instrumental play. Detailed delineation of Bhairavi is the mainstay of Side B. The mandra sihayi sane haras in particular catch the attention. The grand krithi of Thyagaraja “Upacharamu' ? shines with all the musical and artistic gran- deur. The giht-minute tani a v art ana is an audio treat indeed. Puranchtradasa 1 s “Hari chitta saty a" { Jonpuri) rendered crisply leaves a lingering impression. The percussionists rise to the occa- sion and add beauty to the presenta- tions. Dr.M.Surya Prasad Those who wish their Audio cassettes reviewed in Phoenix are requested to send two cassettes to; The Editor PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Subscribe to PHOENIX V V a monthiy on Music and Dance Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years VRs 140-00 A ' t it reaches you by post every month Send Your Subscriptions to: The Circulation Manager PHOENIX 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar,BangaIore 560009 @ 2263696 17 r -V-:V' V&M I V.K.Raman T.V. Ramprasad, a vocalist was bom in 1969 to Vyasa Rao and Rukmini, noted musicians, Ramprasad evinced interest In Kamatic music at five. He was initi- ated into music by R.R. Keshavamurthy and sought higher studies under T.V. Gopalakrishnan, S. Raj am and D. Pasupathy. He has established himself as a vocalist with infinite patience and concentration. His style of singing dcvotionals has earned him fame. He has sung in the AIR South Zone Mu- sic Conceit and has appeared several times on the TV. Ramaprasad has given concerts in all major sabhas and cultural festi- vals of the country. He has toured UK and recorded music to two albums of Sangeetha Recording Co and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. He is the recipient of “Gay ana Gandharva"' title of Delhi Karnataka Sangha, The All India Best Singer Award of Sangcethayan, New Delhi and the ‘Best Vocalist award" in the Yuva Sangeetha Nrilhya Mahotsav organised by the South Zone Cultural Centre. TV. Ramaprasad 504 GirijaApts, “A M Block Cross t J.P. Nagar , // Phase f Bangalore 560078 © 646629 Indira Kadambi learnt RharatnaLyam under the renowned KalamandalamUsha Datar, Narmada and SavithrilagannathaRao. She was trained in the aspects of Abhinaya by Kalanidhi Narayan and Mohiniattam under KalyanI Kutti amnia. To add lustre to her art, Indira had a stint under Belakavadi Srinivasa Iyengar for music, Indira had her “arangctranT when 16 since then she has never looked back. She is a dancer of grace each performance is a class by itself. Flaw- less hand movements, neat footwork and modest abhinaya distinguish her reciLals, Music is provided by hcrable husband, T.V. Ramprasad. Indira has danced in a number of cultural festivals, including the lours in the UK and Germany, conducting workshops on the classical idiom. Indira in association with her hus- band has established the Naadanta Academy of Dance and Music in Bangalore, She is a faculty member of Bharatnatyam at Nrityagram, Bangalore, Indira Kadambi 504 Girija Apts, :A: Block, Cross, J.P ' Nagar, II Phase, Bangalore 560078 © 646629 V. K. Raman (26), a flutist was born in Mysore. Student of A.V.Prakash, he was greatly influ- enced by Maestros T.R. Mahal in gam and N. Ramani is his art. Recipient of junior and senior scholarship of the Union Government for music, he is a first rank holder in the Government music examination. He has won the first prize in the AIR national level instrumental music competition and the “Surinam"’ title of Sur Singer Sams ad, Bombay. Raman has developed an impres- sive sLyle of playing having success- fully come out of the main shortcom- ings of flutists like control on speed and sense of shruti. Raman has composed music for many light and devotional songs for audio cassettes and is popular as a performer in many parts of the coun- try. He has toured Japan and S witzer- land as a member of cultural troups. V.K.Raman KA ( 322) Kailash Apts, 8th Main, Malleswaram, Bangalore 560003 © 331 4259 By A.P.Rao Phoenix November 1995 Indira Kadambi 18 * El o d o V c TO -o c TO u ’tA 3 to E irch 96 5-00 While setting your jewellery with fine quality American Diamonds Ask only for Pioneers in the field of synthetic diamonds over two decades for SriLakshmi Vittobha Complex, 160 Big Bazar, Tiruchirapally 620008 © 31359 Choice of over 50 Designs to choose Manufactured and Marketed by : Rcdhakrishna & Co. Bangalore 560 002 Phone: 2213748, 2241567 Available in all 1 leading Stores m India and abroad S.N.Chand 67 Basappa Bangalore i Bangalore 183, 8th Cr4 Bangalore Dr M. Sur;y|a ‘Munikoti 1 Bangalore Editors asekhar Layout ^60018© 6675758 Venkataram ss, 11 Bl f Jayanagar 5(5001 1 © 6630079 Prasad II Cross, Balepet 5150053 © 2253975 N.Sundarr 138, 5 Hi Cro Bangalore 56 Managing E B, Rajashekir ©2216459 Advertising 1 Representat|i Ganapalhi B Hubli -Dhanvt K. Ramamnri] Mysore Gceta Raja 9 Chhaya, J* Matunga, Bo ©412 2074 ves Hat at hy Kao Annual Sub‘ Three Years RN 45468/37 ss, Gandhinagar 0009 © 2263696 'itor tanager in a-e-Jamshed Road hi bay 400019 jeription: Rs 50-00 \ Rs 1404)0 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulate 138, 5th Cros* Bangalore 56' |>n Manager Gandhinagar 1)009 © 2263696 Vol 1 , March 1996 No 5 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 Editorial- Jugalbandi 6 Dancers as Political Rivals 7 In the Footsteps of Haridasa 9 Calling AIR 12 Shivayogi's Services to Music Recalled 14 The Little Nattuvanar 15 Shimoga Fetes Balamurali 16 Purandarotsava 17 Another Distinction for Pad mini Rao 18 Impressive Start for Sankranthi 1 This Issue is Sponsored by Somnath Malleswaram Bangalore 560003 Published by 'v Jnnardhan and printed at Enjay Printers . 5th Cross , Gandhinagar r Sanc?a/ore 560009 Composed tPC Grafics, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 i Phoenix March 1996 N.R. PrasHanth Tuneful Encounters-3 mm ■ ■ Bachcha to Bap, .. Badshah to Fans! S.N.Sivaswamy i Atisuddin Khan In the earlier days of All India Radio, when I was in AIR, Madras, the stations did not have much funds. They had literally to operate on shoe- string budgets. Nevertheless, thanks for a system we had evolved, what is called “chain booking”, we managed to invite great musicians from all over the country' to participate in our pro- grammes. K Iran , F aiaz Kh an , R av i S h ankar, AH Akbar Khan, Hirabai Barodkar, Vilayat Khan, Roshanara Regum, Bade Gularn Ali Khan and the whole galaxy of Lhcm, Allauddin Khan and his son Ali Akbar Khan, already a leg- end, had been invited by us on this ‘chain booking' plan, Alauddin Khan was known as Lhe ustad of us tads. Look at tl ic sial w arts among his d i sc iples : Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Rancrji, Pannalal Ghosh - the list is endless. We saL engrossed before the masters in the recording studio as he sLunncd the rag a Multani with his magical Ungers. His si- tar spoke to each one of us evok- ing our inner most artistic feel- ings. The atmosphere in the stu- dio was ecstatic as was the Us tad’s face as Ire concentrated on the nu- ances of the raga with closed eyes. When the rendering was over and Alauddin Khan placed the si tar in its covering, our Director remarked dial die occasion was unique, in that his recital succeeded another memorable recording, on the sarod, by his son, Ali Akbar Khan. Vocalist, N.R, Piashant (28) is the son of Rama Pr as anna, who can execute music in all the three octaves is the disciple of R.K. Pad man a- bha.Now he is being guided by Neyvcli San than ag opal an of Madras. His melodious voi ;e and neat rem dering of rare comj positions have earned him appreciations from musi- cians and critics. Prashanthhasatiei on music conducted b cians and has been a best musician in jun Bangalore Gay ana Ss He is a B grade ar has performed in all I in our country, Prashantis an eng ale in Instrumentauoi Engineering College taken music as full Li dedicates himself to u tional classic Carnatic ided workshops y leading musi- d judged as lhe or concerts of maja in 1993. .isle in AIR and he major cities in ee ring gradu- i from Malnad and has now' me carrier and hold the tradi- ; music. 38ih Cross 4 lH tistes. Thus wc were able to present on South Indian stations the music of such all-time greats like Allauddin bachcha hai!T‘What does he play? He is still a child !") 663 4021 Phoenix March 1996 Jugalbandi Jugalbandi is by no means a new word in the musical terminology. It simply means a duel, but a duet w ith a difference. Whereas in a duet there is a similarity in Lhe combination, whether vocal or instrumental, it is just the contrary i n a Jugalbandi. This dissimilarity may be of form or the instruments that arc involved. Tli at is why its use by two major sponsors of Hindustani music in the City recently becomes debatable. In the first, a concert by die well-known Mishra Brothers, Rajan and Sajan, was listed as a Jugalbandi, It was plain and simple a duel. Another organisation went further to describe a labia duet by listed Alia Rakha and his son Zakir Hussain a Jugalbandi. More intriguing was an experiment with a Labia (Zakir Hussain) accompanying a mandolin solo (U.Srinivas) should have been described as a Jugalbandi, Yet the usual oilier instruments billed for Lhe concert like a violin (Delhi Sundarrajan) and a mr id ang a m (v e tcran V el lore R am abhadran) were c at e go r i s ed as accompan is ts . Obviously, the organisers might have thought that naming a prodigy like Zakir 1 fussatn as a “mere accompanist” could be a denigration. If so, it is not being fair to die very an. Time we learnt to call a spade a spade 1 The term Jugalbandi itself gained currency, perhaps when two giants of Hindustani music. Pandit Ravi shankar (si tar) and Us tad Ali Akbar Khan (surod) played together in a concert. Here the form w as the same, but die instruments w r crc different. That, verily was an ideal combination for a Jugalbandi. If both were singing the same style of music and playing the same kind of instrument, it would have been a duet and certainly not a Jugalbandi, The pattern is undoubtedly the same, but die connotation is not. The idea has since caught up, involving all sorts of combinations. The most significant of them all is to juxtapose Hindustani and Carnatic styles of music on the same stage in a single concert. Despite the inevitable compro- mises that have to be made due to certain peculiarities in either, the experiment is becoming quite popular. Why, instances are not warning where some two- somes have become regular teams; But from the aesthetic point of view, their impact is ephemeral. But one welcome feature of such experiments is Lhe noteworthy sign of some diehard elements in euher style slowly eschewing a persisting apathy to the other. That is reflected in an increasing number of music festivals w here artistes representing the other invariably find a place in the bill of fare. B ul i f the concept has to become real ly purposeful, the performers should try for greater integration, interweaving their imagination and skill to portray one composite musical picture, instead of Lhe routine airing of one ‘avartan* after another alternately. A spirit of competition is desirable so as to arouse excitement. It must also facilitate the appreciation of the subtleties of each style as much by the artistes themselves as by the listeners at large. Then the concept will have achieved some thing concrete: S .N £ ha f idrasekhar 5 Phoenix March 1996 imagine that they arc above the la w of the land; our charismatic ; Sdndhia 1 s,, our Manmohan Singhs Who actually make a difference, our Chandrashe- khar’s who can 't make up heir minds, and our own Ramakrislna Hcgdcs who are in and oul all the lime. at we could 1 do indeed believe teach our respected political repre- sentatives a thing or two about schemes and plots. In ti e long run, dancers, 1 think would make deadly political rivals for, while PVN's charms are questionable, who would not succumb to the flash of a masea- rraed eye, or Lbc Hick of a long per- fumed braid or that famoi s red lipped smile !? W ith the general elec irons round Lhe comer, what greets one with his morn- ing Cuppa is a story of political intrigue, plot and counter plot, accu- sations and explanations. These stories often leave me with a feeling of dejavu. examples of governmental politics. Of course, wc have our PMO where it indeed pays to be seen every once in awhile. Every dancer worth hername must be seen walking briskly out of the [ ve heard this one before, 1 say lo myself and sit down to ruminate. And soon, it becomes bewilder! ngly dear: Our dancers, gurus and dance admin- istrators in their eternal struggle for one-upmanship have become such masters in the an of political intrigue that one shudders to think of die con- sequence, lest they be let loose in the centre. IN LIGHTER VEIN 3 1 st Annive of K.C.I dusty offices of the Department of Kannada and Culture, for that indi- cates that she has divine grace (Oh! That Navaratri Programme!) Our bu- reaucracy indeed stands beiween We have our own party system. the unreachable powers that be, Lliose The predominant schools of dance, committees that select dancers for forever asserting their supremacy. festivals; and us, poor mortals, while And while one shines at a particular we wail, scorched in the sun, like period; the others sit in opposition. expectant MP’s waiting for party We have our defectors, but alas ! No ticket. Anti -Defection Bill! r Lobbying, of course, is a must, for without itwhere would we be? And of course we have our corporate backing, our Godfathers, our patrons andourown ministers! Just as quotas and seats are reserved Tor women and minorities in the various schemes dished out by the Government, wc have boys and men searching for Lhcir place in the sun in a fem ale dominated profession. While far away in Delhi a few people fight the battle of Hindu tv a, we In cozy Bangalore fight for local recognitions. Wc have our T + N. Scshans, the watchdogs with the whiplash tongue, our Lakshmi Parvalhis who shine in reflected glory; our militant Bal Thackeray s* our Jayalalithas who A ten-day music festival under the aegis of die Karnataka Col- lege of Percussion, to celebrate its 31st anniversary of the college was inaugurated by Sri Vic yashankara Bharati of Sri Avani Shankar Muu at the Adarsha B ha van, Bahgalore. A book “Sogasugfa M rid an g a Tael am u Vol HF, authored byT.A.S. Mani, principal of Lhe college, and a cassette, ‘Naada Vilasini’ by R,A. Ramamani were released by A.H. Rama Rao. Corruption is our m id die name. OfLen has Lite grape vine delivered instances of bribery in the hallowed portals of, yes, the Doordarshan Ken- dra . Wh ilea trad i tion a! M y s ore crqie sarec ensures a ‘special’ programme, a routine printed silk will probably get you a 20 minute slot in the near (!?) future. Does that remind you of Indira Gandhi’s wooing of Chick- maglur’s women voters for her fa- mous political come back ? Claims and counterclaims of au- thenticity and purity of style are made, much as various factions fight over party symbols. Journalists and scribes are favoured and rejected, pampered and prodded in keeping w^lh the best Later violin macstros Lalgudi Jayaraman, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalaksfimi gave a befitting concert. T.A Mani on mridangam and R.A. Rpjagopla on ghatarn gave good percussion sup- port. R .V ish wesh w aran of dcred a neat veena recit nied by Umayalapurann on mridangam. •lysorc ren- I accompa- Sivaraman rya Prasad 6 In the Footsteps of Haridasa A s the Sri Ramanavami is fast approaching, there is mu do in the air. In the weeks ahead avii 3 listeners can choose from more than a dozen locales spread over almost all the extensions in Lhe C ity to n u sc o v cr the j r f avouri te melodies. Name ; big and small will fill the agenda, besides a few nonde- script elements creeping in to sati- ate personal fancies. But the one name that is sure to find a place in the bill of I arc of all these locales is Swami Vidyabhushana Teertha, Pontiff of the Sri S ampul a N aras i m h a s wa m y S u bram an y a Mutt, Kukkc, Less than 10 years a go , he waj s a n one n l i ty in the w ort d of music. Today, he is die one vocalist no music organisation worth the name can ignore! He is a minstrel who attracts [_ the learned and laity alike. Whether in a remb e place like Srirangam in T ami l n ad i ] where he sang last year in connectio i with the Festival of Music of Kamai uka under the auspices of the Tricky Rasika Ran] an i Sabha, or nearer home the 26th Musicians con- ference of the Karnataka Ganakala Parishat at which he not only gave away awards to the President and other digritarics, but also figured in the valedictory concert, rasikas could be seen thronging to his mellifluous singing sessions. The 5 w ami’s minstrelsy indeed is verily ;m emotional outburst, the articulated enunciation of familiar Kannada devotionals especially mak- ing an indelible impact. If the discern- ing mull c ver his chaste intonation of the classical aria, the multitude would patienlly wait for the later half to devour a veritable treat of choice “Dasara padas”. In either case, there is a sense of fulfillment for the organisers. WK £■ ;■ ■ ■jvP'-S i mm:::,:: • ' ■■■■■■■■■■ ■ ■ ■■ "■ ■■ ■ - ! -T : v y >■ , , . ,. ... . ... , , , ... >, : : .:. ... : , ... :. S % :• : 1 ■ - . . ' > - / II . ' .. /. ; ' . • : ... 8£; . With all this, it was noLacakewalk for the 42-year old Swamiji to fulfil his ambition of becoming a musician. Though music was in his vein, his Father Govindacharya himscl f having been an accomplished songster, he was inveigled into the monastic order early in his boyhood. As it happens, there is little conviction in such an induction and the Swamiji himself was no exception. He has since not only resetued it, but has also given vent to his view against the practice most vehemently. However, he has seemingly compromised, as his re- sponsibilities as a mutt head have not come in the way , or perhaps he has not allowed them to come in the way, of his emerging as a vocalist! This dual role is not without its challenges. While as a Pontiff of an important religious order he has to attend to the upkeep of a hallowed tradition, tire increasing demand for his concerts constantly keeps him on the move. That he has succeeded in striking a balance between the two avocaijons speaks for his ambidex- trous disposition. Music, though his first love, has also given rise to considerable prob- lems. In ihe beginning, his honorarium through concerts was not much. It was just enough to improve the com- -i m unity needs of the hamlet. As gradually the receipts started in- creasing, it was embarrassing as material possession was against the tenets of monkhood. It is then that ihe Swamiji decided to build an a ud i tori um , ‘ L Go v ind a G anasabh a’ 1 named after his faihcr. The audito- rium built to modem specifications not only arranges for the impart of lessons in music to local school children, but organises annual mu- sic festivals on a grand scale. The festival Litis year (in the middle of January) featured such well-known artistes like Balamurali Krishna, T. V. Gopalakrishnan, M. R a j agopal a Ch ary a and ot hers . The six-day festival also felicitated some artisLcs of eminence. Despite his success as a musi- cian, Sri Vidyabhushana is not the one to rest his oars. His father, his first guru, had no doubt laid a firm founda- tion in the art. But to hone his style, he appro ached w cl I kno wn mu s i c i ans like K.K. Srikaman and T. V. Gopalakrishnan Lo enrich his reptoire. Bui the mainstay of his concerts arc the Kannada devotionals, many of Litem treated on the same level as a krili with all the attributes of an ala- pana, nirval and swaraprasthara. These ditties have become so popular thaL the sale of the cassettes comprising them has created a record of being the highest. So much so, the Swamiji has fondly come to be re- ferred to as “Cassette Swamiji", a reputation which should remain un- challenged in the near future! S.N. Chandrasekhar Phoenix March ' Remembering Veena Seshanna A Veena Seshanna Memorial Veena -Sitar festival, organised by Sri Lalitha Kala Academy Trust, Mysore, under the sponsorship of the Department of Kannada and Culture, on February, 8,9, and 1 0 featured two veena and two sitar recitals. The venue was Veena Seshanna Bhavana. The inaugural veena concert was by M.K, Saras wathi, disciple of M.L Sreenivasa Iyengar and Gowri Kuppuswamy. The alapana for 'Sri' was soothing, swara passages at 'Rhavana Bhcda Chature’ in Sri Varalakshmi was attractive. Hin- dustani Kapi with its bhashanga clement was depicted with all its ap- pealing charm. Mcev alia proved her a hi 1 i ty to bring out the S ahi ty a B ha v a. She has indeed mastered the gayaki style. Kamboji w-as the main rag a of the evening. SLarLing from thara sthayi, Saraswathi elaborated the rag a in the middle octave. The Than a in middle and fast tempo was neat. Pallavi in three kaalas was precise. The swara phrases, the ragamalika covering Athana, Bahudari, Kaanada, and S ;tra s w a Lh i fc atured, were cr i sp The Sawal-jawab session with tile per- cussionists was engrossing. Thani awarthana by H.L. Sivasankar and P.S. Sridhar on mridangam and gh atari was marked for finesse in lay a and shniti. The second day's pro gramme started with a sitar recital by Nirmak Sankar Kurtukolh She started with tiie evening raga Puriyakalyan, Lite Karnataka counterpart being l Gamana- shrama 1 . A detailed alaap enriched by Jod and Jhala and fol- lowed by a gal in two speeds of theen taal was i m agi n at i v c . H cr nex t pi cce in Shivaranjani was equally attrac- tive. S lie concluded her red tal with a Dhun in Charukesi. Nimiala w'as accompanied by Asok P altar on the Labia whose playing sometimes seemed to overpower the main ar- tisLe. The second concert for the day was by R.K. Padmanabha of Bang a- lore, who played on his 200 year old ‘Kanaka Rajatha Saxaswalhi Veena" gifted to his father, late R.S.Kcshavamurthy, by Lhc legend- ary Veena Bhakshi Subbanna. Padmanabha's alaap an a in Sunada- vinodini highlighted all its rakti ele- ments. “Devadi Deva" was well depicted. He gave a detailed por- trayal for Shankarabharana through alapana and lhana followed by ‘ ‘N ag al ing am "of Di kshi tar. H i s swara passages were marked for technical skill, his ability to play off the frets, near die pegs proving his virtuosity. His adherence to sniLi and lay a, impeccably is admirable. Use of har- monics, thcdaaLu s warns were typical of the Mysore school of veena. On the concluding day N.V. Gopinath of Bangalore, a disciple of the late Ustad Allaudin Khan of Muihar gave a sitar recital. He started with Suddha Kalyan, an evening rag a , ll ic Kama taka counteq^a rt be in g Mob ana KalyanL The elaborate de- lineation of die raga was full of raga bhava. After jod and jhala, he started gat in vilambit and drun Saranappa Guttargi on Tabla played interesting kayadas and complemented the main artiste. Gopinath later played a dhun in Desh, and the Sringar in d portrayed in all its hues f another dhun in Kapi. H concert with alaap in Bf lowed by a Dhun. His produce five Lo six notes meetid was remarkable, sh tcrity even in the higher c lis raga was allowed by ‘ ended the airavi, fol- ability to for a single ewingdex- ctove. The three - day festival provided a feast of good sitar and vec na recitals. Neeraja A chuta Rao Mysore Statement about owner hip and oth or pa rti cu la rs a bou t P I IOE N I X required to be published under Rul c 8 of the Regis tra t i on sf Ne ws- papers (Central) Rule, If 58 FORM IV 1 .Place of Publication 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalorc56(XX)9 2. Periodicity of PuMkatio Weekly 3. Printers Name & Addres N, janardhan - Indian 138, 5th Cross, Gandhim gar, Bangalore 560009 4. Publisher's Name & Add rss N. Janardhan-Indian 138, 5th Cross, Gandhim gar, Bangalore 560009 5. Editors' Name & Address S.N. Chandrasekhar. Indian 67 Basappa Layout, Bangalore 18 Bangalore K Venkatram. Indian 183, 8th Cr, II Bl y jayana^ar Bangalore 11 Dr M. Suryaprasad, Indis n 8, II Cr, Balepet, Bangalo: e 53 b,Name and address of indi n duals who own the newspaper N. Janardhan - Indian 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 I, N. Janardhan, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief (5/D) N. Jar ardhan Majch 1, 96 Phoenix March 1996 few had done and N. Ravikiran (gotuvadyani), U. Srinivas (mando- lin) and Kadri Gopalnalh (saxophone) are doing. ChitU Baba’s Lechuical improvi- sation synchronised so beautifully with his 'manodharma' that his notes easily appropriated with the words. Hence his concerts were aesthetic delights despite some idiosyncrasies litac characterise geniuses. Bui they had not stopped him from winning all the coveted distinctions in die field of music* Besides the Sangeet-Nalak Akademi award, he was the $Late artiste of Tamil Nadu (1981-87), Ashlnana V id wan of both the Kanchi Kamakoti Peed i am and the Tirupari Devoswom. The Mylapore Fine Arts h ad conferred on Iiim the title * 'S ang ita Kala Nipuna' 1 * He had also made a name as a good 'guru 1 , having at- tracted students from beyond the con- iines of his habitat. Calling AIR The red La] itself was sprightly, marked for Chilli Babu's controlled spontaneity and technical assurance. Whether it was the initial Enia Nerchina (Saveri) or Durmargachara (Ranjini), his wide-ranging interpret tative power was unmistakable* Chanikeshi, die main raga in the concert, was accented and stylisti- cally sensitive, the instrumental tim- bre light and weighty to suit the modal or lyrical demands. The delineation w-as seasoned with a rich variety of "nirvals 1 and His ar- ideas blazed so resplendent ly, though much to Lhe chagrin of some purists. But he had made a mark, winning admirers all over. The tonality of the veena as he played revealed a poten- tial to make the rendition as evocative as in a vocal, just as some unforget- table instrumentalists like T.R.Mahalingam (flute), Rajaratnam Pillai (nagaswaram), A.K.C* Natarajan (calrionet), to name on ly a havam's national >gramme of music (Feb Liy 17) when it thoughl- cd its listed programme M recording of Chitti a recital is further proof iiment to music* While s also music sabhas in i almost ignored the ssing away on February iid its homage 'ay open to it. i fully cancel to play an Babifs veer of iLs comm the media a general ha maestro's pi 9, the AIR pi by the best v , •• - * - : & ; swara passages tislic discernment was fur- ther embellished in the Fringe melodics like Thillang, Sindhu-Bhairavi and Brindavani. Actually, around ill at very date a couple of mu- sic festivals were on, in- cluding ama or conference of musicians. But no ref- erence was made lo that child prodigy who had started giving full Hedged concerts from Lhe age of 12. He was one of the mo st popular instr iniental is is of his generation. The recording deserves Lo be preserved in the na- tional archives. Th at w as the only note- worthy feature for this col- umn for the period as the World Cup Cricket series compounded Lhediscomfi- Si v: STtfSd i j There have been few vainikas whose creative R.K Srinivasamurih i ‘sadhana 1 , some attract] vc phraseol- ogy in the different stages vouching for depth and fertile imagination. A re recording a little later (9:30 a m) the same day of the same raga in a ioiin solo cure inflicted by the persisting load sheddings of the KEB. But Lhc veena recital of R.K.Srinivasamurthy {March 3, 9:30 a.m.) was as refresh- ing as ever. His alap for Shan- mukhapriya was noted for its verve, while the celebrated Dikshitar kriti Siddhivjnayakam was moulded into an essay of aesthetic finesse. Rukmim PushpavananTs vocal next day (9:30 a,m) was as felicitous in the rendition of Ritigoula (Paripahtya) and Kambodi (Ratnaka- nchuka). Jl is by no means a very' melodious voice, but RukminPs modulation and the relish with which she in Lon ales Lhc numbers make for pleasant listening, 1 1 is here that Hem a R ang an a i ban ( M arch 5,9:30 am) h as a lesson. Her Athana (Sakalagraha) g av c her a good s tart . Bu t nei ther the alap nor the majestic kriti N innuviita (Purvikalyani) could sustain die same tempo. A little more attention to ‘sruLi’ could be of help. It is here dial the recital of vcEeran R.K.Srikantan scored. I Jis recent set back in health does not seem to have had anv dent on his vocal chords. The alap for PaiUhllvarali itself had an arresting quality, unhustled grace and tempered modulation enriching the delineation. Sen ap ate, a composition o f S wa Li Ti run a] i s not general 1 y heard in concerts, and its rendition revealed its lyrical grandeur. His ease in the bass came to the fore in Hrikathashravana (Riti- 8 ° ula >- ' Hamsini Nagendra has a honed voice that aligns well with sruti, as evi- denced in Kambodi (same day at 9:30 a.m). Her feel for the line in Sri BlS Raghukula added lilt to her sin gin g. The dev aran am a in Dwijawanti was equally touching. • What a cultured con- | •i ■ s cert the one by Rudrapatnam Brothers R.N. Thyagarajan and Lalgudi Jayaraman (Adamodigalade) was a|n interesting study in contrast. The tonal flour- ishes in his playing ware effulgent, [he lilting endearments I familiarised through his fascinating ffada Vamam k ‘lnnum enmanam” lending a nostal- gic aura to the majestic melody. G.Rajnarayan’s flute recital next morning was memorable for more than one reason. H s Dhenuka (Tdiyaleru) found as effulgent a re- sponse in Scshagiri Rao^ violin turns. Rugade (Shankar i Shanjairu) was as profound in its structural quality. An impactful concert, Tlip successful run was maintained in I act by M.K. Jayashree Prasad (Yeeia) the next morning. Her airing of Mayama- lavagoula (Deva Devaj revealed a refined style, a combination of me- nical virtu- Hamslni Nagendra R.N. T aranathan Lumed nuL to be (Jan 10, 9:30 p.m). Their chiselled style surfaced in the very' first number Ncnarunchi in Simhavahim, the rare Tyagaiah kriti Sri Man ini in Pumashadja that followed redolent with lyrical charm. The studied way Kaly ani was exfol I aied was inspiring, as evidenced in the evocation of M. N agar aj * s v iol in turns , The cel ebrated kriti Etavunara was rendered with as much relish, accounting for whole- somencss. As absorbing w as the Charukeshi number (Hindustani silar) of Shubendra Rao (JanJl, 8:30 am). His deft fingering revealed sustained Iodic sensitivity and tei osiLy, almost taking on ro mo t in g y o u ng l al en i be in g one of die objectives of tltc Trust, a con- cert each by T.R.SrinaLh of Mysore on flute and Necla Ram go pal (vocal) were featured in the concluding day’s programme. S Af Chandrasekhar V, Kalavathi V cnkairam KalavaihiofBangalore hails from a family of musi- cians. Her father, Bangalore K Venkatram is a renowned ghalam ar- tiste and mother, G.R. Jaya is an ac- complished vocalist. Her brother, Krishna is a m rid an -gam and kanjira player. Kalavathi had basic tutelage from her mother and Ushachar. She had advance training from late Anoor S Ramakrishna under t! ic Government of India scholarship. Kalavathi ac- quired excellent knowledge and tech- nique i n executing good musical pack- age in her concerts from her father Bangalore K Venkatram. She has es- tablished as leading vocalist of her age group, Kalavathi has performed at the Percussive Arts Centre, Sri Krishna V .Kalavathi Sartgeetha Sabha, Vijaya College of Music and also in other prestigious cultural organisations of Bangalore and other cities in Karnataka. Site has also performed at Krishna Gan a Sabha, Madras in 1994 and won die Best Singer Award of the sabha. Her per] orman ce at 1 ndian Fine Arts Soci- ety, Madras in 1994 was appreciated by die audience. She is the recipient of awards 1 rom Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Lalgudi Jayaraman. Kalavathi completed MA (Mu- sic) in ] 992 with a first rank. She is a B high grade artiste in classical and light classical music of AIR. She has lent her voice to film music directed by M. Rajamuralikrishna produced by G.V. Iyer. She has recorded two audio cassettes, Prathibha and V asudeva Kcerthana M an j ari . Besides music, her involvement in the \ outh Forum of the Percussive Arts Centre is very deep. She teaches vocal music jn the Ayyanar College of Music in Bangalore. A'P. Rao V. Kalavathi 3 83, 8 th Cr, 11 Block, Jay an agar Bangalore 560011 © 663 0079 LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY Manufacturing Jewellers for over 55 years Dealers in: Precious and Semi Precious Stones Manufacturers of: Shields, Trophies, Lapel Badges and Medals LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY NAGARTHPEX BANGALORE 560002 © 2212635 Estd 1940 LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY Manufacturing Jewellers for over 55 years Dealers in: Precious and Semi Precious Stones Manufacturers of: Shields, Trophies, Lapel Badges and Medals LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY NAGARTHPET, BANGALORE 560002 ® 2212635 Estd 1940 Phoenix April 1996 SA'.Chandrasek har 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 560018 © 6675758 Bangalore K Venkataram 1 83, 8ih Cross, II Rl, Jayanagar Bangalore 56001 1 © 6630079 Dr M, Surra Prasad 'MunikoLi* 8, I I Cross, RalepeL Bangalore 560053 © 2253975 Editors N.Sundurraj 1 3 8 , 5 Lh C ro s s. Cl andh mag ar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Managing Editor R. Rajashekar ©2216459 Advert isi ng M onager Representatives Ganapathi F3hat ffubli -Dharwar K. Ramamurthy Rao Mysore Geeta Raja 9 Chhaya, Jam-c-Jamshcd Road Matunga, Bombay 400019 0 412 2074 Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please sen d all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulation Manager 138, 5 ill Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 0 2263696 RN 45468/87 Cover Photo by; Empire Studio, Bangalore Courtesy: Ayyanar College of Music, Bangalore Vol 1 April 1996 No 6 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 Edi tonal- Varnams at Will 6 Readers Write 7 Pallavis 8 Dancers' Face is their Canvas 10 Chowdiah- Another Name for Violin 12 Calling AIR 14 Here and There 15 Uncle Handel of the Ivories What Nandikeshwara didn't Foresee Book Review- Ksetrayya made Accessible The sponsor of March issue is B.S.Somnath Shankarapuram Bangalore 560004 Published by NJanardhan and printed at Enjay Printers , 5th Cross , Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at IPG Grades, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 viz dance. May your endeavor to re- vive Lhe traditions of our ancient art of our country by expressing the good and bad in that field, grow from strength to strength in die coming years. Let our yoMi wake up now itself before it is too late, Wishing you all success* NRamiah Vice President, die Malles waram Sangeelha Sabha, Bangalore 3 Kudos to PHOENIX I read with great enthusiasm your new venture on music and dance, die monthly English magazine, PHOE- NIX which was a much -awaited jour- nal. In this context, I request you to devote an article exclusively towards leaching the basics of classical Car^ nalic music which would go a long wav in helping the beginners lo un- derstand the vast field of Carnatic Music. 1 would also like to sec a column on forthcoming music con- cern incorporated time to time in your magazine. While congratulating you on this bold venture, t would stress that PHOENIX is a boon to lovccs of music and hopefully it would grow further for die benefit of music lovers. C.G.Badrinath Bangalore 560069 ii We needed a magazine like PHOENIX very badly. My hearty con- gratulations to S.N .Chandrasekhar and his colleagues for this venture. A venture like this needs more financial support. I hope more and more com- panies, especially the corporate sec- tor would come forward and lend die much needed support. MSurendranalh Bangalore 56001 1 in A s ri gh ll y m o n done d by Pro f S . K . Ramaehandra Rao, while releasing PHOENIX, that the music fraternity needed a magazine without gossip columns, unwanted and biased re- views. The language of PHOENIX is simple and this is what wc needed, A round up of the music pro- grammes organised in Bangalore and Mysore may be published. AMShanmugam Bangalore 560006 IV PHOENIX, a magazine on music and dance was a necessity to musi- cians and dancers o f our state. A list of forthcoming programmes may be publ ished. XjV. Gayathri Bangalore 560018 v 1 am surprised and delighted to receive your esteemed magazine, "PHOENIX” dealing with music and dance of our beloved country. I have gone through the first edition of die same. It is also interesting Lo note that die art cri tics, $ . NvChankrasekhar, M . Suryaprasad and N. Sundauaj, a dis- tinguished photographer have taken up die good cause beyond their own per view so that it can help the youth to understand the intricacies of our fine arts and l>e sincere to know r about them better. Your attempt to publish in En- glish, a common language known by all as the an knows no boundaries of language. The articles arc not only about music but also about our cul t ural i terns VI I am extremely happy dun PHOE- NIX- a journal on music and dance has come into being. Having gone through the issues of December and Jan -Feb 9b 1 have found the journal quite interesting with good presenta- tion of events. I wish that the journal undertakes talents research among both elders and youngsters who hardly have any access to publicity. The get up oi the journal is very pleasing. Let the jour- nal grow in stature and stay on for ever to serve will D £ . liar indr a Bangalore 560078 Your journal, PHOENIX, is ex- cellent. Every article is praiseworthy. It is a standard one and highly useful eo many and many people. M.C, Narasa Raju Chirala 523 1 57 Dear Reader Your comments and views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish die best. But, for maximum impact and better coverage, make them brief. Send your com- ments to: The Editor, PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross, Gandhi- nagar, Bangalore 560009 Ph oe n ex An: i 1 1 9 96 Varnams at Will ? , Suddenly ii has seemingly dawned on some adherent of Bharatanatyam that [here are no Varnams in Kannada. Why there have been attempts in some quarters to get some Varnams made to order! It all sounds so simple that one wonders why great composers like theTanjore Quartet and nearer, in our own century, a doyen like Dhandayudhapam Pillai spent a life-time to produce a few masterpieces. Nor can it he denied that those Varnams have still remained unequalled and served the purpose of our dancers exemplarily despite their being in languages other than Kannada. Equally inexplicable is why our besi known composers did not attempt compositions in their mo liter tongue. The answer to such questions should noot be far to seek. All those stalwarts were aware that fine arts knew' no harriers of language. They had a language of their own, a language which is one of the most potent unifying forces of our culture. Also, unlike the present limes when there is hypocritical talk of emotional integration all-around, while on the other covert under- currents are constantly working against that expediency, parochialism was not known to this part of the country and there was constant inter-action among artistes. Nor had linguist ec chauvinism risen its ugly head as yet and there were many who knew almosL all die languages of die region. In tltis connection, it is worthwhile remembering that the credit for adapting some popular Dasara Pad as for dance should go to the all time great, T. BalasaraswathL likewise, Lite repertoire of many of our own dancers, past and present, abound w ith padams, j avails and even vamams in Telugu and Tamil. And none the worse for it loo. All this doesn’t mean that there is no need for Kannada vamams. Far from that. But one certainly shouldn’t get obsessed w ith the idea and resort to translating from other languages. That is ill-advisable for more ill an one rcason.lt will conclusively mean that K anna dig as can a stand on their own. In recent times, a few Vamams in Kannada have seen the light of the day. Rut they have not found favour even with the most ardent proponent of the move. Maybe they fail to fully answer the requirements. There is no doubt that composing a Vania m is more challenging than a krill or a lliilkm. It calls for scholarship in the language, musical expenise and the technique of dance to produce results that would go unchallenged. That has to happen spontane- ously and cannot be made to order. And it cannot be achieved overnight is a Lruisnt! S .A ' . Ch at idrast kkar $ 5 With best compliments from: KAIL ENGINEERS 18 Tumkur Road Dasasrahalli BANGALORE 560057 Works 8395201 ^ Resi: 8396501 Manufacturers of: Precision Machined Components T ie youth forum of the Pcrcus sive Arts Centre, Bangalore had organised a ‘study circle on Pad avis’ by T.R. Subramanyam (TRS) of New Delhi. The programme on March 6, 96 at the Ayyanar Col- lege of Music, was one ol a series of three held in the city. In his introductory note, TRS ob- served tit at the feeling that Pal lava is the mosL difficult branch of Carnatic music was a fallacy. The rasikas should learn to enjoy Pallavi singing as much as they do Lho krilhis. tie said. The aspects that differentiate pal lav is from krithi singing were the ’Aaas\ the spread over of the sahitya. the Arudi qr Pad agar bha, the Eduppu or the take ofi point and the Karvc or t he time gap between the various sa- jvitya aksharas, he explained. E arl i er t pall a v is were m ai nl y s ung in four kalais (chowka kalai ), the hike off point being 3/4 eduppu ie„ die eduppu after the initial three heals. There were only a few ragas that were selected for elaboration. The limes have changed. “We can select the talas and ragas according to our own attainments", he added. The famous “Parimala Rangapathe" in Khamboji w as ad ap ted to B h ai ra v i am 1 sy 1 1 ah 1 e s were set in sahitya aksharas patterns. The credit for singing ihc pallavi in tins manner should go to GNB, he observed TRS explained, the three speeds of 'niravaP done in pallavi singing. He enlightened the listeners saying that it was Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar who introduced 1 niraval ' singing . TRS stressed that a scheme in setting up a Pallavi was very much necessary. He later demonstrated a Few Pall a vis, starting with a simple struc- ture composed of Lhc basic syllables of a sarale vara.se, lie sail g some intri- cate pallavis in Khanda Eka (thrisra nade), Misra Thriputa (thnshra nade), c ha ms lira (sankeema nade). He even demonstrated, how the sahiLya spread in a pallavi embodies in itself the trik a 1 a pattern, intel 1 igen 1 1 y, He concluded by saying that pallavi singing should always be a very melodic experience. It should seem very easy as though i he arti ste is just playing and singing and not a tiresome experience for the performer or the listener. V. Krishna This issue in honour of violin maestro T. Chowdiah is sponsored by his senior d i sciple and Anklung vidushi H.S. Anasuya Kulkarni and Narayan Kulkarni, Bangalore. 7 Phoenix April 1996 Dancers’ Face Is their Canvas Manu Vijay Dance treatises list Aaharya as one of l he A bh may as - an instrument to communicate the art. Ashraya abhinaya includes make up, costume and jewellery of the dancer and in a broader sense, could mean, stage decor and props loo. Over the years the sol o danc- ers 1 costume and make-up has changed considerably. One even hears of make-up articles, head dress and ormimenls as far back as the Harappan culture as arti facts unearthed in the excava- tion of the Indus Valley sites. The paintings of Ajanta and El 1 o ra, and the v i bran t Ch al uky an and Hoy sal a sculptures are Further evidence of the elaborate costumes and jewellery used in those times. As dttnt e further moved to the temple and then the pmcenium stage, costume took on a more simpler style allowing for a freedom of movement and clarity of line. Make-up is now used to highlight and etch a dancer’s facial lines in order to communicate her expressions to even the last row in a large auditorium. While one docs not deny the importance of make-up or costume, die men behind the scene are often ignored. While Bangalore cari boast of a few professional make- up men, vejy little is known about them, B.S. Padmanabha Probably one of the most experi- enced among them Ml.S. Padmanabh whose involvement in die field has B -t ££ lli «v;. wmwmm ' " h"- • : ag^ f5aij§s resa& ■■ : V. • ■ • ■•i ; ■ i 1 I : : 1 i|;x ■ gsti:.:. Make up artist B.S. Padmanabha been for a near 40 years* Bangalore Sr ini v as Padmanabh was born in Bangalore m 1941 and developed in- terest in the art when lie was eight. The son of a policeman, Padmanabh was inspired by cinema posters. Initi- ated into Lhc art by D, Madhava M urthy ofGyana Jyoth E Kala Mandir, a well-known drama troupe, Padmanabh "s first foray into the dance field was with guru Rajalakshmi’s troupe. He then did make up for the schools of gurus Shiva Kao, Radhakrishna, U.$, Krishna Rao, Sundar Kumar, Rev at hi Narasimhan and Hema Govindarajan. He is proud of his work with Guru Radhakrishna T s troupe for its ballets Wishakanya 1 and "Shanthalah Padmanabh uses the customary pancake for make-up and mixes his own ‘rouge T with white lead, China — - — red and face powder . He is aware : of lhe facl lhaI lhcsc in 8 rcdi " L ents, when used in large quanti- ties do lead to allergies, eczema j: etc. His make-up includes pre- 3g paring a dancer from head to WMIM : P loe » the hair dress, facial make- up, jewellery, 4 arta’ etc. He even rents out required temple jewellery, costumes, wigs for S His speciality, he believes, is the lines he gives to highlight Iffc a dancer's eyes and brows. $ W'M Padmanabh is well versed in stage decor and takes photo- anabha graphs and videos of dance. In addition, he is specially called i angalore u I x>rt to decorate Gods and Goddesses born in ^ or uLsavajns > processions, festivals L lopcd in - an ^ ^Ganapathy and Rama pandals. * as eight w h^ c he has no interest in make-up idmanabh ^ ur ^ anci films, Padmanabh I eels ters Initi- ^ ial ^ crc a Tor professional M ad h a v a c * imcc m U P an * s ls t0 £ et together a Mandir under a single banner to solve their problems. Padmanabha married Dhana- lakshmi in 1972 and has a daughter. B S .Padmanabh a 24 / Aralegudi Compound, ( Opp Kasi Egg Centre ), Cottonpet Main Road \ Bangalore 560053 <@66 1 5202 Indranna Indranna with seventeen years of experience in the field is another sought after professional make-up artiste. Looks are deceptive and S. Siddaraj S. Siddaraj, a well known make-up artiste in the field for 20 years, began his carrier as a worker in Minerva mills. A prolonged sLrike lead him lo look for work elsewhere and he turned to Dhanpal and Sons, a drama company in his area. He first worked on five or six black and white movie films as an assistant. Later he joined Prabhal Kalavidaru to do make-up for their ballets and mu- Indranna’s burly physique does not s j ca jg_ ^ noW niainly involved do justice to the delicacy of lino that Vcnkatesha N aly a Mandira, his make up reveals. Nupura, Usha Datar Bhaimmathi’s Indranna, like Padmanabh, began troupe, and occasionally for gurus his carrier with a drama Uoupe and NaraiadaandVasanthaVedam.Hcw- was part of Chowdcshwari Vaslra ever ihc mainstay of his work arc Alankara, hismentorsbeingShivanna school and college day functions and and Pontius wamy. He is now a regu- factory dramas, lar with P.C. Subramanya, Padmini While Siddaraj initially mixed the Ravi, Nupura, Ponniah Natya Acad- maiLe . up himself, availability of pan- emy, Sadhana Sangama and Kinkim cakcs< kajal an j ol ] 1cr reliable male- schools. rial | las relieved him of the task. He Indranna is an expert in stage has worked with director Vasanth decor with flowers, thermocol and Kavalim ‘Purandara Dasaru , a serial cloth and believes Uiat the best decor for the Hyderabad Doordarshan, be- is one that docs not over shadow die Fore the Bangalore Kendra was cstao danccrs Rather it should allow her to Kshed. Siddaraj has worked with the stand out. His forte is his eye make- Bangalore Doordarshan, festival and up, the importance he gives to special programmes. characterisation for dance ballets, Prospects in dance make-up, they period make up tor historical dramas f ec g ^ bleak and the meagre cam- Hc has ventured into one national ings thereof do not attractlhe younger award winning film. But he is not generation for the profession, interested in pursuing Lbc field. Indranna undertakes contracts to ■■■■■ ■ :■■■: ■ ■ ■■ ■■ Palghat Marti Award to Guruvayur Dorai This year's K. Puttu Rao Memo- rial Palghat Mani Award donated by K.K. Murtliy, PresidenL Academy of Music, Bangalore will be aw arded on the valedictory day. May to mri dang ai n v i d wan G uruva y tir l Dor ai . Veen a v idw an, R . V iswes h w aran will be awarded the Pal an i Subramanya Pillai Award, donated by Sudha Rao and A.H. Rama Rao, Ramasudha Charities on May 27. Mridangam v idw an, M.T, Raj akesari will receive the H. Puttachar Memorial Pfre- Parangath Award, donated by H.P. Ramachar. The ISthThalavadhyotsav 96 of the Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore will be held from May 27 to 3 1 , 96 at Yavanika and Chowdiah Memorial prepare curtains and back drops lor auditori a in the city, as dance make- up alone is insufficient to make a living. Ruminating on the trend of young dancers doing their own make- up, Indranna feels that they should gel it done by professional as it gives them time, a tension- free atmosphere and Lite touch of an expert. Hall, Bangalore. Extraordinary Citizen The much decorated Carnatic VocalisL, R.K. Srikanian was conferred with another distinction on April 8,96. At a simple but impressive function, th c Rotary Club of Bangalore conferred the title “Extraordinary Citizen” Among the earlier recipients, Srikantan is the first artiste to receive the distinction. 9 Chowdiah: Another Name for VIOLIN V Doreswamy Iyengar C howdiah was an on forget Table, dynamic and popular violinist of his times. He was almost a daily performer and a daily traveller, providing his accom- paniment in at least 20 concerts a month, without any sign of fatigue or indifference, He, along with PalghaL Maui Iyer was a big draw. There would never be a dull moment in the concerts in w hich he participated, He had an ingenious knack o f i n spiring the m ain m us ician LO come out with his best. Chowdiah has the distinction of having provided accompaniment to three generation of musicians. In those days of male chauvinism, he had the grace lo accompany MS. Subbula- kshmi despite obj ecrions of some male musicians Among those whom he accompanied most w'ere Ariakudi t Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai V aidyunatha Bhagavathar, Muharajapuram ViswanaLha Iyer, Musuri Subramanya Pillar, Semman- gudi Srinivasa Iver, G.N.R, Madurai Mani and Alathur Brothers. It was a sight to sec them on a dais along with Chowdiah and to hear the inspired music which is still green in my memory. Very often Chowdiah would re- member with gratitude that it was his guru, Bidaram Krishnappa who made him what he was, Krishnappa was ben t o n m a ki n g C ho wd [ah a v io 1 1 n i si to reckon with. Chowdi all's popular- ity mostly rested on his invention of the sc v en -s tr i n g ed v io \ \ n w b ic h had become a rage in those days, though shrouded in eomrov ersy . But he stuck lo his guns and emerged tis a most sought after violinist of his times. The motivation and story behind this in- vention is very' interesting. Those were mike less days. Vio- linists w'ere at a disadvantage when they had to accompany a vocalist wi th a powerful voice. Hence he was bent on finding a device to increase the volume of the violin. Besides be had a peculiar urge to do something origi- nal, Thus came the idea of adding three more strings to the violin. He had to struggle hard and had to invent new' bowing ;md lingering techniques to tame die new violin to bring it under control. The next problem was Lhai of bringing it lo light which he dare not do without flic knowledge and ap- proval of his guru. Chowdiah knew LhaL Krishnappa, being a purist, would throw cold waiter on his experiment. He was waiting for an opportunity to bring his experiment to his notice. One evening Krishnappa was to sing at Veen a Ses henna ’s house and Chowdiah was to accompany him on the violin. To start with he played the four stringed variety. Towards die end, he hesitantly took out the seven stringed violin and started tuning it. This invited a fierce look from his guru who asked him why he had changed the violin which was sound- ing all right. Chowdiah nervously told him dial be wanted to try his seven-stringed violin, Krishnappa said, Mour stings (ire not enough for you to spoil die violin? Do you want four more strings?” T1 1 is d i al a g ue a i tr ac tec 1 the at ten - Lion of Seshanna who was curious to know how the new violin sounded. He asked Krishnappa to give the boy a chance to show his experiment. Krishnappa was left with no option. The concert cone! tided w i th a tremen- dous success for Chowdiah. Seshanna also seemed pleased w it h the no v el ty , He asked Krishnappa lo allow ( Ihowdiah to play the new violin there- after which might bring him fame and money. How true was Seshanna \s prophecy! f l w as m y pri v ilege to gi v e a nu m - her of concerts in combination with him. Though he was much senior to me in every respect, he offered him- sc IT ve ry g 1 ad 1 y to p 1 ay w i ih n re . N ecd- less to say that this com Irina lion gave me a big boost, I think this was the first V eena- V io 1 i n co m bi na t ion which started in die early fifty 's and w ent on till the end of his life. 1 can never forget his affection. Chowdiah was very sensitive to artistic excellence and spontaneously responded lo it. In one of Lhe concerts of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar in Madras, be has the accompanist. Af- ter a memorable rendering ol die kriLhi ‘‘Evarikai 1 ( Devamanohari), Chowdiah bowed his head to the mae- stro and said, Mi looks as if Thyaga- raj a has composed this song only for you. Your rendering of it is fit for you, I pray that you keep singing like this Tor hundred years”, Ariakudi spontaneously replied, “yes I shall do this, provided you accompany me for as many years” On another occasion Chowdiah was playing for T.R. Mahallngum (Hate) in Bidaram Krishnappa Rama Mandinxm in Mysore. Mali's Bhuir- avi was aesthetic. Chowdiah was so PTfwwwTtTumrn day and had accepted advance for a few performances ahead. 1 1 is very moved that he kept down his violin and asked Mali to continue. "I don't want to disturb the divine atmosphere you have created'", he said. Once Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was sing- ing in the Bangalore Gay ana Samaja. T.N. Krishnan was on the violin. Chowdiah was present in the audi- ence. After Semmangudi *s beautiful rendering of Shank arabharana, il was Krishnan 11 s lurm Chowdiah said to Krishnan, “Don't he in a hurry. 1 expect a good Shankarabharanam from you. Give us a leisurely Ala- pana’h Krishnan fell encouraged and, of course, rose to his expectation. A large-hearted man that he was, Chowdiah used to say that die younger generation of violinists w ere not only doing very well but were developing die art further. C ho wd iali's obsession with his car was proverbial. Me though l no end of his Baby Austin which often landed him in trouble. He made most of his journeys by this self-driven car. The Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar, w ho had observed his ad- venturous joumies , once sent for him and asked why not go in for a better car. 1 i was an indirccthint to Chowdiah to ask die Maharaja for a good car. Rul Chowdiah couldn't lake the him. He boasted of his car and die good service it was giving him. Days after this meeting, a close official of the Maharaja told him how he had missed a golden opportunity of getting a decent car from the Maha- raja. It was then that he realised how his pride had let him down! It is surprising, how in die midst of a busy schedule of professional engagements, he found time for his disciples among whom may be men- tioned the names of R.K. Venkalarama S as try, V. Scthuramiah, CR, Mani, Alagiri Swamy, V, Ramanathan, K.J. Vcnkatachar, H.S.Anasuya, Nanjunda Swamy cl al. H e com posed a n u mber o f kri ihi es and Till anas during the last few years of his life. He would say thaL his ultimate desire was to die in harness, without being a nuisance to anyone. God granted his desire. He passed away on January 19, S967 without any suffering whatsoever. Vie had performed die previous Ganasudha San gee dm Sahha, of R hud ra valid is striving for the promo- tion of music for the last 25 years. Under the leadership of H.S. Nagaraja Rao, secretary, the sabha organised a three day festival of mu- sic al the Girls High School audito- rium, Bhadravathi which was inaugu- rated by the n ate maestro N. Ramani. N. AnanLha Padmanabha Rao of Bangalore was the chid guest . N. Ramani and his disciple V.K. Raman of AIR, Bangalore featured in the inaugural flute concert ably sup- rarely that w e come across a charis- matic personal i ty 1 ike him. The nonu- nion tal, v iol in shaped Chowdiah M e- morial Hall, the only one of its kind, is there to keep Iris memory ever green, thanks to K.K. Munhy, the President of the Academy of Music Bangalore. ♦ ported by H,K. Narasimha Murthy (violin), N.G, Ravi (mridangam) and B. Rajashckar (Morching). Young V. Kal a v alhi o f B an g al ore gave a pleasing vocal concert with the support of Nalina Mohan (violin) R Dhmvaraj (mridangam) and Vyasa Vittala (Kanjira). On the 1 astday T. V . Ram aprasad, a young vocalist from Bangalore gave a neat attractive performance accom- p an icd by R , U , G an esh Pras ad ( v i o 1 iti ) N.G, Rav i ( mridangam ) and Vyasa Vittala (kanjira) Top: N. Ramani with V.K. Raman [ tiute), H.K. Narasimha Murthy (violin), N. G Ravi (mridangam) and B. Rajasekhar (morching). Bottom: V.Kaiavathi with Nafina Mohan (violin). B.Dhruvaraj (mridangam) and Vyasa Vittala (kanjira) 11 Phoenix April 1996 Trr^rrr mm It was a propitious start for the period, the warm morning air on Fob 7 (830 a.m.) freshening up with the strains of a wholesome Charukeshi ( K ri pay ; ip al a y a ) . The art i s le was R . K . Srinivasa M u nhy , tii c s cni or v ai n ik a. 1 f Lhe alap had a meditative approach to arrive at a soulful picture of the rag a, the kriti was euphonic in its impress, the vibrant notes deftly ap- propriating with the words. It was again Charukeshi onveena on the next day (9.30 a.m). But it was hardly half as impressive, R,K. Prakash was the artistes. But Kedara- goula ( Neel akan Lam) changed the very complexion of the recital it was more reposeful so as to give his Thodi (Ambanadupai) a headstart. Thodi easily offered surges of optimism. Earlier, from Madras (8.30 a.m.) Ashok Ramani who definitely figures more frequently on the city stage, fused Shankarabharana (Nannu Brova) with an array of endearing *sanchiiras\ The lyrical appeal in the kriti accented its instant likeability. Prabhudev Sardar, the recipient Anutadha Madhusudan of the year's State Sangeet-Nrutya Academy award t was featured in a concert at 9.30 p.m. (February 9) by Dharwad. Though Jw has a deep, sonorous voice,Chandra-Prahha, per- haps a raga he has coined himself, could not make an impact, a distinct imagery failing to emerge. Rut Usha ChippalkaltPs Madhuvanii the next day (1230 pm.) stood out for its emo- tional sensiliviLy. Wha r a contrast the South Zone Cultural Hook- Up (Feb 18) turned out to be! Shubhasri Murthy’s Janaranjini (Sniarane Sukham) itself left one wondering how she was able to make it lo the. distinguished slot. Nor were her Pantuvarali (Kashi Vishalakshi) and Kambodi (Ratna- k and i uk a ) an y better, H er re nd i t ion freely allowed the straying of odd s war as to rob it of any fidelity. That is certainly not the only rea son why Jaishree Prakash ’s veena recital next morning (930 a.m.) sounded refreshing. The Nat a Pancharatna kriti provided an excel- lent s tart to i ai shree. 1 1 was sustained ^ by a robust Thodi (Rajuvedala). A 33 cascading variety of 1 sane liar as' en- hanced the aural elegance of the lovely Thyagaiah kriti. The concluding Mcvaranama’ in Kanada was its ap- pealing in its model overtones. The melodic grace that is the forte of du- ets, is unmistakable in the singing of Kavitha andTrivcni, popularly known as Saral ay a .Sisters. Marugelara (Jayantashri)gave their concert (9.30 a.m, February 2) a lovely start. Their alap for Purvikalyani flowed grace- fully. meandering over all the salient 'sane haras’, Lite kriti Gnyanamosaga itself emerging on a steady gait, h was a reassuring recital to prove that the duo is is not allowing grass to grow under Lheir feet. * Vina yak Torvi's Hindustani vo- cal recital (8.30 a.m, February 22) was as refreshing. His Ahir Rhairav was highly evocative, a cascading array of Laans, haunting *sargams* and a titillating layakari heightening Its structure. The Jonpuri number was as appealing for its lyrical qual- ity - Anjikiny atakavy a. For the night's slot, Vinayak gave a more detailed airing for Maru-Bchag. The familiar Sakhiya Nona (vilambii) and Sakhibina Bajay (drut) angas had a rev erbera ting li 1 1 in them . The cnim- cialion in cither case was remarkable for its fervour. Rupa Sr id bar’s vocal (930 aan February 24) was nol half as inspir- ing, Neither the initial Mohan a Kalyani (the unfailing Rhuvane- swariya) nor Thodi (Sarasijanabha) could rise to any significant heights. Rather, there were too many slips in their structure for her to scale above the mediocre level B ut B . Raghuram’s violin solo (8.30 a.m February 29) was steady and tuneful. His Purvika- lyani (Gnyanamosaga) with its sonorous ‘sancharas’ created a fine musical atmosphere. Thai same night (10.30 p.m) Rajecv Taranath was in his elements when he donated Chandra N and an on his Sarod. The brief alap itself cut the contours of the soulful raga con- NSFt 12 vincingly, while the 'gaf helped forward with a flurry of rcsonani ‘gamaks’, Rajeev’s lech • nical virtuosity making an irresistible impact on the listener. ll!|^ Known for his bari ^8§|p Lone, M. Raghavendra has an impressive style as evi denced .in his «« Sarasiruhasana (Mala) on March 8, 8.30 a.m. His Thodi (Dachukava) was marked for ils master! \ layakari, his ‘manodha- rma* in the Vwara — prasthara 1 easily rising Lhc melodic report to a crescendo. As precise and methodical was the enunciation of Bcgada and Thodi by D. Balakrishna on the veena (same day 9 A 5 a* m) . His comm an d over th e nuances like Gamakas and rhetorical effects was commendable. His con- trolled spontaneity and technical assurance in the use ot the different registers had their desired aesthetic impact in Kaddanuvariki (Thodi), II was a sprightly reciLal. M.R* SashikarU, also a disciple of V. Dorcswamy Iyengar w r as equally im- pressive (March 10). His Bhairavi (Odibarayya) at once testified that he is gaining ground, especially in lire aspect of rhythm. A reassuring re- dial. NSf *Su Rh Sftnivasa Murtfty As revealing was the violin solo of Vanamala Dikshit in the South Zone Hook-Up (March 10, 10 p.m)- Her instrumental timbre was light and weighty to suit the modal form and lyrical need which itself is a sign of maturity. This was evident as much in the opening Mahaganapate (Abhogi) as in Lhc Kalvani (Himachala) number that followed. Vanamala's alap for Thodi w as neat, but fell short in its structural demands. The krili (Sri Krishnam Rhaja) was accented with some racy ‘swara’ for- ays* The veena recital of Bhagyal&kshmi (March 1 1, 8. 30 a.m) was not as evocative. Though her Bcgade kriti Vallabha was neat, her alap for Shuddha-Savcri could not scale the pales of pedestrian level, betraying lack of seriousness. The kriti Subram any ena was passable in its lyrical demands* Rut veteran V, Deshikachar’s flute (March 12, 8.30 a.m) was remarkable for Ils tonal flour- ish. His Rchag coaxed out of the instrument, some delectable “sane ha- ras' of placid calm alternated with vibrant rhythm. The violin support by M- Nagaraj undoubtedly enriched the recital's aesthetic overtones* T.R. Vembu is as seasoned an artiste. Rut the vocal (9.30 a.m the same day) was a patch on the earlier concert. Even die lovely Chakravaka Rut another veena artiste An u rad ha Madhu sudan (9.30 a.m March 15) showed marked improve- ment in tonal timbre and modal imagination. Mokshamu (Saramati) had a graceful delineation, giving Anuradha a fine start. Her alap for Biluhari was also convincing, most of the familiar 'sane haras’ in lack Rut the kriti failed in fully live upto ex- pectation, repealed slips marring ils overall impact. ESSENCE Attention Organisers Music ami dance inslitu lions arc requested lo send Lheir programmes to lhc Editor, PHOENIX, 138, 5ih Cross, Gandhi- nagar Bangalore 56000* before ilic lirsi week of every month. 4 13 Sarod maestro Us tad Amjad AH Khan's 50lh birthday was celebrated in Bombay by The Economic Times by organising a three day music festi- val, “Rang Yatra”, from March 20 at the Nehru Cenlic T Mumbai. It was sponsored by Godrej GE Appliances Ltd. dance of destruction, performed by Zakir with Sivamam andTaufiq. Fazal and Bhavani Shankar joined the Lrio for the next piece. Zakir and Fazal then played a lengthy duct accompa- nied by Sultan Khan. -Oeetha Raja Arnaan AH Bang ash (Sarod), Lstad Zakir Hussain (Tab! a), Pandit Bhimsen Joshi (Vocal), Gundecha Brothers (Dhnipad), Shahid Parvez (Sitary Pandit Kashin ath M islira (Tabla) and Us tad Shafaat Ahmed Khan (Tabla) participated in the cel- ebrations. Lee Dem A lecture demonstration on a new broadband, thorough foundation for Indian classical and film music was organ i scd by K ar ai kudi S ubr am art 1 an at Lhe Sri Shanmukha- nanda Sabha, Bombay on March 20, 96. Dance Ensemble 'Jay a Java Sankara 1 , a dance en- semble was presented by Sri Raja Rajeshwari Bharata NaLya Kala Mandira at the Sivaswamy audito- rium, Chembur. Bhandarakeri Mathadcesha Sri Vidycsha Tccnharu released two au- dio casseLtcs on Vadiraja and Vijayadasa krilis rendered by R.K. Padmanabha and D.V. Nagaajan and M,S. Sheela and books supporting the cassettes, on March 31, 96 at Lhe jam packed Rama Mandira, Audito- rium Bangalore. A Tier a goskti gay ana by over 1 50 artistes, R.K. P adman abha T Secretary of the Sharada Kala Kendra, wel- comed the participants and spoke on tire activities of thekendra in bringing out number of audio cassettes and books supporting them. He also an- nounced the names of donors. Rhythm Ensemble Laler Pushkarachar gave a dis- A Rhythm Ensemble by Zakir Hussain and thavO maestro A.K. Pal arrive] was organised at Rung Bh avail, Mumbai on February 29. They were supported on percus- sion by Selva Ganesh (kanjira), Bhavani Shankar (pukwaj), Vijay Chauhan (dholki), and Fazal Q arcs hi (tabla). Us tad Sultan Khan played sarangi. course on specialities of V ad i raja's kritis.Vidyesha Teertharu blessed with his presidential address. Scholars and artistes, led by Prof S.K. Ramachandra Rao paid glowing tributes to die legendary mystics of The concert began with an inter - pretation of the Tandava, Shiva's Karnataka whose lyrics have come to be referred to as Dasa Sahityau These lyrics purporting Bhakti and world! v wisdom have contributed immensely for die Powering of the twin arts of music and dance in the region. They were speaking aL a two-day s em i n ar on M arc h 16-17, org a ni sod by die Ponniah LalilakaJa Academy. While Lecla RamanaLhan, Tulsi Ramachandra, Shania Jayaice-rtha, Lalilha Srinivasan, K. Ramamurthy Rao and M V. Subramanya spoke on lire different aspect of Dasa Sahitya, Koval ad i Rangarajan (Trichy), dem- onstrated on some traditional * mu Liu s' followed in the rendition of the lyrics. Senior dancers Tara Priy Eldars him, Ranjini Ganesh, Manu Vijay and the students of the Ponniah Academy demonstrated how the ric h Dasa 1 .-o re has enriched Lhe dance repertoire. SNC Efforts of Pralivibha Prahlad of ITasidha Foundation in getting 15% concession in II class sleeper and 50% in ! class in Indian Railways have finally borne fruits. Railway Board of Ministry of Railways in its notification No TC I \! 2055/93 Dl Feb 22, 96 has announced this concession effective from April 1, 96. A 1 1 eppe y V en k ates an , S ecret ary, of Lhe Carnatic Musicians' Forum of India, welcoming the railway con cessions to artistes in the Railway budget, said that photo -id entity cards issued by die forum to the members could be presented along with con- cert invitation at ticket counters to ensure that the concessions reach only eligible persons. The forum also requested music organisations not to scale down the remunerations to artistes consequent to Lhe concession lo ensure that ben- efits could reach the musicians. Tuneful Encounters-4 Unde Handel of the Ivories S.N. Sivaswamy T ic laic Handel Manuel was one of the mast extraordinary rmsi cal talents with whom l had the privilege to move closely while I was in Madras , Handel Manuel 1 s attentiveness as a child to music an ti ability to play correct musical chords on die key hoard far beyond one's expectations from a tiny to i prom pi ed his parents to call him by the first name Handel (after George Frederick Handel, the celebrated seventeenth - eighteenth century composer of operas and oratorios that made r lusical history). Handel Manuel was in All India Radio as a pianisLbut he did a number of jobs that he liked, ?uch as announc- ing programmes, conducting children's varieties (he was uncle Handel to hundreds of children), scheduling recorded music, and audi- tioning western music artistes. Re- sides the piano, he p ayed the church organ and the electric organ which was new to Madras and we had to go Lo Madras Chris L an College at Tambaram for booking the instru- ment for each concert. It was war lime (Second World War) and musical troupes consisting of the most popular musicians of die day used to tour pk ccs where allied forces w r are stationed, Madras was one such place. The artistes in these troupes, after once hearing Handel Manuel playing on the Piano insisted on his accompanying them in all their performances. In fact, there were ef- forts to make him a member of the troupe (called ENSA) and take him around Lhe world, but Handel was content to stay in Madras. From Handel Manuel I learnt die rudiments of Western music, the Major and Minor scales, symphony and polyphony, harmony and melody, notes and chords, soprano and central to. bass and tenor, pianissimo and FORTISSIMO and so on. He also taught me how to read musical nota- tions enough to turn the pages while he was engaged in coaxing the melo- dies on the keyboard with his magical fingers. From this good friend I learnt how to pick the notes of familiar rag as on die piano like Sankarabha- ranam and Keeravani. One of Handel Manuel ‘s favourite pastimes was to visit, along with a couple of our colleagues, die race course at Guindy. Neither he nor any of mv other friends had the resources or the inclination to indulge in horse racing. What they used to do was to invest Five rupees in an event called "lucky five 1 . Horses running in die day's races coming within the first Lhree places in each of the races won a modest sum, 1 used to send five rupees with Handel to try m Y hick. Once jus L once, he brought back forty five rupees to me - a small fortune in those days, but more than sufficient to cover avisitto the local Globe cine nia to see a t lolly wood Musical, with a "Cuppa' thrown in for good measure! And these w r as money left for buying a "Sruli box 1 for my wife. AAKAAR Summer Camp in Bharathanatyam Ponniah Lalithakala Acad- emy, Bangalore is conducing a three week intensive training for dance aspirants from May 6 to May 26, '96. The areas ofTeaching arc: Slokas, yoga, adavus, theory, practical, music and guest lectures on different as- pects relevant to dance and dancer. The classes will be conducted by exponents in the field. Detailed programme will be informed at the time o! ad- mission. Candidates arc ex- pected to attend the classes from 6.30 a.m. to 8.00 pan. The course in planned as day boarding with suitable, well planned and balanced diet, breaks and drinks. Interested candidates between the age group of 10 to 18 years tire requested to contact: Padmini Rao. Director, for further de- tails. Register before 24 ,h April, '96. For Details Contact: Padmini Rao, Director - Aakaar, 429, Ponnaiah Lalithakala Academy Middle School, II Cross Road V.V.Puram, Bangalore -560004. Telephone: 6670013 WHAT NANDIKESWARA Manu Viiay T ie Ab hi nay a Darpana puts down some sped fi cation fo r a d arte er, form, figure, eyes, etc While Nandi keshwaxa, it seems, concerned himself only with physical appear- ances. i on the other hand, feel that other social requirements most also be fulfilled to make a dancer. Financial considerations, I think play an important role, as they do in all other walks of life. If a student's parents can afford her guru's fees initially, considerable savings are re- quired to lum a little girl into a beau- tiful and graceful dancer. The Ranga- pravesha, of course, could drain con- siderable savings. Costumes, jewellery, auditorium, brochures, pho- to graphs, stage decor, not to mention the Guru dakshina, musicians 1 fees and V f P treatment, to countless guests and family lea. coffee , dinner et al is enough to scare a middle class family off Lhc art. As if that were not enough, every step forward from then on is an Herculean Lask, performances have to be regularly funded if the daughter wants to become a dancer of repute. Prestigious sabhas 'invite 1 dancers for pro gra i n rues , but their c o ffc rs c a n- not fund her. The pittance given by the State does not even cover ex- penses and hence, daddy’s pockets get lighter by each programme. The Guru’s fees skyrockets as the girTs learning advances, and a few tbou- s ax i ds a re d e m a nd er I for e v cry ‘ m a rga 1 . By the Lime the daughter is advanced enough to t wen coverexpenscs, daddy is well on the way lo bankruptcy! Social contacts are, of course, yet another consideration,. Well placed families, with friends in high places acquire programmes for corporate seminars, conferences and for foreign delegations, while those without the above will find their aspirations nipped in the bud. Public relations arc a must. Regu- lar social calls, with a dinner thrown in with die powers Lhatbc, would help a long way in furthering drat career. in addition, there arc a Jew char- acteristics that a potential dancer should not have. An interfering fam- ily probably lops the list. Well mean- ing parents who insist on pushing uninterested or imtalcnted children are every guru’s nightmare. Tender hearted grand parents who wash to see die darling grand daughter in silk and Finery on stage well before they arc incapable; relatives, aunts and uncles who always seem to knowbetterabout how a dancer must be taught, can be more hindrance Ilian a help. Now that 1 had added to the list of what a dancer should be like, I pro- ceeded to put away pen and paper, whileaihougl 1 1 stnic k me . W I ia t a bo u t talent, I wonder? Thai old fashioned orthodox ingredient that went into making a dancer of y ester years. Wh at about hard work, perseverance, a deeper understanding of lhc art and sc i isi bilily a bo ml nd i an culm re? Don ' t we also need lo throw in a keen ear for music, a respect for Indian art and m y tho h jgy and a c I ueper i n ie 11 i gene e that allows one to view the art with a futuristic eye? The requirements, 1 find seem lo he mounting up. While we subject children to tor- turous entrance tests to enter nursery school, why aren't dance institutions and gurus more stringent about the students they take in? Parents play as important a rule in die making of a dancer, as they do in child’s educa- tion and need to provide a solid, tradi- tional India upbringing and play a supportive, but noL pushy Rile. Prob- ably then weT have 99% scoring future performers, vis-a-vis our PU scores. ♦ # Agenda for May Bangui ore Guyana Sumuju On May 1 2. % at 4- 1 5 pm Arena S airum sings at the Bangalore Gay an a Sam a jit. Devagirl S;mgeelha bah ha Devagiri Sangectha Sabha, Bangalore celebrates its 1 Oth arm i vers ay will: a vocal recital by S. Shankar on M \y I I, 96 at 6 pm. Other programmes are: May 17;Hariru and Sharada (Vocal) V.K. Raman (Flute) May 1 8 : N 1 a s ter Kishan ( V een a ) N.R.Prashani (Vocal) May 1 9: R ajk an i al { Flute) T , V . R am aprasad ( Vocal ALL art; WELCOME 16 Cassette B alakrishna, M.S . S heela, S ikk.il M ala Chandrashekar and M.Nagaraj-M. Manjunath have given concerts under iLs auspices, M.K Subramanya Phoenix May 1996 In Lighter Vein Make-Up of a Green Room Mann Vijay M ake up rooms, I suppose, are "made' with a purpose. The ‘green ' rooms artistes encounter , often baffle the mind* If they are, indeed to allow the dancer to prepare herself for the performance ahead: should they not provide her with the amenities for the same? How could a grey rooir. with huge open windows overlooking a field of con- gress grass, with a mirror that could drive Stfshmita Sen to insanity, pass off as a greenroom. I wonder! I don't suppose the reference could be to the moss, I found growing on the w alls of one of die well known 'green' rooms I once had the good fortune of visit- ing. P Greenrooms, like everything else in India, can be classified and sub- classified. There are those that are designed to make the dancer feel like a princess. They resemble the tower of a fairy tale castle, spiral staircase and all* A dancer's energies, rather than being spent on a strenuous thillana, is spent w eaving her way up die labyrinthine steps to powder her nose. On the oilier hand, there is that green room which resembles a dun- geon, One would expec t to encounter a prisoner in chains, rather than a graceful dancer attired in silks. The steps in this instance, are large and dark, and lead down into the earth. Of course, every dancer has en- countered the green room that gives her the impression of a candle iit ambience. She has just the one 20 watt bulb, and has to squint to w r ear her eye-liner. Then there is one that resembles a moon lit night. There are so many tube lights, that our dancer looks a little blue when she makes her appearance on stage. Dance in an exit i bill on orpandal, and you will be presented with a groan room that will feel like you are dress- ing up in a stadium - there are spec- tators to watch the show! There is of course, the mother of all green rooms, the one without the mirror. Dancers, carry a compact minor in your hand bag. Il would come in handy at times such as this* Besides these broad classifica- tions, you could find green rooms with mice, with cockroaches, with rain storms and deser t cond i lions , w i th water overflowing from the sink, or dripping from the tap, etc* I am still on the lookout for the green room that will give me the five star comforts of mirror, light, water, easy access and hygiene! Next Tssue Cover story on Bharatana-- tyam and Kathak dancer Pratibha. Report on 1 5th T aiavadyo- tsav 96 Calling AIR Cassette Causerie Kathak workshop held at Hubli Bombay’s concert scene by Geetha Raja Know your artistes and City round-up MS- the Living Legend S.N.Chnadrasekhar “What a great relief from the vocal and rhythmic pyro technics! Here was real music, music that is sublime, music for the souL One could experience its enduring quality. All that is needed is the ac- cent on rag a and bhava". That was an outburst of the re- doubtable T« Chowdiah* after he had accompanied M.S,Subbulakshmithe living legend, on the violin in a con- cert Recounting the incident, the veteran veena artiste V. Doreswamy Iyengar explained how the violin maestro was beside himself while expressing his admiration for MS as an artiste of refinement. 4 It is no secret that it is anathema for many a male violinist to accom- pany a female artiste. It is infra-dig # for them, though some ascribe the high pitch as the prob- lem. The case with the mridangist is also not much different, unless it becomes inescapable as it happened in the case of the great Palghat Mani Iyer, who in his lateryears condescendedtoplay for D.K, Pattammal, his ‘Sammandi 1 , The situa- tion remains much the same even today. There have been ex- ceptions among violinists too. Notable among the seniors was R.K. Venkatarama Sastry who had enjoyed the priv liege of providing violin accompaniment for MS for long, V\V. Subramaniam being the other, RKV‘s mentor Chowdi ah joined (lie tribe much later in his career and once he started on the course, there was no going back. The combination was as memorable as it had been when he accompanied all- time greats like Madurai Mani Iyer, Chcmbai, Ariyakudi and GNB- Here are two more instances to show how the music of MS could move the learned and the laity alike. A cricket eleven had just returned after a fixture in Lhe day. As die team entered the gates of its captain's house. the famous Meera bhajan, *‘Hari T uma Haro 1 ' sung by MS wafted the evening air. The disc w as being played inside the house. As the rend) tion reached i is climax, one of the players involun- tarily exclaimed 'ayo\ Some passers by on Lhe adjacent road rushed in to enquire what had happened. When explained, an elder among them agreed Lhat it was natural as soulful music can stir the emotions of even the uninitiated! The experience of the learned is more interesting. The occasion was die 80th birthday celebrations of Dr D. V, Gundappa, die doyen of Kannada literature. A concert by MS in the evening was part of the day-long func- tion. As usual, the con- cert was a real treat, at die end of which M S took up the cymbals to intone “Dasana Madiko" (Nadanamakriya), one of her favourite Dasara pad as. The lili in the rhythm was so irresist- ible for DVG, that he sud- denly got up from his scat and started dancing! It had moved him im- mensely. Indeed, it was a sight for the gods, with many in the packed Town Hall clapping to keep die beat! It was that haunting voice, coupled wbth its sensitive appeal and evocative intonation that made Mahatma Gandhi exclaim dial he would 9 rather have his favourite Me era bhaj an "HanTuma Haro” jpt? ken by MS than sung by another. That was his reaction when told lhat MS was not familiar w ith the song and Lhat some- one else could render it. It is the same mesmerising effect that had prompted Sarojlni Nat do to pass on the epi- thet "Nightingale” to MS. That again was the music til at had mo v cd J a wah arl al Nehru to muse, “Who am I, but a Prime Mu dster before this queen of melody”, A more fitting tribute had come from Ramakrishna Hcgdc, when he was die Chief M inis ter of Kama! Lika. 1 1 c changed, much to die de- light of the well-known musicologist CbV* Narasimhan who was at die Lime UN Chef dcCabi- net and at whose instance ihc UN concert was organised. Asithappened in respect of S warns Vivekanandas address to the Parliament of RelT gions at Chicago, almost a cen lury be fore, there was ecstatic reaction to her concert. The Press ac- claimed it as a unique ex- perience for the world body. Concert bookings for MS followed from all important cities of the US, including the Carnegie Foundation, M,S, had won the hearts of millions of music-lovers in America. was the chief guest at a function at the local branch of the B h ar atiy a V i dy a B ha v an to c elebraie the 75th birthday of MS. Felicitating her Hegd e rem tirked wh ether the po w - ers that be recognised it or noL, “She was the real l Rharata Ratnab It is intriguing lhat it should be the only distinction (discontinued since a couple of years) which has remained elusive for her. Perhaps she should be holding a record (seven in all) for w r inning the largest number of honor- ary doctorates, including those of the Madras University (1987) and Shantiniketan (1991). She has been decorated with the President's award and the Padmabhushan, besides the Kalidas (1988) and the Konark (1991) Sam mans. In 1974 she was made the Fellow of die Central Sangeei-Natak AkadcmL To crown it all, MS was die first Woman artiste to’ preside over die annual music conference of the Mu- sic Academy, Madras, Uius receiving die coveted title Sangeeta Kalanidhi. And her performing record itself is mind-boggling, taking one to the re- motest cultural centres of the world. M.S. in 1956 It is a truism that music, and almost music alone, has die abstract quality for die anisic to appeal di- rectly to his audience. Hence its uni- versality and no o Liter artiste has proved this point more emphatically than MS . An MS concert in a northern city in India has at all times drawn as large an audience as in die south and as appreciative of her music as it does a B him sen Joshi’s, a Jesraj’s, a Bade Gulam All’s or a Ravishankar’s. In her case die congnescenti has ceased to see any distinction in style. It is good, soulful music, music that is profound and enduring. Till die advent of MS on the west- ern music scene, Indian music for the westerner meant Hindustani instru- mental, thanks to tlic influence of die two wizards, Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar. Listeners in Europe and America hardly knew anything of die complex Carnatic mode. But after die concert of MS at die Edinborough Festival and later at die UN General Assembly, the whole complexion The best tribute came from the New York Times which said: "Subbulakshmi's vocal communica- tion transcends words. The cliche of die voice used as an instrument seemed never more appropriate. Subbulakshmi and her ensemble area revelation to the western world." Music had come naturally to this genius of song. She was the daughter of (Veena) Shanmugha Vadivu, a well-known artiste of her day. She W'as w ell -versed both in the veena and vocal, al ways vocalising whatever she played on the veena. MS inherited her mother's dulcet voice, honing it to attain greater sensitivity and sophisti- cation. As llieir home in Madurai all through the day bubbled with a musi- cal aura, great names in die genre frequenting die dov una's home to exchange views on me art, it was possible for MS to imbibe all the finer points of music to emerge as a chis- elled artiste. Opportunities to display her talent were also there for die ask- ing and it did not take long for MS to win recognition as a vocalist of prom- ise. 10 Phoenix May 1996 Her mellifluous voice had natu- rally opened the doors of ihc tinsel world for her. The films in which she appeared were instant successes, the prodigious number of songs being their main attraction. Her first film "Seva Sadan' 1 had scored more than 20 songs, each a hit. A Carnatic classical like 'Needucharana* (Kaly- ani), almost a forgotten number to- day, became as popular as the Hin- dustani piece 'Shyama Sundara Madanamohana", a masterpiece of Narayanarao Vyas from whom MS had learnt it. Indeed, her know ledge of Hindustani style was of no mean order as she From time to time had learnt the intricacies of the style from stalwarts like Bade Ghulam AH, Siddcswari Devi and others for the sake of exemplifying the compos; tions in Hindi and other north Indian languages in the distinct hue. It was again her songs which had enhanced the commercial prospects of films like "SavtaT. "Shakumala' 1 and last but not the least "Rhakta Mcera", the last in both Tamil and Hindi. As Narada in the first and in the title role in the two others, the producers had cxploi led every oppor- tunity to introduce a song for MS and - nothing suited her and her audience better loo. Her co-stars were al l proven celebrities (ONE who appeared op- posite her in Shakumala was the only fresher) in the cine w-orld. Y.V. Ran, Shanta Apte, C. Nagaiah and Sherakalaihur Sham a w r ere popular names in the films. But MS had stolen a march over each one of them by her sheer magnetic presence and melodic aria. Indeed, if she had con- tinued in dial glamour w orld, her for- tunes would have been as affiuent and fame as awe-inspiring. Then it would have certainly been a great loss Lo the world of classical music. It is here that T. Sada&hivam, her astute hus- band deserves full compliments. It was he who had planned her laLer films with a specific purpose. When Ihc purpose was fulfilled, it w-as he who steered her future as a vocalist of repute. Since their marriage in 1940 he has been her friend, philosopher and guide, rightly described as the architect of her career, a glorious one al that. It was at his instance that numer- ous endowments for religious, na- tional and educational cause were cre- ated, beginning with the Kasturba SmarakNidhi. The Sri Rumakrishna Mission and the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan are the o titer notable institu- tions which have benefited by the couple's munificence. The repertoire of MS is verily inexhaustive. Besides a wide-rang- ing varieLy of classical compositions, she is a veritable storehouse of bhajans in almost ail the Indian languages. Many of them are available in discs and cassettes. But the most popular of them all arc; Sri Venkateswara Suprabhalam, Shankara s Rhajagovin- dam and Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam. They can be heard at all venues and at all times of die day , evoking a sense of reverence in Lhe listener. They, in- deed, will keep the name of M.S. Subbulakshmi ever green in the memory of generations Lo come! This issue on M.S.Subbulakshmi is sponsored by Sudha Rao and A.H. Rama Rao, Rama Sudha Charitable Trust, Bangalore. 11 It is at such depressing moments that a refreshing fare like that of Sita Rajan (Madras, 8-30 am the same day) brings relief. Her Surati (Sri Venkatcsha) testified for sustained hiadhakam* and aesthetic perception. What a contrast Padma Narayan's evocation forBilahari (Idu Bhagya- N ot unoften a listener who switches on the radio for music without knowing who the artiste is, would continue listening ft ir two good reasons. The first obviously is because the music is eminently endur ing« The other is to figure out the artiste who has made a grade despite being below A listener recently had to contend with one too many cases in the second category. Surprisingly, the slots of these artistes indi cated that they were in the r t ' i j Idu Bhagya) next morning was. Her for a long stmt. But the music had no T * l » xt ■ l n i Pantuvarals iRamanatham) was as beanng. Neither Ramarnanohan nor , , , r ' pedestrian, utter lack of concern for I 'Sruti 1 reducing her efforts to nought. Rajaiakshmi Tirunarayan Rajalaskhmi Tirunarayan in her vecna (March 17, 8-30 am) again proved that she is consis- tent, If her Bcgada (Vail abh an ak a sy a) s tood out for her cool, calm dis- position, Saver! (Sri Kamakoti) reverberated with glowing cadences of the melody. Later at 10-10 am the same morning, M.S. Shccla (who is presently on a concert tour of the US) higher grade. In actualily it gave another impressive is difficult to conceive how any ol Madhyamavati (Ramakatha) could per form ancc i n company with Nal in a them could have made a grade at all! speak for fidelity of form, swaras at Mohan on Violin. The opening Usha Ramamurthy (April 23 f 10- 1 0 am) takes the cake in this list. She is a gottuvadyam artiste, an instru- ment which has few adherents. The flourish in her playing also can vouch random straying into the melodies. It is difficult to conceive how she could have been considered for a one- hour slot. As conveniently avoidable are two Abhogi kriti Sri Ramya China was one of the cleanest pictures of the raga. Sheela’s alap for Thodi (Sharadcye) had all the lyrical en- dearments of the raga* It was good vocalists, Ambuja Narayanan and Lalita Mohan who were featured at about the same time. They were me- diocre to say the least and how such ablaut ridden music could escape the notice of an audition panel is a mys- tery! Indeed such music can do credit neither to the artistes themselves nor to the medium sponsoring it. A.V.Knshnamachar R.V. Dakshinamurthy's veena (March 15, 8-30 am) was no more convincing, but certainly of some sub- stance. His alap for Mohan a was not free from slips, but the kriti B havanuLa almost make up for the lapse. His Thillana (Darbari-Kanada) was reas- suring. Saroja Natarajan 13 Phoenix May 1996 | screechy in the upper oc- tave, but certainly not but out of tune, The Kannada ditty Mareyabeda could not make an impact either lyri- cally or in raga-bhava. music, a perfect kruti 1 and meaningful ‘gamakas 1 ac- counting for an elegant co- herence, Nalina's accom- paniment was as competent. A.Y. Krishnamacharin his violin solo (March 18, 8- 30 am) was in fine touch. While Vagadcswari was rendered with great re- straint, hisNadanamakriya, a graceful melody which has receded to the back- ground, was marked for its depth of technique and imagination. But V.N. Pad- mini who followed him at 9- 30 am could not rise above the pedestrian. The Kannada piece in Malayamaruta could not shape well either in melodic grace or lyrical appeal. The gestalt appeared more convincing in Dwaitamusufcha (Ritigoula). Dwadasha Rartjani, a conglom- eration of 12 variations of Ranjini was the highlight is the National Programme of Trichy Sisters (S. Prema, S . Jay a) on March 1 6. The duo synchronise well as evidenced in the opening number in Gambhiranata. Idisamayamu in Natakapriya was ren- dered with as much patience and in- sight. But their alap for Kalyani (Nijadasavarada) was hardly evoca- tive, though the krili had its lyrical flavour. But the lilting gait in the rare Ranjini combine was very intercst- M.Roopa Shanti Rao ing, each variation showing a distinct character. Shanti Ratfs veena recital (March 19, 9-30 am) took of on a vibrant note with Sarasiruha (Nata). Pantuvarali was dignified in its portrayal, die kriti Ramanadiam anchored with a flurry o f glo wing 1 sarg ams \ R c v at i M urthy also veena (March 20, 8-30 am) was as competent Her alap for Bhairavi was noted for its purity of style, espe- cially in the ‘thananf aspect. But the rendition of the kriti Upacharamu was uninspiring due to some slips. G.R. Jay a at 9-30 am on the same day started off in style with Budliamashrayami(NaUikurartji). Her alap for Pantuvarali was also neat, though short of resonance. But her voice showed signs of strain in the ‘tarasthayi’ as she rendered the kriti Ntnnunera. She is no doubLcapable of more solid singing. The Darbar V am am (Chalamela) gave the father and daughter violin duet of Mysore Mahadevappa and Rupaa rollicking start (March 22, 8- 30 am). They combined well, the alap for Mohana and the kriti thaL followed testifying to a very professional stan- dard. It was a pleasant recital. Saroja Natarajan who was featured later (9- 30 am) was her sure self as she into- nated Charukeshi (Kripayapalaya), The rendition sounded a trifle As unevocative was M. Ramesh (March 23, 8-30 am). Be it Bilahari (Tolijanma) or Malayamaruta, the rendi- tion reeked in 'bes ur\ ren- dering lire recital a futile exercise. Concurrently Raji Copal akrisbn an was on the aiT from Madras station. What a relief it was to listen to her tidy 'sruti 1 which made all the difference. Her alap for Karaharapriya was noted for its modal fidelity, the rare kriti Srinivasa Tav a Charanam enriched with some scin- tillating 'niravaf and swara passages. The National programme on March 23 featured a [lute recital by Prak as h V adera .. H is S huddlia K al yan was impressive, Prakash giving equal importance to both the ‘gayaki 1 and ‘been’ ang. His blowing was steady* soft nuances adding to the dignity of the melody. He concluded with a piece in Chandra-kaus which had the customary ‘dial an’ in it. At 10-10 am next morning, a se- nior artisLc T. Sharada played on the veena. Unusually, it was a shaky Revathi Murthy 13 Phoenix Mav 1096 R.A.Ramamani start, Rhaj arc, the Athana piece not showing touch. The fa- miliar Ninnuchcpaka (Mandari) was in a better shape. It was only in Shan- karabharana that the veteran settled down. The alap itself was full of glowing "sancha- ras\ the meaningful stasis in the delineation of the kriti, adding to its convincing im- agery. ButHT. Ramaswamy s vocal (March 26, 8-30 am) fell short in its resonance, con- firming that he has passed his best. His Kalyani piece could sustain almost entirely because of M. Nagaraj s violin liltig forays. The flute recital of M.K. Prancsh (March 26, 9-30 am) showed great promise. Sangectagnanamu (LJhanya- si) revealed that he has a smooth blow- ing technique, though it loses steadi- ness in the upper readies. His Kaly- ani (Srimadadi) stood out for its grace- ful cadences. This despite a mediocre violin support he received. On March 29 (8-30 am) one chanced to hear an authoritative Abhcri of Voleti Venkateswarulu on the Madras AIR. The alap was elabo- rate with stasis on the salient endear- ments of the melody. It was a nostalgic experience, the kriti Nagumomu itself taking one back to the halcyon days of the great Musuri. The laUcr's recording could be heard a day or two earlier (March 24). The inimitable style came to the fore in Janaranjini and Saranga, The mainstay, however was Bhairavi (Nocpad imulanu), and what a memo- rable neat it was, especially with stal- warts like Lalgudi Jay araman (violin) and Trichy Shankaran (mridangam) enriching the denouement! But there was hardly much to write home about the National Programme (March 20). The Hin- dustani vocal by S.S. Avasti was just ordinary, neither Maru-Behag nor Kiravani taking Lhc discerning lis- tener beyond the routine chords. It was pleasant without being scholarly. Nor w r as the South Zone Hook-up die next day by BhanumaLhi Visvanath much d i ff erent. S he has a s weet v oic c, but Lhc singing lacks depth, though the Arabhi piece did give her a sprightly start. Neetimati was equal ly convincing. But it was a testing time to identify Harikambodi in her rendi- tion of Entara Nee. The distortionmarred the earlier opinion no end! It is in such depressing situations that a classic treat like die flute re- cording of R.R Suresh (April 2, 8-30 am) refreshes. Be it die inspiring Kambodi vama or the celebrated Dachuko (Thodi), die gestalt in die attractive phraseology was complete, accounting for depth. The Nitimati piece was as edifying. The customary verve in R.A. Ramamani’s rendition (April 3, 8-30 am) of An an da bhatravi (Sri Ramachandra) lent an excellent skirt for her. V achaspati (Kantachuda) was attended to in greater detail, though the Swaraprastliara appeared a trifle long. It is in this aspect that Chitra Lin gam s vecna rcciLal (same night at 9-30 pm) seemed betLcr planned. The Behag Vamam provided an ideal tempo, Sri Gananathalhc Malahari masterpiece aug- menting the mela. The alap for Shankarabharana, deftly supplemented with a neat Til an am and a Pallavi in lhc simple Yupaka* tala could stand the test of both artistic finesse and technical necessity. As satisfying was the vio- lin solo (Hindustani style) of Prakash Sontakke (April, 10- .1 0 pm) Y a man was die rag the youngster had opted for the day. Though the initial strokes were hesitant, once he drifted into die tw f o- tiered gaf there was no lack of coherence in his music. Jl was a reassuring recital, especially in an instrument which is not as popular in the Hindustani style as in its Carnatic counterpart. That popul arity and that expertise is evidenced in good measure in a solo of M . Nagaraj (April 5 , 8-30 am). The opening Shobillu (Jaganmohini) itself revealed that die young master was in the right spirit. His alap for Harikambodi visualised the elegant picture of die melody, the familiar kriti Ramanannu enr idling its lyrical overtones, Thai was a class apart! ESSENCE Agenda for June On June 30, 96 Rama and Chandrika sings at the Devagir San git ha Sabha, Ranashankari II Stage, Bangalore under the agies of Sri D Subbaramiah Fine Arts Trust and Dcvagiri Sangeetha Sabha, accompanied by Suneciha (violin), Vi nod (mridangam) and Sampath-kumar $ harm a (mors- ing). 14 Phoenix May 1996 In keeping with the spirit of the sea- son, the crisp alap doing full justice to Basant the ‘utttarang pradhan' rag. The "Basant atmosphere was almost palpable to the touch as Vinayak in- toned “Paduva Brija Dekhana”, the piece evoking memories of the late Abdul Karim Kit am Vinayak rounded of his inaugural outing in Delhi with apopular Mcra bhajan in Jogia, soaked What is surprising however is that jn ‘RhaktP ras. organisers in Delhi should have taken so long to recognise an artiste of his stature, an artiste who has won the hearts of connoisseurs all over Lhe country* including those in Pune, Mumbai and Calcutta besides known centres of his home state. era don of Hlndusthani musicians No wonder that many in the packed auditorium were remorseful lhaL they had missed listening to such a refined artiste for so long. Nor were they fully aware of the signal contri- bution Karnataka musicians had made to the Hindus! hard style! Tom himself is one of the many such stalwarts. Though a banker* his dedication to music is to Lai. It is only natural that he is decorated with honours by a number of organisations, To name only a few; Lhe coveted Rajyotsava award* felicitation by the Mice Fine Arts Society and the His w as rightly the inaugural con- cert. Vinayak intoning with an impactful Yam an Kalyan. The depth of his voice, taut l taans\ and brilliant bol-taans embellishing the 'bhadat* mesmerised Lhe expectant listeners. Repeated applause and ‘wall waifs’ greeted the succinct iayakaxi 1 . Vinayak Tor 1 i It is nothing surprising that Pan- dit Vinayak Torvi, the well-known Hindusthani vocal isL of Bangalore, should have created an indelible im- pression on the Delhi audience re- cently, His concert for the three-day Vasantotsava of Seher at the India Tilak Kamod, almost a forgotten melody, soon followed, Vinayak melodising the raag with a high de- gree of sensitivity, A well-known Aryabhata Cultural Organisation and conferment of the title ll Gana Gandharva VT and Surmanai award of the Sur-Singar Samsad, Mumbai. International Centre, by all accounts was an instant success* one worthy of an artiste who is acclaimed as one of the leading lights of the present gen- composilionof the late V may achandra Moudgalya* a musicologist of yeslcr years, was sensitised as effectively. Keerti S Badseshi a KA PHA»4 C l’ -Uttiz r- T ro N r, SASHfi :■* 'sSSCi- J', ’ ■ ! JI? ,,HV0A !iv«5S; ■ TBWST 1 i' -v , . Saraswathi Gana Sabha, Bangaloreorganised* T Swara Laya Sangama', an ensem ble of g hatam and m orching at Oda kat h ur Mutt, on M arch 4, 96. Leading ghatam artiste, Sukanya Ramagopa! played five ghalams, accompanied by B, Bhagyalakshmt, B, Rajasekar and L* Bhimaehar on morsing. Dear Reader Your comments and views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish the best. Bub for maxi- mum impact and early coverage, make them brief. Send your com- ments to: Jr The Editor PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 15 cannot be under estimates, as both the teacher and the Laught went whole hog to make the best use of the oppor- tunity. Jayaraman had taken care to see that all [lie 40 aspirants had learnt the two vamams, two kritis and two Thillanas to his satisfaction. The intensive training in Bharathanatyam conducted by Pad- mini Rao of Ponnaiah Lalitkala Academy was different in more than one sense. The duration was of three weeks and the number was restricted to less than 10 so as lo see each student got individual attention. The training included both theory and practical, covering die entire gamut of the art. Though arduous* the budding dancers seemed to enjoy ev- ery moment of die six hour during The popular response at the in- Yashwant Bua Joshr's Workshop eac ^ Support PJtOENXX creasing number of workshops in music and dance in the City is a sure indication of the growing interest of youngsters in the twin arts. Till re- cently, the concept was familiar only in the spheres of Carnatic music and Bharathanatyam. Now it has spread to die realm of Hindustani music too.. VinayakTorvi of the Gururao Deshpande Sangectha Sabha giving the lead. The refresher course Pandit Y ash want Bua Joshi of Bombay conducted for him recently was a great success going by the keen interest evinced by the asp Iran Ls and Lalgudi Jayaramarfs well attended Workshop the regularity of the one- week course. Il was an interesting experience to sit dirough die training where the youngsters joined the Guru to master some familiar rag as like Rageshri, Kedar and Tilak-Kamod besides some morning melodies, . The discussion on the different appro aches in die ‘Gharanas h was as educative. !f Torvi’s workshop was for a week, die one sponsored by Sum a Sudheendra’s Tardngini Fine Arts, with violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman in charge, was 1 smiled to five days, Yet its utility certainly Indian Music Aspmprpis say Existent from the dawn of Human civilisation. Nurtured from bygone days The vedictimes, the fresh sedfings of music, a golden treasure, A glory from the hoary past. Our prophets, Tansen, Thyagaraju, Mirabat, Tukaram, Purandara Dasu, Ramadas, Annamacharya and Balamurali Krishna a master from the new generation. Carry Indian music, a mighty Ganges Flowing, gurgling, splashing All in supreme bliss and serenity A melody ever invigorating from eternity to eternity. Phoenix May 1996 Know your Artistes B.Dhruvaraj Very soft spoken and in ?\ nered Dhruvaraj is a jeweller JflBl } fession running a well i Very soft spoken and mild man- nered Dhruvaraj is a jeweller by pro- fession running a well known jewellery firm. He also teaches mridangam, B.Dhruvaraj 5 Pillappa Lane, Nagarthpet Cross, Bangalore 560002 © 2215853 (R), 2216459 (0) r- ^ y£ r- , i- t B 'w* r 4 111 1^1 ^ ! J ■ ■ - ^ Sit i> . IB i B.Dhruvaraj B.Dhruvaraj (35), one of the prominent mridangam players of younger generation is the son of morching vidwan L.Bimachar. He learnt mridangam from late H. Puttachar for 16 years and had ad- Ghatam artiste Omkar(23), had initial training in mridangam under V\R. Chandralckha and later came into the fold of T*A.S. Mani, Karna- taka Co lie ge o f Percussion, B angal ore, Omkar has passed the music ex- amination conducted by the Govern- ment of Karnataka with distinction and has won many prizes during his college days. He has won an award in percussion competition conducted by the South Central Zone Cultur al Cen- tre held at Elur. He is a scholarship MS. Ramprasad is a B -grade artiste of All India Radio in mridangam and morching. Omkar has toured Japan along with a lean) of percussion artistes for the music festival “Min On" in 1993 representing Indian Councl for Cul- tural Relations (1CCR). He plays regularly for Tala Tarangmi\ a per- cussion ensemble directed by his guru T.A.S. Mani. vance training under the renowned Ramanathapuram C.S. Muragabhu- pathi. holder from Karnataka Sangectha Nruthya Academy. A popular artiste, he has accom- Ornkar is a science graduate of Bangalore University, G. Omkar Dhruvaraj achieved the technique panted many veteran artistes in lead-" 99, III Cross, 8th Main, Jakkasandra of playing soft and perfect strokes to the core. He does not overshadow' the main artiste. He is known for skillful soloplaying in thani avarthanam which is balanced. Dhruvaraj has accompanied most leading artistes in the state. There are few sabhas or festivals in Karnataka where Dhruvaraj has not participated. He has toured South Africa and Maritius, Dhruvaraj is a commerce gradu- ate of the Bangalore University and a rank holder in vidwat examination in instruments conducted by the Gov- ernment of Karnataka. He is a B High artiste in Akashavani and has partici- pated in AIR and Doordarshau con- certs regularly. mg music organisations regularly. He Block, Koramangala, Bangalore " “ ” jj 560034 © 553 8164 M.S. Ramprasad M.S. Ramprasad (30), a more popular name in light music arena, is a multi talented artiste well known as a singer, composer, music director and a conductor of light music en- sembles. Bom and brought up in the fam- ily of musicians Ramaprasad learnt mridangam under Vasudevg Rao Mobile from 1970 and later from Salem S Kannan. Ramprasad is a graduate from the National College, Bangalore, He has won prjzes in many inter collegiate competitions. Omkar Ramprasad has accompanied many leading musicians including Shimoga Fetes Thitte Krishna Iyengar Kadri Gopalnalh, Nagavalli Nagaraj and others* He developed a taste for light music in 1988 and has presented musical features in AIR, Bangalore* He came to limelight when he com- posed and scored background music for a drama “Katthale Dari Doora” played by the National College’s troupe in the Inter Co .ligiatc Drama Competition. He launched "Swara Milana*, a light music troupe with two of his friends. HeisaB-High for Akashavarii music composer. Under his directorship an audio- cassette, ‘Bhavayana’ was released in February this year. M*S, Ramprasad 9/1 A Krishna Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore 560004 A.P-Rao 7417Abhiman\ 7th Cross 111 Block, Koramangala Bangalore 560034 ® 5532658 Academy Scholarships Karnataka Sangcctha Nrithya Academy invites application from Mrudangam artists and Vocalists who have passed the vidwal grade exami- nation, for a nine month practical training in classical music and dance from July 96. Selected candidates between 25 and 45 years arc cntilled for a stipend. For Application contact: Registrar, Karnataka Sangeetha Nrity a Academy, I4/3Canara Finance Corporation RuiIding,Nrupatunga Road, Bangalore 560001 A n eight day festival of music and dance was organised by the Kcerliscsha B, Doreswamy Iyengar Trust at Shimoga from March 20,96 * Shankaran N ambudrigavc excel- lent performance, ably supported by Mysore Dayakar (violin) and ELR, Sridhar ( mrudang am ) .On the second day, a fine B har atan aty am pro gramme by Prathibha Prahlad was organised, which was appreciated* Prathibha, a leading Bharatanatyam and Ku- chipudi artiste has contributed a lot to the field of dance and music, through her “Prasiddha Foundation”. Thitte Krishna Iyengar, a 95 years old musician of Mysore, was ho- nouredin ihepresence of music lovers. Sheshadri Gavai Ex Chairman of Karnataka Sangeetha Nru thy a Acad- emy was the chief guest, Krishna Iyengar was presented with a garland, a shawl and a citation by the chairman of the trust, M.Bharadwaj, Later, Iyengar thrilled the audience with a vocal performance for two kours* On the fourth day, a grand vocal recital by Unnikrishnan was pre- sented, assisted by G* Chandra Moult (violin), J.Vaidyanathan (mrudan- gam) and B.S. Purush otham(kanjira)* On the fifth day Vijay Siva gave a vocal recital , assisted by G* Chandra Mouli (violin) J.Vaidyanathan (mrudangam) and B.S.Purushoiham (kanjira) On Mond ay , M arch 25 ,$ * Soumy a of Madras gave an excellent vocal recital with her sweet and melodious voice* She was ably assisted by Ganesh Prasad (violin) and S a math on (mrudangam), On March 26, Naiveli Santhana-gopalan in his re- cital was in his elements. The festival concluded with 5anj ay Subramanyam's vocal assisted by Viual Ramamurthy (violin) and Naiveli Narayanan (mrudangam). This unique day festival attracted a large number of local music lovers and those of adjoining Malnad dis- trict* M.Bharadwaj Subscribe to PHOENIX a monthly on Music and Dance Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years : Rs 140-00 It reaches you by post every month PHOENIX 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Ban galore 560009 @ 2263696 (Cheques should be drawn on "PI lOENIX" 18 LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY Manufacturing Jewellers for over 55 years Dealers in: Precious and Semi Precious Stones Manufacturers of: Shields, Trophies, Lapel Badges and Medals % LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY NAGARTHPET, BANGALORE 560002 © 2212635 Estd 1940 RANGE gners Tussles Choice of over 50 Designs to choose and Marketed ishna & < Available in all leading Stores in India and abroad | T ; A> . • ' ■ % , 't 1 mm k % r w ** Rs 5-00 June 96 JOURNAL ON MUSIC & DANCE LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY Manufacturing Jewellers for over 55 years Dealers in: Precious and Semi Precious Stones Manufacturers of: Shields, Trophies, Lapel Badges and Medals LAKSHMI JEWELLERY COMPANY NAGARTHPET, BANGALORE 560002 © 2212635 Estd 1940 S.N. Chandrasekhar 67 Rasappa Layout Bangalore 560019 © 6675758 Edilor N*Sundarraj 138,5th Crass, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Managing Editor B. Rajashekar © 2216459 Advertising Manager « Representatives IGanapathi Bhat Hubli - Dharwar K. Ramamurlhy Rao Mysore Gceta Raja 9 Chhaya, Jarn-e-Jamshcd Road Matunga, Bombay 400019 ©412 2074 Annual Subscription; Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulation M anag e r 138, 5lh Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 (Cheques to be drawn on ‘PHOENIX’) RN 45468/87 1 % <£ n 4 J Phoenix Journal on Music and Dance Journal on Music and Dance Wol 1 June 1996 No 8 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 ™ *- -t*-, • ^ _ % «■ . , , . ' . , L : ■ Self Audition 6 Tuneful Enounters 7 Calling AIR 10 Prathibha's Rise to Prasiddha 12 A Visit to Kumar Gandharva 14 At the Heart of All Arts 15 Kathak in North Karnataka 17 Cassettes Causerie 18 Know Your Artistes Cover Photo by: Dhiraj Chawda ► + f -4 A . 1 f •* I * * t . .4 * j. _ IPC Grafics, Bangalore $60009 Phone 2263696 “Phoenix’ is very informative, educative and ihought provoking. All the articles are noteworthy* I 1 is a well balanced magazine for lovers of clas- sical music and dance. The wriLc up on ‘MDR’ was ex- tremely good. You have rightly pointed out the ‘quality’ in his music and his nobility as an individual. M.D.Rajamani Calicut THE MRIDANGAM SANG APROPOS to the article 'The Mridangam Sang" appearing in the HINDU of 15.3.1996, Nobody who listened to Palghat Mani lycr and Palani Subram an i a Pillai can deny the pride of place the duo uniformly enjoyed throughout thetr professional career. These two stalwarts were regular si demon to the giants of the golden era"' - to wit, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Ariyakkudi, Alathoor Brothers, Scmmangudi, GNB and Mudurai Mani Iyer etc. To use a cricketing parlance, if one was Don Bradmaa the other was Garfield Sobers. Both of them belonged to an en- viable si shy a papampara, The duo enjoyed the goodwill and blessings of Maha Vidwam Pudukottai Dakshinamurthi Pillai, who was quick enough to spot the innate talent in them. Subramany a Pillai died in May 1962 and Mani Iyer in May 198L With the passing away of GNB and Alathoor StvasubramaniaTycrin 1965 and Madurai Mani Iyer in 1968, the music scene took a sea-change. The Cutcheri format gradually took a turn after 1970 and Mani Iyer ran out of partners. The proliferation of Sangectha Sabhas and a steady increase of up- coming vocalists, violinists and mridangists witnessed a plethora of music concerts. While these may have attained proficiency enough to give concerts, it is doubtful if they have attained complete mastery in their chosen profession. Both Mani Iyer and Subramany a Pillai had their own distinctive and individual style of handling the mridangam. (That they played even three Than i Avan ban am s in a concert in those days is a different matter). There was both prose and poetry* besides "Sunaadham" in their Sollukkattus, which had a liberal admixture of grammatical Vallinam and Mcllinam. Of course, one cannot expect to turn the clock back. But aspiring artistes who nourish ambi- tions to attain the level of excellence of these giants should find time to listen to present day senior v id wans like T.K, Murthi, Palghat Raghu, Sivaraman, V. Ramabhadran,Tiruchi Sankaran and Karaikkudi Mani* All of whom, remember Mani Iyer and Subram any a Pillai even to this day. Such was t he indelible impression the DUO had left. Nothing helps better than n KELVI GN ANAM". In his commentary on the BHAGAVAD D GITA, Adi Sankara has emphasised the need of learning Vidhyas as handed down by the suc- cessive gurus in their original and accepted standards. Likewise, Mani Iyer also stressed the importance of absorbing the original texts and not to make any in roads. Both of them were conscious of the fact that they were only si demen and in the exalted company of violin- ists of the stature of Chowdiah, Rajamanickam Pillai, Papa KS Venkataramaiah, Mayavaram Gov indaraj a Pillai and in later years, T.N.Krishnan and Lalgudi Jayaraman, they at once made the concerts both enjoyable and pleas- ing. Such was the team work that they maintained with all the vocal- ists, violinists and LAYA Vidwans. Very few know that the eminent Scientist, SIR C.V. Raman did the signal honour of inviting Palghat Mani Iyer to his Laboratory in Bangalore to study the effects of Sound on Water. $ Majagopalan, Madras India Foundation for the Arts The India Foundation for the Arts (I FA), an independent, profession- ally managed grand making institution announces its second grant-making initiative in the area of arts collaboration and seeks assis- tance in the dissemination of this announcement to individuals and in- stitutions who may wish to apply. Appl ic ations can be had from The Foundation for the Arts, Tharangini, 12th Cross, Raj Mahal Vilas Exten- sion, Bangalore 560080 ® 331 0584. Next Issue Cover Story, Veena Mae- stro V. Doreswamy Iyengar, Report on 1 5iliTaalavaadyo- thsava ‘96 and Ankura. Calling AIR and Know Your Artistes. Self Audition T he AIR which incidentally is celebratidng its golden jubilee, in the recent past, has been broadcasting some music programmes, both vocal and instrumental which could do credit neither to the national forum nor to the artistes themselves. Some of these were in prime slots, though the musical standard itself was so abysmally poor that the artistes concerned could hardly be categorised in the lowest rung. What is inexpiable is dial these artistes should have managed to outwit the normally uncompro- mising standards of the audition board. The panels comprise members who are known to be exacting in their judgment, sticking to rigid norms. Often Limes they end up with nil results. Nor do the authorities object to such a dour prospect, keen as they are in maintaining a standard. Under the circumstances it is baffling how such casual if not amateurish stuff makes the grade. If this is the case with some over-enthusiastic anistes of thcpreScm generation, there arc a few in the tested older generation who arc guilty of depleting standards. For most of them, their best is far behind them- slackencd due to sheer ravages of old age or languishing due to setbacks in health. A few of them may have become complacent. In any case, when their music goes over the AIR, it is a pathetic presence, certainly not fair to an avid listener. People who are not aware of their achievements in the field may even form wrong or unfair opinion of their potential Such conclusions about at least some of them may be unjustifiable, but irredeemable* The authorities in the AIR are not totally unaware of such goings on. But they are not empowered to discontinue the bookings for such artistes of proven discount. The procedure is not free from hassles. But they may suggest to the artiste that all is not well with her/his music. Or indirectly hint that their services would be more useful for features where it is their knowledge rather than the voice or the instrumental fidelity that counts. In fact, some senior artistes have thoughtfully resigned themselves to such a proposition with rewarding results. But the best option is for the artistes is to impose a kind of self Audition on themselves. Such a step could indeed be a panacea! S W. Chan drasekhar R.S.Ramakanth Next night (April 20, 10 pm) brought on the air a worthy old re- cording of R-K. Srikaman’s familiar music in full fettle. Its melodic grace was enhanced by the presence or M. Chandrasekharan's violin and Umayalapuram Sivaraman's mridangam support. The lovely alaps for Vachaspati and Kalyani augured nostalgic memories of the master's touch of class. Especially memorable was the rendition of Kalyani, embel- lished by the vocalised flashes of ChandrasekharaiTs violin. Nagavalli Nagaraj, next morning (8-30 am) was sensitive when she started with Gamganapatc (Hamsadhvani). The resonance in her voice enlivened Shanmukhapriya (Mariverc) reveal- ing depth of technique and imagina- tion. Much has already been said of the Gottuvadyam recital of Usha Ramanuirthy (April 27, 10-10 am). Tt beaLs one hollow how she made it to the prime slot on a Sunday. In com- parison, even a not -too exciting vio- lin solo of K.V. Raja Iyengar (April 22, 8-30 am) was a big relief . His alap for Shankarabharana did not offer much by way of aesthetic fervour, but the krill Edutamlachite was not short of its lyrical endearments. Sakai agraha (Athana) was as pleas- ing for its melodic flourishes. set Phoenix dune 1996 Ik A.P. Sarvottam in his flute recital (April 24, 8-30 am) showed promise, Hb Charukeshi at once testified to his smooth blowing. His tone is soft, though the ‘sangatis' were not honed to match the melodic conlcnL M.D. Ramanalhan was verily a musicians* musician. His was an in- imitable style. If the ‘gharana 1 con- cept had any relevance to the Car- natic style, his name Would have cer- tainly adorned one such. A glimpse of that hallowed memory could be had in a recording from Madras (April 27, 8-30 am). The numbers like Kedara (Samayamide), Madhyama- vali(Ramakatha)and Anandabhairavi (O Jagadamba) were among his favourites, each testifying to an indi- vidual style that blended raga-hhava and lyricism most appealingly. It w as soulful music. ' Sriranjani (Parvatharajakumari) gave R.S. Ramakant, one of die few of our young talents, a steady start. But neither Pantuvarali nor Charukeshi that followed was free from shortcomings. His ‘sruti 1 couldnT be faulted. Yet it was by no means otic of his best cfforLs . A honed, mellifluous voice w-as the mainsLay in Sita Narayan’s vocal recital for the National programmed later that night. The crisp Saranga varnam and M.Nagaraj Seethalakshnu Venkateshan Panchamatanga ( M alahari) gave Sita a rollicking start, B ut once she drifted to her alap her failings became evi- dent, Her delineation for Anandabhairavi (Marivere) and Kambodi (O Rangashayi) instantly h betrayed her inadequacy in that ma- jor department. The standard was below r par. S. Srigandha's flute recital on the morrow (8-30 am) gave a good ac- count of his steady progress. Whether it was the opening Goulipantu (Ter alee) or detailed alap for Bhair- avi (Koluvayya) his blowing was smooth and the euphony reassuring. Sitalakshmi Vcnkatesan, a senior vocalist (April 28, 10-10 am) was as consistent in the elucidation of her musical ideas as evidenced in her Bhajare (Mai ah an) and RamRaghu (Kapi). But the alap for Brindavana Saranga (Soundararajam) fell short in resonance, especially in the upper reaches, age having taken its Loll on her vocal chords. Kharaharapriya, however, stood out for its modal fidelity, the Punmdara Dasa pad a going well for its lyrical appeal. There was a breath of fresh air in the South Zone hook-up that same night (10 pm). The vocalist was V. Kalavatlii, perhaps one of the young- est featured in that prestigious slot. 8 Phoenix June 1996 S.Srigandha And she justified it with all her fervour. With a pliant voice that is honed to ‘sruti \ the senior student of the late Anoor Ramakrishna made an impressive beginning with Nee Chiitamu (Veera-V asantha). It was a confident start. The evocation in Madhyamavati (Nadupai) was more enduring, together with the detailed alap for Shankarabharana (Sri Dakshminamurthe) revealing a ma- turity much above her Lender age. It was good music testifying to good grounding and sincere application. That should take her places. The veena solo by Geeta Ramanand (April 29, 8-30 am) was as edifying for its spell of quietude that go well with a raga like Varali. Later at 9-30 am ii w as another artiste w r hose sights are aimed at profundity. Uma Gopalaswamy revels in coming out with some infrequent melodies. But this time it was the common place Saved (Etunammi) and Shan- karabharana- The latter showed her in her elements, the detailed alap re- vealing an equation of her own. The kriti (Bhakti Bhikshe) was not want- ing in its lyrical appeal, but the ‘swaraprasthara’ proved inconse- quential. R.A. R am am an i is not one to yield to flamboyance. She is al- most severe with her" alap as evi- denced in Pantuvarali (May 1, 8-30 am). It was a wholesome treat, the kriti Raghuvara standing out for its range and skill in improvisation. At 9-30 am same day, it was another staff artiste, Gcetha Shamprakash on the veena. Her Poorvi Kalyani (Meenakshi Me) was replete with endearing ‘sangatis’, the structural development, the style of phrasing and the use of ‘gamakas 1 in the kriti strictly adhering to a time-honoured tradition. But H.K. Narayana, a seasoned broadcaster, could not rise to expectation (May 1, 9-30 pm). No doubt, the familiar pieces in Abhogi and Khamas had their modal fidelity. But the rare piece Matangeem in Ramamaxiohari could hardly provide aesthetic ex- citement k was far from satisfac- tory, to say the least. The violin solo of Mysore Nagaraj (May 3, 8-30 am) stood out for its flourish , Whether it is the opening familiar Goudmalhar piece Sarasamukhi or the robust Ka- lyani (Pankaja Lochanc), it is there to see how his sensitivity of alap and taulness in the treatment of the kriti s, have blossomed into an original force, as iL were. Padma Gurudmt (9-15 am the same day) is also as consistent. Her Kedara piece testified Lo her sin- cere approach, Lhough the ‘swaraprasthara* dragged a little. But Uma Gopalaswamy her essay in Shubhapantuvarali was in poor shape. She sounded awfully out of form. As a contrast J arnbu Kann an (M ay 4, 8-30 am) was in fine fettle. Her Poorvi-Kalyani was so neat that it almost appeared like listening to a replay of some forgotten musical moods. As elevating wasT.S. Rama's Madhyamavati (Vinayukuni) next day at 8-30 am. Her voice has a nos- talgic fervour with an enduring qual- ity,. As professional was the approach ofK.G. Kanakalakshmi(May 7, 8-30 am). Her music is consistently tune- ful, her Dharmavali (Rhajare) not being different. There is indeed a measured feel in her rendition - be it the alap or the words,® ESSENCE Music Competition The Bangalore Gay ana Samaja invites application from young musi- cians for its 28 Lh Annual Music Competitions to be held in August j September 1 996. Application forms can be had from its office on K.R. Road, Bangalore 560004 before July 22, 96. Agenda for July Bangalore Cay ana Samaja July 14, 96(Sunday) Sukanya Prabhakar (vocal) S. JyoLsana (violin) and T.S. Chandra- sekhar (mridangam). July 27, 96 (Saturday) Trichy Rockfort Music Festival. Attention Organisers Music and dance insumnons are re- quested to send their programmes to the . Editor, PHOBflX, 138,5ih Cross, Gandhi- nagar, Bangalore 560009, before the first week of every month. 9 Phoenix June 1996 Pratibha’s Rise to PRASIDDHA S.N, Chandrasekhar W hen one Lhinks of some of our performing artists themselves setting up organisations to sponsor programmes in their chosen field, he cannot help feeling a seme of indebtedness to them for their spirit o f service. True, some scepLics see in such enterprise a motive that is purely personal. But if one considers the larger interest of art that has gone into the festivals that are being organised by in- stitutions like Nupura (it is an unmitigated pily that its pioneer- ing Nity a Nritya was cut short due to sheer lack of patronage), K i n k i n i , Tarangini and the Pradhan Dance Centre, it will be easy to perceive that such comments are uncharitable. In fact, each one of the foregoing organisations has enlarged the scope of its festival to throw open opportunities not only to deserving local talent, but also to a wide spectrum of reputed artists from all over the country . If in the bargain, the sponsor also uses the forum to exhibit his or her talcnL one will have to be generous to concede that charity begins at home 1 Foundation, launched less than 10 years ago, has set before itself more ambitious objectives than many oth- ers in that type of set-up. Firstly, it went about involving in its ambit both music and dance, the founder’s known prediction for the Hindustani style of music manifest in the agenda of its festivals. City alone. Even as Pratibha had finalised her plans For the first Sharad Vaibhava festival in Bangalore, she was getting ready with the format for a massive Vijayotsav in llampi, the set of the never- to-be forgotten reign of the legendary Krishnadeva Raya. While the former catered to the urban the one at Haxnpi was to have a w idcr appeal, clubbing the rich tapestry of folklore with its classical counter- parts. Tiie two annual gala events have not only won recognition all over India, but have become the bed- rock on which Pratibha is hoping to create a permanent edifice for a multi- dimentional art complex in the State. Given the drive, tireless energy and the plentitude of re- sources Pratibha has been able to gamer, there is little doubt that her wondrous dream will be- come a reality in the not too dis- tant a future. The suc- cessful manner in which Pratibha negoti- ated with the Indian Railways to get a 25 per- cent concession (50 percent in T class travel) for artistsilselfisan eloquent testi- mony for her persuasive pow- ers. That is an area where efforts had been made on several fronts, includ- ing some State academies in vain. Pratibha’s efforts were an instant suc- cess, much to the delight of the artistic fratemiLy, Pradbha’s presence as a dancer compares admirably with her proven organisational abilities. She is un~ Pratibha Prahallad’s Prasiddha elite, confining itself to die classical forms in their different perspectives, in doubtedly one of our foremost Secondly, the foundation didn’t Avirtash Pasncha want to restrict its activities to the dancers, having made a mark both in Bharathanatyam and Kuchipudi. She has a distinguished academic back- ground to boot, acquiring a master's degree in mass communications of the Bangalore University. Her topic for the dissertation ( Treatment of w ide. B es i des re gul ar e x po s i lions Lo fulfil local obligations, Pratibha has figured in prestigious Festivals like the Khajuraho and Komar ak festivals, Usiad Allauddin Khan (Maihar) and Durgalal Memorial Festivals, Tansen Tyagaraja ‘Samarohs 1 and the Gsho enjoyed is to be invited to dance at the Okayama International Dance Festi- val of Japan in 1993. Pratibha was the first classical dancer from India to he bestowed wiLh that signal honour. As memorable is UicManilalnlcrnaiiona] Dance conference, Philippines in Dance in IndianCinema) itself shows International Commune. She has also I99L her penchant for the art. Pratibha *s dance itself has an immediate appeal* Whether it is the simple structure of Kuchipudi or the high degree of sophisti- cation in the complex Adavu patterns in Bharathan aty am, the persona] presence she brings to bear on the import is delightful. Either w ay the movement flowers into a mature form. The dance overall appears unre- strained, often tending to make one fee] that she is glossing over some of the little details in the style. But the ebullient aban- don, the panache as it were, is unmistakable, leading to an optimum aesthetic point. Likewise, her face all die time keeps a meaningful ex- pression, consis tent without being rigid. Dbirai Chaw da Pratibha was the only dancer from India to dance in that festival. She was also in- vited by a body of the United Nations Interim Committee »■ for co-ordination of the Lower Mekong in Thailand (1990) to dance and to give lecture demonstrations. On die academic side, Pratibha was an awardee of Lhc Central Department of C u 1 lu re to study the Dev adasi system of dance in North Karnataka on a junior fel- lowship. She has many papers to her credit, written for seminars and forpublica- i i on s fro m time to time . They include articles written for newspapers and periodicals. Earlier, she was a TV critic for a newspaper and for a brief period worked as a Pro- duction Assistant for the Doordarshan, Bangalore. ThcTV serials like “Nupur”, “Nectar in S tone” and “Sruti “ Pratibha T s gradual rise to fame has been entirely due to her own efforts and talent. Right from die early days when she was being irainixl in the art of dance. Under the Krishna Raos, Pratibha had acquired a poise and confidence which are the assets of a serious dancer. Her short stint with the renowned Mulhuswany Pillai chiselled her style further, vet- eran Cliinna Satyam’s tutclege :n Kuchipudi finally helping her lo emergeas a refined artiste. Today the regularity of her programmes, spread all over the country and abroad ovzr the yeas is a fitting testimony that her dancing has been striking many a chord among her audience. danced for the Spirit of Freedom con- certs. Her tours abroad have been as extensive, taking her to many impor- tant centres of culture in the USA, Canada, Lhc UK, Thailand the Philip- pines, Japan and Dubai. Pratibha’s first US jaunt was at the invitation of Lhc University of California at San Jose. Besides per- forming for select audiences there, Pratibha taught specific topics relat- ing to the origin and growth of performing arts to students in the Masters class in the Department of Dance Anthropology and Indology o f the uni v ersi ty , Assign! fic ant w as her recitals at the Vishwa Kannada Sammclan at Manchester (UK) in die have won popular acclaim. Awards and lilies have naturally come her way. Notable among them are the $ ingaramani of the S ur-S mgar Parishad, Bombay, Orissa Cine Cri lies’s Award, Natya Bharati of Yirupaksha Vidyaranya Mahapectha, Hampi, and lhc Mahila Shiromani award for excellence inclassical dance by the Shiromani Foundation, New Delhi. All these achievements and con- tributions have given l ^ratibha apride of place as one of Lhc premier dancers of our Slate. It is an achievement one could be proud of, bringing credit both to her gurus and the land of her The demand on her professional standing has taken Pratibha far and same year 1987. The most covcled honour she has 11 T iis visit to Indore was like a pilgrimage for me. It was a fi ve- to Id pi 1 grim age, a pancha y atra, as it were. First on invitation I was in Kastur Ba Gram tor a week. To me, it is a pilgrimage the National Institution set up to commemorate Kastur Ba. the great wife of Bapu. The second reason was that I was to join my brother, Subba Ran, (1> S.N. Subharao, since the Kashi Vidya Pith conferred the honorary doc Lora te on him). While in Kasturba Gram, I would help Subba Rao make a cassette of National songs for use in his youth camp as well as in schools and colleges. This work was also like a pilgrim- age for me. The third pilgrimage was to the local Ramakrishna Ashram, T.N. Parthasaralhi, . an old friend who was the head of this Ashram had asked me to go there to conduct a couple o f bhajan singing workshops. One tor children and another for ci- ders who already knew some singing. But I could visit the ashram and sing there, even if 1 may not conduct workshops. Parthasaralhy gave me some bad news hi' find jutf suffwrad a heart attack and since he could not spend much time with me, he would make all arrangements for my visit and for my bhajan session. So the third pilgrim- age was also fulfilled. I did sing in the ashram, which made me happy and the group of devotees elevated by the bhajans. The fourth pilgrimage was to Onk aresh w ar, a J y o tli irl in ga whi ch is about 80 kms from Indore. I had vis- ited Mahakaleshwar, another Jyoihirlingam nearer to Indore ear- lier, on a visit to Bhopal w ith Subba Rao about 20 years ago. Paithasarathy made all arrangements for my travel, stay and visit to the temple. There it was the river Narmada that captured me . The river spl i is into two branches and reunites in a Sangam after Bow- ing as two streams for two or three kilometers. A rocky island is en- closed by the two streams. Onk ares wh war is located on a hill - lop at the Eastern end of the island. It is just like Kaveri in Srirangapatnam or Srirangam. 1 fel t most happy after a dip in the river. My fifth and the most rewarding p ilgrimage was avisit to Dev as where die great Hind us than! vocalist, Ru- n ar Gandharva spent last few years o : his life. I had been wishing to go to h s house for years. B ut now I had this o pporumity, when he is no more with u; except in spirit. He passed away h st year. I went to Dev as wiLh Eswar, my sister Uma’s husband. That 30 km journey to Dev as took only half an hour by bus. Dev as is a quiet little town. Kumar Gandharwa’s house/ Bhanukula 1 is near the bus stand. The autorikshaw walla knew die house. The fine bungalow is inside a large compound full of trees and a garden. The doors were open. The door bell brought out a fair young woman who said, “I am Kalapini, daughter of Kumar Gandharva''. When we intro- duced ourselves, she said, "Subba Raoji has written to us about your visit, so we were expecting you." I asked her, “How is your mother?” “She is well, she will join us. Please be seated". She went in and returned with i lasses of water, for it was noon and t uite hot. Then Vasundhara Komkali came out, greeting us with folded l ands. She has retained Kumar Gandharva *s name, Shiva Puira homkalimaih, even though he is k no wn by the name he was given by a wondering, admiring Maharashtra, when he bewitched them wiLh his music even as a boy. 12 Vasundharaji also said they had Bangalore. I was the guest of Mrs received Subba Rao’s letter, but it Eknath Kamath." arrived too late. They did not have time to reply to him. She asked about the recording he was planning. I was glad to tell her that we had a success- ful session in a studio in Indore, and Subba Rao had gone to Bombay with the spools id edit them for master cassettes, Eswar toldKalapini, ,r We wanted some female voices to sing with us, we had some trouble getting a few young women to join us in the cho- rus*” Kalapini said ”1 would have been happy to join in the singing, if you had told me about it,” We had never thought of it! Vasundharaji took us inside to Kumarji S s room . The room was large, but had little furniture. His bed was on side, along the wall. A life size bust of Kumarj i smiled at us* Musical instruments were there, tabla and tanpura. The seats were in Indian fashion, on carpets with cushions to lean against* 1 told her how I had been wanting to visit their home, for I considered myself a disciple of Kumar Gandharva, though he never taught me. For I learnt to sing many of his beautiful bhajans. I am likeEkalavya. I told Vasundharaji that ! would like to have the two volumes of music that Kumarji wrote. She brought lire copies , They were priced at Rs 1 GO- GO each. I paid her Rs 200-00. Eswar wanted a copy of Kumarji T s photo* Kalapini hroughL two copies, one for me too, as her compliments. Then I asked them if they could get Lhe works of a song J heard on the AIR National Network during the bhajan sessions at 4-30 am one day, “Which song?" “Kashi sey aaya saari" I asked her if she travelled a lot. She said, “By God's grace I do get programmes often . Recently I sang in I said “I had heard about her programme, but was away at that time. I knew Mrs Kamath* Kumarji stayed with them w henever he visited B ang alore. The 1 as t Li me I attended his performance, I have heard him many times in Delhi, when T was there. Then he used to slay in Gandhi Peace Foundation, where I stayed in Subbarao’s room or he stayed in Gandharva Maha Vidyalaya oppo- site Gandhi Peace Foundation. I had heard him once in Pune also. Vasundhara remembered, “Subbarao visited us often in the pas t. Kumarji and he found delight in talk- ing in Kannada. Subba Rao has not visited us recently. Please tell him that Thayi is still there,” I told her that I will convey her message to him and he would find time to visit them and I would also like to come back to listen to the tapes of Kumarji. Va*sundharaji said, “I have a project to convert all the tapes to compact discs which last longer. Will Karnataka come forward to finance these projects of Kumar Gandharva Academy of Music? For K urn ar Gandharva is one of the great- est musicians bom in Karnataka, though he migrated to Bombay and then settled down in Madhya Pradesh, Should not the Government of India take the initiative in helping th is Academy? Should not the Govern- ment and the people of Madhya Pradesh do something forth is impor- tant work? These w'cre some of the thoughts that accured to me when 1 took leave of them, H Send your subscription to The Circulation Manager PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 by MO or Cheque (favouring PHOENIX). Devagiri Festival S ri Devagiri Sangeetha Sabha, Bangalore got up series of mu- sic concerts to commemorate its tenth anniversary in May. It started with a lively conceit by S, Shankar on May 1 1,96, accompa- nied by Balu Raghuram (violin), N.Vasudev (mridangam) and B*$« PurushoLham (kanjira). Subhashri V Ramachandran of Madras gave a placid concert on May 16. Harini and Sharada presented a plciLsant vocal concert on May 17 followed by a neat flute recital by V.K* Raman. He was accompanied by Balu Raghuram (violin), A.V, Anand (mridangam) and R.A, Rajagopalan (ghatam). Kiran gave a veena concert on on May 1 8 followed by a vocal concert by M.R* Prashant supported by M*$. Govindaswamy (violin), Ramesh (mridangam) and M.A. Krishna Murthy (ghatam). , On the concluding day, Ra jkamal presented a flute recital followed by an impressive concert by T*V. Ramaprasad, M. Nagaraj (violin), Arjun Kumar (mridangam) and H.P. Ramachar (kanjira) supported him. R ajar am anna, Chandrahasa Gupta, V.S. Krishna Iyer, Subhash Raharani, H* Kamalanath and G.N. Vcnkataraman were chief guests at the festival. Dear Reader * Your com m cn ts a nd views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish the best. But, for maxi- mum impact and better cov- erage, make them brief. Send your com ments to: The Ed itor 13 W.v.v.v.v Phoenix June 19% ingful verse sung mellifluously, an item rendered with great joy and verve and a beau Li fill moment in time* space and lighten stage, seldom leave a dry eye in the auditorium. It is this ability to move, to touch the heart, to communicate and reach out to one and all irrespective or the barriers of language, race and rcli- g ion Lh aL pro v ides art an ex ailed pi ace in the Kfe-sircam of a culture, and * leaves one proud of being an Indian. It brings to mind the pleasure Bangalore felt when newspapers flashed die news that Doreswamy Iyengar received a standing ovation in Kremlin at the opening of Festival of India in Russia, In lighter vein R akesh Sharma said 'Sare Jahan sc Achcha 1 when asked how India looked from outer space, and a whole nation took a deep breath and recorded the mo- ment for posterity. India defeated Pakistan in the quarter finals of the World Cup, and Bangalore, and in- deed die whole of a cricket crazy nation exploded in a frenzy of fire- works. first exposition of Krishnaya Tubhyam Namaha in Bangalore many years ago, or the thrill of watching die greaL gurus Venkatalakshamma, Kelucharan Mahopatra and Nataraj Ramakrishna on one stage, were such ecstatic moments of time that remain imprinted in one's memory, A mean- From Here and There Sushmita Sen in a haze of tinsel and diamonds became India's first Miss Universe, and the country burst with pride. While it was neither you nor me who stood there, and experi- enced this moment of glory, we squared our shoulders, pulled up our collars and went to bed blissfully conscious of a feeling of achieve- ment, pride and accomplishment. The tide of sentiment and emo- tions that holds people in thrall, 1 believe, is what art is all atom. Rakesb Sharma witnesses cosmic beauLy, while Sen was grace personified. Cricket I think, has lyrical beauty all its own, and I have often held my breath at a WaqarYoun is delivery or jumped off my seat at a flowing Sachin on -drive. Societies and communities come together in the oneness of enjoyment to celebrate an aesthetic moment. Every face that witnesses, such an event is lit with a smile, and the peace and beauty of the moment warms the heart. This, I believe, is true Art and Aesthetics, The late Pi. Durga LaFs scintil- lating performance at the Krishna Gana Sabha, Padma Subramanyam 1 s the BBC on its popular show ‘Kalei- doscope 1 . He is also scheduled to play For the Zee T.V. there. Taranath will be back in the first week of July . iigil Bombay Beat Shruti Sadolikar gave a Hin- dustani vocal Tecital at Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre accompa- nied by Vishw an aih Shirodkar (labia), Scema Shirodkar (harmonium) and An ant Kuntc (sarangi). Ace Hindustani violinist N. Raj am gave a violin concert at the Indian Oil Sangcet Sabha, Bandra. T.R. Padmini gave a vocal recital at Music Triangle, Santacruz accom- panied by Kalpana Kishore (violin) and Nagai Narayan (mridangam), A Three Day Summer Festival of Music was organised at Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and San- gcclba Sabha from April 27 to 29, Geetha Raja The celebrated Sarod Maestro, Rajiv Tararnh has received yet an- other international honour. He has been invitecj by the well-known or- ganization ‘SargarrF ol London to play at its National Music festival in June this year. Rajiv left for the concert tour in England recently the Lour includes a performance at Lite prestigious Phil- harmonic Hall in Lhe festival ' Milap *96" at Liverpool. A series of interviews with Taranath, one of the foremost musi- cians of India, includes the one with 14 Phoenix June 1996 mm Towards a Solid Base for Kathak in North Karnataka Maya Rao (third from right) arranging a pose in the Kathak workshop held at Dharwar It is a well established fact that some of the exponents of Hindustani style of music hail from the Hubti Dharwar region, their disciples car- rying the tradition forward with the same dedication to the An. But, this cannot be said of Kathak, a sister-art of Hindustani music that has flour- ished in this region. At present the standard here is below par and in certain areas on the verge of deterio- ration. This may be owing to the Gums of Kathak migrating to bigger ci ties withou t le av mg behind w el 1 -groomed disciples. Much concerned with this state of Kathak, theNatya Institute of Kathak and Choreography, Bangalore decided to hold Workshops for this dance style in different regions of North Karnataka. The project propos ed by B . V .K . Shastry was recommended to the Government for financial assistance and V,R,Kulkami t former Director of the Directorate of Kannada and Culture accorded the grant, Maya Rao, the Director of Natya institute, also a leading exponent of Kathak, conducted a three- week workshop at Hubli, the first in the series. Its primary aim was to create awareness for good training in Kathak amongst the dancers and gurus in the region. The workshop was unique as it was conducted on a two -level basis. While it was a refresher course for teachers it w j as also a performance oriented course for young dancers. The project attracted as many as 60 candidates. But the selection com- mittee chose only 16. They were drawn from Hublj, Dharwar, Bclgaum, Raichur, Rijapur etc, un- dergoing intensive course. They were introduced to the salient features of Kadiak along with the nuances as taught in the Lucknow and Jaipur Gharanas, May Rao w'a s assisted by Chitra Venugopal, an exponent trained under Gurus Shamhhu and Briju Maharaj. The workshop was inaugurated by Padma Bhusan Gangubai Han gal, the celeb, uled vocalist. In her ad- dress, M ay a Rao said that the need for good KaLhak in North Karnataka was of vital concern to artistes there. The valedictory function, pre- sided over by B . V . K . S h astry, eminent art critic, was in the presence of the Commissioner of Police D.V, Guruprasad and Sharda M.Sirur, a Kathak enthusiast. A colourful programme by the participants directed by Maya Rao was presented on the occasion to a packed audience, wherein die danc- ers from both the groups displayed clarity and good technique. An added attraction w r as a short recital of Kathak by MadhuNatraj wiLh a fine portrayal foraThumri and T arana, testifying to the effective technique. Correction RMV Sangeetha Sabha, Bangalore will conduct music con- certs on the Last Sundays of every month and not on the last Friday as mentioned in May 96 PHOENIX. Editor Subscribe to PHOENIX The only monthly on Music and Dance from Karnataka which reaches you promptly every month Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00. Three Years: 140-00 (to be sent by MO or Cheque favouring "PHOENIX") to The Circulation Manager, PHOENIX, 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 15 PRATJBHA-U by V.Kalavatiiy (Ham bale Live Cassettes, HIC-435, Stereo), 952, 21st Main, BSK H S Lagc, B angalore 560070 Rs 30-00) i Hombale Live Cassettes have done well to encourage a young ar- tiste for their latest release under the sug ges ti ve ti de Prathi bh a -II . The cas - setts presents a choice selection of Carnatic classical aria, rendered evocatively by V. KaJavathi, one of our bright prospects. The opening Ekadantam (Bila- hari) itsel f ensures that her soft, melo- dious voice is in good fettle. A judi- cious use of 4 gamakas 1 and an array of cascading ‘birgas’ lend a sensitive touch to the major numbers in die selection- Savcri (EntaNerchina) and Madhyamavati (Nadupai Palukeru). The rendition in each case is enriched by crisp ‘niravals* and meaningful *swaraprasLhara. Kalavathi is flanked by equally competent accompanists like Nalir a Mohan on violin, Anoor AnanLha- krishna Sharma on mridangam, Vyasa Vittala on khanjira and B.R. Rav-ikumar on the ghalam. Overall, it makes for good listen- ing- Swaramilana Bhavayana by M. ; It reaches you by post every month 17 Phoenix June 1996 Vijaya junior C ollcge, Giridhar has seccurcd ITT rank in junior percussive examination by the Government of Karnataka. Giridhar who is performing on ghtitam since his 12 years has accom- panied many famour srtistes like Trichur Mohan, MX Rajakesari, V.S, Ra.agopal , N.Vasudcv, Vasudeva Rao Mohitc. Number of leading sabhas of South India hav e provided opportu- nity to exhibit his talent. He has featured in more Lhan 500 concerts. He has bagged first prize in per- cussion competition by The Bangalore Gay an a Samaja in 1992, He has received the Yu v a Prathistana Award and first prize in inter varsity cuhural festivals. He has won appre- ciation from critics and music kno wledgablc audience when he per- formed at the National Children’s Festival 1995 at Bangalore. Young Giridhar Udupa is a prom- ising artiste who will establish himself as a celebrated ghatam artiste of Car- natic music m the years to come. Uliur Giridhar Udupa , 87, 5th M ain Road, MB lock, T Nagar, Bangalore 560028 Know your Artistes Bala Raghuram Parur S und aram 1 yer endowm wnt award in Sri Krisna Gana Sabha, Madras and Tamil Isal Sangam awarded the Lalgudi Gopala Iyer memorial award. He also won the best accompanist award of the Kar- nataka Ganakala Pari shat this year. Balu is a High” grade artiste of the AIR. A sincere and dedicated artiste, Balu Raghuram is all set for a bright career. Balu Raghuram 'Bilahari 1 ,80! I Old Post Office Road, II Block, Thy agar ajanagar. Bangalore 560028 @619973 Uliur Giridhar Udupa Balu Raghuram Balu Raghuram (22), violinist, learnt violin from S + Chandrashekar. Later he was guided by the leading vocalist, Neel a Ramagopal and vio- linist A. Sundaresan. Now violin mae- stro T.N. Krishnan is teaching him. •« Balu is the recipient of ‘Talent Search Scholarship* of the Centre for Cultural Resource and Training, Gov- ernment of India. A student of Nalinal College, Bangalore, Balu made his debut m 1989 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha and he has never looked back. He has built up his violin accompaniment career and is now a sought after ar tiste. Young ghatam artistes, master Uliur Giridhar Udupa (16) is the son of mridangam v id wan Nagcndra Udupa. He learnt ghatam and playing from his father from his very early age and has hedome an accomplished ghatam and mridangam artistes, A first year PUC student from the Your comments and views axe most valuable to us and Hie others too. We shall gladly publish the best But, for maxi- mum impact and early coverage, make them brief. Send your com- ments to: He has played to many leading vidwans of Bangalore, Madras and Bombay, and has participated in many music fas riv als conduc ted by the Go v - emmen t o f Kam al ak a, Depar tm en t o f Tourism, Zonal Cultural Centre, Tanjore and Nagpur. He was ad- judged the best accompanist by the Bangalore Gay ana Samaja in 1991 and 1992. He has won the best violin- ist aw ard in the AIR Music Competi- tion in 1992. Next year he won the The Editor PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 While setting your jewellery with fine quality ■n American Diamonds Ask only for KmmaiF Pioneers in the field of synthetic diamonds for over two decades TUI Us ^ rp b i mil I SriLakshmi Vittobha Complex, 160 Big Bazar, Tiruchirapally 620008 © 31359 Choice of over 50 Designs to choose Manufactured and Marketed by : Radhakrishna & Co. Bangalore 560 002 Phone: 2213748, 2241567 Available in all leading Stores in India and abroad f» ■ L JOURNAL ON MUSIC & DANCE 1 Mb Mfftj ■ M# , m « I ■ M B L- 1 m f g i mM £m * rl-j d ^ f p v ■* . * While setting your jewellery with fine quality American Diamonds Ask only for MMsur Gem Pioneers in the field of synthetic diamonds for over two decades SriLakshmi Vittobha Complex, 160 Big Bazar, Tiruchirapally 620008 © 31359 Phoen S x J u t y- Aug 1996 ~ S-.-: - : t *> S .N .Ch a nd rase khar 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 560019 © 6675758 Editor Bangalore K Venkatram 183, 8ih Cross, II Bl Jay an agar Bangalore 56001 1 © 6630079 Associate Editor N.Sundarraj 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 0 2263696 Managing Editor , B. Rajashekar 0 2216459 A dvertising Manager Representatives Ganapaihi Bhat Hub li -Dkarwar 1 K. Ramamurthy Rao Mysore Geeta Raja 9 Chhaya, Jam-e-Jamshcd Road Matunga, Bombay 400019 ©412 2074 Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulation Manager 138, 5 th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 (Cheques to be drawn on 1 PHOENIX’) RN 45468/87 k * Vol 1 July - August 1996 No9 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 Lditorial-Towards Excellencee 6 Calling AIR 11 15th Taalavadyotsava 96 15 Mysore Bani Veena 18 Smitha Iyengar 20 AIR Turns Visual 21 Bhoop or Deskar 22 From Here and There 24 Mid Season Music Marvel 25 Taala Tarangini 28 Nayikas - Then and Now 29 Lords of Strings 30 Contributions of Haridasa to Music Cover Photo by N.SUNDARRAJ Published by N. Janardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at 1PC G ratios, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 Phoenix July-Auo 1996 R EADERS f am deeply impressed eg read your article. MS. the Living Legend, The title is most apt. The contents attract the reader by choice words. The image of DVG dancing in rap- tures before M S remains ever green in mind, //. N. Raj aim a Bhadravathi M.S* SUBBULAKSHMI * li is really unfortunate that our Government (Central) has not con- ferred country’s highest on \M.S.\ As I know, that there was some tech- nical difficulty in awarding 1 Bharat h Rathna' and now I am told the way is clear, after the Supreme Court dis- missed the petition filed before it, against awarding titles. If one attempts to write about M.S.'s achievements, her contribu- tion to Music and also for charitable purposes, it amounts carrying coal to Newcastle. MS. is in the evening of her life and fortunately her husband is also alive. It is also strange and surprising that hundreds of Music Sabhas all over the country have so far not pressed our government about the award. Will the Music Sabhas and per- sonalities in Music field and others wake-up? B. Visweswara Rao Bangalore Many organisations in and around Bangalore are organising music fes- tivals giving good opportunities for the listening public and the artistes themselves in propagating and en- couraging classical music. Write Some organisations fill the pro- grammes with artistes from outside Karnataka. One such is at Odakathur Mutt wherein all the fourteen pro- grammes are studded with outside artistes, Wc arc not against any artiste from any region participating in Bangalore. But under the garb of such celebrations, there should not be mo- nopolies. Even among the accompanying artistes there are only 14 from this region while twice of them are outsiders. Organisers should know that Kur- il at ak a has qui te a nu m her o f renowned , artistes, ft is time that organisations like Ganakala Paris hat and even the media take up such issues, so that classical music becomes more popu- lar irrespective of language, region and such other bias. Anan tharam Bangalore 1 have gone through few numbers of your journal on music and dance, which is giving good coverage to the musicians, dance artistes and associ- ated members of this faculty. The articles are of superb standard and highly i nformati ve. This part had been without such a magazine and sans reportage of various cultural events going on from time to time. May the journal raise up to the stature of high order enabling us to know the profile of the high status of performers in all fields. Wishing \l a grand success, S. V.R. Iyengar Bangalore Obituary Srigandha Srigandha, flutist died on August 4, 96 at Bangalore. He was 25. Srigandha gave lus Inst per- formance in 19S4 and had won the award in the competition by Bangalore Gayana Samaja. He was the recipient of the Karna- taka Government Scholarship, and Silver Flute award by the Madras Music Academy in 1 994. He had performed in a num- ber of concerts in Karnataka and outside. He was a regular partici- pant attheThiruvayyaru festival. Srigandha who w r a.s the stu- dent of M,R.Doresw r amy of Bangalore was the son of N.Srinivasiah, a great lover of music and grand sonofSomanatha Bhagavathar (of Yakshagana fame). He was being guided by Lalgudi GJ ayaraman. He had recorded many cassettes which were well received . With his sudden death Karna- taka has lost a very talented flutist. Phoenix conveys its condolence to Lhc bereaved family, and pray God to give enough strength to his parents to bear the loss. Dear Reader Your comments and views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish the best. But, for maxi- mum impact and early coverage, make them brief. Towards Excellence in Dance The city recently saw the birth of another Pratishtana, taking the name of Karnataka Nritya Kala Pratishtana as distinct from the Karnataka Nrityakala Parishath which has been in existence for over a decade now The promoters ot the new organisation, however, make it emphatically clear that theirs is no rival to the Parishath of which many of them are themselves ardent members. Then w hy this new venture of which some of our eminent gurus and senior dancers arc promoters ? The answer is simple. It is to preserve and promote what has come to be termed as the Mysore style ot Bharathanatya. Which presupposes a separate entity to dance in this part ol the country, though it bears the same nomenclature as that in Tamil nadu. And it is this contentious issue that is intriguing. True, ever since sage Bharata came out with his monumental treatise on dramaturgy, based on the tenets enunciated in it several dance styles have taken shape, each imbibing its own regional influence to emerge as distinct styles like Manipuri, Kathak, Odissb Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Mohini Attam and last but not the least Bharathanatya, the Iasi as applicable to the contiguous states of Karnataka and Tamil nadu. For all practical purposes the style prevalent in the two states is very much the same. The principles governing Angika, Aaharya and Satwiks are identical. If there is a perceptible variation, it is only in the aspect ot Vachika. In conformity with regional influences, the repertoire in Tamil nadu draws more on the lyrics in Tamil, but ccnainly not to the exclusion of other languages. '"Krishna Nee Rcgane” itself is an eloquam testimony, the famous Padam popularised by none other than the doyanne Balasaraswati herself. Contrarily, there are very few lyrics in Kannada, especially the all-important Varnam, a factor which has dawned on some of our dancers suddenly, prompting them to make concerted efforts to produce some overnight. They have yet to yield results though. But it is true that dancers locally for long have depended mainly on lyrics in Tel ugu and Sanskrit , zealous ly excluding those in Tamil, though the attitude of late has become liberal. What is intriguing to a discerning mind, however, is why this alienation in the field of fine arts. No doubt, as in most other parts of the country, Karnataka also had a dance form of its own. Bui few can vouch for its distinct character. It took a definite shape and form only alter an inter-action with the Nattuvanars of the neighbouring State of Tamilnadu, which again nurtured its style with the influence of Bhagavata Mela. But so far as the other aspects, the differences are imperceptible. They are as negligible as it is between what has come to be referred to as the Pandanallur, Tanjorc, Vazhuvoor, Kanjeevaram or the Kalak- shetra variations. Overall, in all ol them as it is in Mysore (Karnataka), there are more similarities than differences. Mainly, if Nritta is a wee bit weak in the Mysore variation, its Abhinaya is certainly more profound and ebullient. The need of the hour is to see that there is greater coordination between dancers espousing the so-called dt lie-rent variations so as to assimilate the best in each so as to arrive at a plausible style that accounts for excellence. It should be the duty of all lovers of dance and dance organisations to work towards such an integration and that could be a more enduring contribution to the art than to stay isolated. 5. Nr Chandrasekhar 5 CALLING AIR The interesting interview ; I over the AIR of the popular | ghat am artiste Silk any a Ramgopal (July 9) had some- thing for musicians in general and Lhoscof her ilk in particular to gloat about. As is well-known, these ar- tistes and their sponsors alike have a grouse that audiences 1 generally treat the percussion 1 artistes with scant respect. The ■ resentment justly is that listen- ers start moving out when the time comes for Thani A van hanarrr . The slot is i n vari- | ably treated like an interval by § many. Rut Sukanya* s experience is quite the contrary'. That is so || far as the audience in Canada [__ and America go. In fact, that was the focus of the interview- audience behaviour. It speaks volume lor their aesthetic sensibilities that ir respective of their understanding ca pacitv of the finer points of the art they would sit through a concert. And the concerts Sukanya was referring to were by our own M.S. Shcela. In her recent tour of the new world, Sukanya was in the com- I panv of Anoor Anamhadkrishnn Sharma on the mridangam and Nalina Mohan on the violin. The foursome returned early in July. As recounted in her interview, the concerts generally 1 as ted for over four hours and the ‘thani T even time generated as much appreeui lion as the vocal and violin turns. Obviously, the uncommon ‘earthen: pot 1 must have aroused the curios- ity of listeners, especially the j westerners. That does not of the audience as it often hap- pens back home! Ill On [he concert side, the spa- ^ cious alap for A than a (Halo j’|| Pranatarthi) by Nagamani Jg Srinath (May 10, 8-30 am) un- folded the same panacea that has been associated with her ■ chaste style. If the alap was rc- ■ poseluf the krithi gracefully I anchored to the structure to evoke some enduring ‘sang alts’ . The Dasarapada, Neenupekshemade I f U dayaravi c h an d ri ka) stood out for its lyrical sweetness. Ease and clarity marked the concert of S, Shankar (May 13, 10-10 am). The opening Sidhi vinayakam (Shan- I mukhapriya) itself revealed a soft, well-preserved voice. His al ap for B i I ahari (Paridana) and K ha raharapri ya (Ch i ttaratnam ay a) were attractive with some lilting Yan- charash the lucidly articulated Ya- hitya" charmingly enhancing the Yaga bhava’. It was a re-assuring recital. ■V ■ .■ cc . itiiitayan-a derestimaimg the calibre of the two PC rCUSNtOHLsts J h al is indisputable. But it ceiiuink means that they had the sense u| proportion and look care to sec ihai 1 hoy didn't try ilic patience V,K. Raman's Bute recital (May 15, 9-30 pm) was as ab- sorbing, With steady blowing and unhurried tempo, Raman brought out a sprightly portrayal of some haunting melodics like Dwijavanti (Cheiashri), and Goula (Sri Mahaganapatim). Ran] ini (Durmargachara) re- ceived a leisurely airing, the charming way he invested the familiar kriti with glowing Ywaraprasthara’ being an elo- quent testimony to his compe- tence. Shankarabharana (swararagasudha) was treated as daintily, melodising the salient mean un Sukanya Ramqopai Phoenix July Auq 1996 ! 1 ‘sancharas’ convincingly. The — ‘nirvaf and 's wars’ passages en- hanced its aural overtones, I What a refreshi ng change was discernible in M,T. f Sh cl vauaray ana’s recital on May 25! It was so different from the unfavourable impression he had p made in his ^national sometime ago. His Saveri {Shankaru Shankan) was replete with allur- ing l sangatis ’ , the ful Iness of *sruti ’ testifying to his evocative style. One hopes he would keep up his application, ! The unhurried grace in Sri — J al and h a ra ( G ambh i ra- N ata) ga ve S u ma S ud hee nd ra ’ s veena reei tal ( M a y 25,9-25 am) a lively start. Heralap for Charukcshi was as satisfying, the stress on the jivaswaras’ giving it a distinct character. But the kriti was not as edi fy i ng , some uns a vou ry n otes s tray- ingin to the contour. The South-Zone hook-up of Murali Krishna (May 27, 10 pm) was more disheartening, No doubt, Sri Saraswati (Arabhi) gave the young- ster a flying start. But neither the Hamsanandi piece nor the stately Pakkahinilapadi (Kharaharapriya) could subscribe to a standard. The alap in either case, was sketchy, though the delineation of the kritis cannot be faulted. That was the sav- ing grace. One of the young violinists who has of late made a mark both as a sofoist and accompanist is B.L, Ganesh Prasad. His Kalyani (May 28, 8-30 am) was notable for its soft bowing technique and steady fin- gering, The sketch of the rage was attractive, the kriti Birana standing out for It modal authenticity, Usha Kesari whose vocal followed at 9- 30 am same day has a sweet voice, but needs a 1 i ttle more culti vation i f it has to be honed to resonance. The Saranga piece Neevada gave her a fme start. But Saramati failed to i i ve upto expectation, the lingering quality of the raganot fully coming ~i was the unsullied imagery of Saranga, not a frequently heard 1 1 r ^ a B.S. Vijayaragbavan is a sea- soned vocalist. But as he into- nated Dhanyasi (June 2, 8-30 am), I his voice seemed to tire out, a jaded feeling standing out in the presentation. But the two Kannada lyrics Echarikccharikc in Hamsanandi and Tanu Ninnadu in Kedaragoula had all the en- 1 dearments of Taga bhava’, with- out interfering in their lyrical in- terpretation. But Ambuja Narayan i June 3, 9-30 am) as she delin- eated Kirvani (Pranamami Sri) gave the impression of being in- different to form, A florid "bani’ is d i sc ci 'ii i b 1 c, but the int erpretat i on I ack s credibility. D,N. Guru Dutt, same time next day, was no better. His alap for Bila- hari (Sri Balasubramanyam) was pass- able, But in the rendition of the kriti, the ’swarasthara* went haywire. The singing was below par. But Rajalakshmrs veena recital (Mysore June 7, 8-30 am) w r as made for pleas- ant listening. She was sure of her fin- gering, aligned io a perfect ‘sruti 5 . Whether it was the opening —i Sowrashtra piece or the more de- tailed airing of Kiravani (Varamula), the portrayal under- scored the sublime elegance of Carnatic music. The sensitivity of the alap for Shankarabharana by R.S. Ramakanth (June 7, 9-15 am) al- most blossomed into an original force as he unfolded the kriti Rhakti Rhiksha, The enunciation itself was in keeping with the spirit of the composition. The short pieces in Hamir-Kalyani and Mohana re- vealed an aural arrangement that could easily prompt aesthetic joy . But l he South Zone hook-up by B.A. Narayana, a student of Nedanuri Krishna mu rthy (June 6) could not rise above the pales of —I mediocrity. He has a facile voice, but he gives the impression of be- V. Desikachar V. Kaliivalhi who sang the next morning has already made a name for her consistency-. But her Kirvani ( Varamula) certainly could not do j us- tice to it. The alap itself betrayed a feeble structure, the ‘sane haras’ stray- ing away from the contour more than once. The rendition of kriti also left much to be desired, though her ‘sw ara’ forays were delectable. On the same day 9-30 am it was V.R , Vijayal akshmi who was on the AIR, She has a pleas- ant voice, but it sounds unhoned to ‘srutiri What sustained the interest Nagamani Srinath Phoenix July-Aug 1996 ■i A . Ve&rabhadriah mg in a harry as evidenced in the N ata varn am and A bi s h ta V arada ( Ham sadh warn). His alap for Kalyana - Vasantha was more reposeful, the kri ti Nadaloludai itself gaining in-depth due to a Hurry of improvised ‘swara' pas- sages, It was Kirvani again, but tins time on the flute. The artiste was the seasoned $ t A. Sashidhar ( Ju ne 10, S-30 am). The alap itself was neat and unhurried, the sure bow- ing techn que making a pleasant impact. The structural develop- ment in the kriti, the style of phras- ing and the use of meaningful 4 gamakas’ heightened the me- lodic grace in the playing, Bui Ratna Shivashankar who fol- lowed (9-30 am) sounded utterly out of form. Though the form in MayamaJavagoula (Viduluke) was unm stakable, her frequent slips in 4 smtr robbed the very mood in the rendition. Nor could the veena recital of A.S .Padma speak for a standard above the routine. True, her Bhairavi (Sri Raghuvara) was tuneful, but lacked the pep to make it exciting. Her Shuddha Dhanyasi piece, however, revelled with some enduring *sangaiis T , Padma Narayanan’ s vo- cal (9-30 am) could not make a better impact, Her Begada (Abhimanamu) had a lei surely pace and Jayantasena (Vinatasuta) sounded authentic. But she was not sure of 'srutf, That proved to be the villain of the piece! The veena recital of T. Sharada (June 1 2, 8-30 am) was a treat. The concert started warming up with the almost forgotten Dhanyasi piece Shyamasundaranga. The sketch of the raga Ramapriya (Pari Pah imam) was more attractive, some alluring l saijcharas' enhancing its melodic overtones. A satisfying recital in- deed. The violin solo by A Vcerabhadriah was as soulful, though not as steady. The alap for Pantuvara ii was tidy, though not fully impact fuL The delineation of the celebrated kriti Raghuvara bristled with some lilting layakari. V. Desikachaf s flute solo (9-30 pm, that night) had an old world charm about it. The Goula piece Pranamamyaham was followed by a Iritc composition in Riti- goula, characteristic in its struc- tural elan. But it was Thodi that really lifted the aesthetic feel of the recital. The alap was sub- dued, but invested with the en- dearments associated with that ii me-tested melody. Emi Chesite, t h e f am iliar Thy agai ah kri ti stood out for its tranquil mood. M + Nagaraj’s inspiring violin sup- port heightened the evocative overtones in the concert. Rajalakshmi Ramarao’s vocal (June 14, 8-30) was just above the pedestrian level, though her voice has a lilt. Evarikai ( Devamanohari) was disposed of without much hassles. But the alap for Kirvani betrayed slips in ‘srutf, The kriti Kaligiyume was also not tree from lapses in ‘sruti’, the overall effect falling short of resonance. The South Zone hook-up on June 1 6 was no better in its fervour. Though the lilting Raja Raja (Niroshti) gave Radhika Bhaskefs veena recital a sprightly start, her Shahana (Raghupate) was so abysmal in its modal fidelity that it left one wondering how she was able to make it to the prestigious slot. Even 1 1 le unfailing Kacianakutuhala piece Raghuva-mshasuda couldn’t give a better account of her l sadakam’ . D. Balakrishna’s veena recital (June 1 7, 8-30 am) was in refresh- ing contrast. The very rollicking gait in Kannulara (Dhanyasi) made all the difference. The fullness in the sruti and the self-assurance as he intonated Madhyamavati helped i n bringing out a sprightly portrayal of the raga, the kriti Nadupai redo- lent with some lingering 'swara’ forays, A redial worthy of the tradition he upholds. Shaila Subramanyam (9-30 am same morning) has a refined style, as evidenced in the alap for Arab hi (O Rajeevaksha). But her voice is r M.S.Vidya 8 Phoenix Julv-Aua 1996 G, S. Kama! a and G.SRajalakshmi shaky right through, be- traying lack of appl ication . The same rag a (Ai - abhi) gave M, Ramesh (June 1 8 9’ 30 am) a pleas- ant start. Chalagalla, the kriti revealed a steadv ■< voice, though could do with a sense of modula- tion. His alap for H a r i k a m b o d i (Dina mani vamsha) was tidy, the rendition of the kriti i tsel f not short of feel- ing. But the gravity and quietude one looks for in a seasoned singer still seems elusive. Lahta Prasad’s vocal (June 19, 9-30 am) was nor better in this regard, Her Purvi Italy ani ( Kashi vishalakshi) was true to form, but her voice lacks modu- lation. Yet there is promise here for sure, Saroja Natarajan’s Harikambodi (June 20, 9-30) (Rama Nannu) was as flamboyant as ever, bristling with light- ning *$wara’ passages. But in an effort to show the range in her voice, she tends to strain in the upper reach es- often sounding squeaky. Her pieces in Chakra vaka and Bhouli were impactful for their felicity of expression. The alap for Shankarabharana by G.S. Kamala and C.$. Rajalakshmi (21 , 8-30 am) was as authentic. Their facile voices combine well, their ren- dition attuned to the classical mode. The classic Akshayalitiga was as dignified in its articulation, though the ‘ s w arap ra st h a ra ' seemed unaccountably awry, S r i r a n j i n i (Sogasuga) by Neela Ramanujam (June 22.8- 30 am) showed her in good fettle. A facile voice is her asset and she uses it well to ex- plore the melodic reach of the raga, E.P* Alamelu’s veena recital (9-25, same day) was as evocative. If the Ham- sad hw ani piece showed a steady pace and clarity in the notes, her alap for Shahana was lucid in its elucidation, highlighting the jiva swaras, Rama Ikanannu received a leisurely airing, a sleek hhanam* adjunct enhancing its sensitive touch. T.S Satyavati (June 24, 8-30 am) with the opening Vandeni (Hamsadh- wani) itself showed that she was out to settle scores with her compeers, it was noteworthy for the depth she has ac- quired to her style. Her alap for Bila- hari was more edifying, projecting the Yagabhava’ convincingly. Sri Balasubramanyam was a study in rhythmic rhapsody, her improvisation in the ‘swaraprasthara’ giving an idea of the breadth of her vision. It was a reassuring concert. M.K. Pranesh (June 26, 8-30 am) made as good an im- pression with a neat Latangi (Manvcre). His subdued style has a sen- sitive appeal, especially the emphasis he lays on the 'sahityaT At 9-30 am it was MS. Vidya who was on the air. She has a well- cultivated voice and she uses it intelligently to make her singing evoca- tive. Her alap for Malayamaruta was neat and precise, the familiar kriti Manasa Etulo in- vested with a liberal array of 'sarvalaghtf swara forays. The Kuranji piece was as lovely in its lyri- cal appeal. in her Hindustani vocal, Shanta Jayateertha (June 27, 8-30 am) chose a rare combination, Huseni Thodi to regale the listeners. Shanta has an undoubtedly trained approach, chaste style at once casting an indelible im- pression. She has a melodious voice and sings methodically i n keepi ng with the slow, measured feel of her person- ality! it was the popular Sikkil Sisters, Neela and Kunjumani who were featured in the National Programme on June 29. Their flute duet is very popular, en- dowed as they are with a sound grounding and a wide repertoire, Nadupai, the M ad h yam avati piece gave them a fine start. Neetimati (Srikanta) was as competent in its aural edifice. The piece de resistance was Mo- han a which was treated lor a raga-t liana and pallavi. It was negoti- ated in a traditional manner providing a field day for t he percus- sionists. ESSENCE i Neela and Kunjumani Phoenix July-Auq 1996 ftf$. Krishna Worthy, retired SfaftonD/rector, AtfTre/eas/ng the souvenir at the 15th Talavadyothsasva 96. Others seated (from right) R.Vishweshwaran, A,R. Chandrahasa Gupta and MA . Narasimhachar. N.Sumdarraj 4 Q LJs SS# T he 15th Talavadyothsava ’96, organised by the Per cussive Arts Centre (PAC), Bangalore was in- augurated by A.R, Chandrahasa Gupta, IAS, Secretary, Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka on the evening of May 27, 1 996, at Yavanika with the presentation of Palani Sub ram any a Pillai Award, with the title. Lay a Kala Nipuna to veena mae- stro of Mysore, R. Visweshwaran. The award included a shawl, citation and cash of Rs 5000/-. This award was donated by Sudha Rao and ATI. Rama Rao of Rama Sudha Charitable Trust. N.S. Krishna Murthy. former sla- \ lion director of AIR who released the souvenir commemorating the utsav, speaking on Subramanya Pillai, ad- vised youngsters to follow the old timers. ‘Today it is monotony and too mechanical in music”, he said and concluded by saying that ail artistes have developed the habit of increasing the volume of the sound system for- getting the feelings of audience. He praised Bangalore K Venkatram the kingpin of the festival for his yeoman service in the field of music and specially percussion and publication. V ; d w a n M . A . N a ras i m h ac h ar and mridanga vidwan T.A.S. Mam spoke on Yisweshwaran. Lurlier M, Surya Prasad welcomed the gathering and Ttf introduced the dignitaries. Padma Gurudutt read the citation and V, Krishna presented a report on PAC. Ra\ i proposed a vote of thanks. The programme was conpered by Anasuya Kulkami, The inaugural function was fol- lowed by a veena concert by R. Yisweshwaran accompanied by M.T. Rajakesari (mridanga) and M,A. Krishnamurthy (ghatam). Laya Kala Nipuna The H. Puttachar Memorial Award, donated by kanjira vidwan H P. Ramachar and the title “Laya Kali Nipuna’' was awarded to the mridanga vidwan M.T, Rajakesari on the evening of May 28, 96 by Nittoor R Visweshwaran receiving the award from A.R. Chandrahasa Gupta, Secretary, Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka Srinivasa R an. President of the PAC This award is awarded for the artistes between 40 and 60 years and carries l cash award of Rs 2500-00. A book, Tala Vadya Seminar II was released by S. Krishna Murthy. former station director of AIR. In his address, Krishna Murthy recalled the days when maharajas honoured vid- and N.S.Muralidhar Symposium on Chembai In the symposium on Chembai Vaidyanatha Rhagavathar Birth Cen- tenary organised on May 29, Valaya palti S Malarvanttan gave a Lava Vinyasa accompanied by R.Yogaraj unrid an gam) and Papanasam Scthuraman (kanjira), N.Ramanathan, Head of the De- p art i nen i o f Music, M ad ras U n i versi t y and B,M, Sundaram, noted musicalogist spoke on t3ie personality and artistry of Chembai, V, Do res wa my Iyengar who chaired the session paid rich tributes lo Chembai. The day's programme concluded with the Lay a Lahari, a percussion ensemble of Ay y an ar College of Mu- sic, Bangalore with M.VenkaLesh Achar in the lead At the symposium on Maharaja- puram Viswanatha Iyer Garland N. Rujagopalan, N. Raman ath an and B,M. Sundaram spke on Maharaja-puram Viswanatha Iyer, Noted critic B.V.K. S as try who had chaired the session narrated his acquaintence with the maestro. This was followed by the R.K, Srikantan Endowment programme, where Maharajapuram Srinivasan gave a vocal concert on the evening of May 30, 96 accompanied by M.S.Govindaswamy (violin), A*V. Anand (mridangam) and R.A. Raj ago pain ( ghatam) , Thi s was spon- s o red by the M ah a raj apu ra m Tru st . wans and now the government is honouring artistes, "Musicians honouring another musician is some- thing great and commands greater value he said. Speaking very highly abou t the contents o f the book, K ri sh na M u r t hy sai d t h at ’ ' w h a te ve r B an a a 1 ore Venkatram, editor of die book, does, is done in stylc”. V id wans A. Vecrabhadriah and A . V . A n and spoke on M . T. R aj akesari . B. K. Chandramouli read out the cita- tion. This was followed by H.C.K. Bhatta Memorial programme, a musi- cal feature, 'Lay a in Sugama Sangeelha 1 presented by S.Bali and participated by C. Aswaih, Y,K. Muddukrishna, Ratnamala Prakash. Mai at hi Shanna, Raju Ananthaswamy, D.Devambu, Kashyap, N.S, Prasad Justice Nittoor Srinivasa Rao (left) presenting the award to MX Rajakesari ‘■•mum S3 ■*-■; ■;■ . •: :■ lUt-.'E Guruvayur Dorai Laigudi G Jayaraman presenting the award to Guruvayur Dorai Bom on July 2 ? 35 s Guruvayur M ridanga Kala Sironiani C urt ains of the fe sti val came do wn on the evening of May 3 1 , 96 with the presentation of the K r Pulturao Me- Enoriat Pal ghat Mani Award, donated by K.K. Murthy, President of Acad- emy of Music to vidwan Guruvayur Dorai by the viol in maestro Laigudi G Jayaraman attheChowdiah Memorial Hall. This included a shawl, citation and cash of Rs 5,000/-, In his address, Laigudi G Jayaraman remembered the old days and his experience with the stalwarts of yester years. He appreciated the mridangam playing of Dorai and said that if the concert is to be successful the mridangam should be competent. He praised K.K, Murthy and A.H. Rama Rao for their benevolence to the promotion of the art. The citation was read out by Kal a vat hi . While giving his felitious address, V. Doreswamy Iyengar praised K.K, Murthy for his generous gesture of donating the award to music artistes. The invocation was sung by .V. Ram- prasacl, welcome address was given by U.D.N. Rao, the report was read out by A,H, Rama Rao and the pro- grammed was compered by T.S. Sathyavathy. A unique photographic exhi- bition of 62 photographs of selected laya v id wans by N, Sundarrap editor. Indian Pho- Dorai learnt playing mridangam from eminent mridanga vidwans Palghat Stibba Iyer and Palani Subramanya Pill ah His innage talent and dedecated hard work gained him a unique and uni mi table mastery o ver mridangam. Dorai ne v er compromises i n qual- ity and tradition and utilises every opportunity to his advantage and bet- terment. His artiste ry grew alon with his experience. He has accompanied all top musi- cians in the country and has evolved a pleasing technique of playing mridangam which pleases every one. During his 53 years of successful ca- reer Dorai has been featured in national programmes conducted by AIR and Dcordarshan. There is no sahnba or a festival in the country where Dorai has not participated. His visiting foreign countries is a Earl i er , Gu ru v a y ur D o rai w ho w a s given the puma kumbha swagatha by B.S. Shivaswamy* was received by K.K. Murthy at the entrance of the hall. LhD.N. Rao welcomed the invitees and dignitaries and A.H. Rama Rao lead out a report on the festival. tography and Cinernu-tography and managing editor, Phoenix was arranged at the ground floor of Yavanika. Hie exhibition was open through the five-day festival. This was sponsored by PHOENIX. rot. tine. He is a visiting professor dof a couple of Western Universities. He was appointed the Dean of Temple of Fine Arts, an international organisation for the promotion of music and dance in 1994. Many titles have come his way. to M:T Rajakesari name a lew are; Nnl Lay a Mamani of Tamil nadu Nalvazhi Nilayam; Tal Vilas by Sangeeth Peeth, Stir Singar Sams ad, Bombay and Kul a i mamani by the Government of Tamil nadu. Kan chi Kamakoti Feet ham made his its A st hana Vi dwan i n 1 99 3 . M-T-Rajakesari M.T.Rajakesuri, the mridangam artiste of repute was trained under K, Go pa I a Kao at his early age. He had hi s advanced train in £ i ui< ter K araik udi % Phoenix July-Auq 1996 | Marti of Madras. Mild and soft spoken Rajakesari s on the staff of AIR Bangalore, R. Visweswaran R. Visweswaran hails from the Jamily of musicians and Vaggeyakaras d' Mysore. He started as a vocalist i tid later switched over to veena. He is me of the well-known Mysore Broth- He was guided by his brother R. Sectharam and believes that the veena play should be vocal based. He has can ted out research on many aspects of veena. He has served as the profes- sor in the Department of Performing Arts, University of Mysore. He has given innumerable authoritative lec- tures on many aspects of music and veena all over the country. Visweswaran has submitted pa- pers in many seminars on music and his articles have been featured in many prestigious publications. He has extensively toured giving performances and has co nducted work- shops on music. His recent workshop in Bangalore drew good response. Visweswaran is a composer loo and can Nine well ■ ri. j/dn 13 Know your Artistes M.S.Vidva M.S . V i dy a T a voca list of hi gh ea fi- bre is the daughter of late M. Seshagiri A char of the famous duo, Bel I ary brothers. She learnt Carnatic vocal music from her father and later from R.S. Ramamani She was aw irded the State scholarship during 1984- 1986 and the National scholarship from 1991-1992, Vidya passed senior grade exami- nation in first class and obtamed first rank in Vidwath grade examination in 1995, She is a B High grade artiste of AIR, She has won the best voc; list prize in various competitions conducted by EastCultural Association. Sr uth Cen- tral Zone Cultural Centre, Bangalore Guyana Samaja and Malleswaram Satmectha Sab ha. hr Vidya’ s concert career started when she was 1 1 years. She lias given concerts at Malleswaram Sangeetha Sabha, Thyagaraja Gan a Sabha, B an gal ore and M y sore T \ ly lapore Fine Arts, Madras, D.KJ. Foundation, Madras and Hyderabad Vigyana Samithi. She is the main vocalist of Karnataka College of Percussion. I ler recent concert at Madras un- der aegis of Balaganamrutham and Karnataka College of Percussion at Narada Gana Sahha auditorium was well appreciated. a p B Phoenix Juiy-Auq 1996 Inheritor of a Glorious Tradition S.N.Chnadrasekhar Dr V. Dares wami Iyengar W e often come across the word BANI \ used with reference to various styles of music, vocal and instrumental. In Hindusthani music, the term used is Ghafana 1 . Though Carnatic music is common to the whole of South India, there are as many variations and tech- niques as there are linguistic regions. A seasoned listener can approximately guess the school of music to which the artiste belongs. Each region has de- veloped its ow r n technique, style and native characteristics dial use typical and have their own charm. These are the main points that collectively form a ’BANK Differences in Banis are more pro- nounced in veena, there being three major Banis, viz., Thanjavur, Andhra and Mysore. Great vainikas in each Bani have nurtured and enriched the tradition in their own way. It is a difficult task to convey in writing the distinct aspects of a Bani 1 . It should be heard and experienced. But an attempt is made here to acquaint the readers with the ‘Mysore Bani in veena' by explaining its special technique and method of rendering Ragam and Tan a i a Right Hand Technique The quality of 'Mccltu' (plucking o f tiie st lings) is gi ve n i m po rta n cc . ft should lie firm, steady and soft. The strings should be plucked with the ndex and middle fingers alternately. This ensures a continuous flow of >ound, There arc special exercises ind Swaraj atis, specially composed or veena which help a player acquire ski II in the an of plucking. Vainikas in the past practiced Swarajatis like the one in Mohanam, composed by Vijayanagaram Gururajacharya, which gave the right hand fingers a special practice. The plucking is done with the natural nails on the fingers and not with plectrum Left Hand Technique Much importance is given to the left hand technique also. One would do well to practice compositions ^ 14 Phoenix July-Auq 1996 7i_ . V . b 1 1 RJi SwyT s fpTS oVi JSfii Ti fun Hum iifiTimu pRigMI specially composed for veerta which will train the lingers to produce all the 'Dusavidha Gamakas* referred to in musical treatises, besides helpi ng them to negotiate many a difficult musical passage with speed and case. Each "gamaka" is produced by using the correct techniques like Jam, Lcena, Vali h (inflection of the strings on a single fret), ’spurita’ 'pratyahata' etc., in the right context. The technique of using the left hand index and middle fingers, holding them apart, is another unique feature of the Mysore Bank This technique helps the player to negotiate a musical passage like p m mg g r r s s n n ddppmggr in ragas like 'Bilahari ’ or 'Kharahara- priyak The whole movement from Tara to Mandhra sthavi is done in a single stroke and in a fast speed. The sound is kept alive by skillful use of the left hand middle finger. This tech- nique can only be acquired by hard practice. The side strings of a veena are used only to indicate 'Lag h us 1 and DhrutaV of a Tala cycle and never used unnecessarily to disturb the main sound. There should be a balanced use of the different techniques, each one in the right context TANAS The style of rendering Tanas has its own grandeur and special tech- niques. Tanas move in a medium and steady speed in combinations of 3,5, or 7 swaras. The sound of the side- strings is interspersed in between the notes. The right hand and left-hand lingers must be used in a disciplined manner. It is a highly evolved technique. To master it, Vainikas of the older generation used to practice hundreds of chitta tanas’ (composed Tanas) in Ghana ragas like Nata, Gowla. 15 lias a direct appeal and sustaining quality* It has been in vogue for the last 1 75 years since the days o 1 ‘ Vec n a V enk atasubbi a h , a ho was an Asthana vid- wan in the court of Maha- raja K risfmaraja Wodeyar III. (19th century)* It e cached the acme of per- lection in the hands of Vainika Sikhamani Seshanna of hallowed memory, who was the most celebrated amongst ! he vai n ikas of Mysore and en hanced the reputation of Mysore as a Veen a cen- nc. He believed that the vc ope of the veena would be constricted if confined purely to the vocal style. He and the other vainikas of an earlier era fell that the potentiali- ties of the instrument should be fully exploited by a judicious combination of the vocal and veena techniques in order to make a veena recital more s u staini ng a nd satis fae to ry . Scshanna made full use of the techniques men- tioned in the Lakshana Gram has and Dr Iyengar when he took over as AIR music producer Arabhi, Varali, Sri, Kedara, Reetigowla, Narayana Gowla etc.. Occasional interspersion of phrases in the higher speeds make the Tanas very lively. The re a re d i tie re nt varied es o J ’ T anas I i kc Gaj a ' fan a, VI andooka T ana, Ashwa Tana, Shanukha Tana, etc., which remind one of the movements of the respective animals. While play- ing Chakra Tana the left hand fingers move on all the strings in a circular manner. The Mysore Bani on the whole added a few new ones too. Veena Bakshi Subban na, S esh a n na 1 s co n Lem p orary , ad opted t he vocal style as he was a disciple of Mysore Sadasiva Rao. Seshanna, be- ing endowed with a rich imagination, devoted a considerable portion of a concert to the creative aspects like Ragam, Tanam and Pal lav i. His meettus 1 were so mature that one felt he was plucking the strings with a feather. He had a gi ft for 'Daatu-swara prayogas f like f g-p-s-g. n-r-p-a, p-n-r- p, g-p-n-p' (Hamsadhwani) and used them without marring the beauty of the Raga. Ragas like Todi, Kalyani, Jhunjooti and K ham as, when played by him had a flavour of their own, a Mysore favour if one may call it. A sample of this flavour could be tested in his famous Liliana in Junjooli, The Mysore Bani in veena existed in its purest form till about 45 years ago, Vainikas like my Guru Vainika Praveena Venkatagiriappa, Bhairavi Lakshminaranappa and Veena Shivaramaiah zealously guarded this style, in character and form. After their time, the Mysore Bani came un- der different influences as a result of which it lost its exclusive characteris- tics. The present Mysore Bani is more vocal oriented. In spite of these changes, traces of the old Mysore tech- nique are noticeable to a large extent in some old timers still surviving. n today's context, it is better for each Bani to take some salient points from the other and be the richer for it.B 16 . Phoenix July -Aug 1996 L • • ? 5 ••vo. and leaves an indelible imprint, It may not be possible to explain E,nd de- scribe this reaction in ordinary lan- guage; it can onEy be fell. This is one of those great mystic experience which baffle analytical expression. An ar- tiste can reveal Ms inner most soul in his music, forget himself in it, and experiences great peace and calm; at such moments he feels something pouring into and permeating him and he senses the bliss of creative ail activ- ity. This is the true artiste. The world of Carnatic music has been graced by Lowering personali- ties, in all branches of the art, who had imbibed all that was divine and essen- tial and thrilled the listeners over a heart for the music he plays, choosing the fare with extreme care and pre- senting it with a knowledge of beauti- ful interpretation that sets maximum store by responsible use of the strings, a habit that has constantly deepened its functioning and freshened its ap- peal. The excellence of his paid and the strength of his style in which he maintains repose and delicate beauty have won for him the hearts of thou- sands of his listeners. Bom in a musical family, his fa- ther Venkatesha Iyengar was both a vainika and flutist, and was a member of the palace's orchestra, young Do res w a m y 1 ye n ga r 1 earn ed t h e m d i - ments from his father. The leader of pyrotechnics, no bald parody, no drolling boom, no clap-trap. One can go on and on. His music stems from absolute dedication and industry and finds its proper level, I Eis artistry in en ric h i ng the melody w ithout violence has always been a matter of llligreed beauty. To those who long to listen to reposeful and sublime music, a con- cert by Doreswamy Iyengar would more than quench their thirst. A man of simple habits and con- vent ion a I decorum, Doreswamy Iyengar is perhaps the only vainika who does not use a contact make. He has his own reasons for it. as he ex- iB plains; "Fundamentally the vccnais a melodic instrument. Its sound or span of many years. They in turn, had handec down this rich legacy to a newer generation and this inheritance has continued to tins day. Thus the great art has been preserved and will continue to be cher- ished eternally. In the realm of Carnatic music, we have a number of artistes, some of them in the top rank, who sing well and play well. But do we have many ere at i ve a rti s tes in t he t rue sens e o f the term? One of the striking features of our music is that, while it is apparently governed by rules and regulations, it is at the same tune so elastic, so full of possibilities of improvisation and so remarkably capable of manodhanna. While giving due consideration to tra- dition stemming from the past, Car- natic music is free and improved upon so that all powers of i magi nati on in the artiste - but strictly within the frame- work as laid down by the past masters - are brought into play. PadmaBhushanaSangithaKalanL dhi Dr Yen kates a Iyengar Doreswamy Iyengar fills the picture to a vci y great ex t ent . Li ke shin i n g stars i n l he c I ouded sky he is one of the few vainikas with ns who elevate classical music from the general gloom that appears to have settled on it. He presents great compo- sitions in the style they ought to be whenever he performs. He has the the orchestral group and also the asthana vidwan of Mysore court, Vcnkatagiriappa happened to hear the youngster practising one day and de- cided to lake him under his wing. Thus began a career that was to continue for more than ten years, by which time, Doreswamy Iyengar had become an artiste of renown. Vcnkatagiriappa taught him the notations of Western music also, and thesishya used to help his guru to write down krithis in west- ern notations, along with their harmonising accompaniments! Iyen- gar also attended mridangam classes to acquire greater repertoire in his swaraprast haras. When his sishya passed out of the college at Mysore, guru V en k atagi ri appa arranged for his appointment as Asthana Vidwan at M y so re Co u rt . V e n kat agi r i a p pa wa s a most kind hearted man who gave so generally of all his vast learning to Ills pupil. He would have been gratified to see his favourite student rise to the position of veena’s foremost master of today, Doreswamy Iyengar is perhaps otic of die very few vainikas who are imbibed with a steadfast loyalty and zealous faith in “Sampradhaaya", His delicate sense of melodic values has never been corrupted by the many changes in trends. There is no acrobat ism or gimmickry which could border on vandalism. There are no naadham is to be presented in as close to its true tone as possible. I know that contact mike has come to stay, but it has also come to kill all the fine, deli- cate, subtle, almost spiritual nuances of our music which is intended to be rendered without any distortion through a mechanical or an electronic gadget. Arguments may be made in favour of the mike, but it is a fact that ittakes away the charm, delicacy, fine- ness, and the finish so characteristic of our music 7 ’. Doreswamy Iyengar has held the post of the Programme Director of AIR, Bangalore, and is u member of the Experts’ Committee of the Music Academy, Madras. He also headed the Karnataka Slate Sancitha Nrithya Academy for three years. He has performed at all the centres in the country, and visited abroad where his lingers have enchanted me listening public. One memorable occasion that cannot be easily forgotten - a few years ago in Madras - when the re- doubtable Pal ghat Mani Aiyar requested Doreswamy Iyengar to play- on It is veena and demonstrate the art of “tanam-playing' 1 . and he himself ( Mani Aiyar) accompanied him on the M ri d an ga m . Tit e tw o i n s t ru me n ts s o enhanced each other's melody in the smooth flow of rhythmic patterns, thaL the audience w as a 1 most ro cs men zed . M-Wi; ' ftiili Photos ->.• • 1 ■; " ’ ,"■ , : • The Bharatanatyaarangetram of Smitha Iyengar, daughter of G.K. Sridhar and jyothi Sridhar was conducted on Augusta, 96 attheRavindra Kalaksh- etra. Bangalore, Smitha's maiden programme consisted of items which were notable for their melodious and rhyth- mic aspects. The excellent orchestral support was provided by UJCArun and Savitha A run (nattuvangam), Jahnavi Jayaprakash (vocal), Gurumurthy (m rid an gam), Hemant Kumar (violin), K.C. Aswathanarayan (flute) and Balakrishna (morch- ing). Smitha is the grand daughter of late G. Krishna Iyengar, founder of well known " Iyengar and dons popularly known as "The only Tyre Clinic", set on a journey to Bharatanatyam at an early age of nine. She came under the guidance of vidwan U.K. Arun and Savitha Arun of Nritya Vidya Nike tan. Bangalore. She completed the State Junior Examination with distinction performing well in the Senior Grade, confident of repeating the feat, Smitha is a keen exponent of Carnatic music, trained by N,S. Raman of Bangalore. She has given recitals along with her sister Preethi Iyengar, to win recognition as Ja vagal Sisters. Their performance at the Sri Ramaseva Mandali, Chamarajapet, Bangalore, known as the citadel of music, was acclaimed as above average. Her interest in Western music is as absorbing. Smitha is as keen academically to graduate in Commerce and to secure a Master Degree in Busi- ness Administration. She has been a disciplined student with cultured manners. She is acclaimed as a favourite amongst friends and relatives. AIR Turns Visual B.K.S. Vertna drawing with a thread dipped in ink O utside broadcast is not a new concept for Akashavani. Important events are marked with a concert or feature to an invited audience, broadcast live or re- corder for subsequent use, China Knvym the Bangalore AIRs latest venture was in a similar vein, though with a wider appeal. Blending poetry, music, song and the visual an of painting was a worth- while proposition. For some unknown reason dance, alas, was kept out of its purview ! But ii was a successful experiment, the overwhelming re- sponse of the audience at Yavanika recently vouching for it. The approach is to blend the dif- fer ent fo rms o f arti Stic ex pressi on , The i eaction is in a chain, its “Smshti” part * tailing with the recitation oh he verse, the composer embellishing it with a tune, the singer vocalising it in music and the painter interpreting the idea on his canvas. The process is reversed in u Prati Srushti”, Here the poet is asked to view a canvas and give vent to his impression lyrically and the composer and singer interact with him jointly to render it in a song. The programme generated as much enthusiasm among the partici- pants as the curiosity of the audience. It was interesting to watch artists B,K,S,Verma and MB. Paid inter- preting popular lines of D.R.Bendre, 'V may aka’ and G.S.Shivarudarappa meaningfully. If the alacrity in which Term a manipulated a thread dipped in i ik to arrive at his linear compositions was inereditablc, the deft handling of water-colors by Pali I to produce co- lour fantacies was as fascinating. One such painting evoked a poem in H.S.Vcnkatesha Murtliy, bringing metaphors bordering on metaphysics, The eight-line lyric wav enlivened in i|. Itr* • <£«r ® Si -*'■ ■ - „ ' - i w 20 mm ' - • • ■ . ■ - . Phoenix July Aug 1996 the soulful refrain of Shan La i ayat c ert h a i ri ' gha za I L sty l e , Likewise JV1 . N . Vyasa Rao touched popular sentiments when he drew in- spiration from another canvas, pleading for ecological balance. Dodda Rangegowda echoed a similar fear about the dwindling green cover, sure that mankind should have forgot- ten ilsrootsof evolution. P.S.Vasant la and G.V.Atri rendered these lyrics witli it is a film song "Jyati Kid ash Chamakey “. What raga is this ? It is always interesting to try and trace t ic raga in a film song. I can see the scale is Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Sa and Sa Dha Pa GaRi Sa, due accent cm the sentiments. Indeed, the AIR which is essen- tially an audio medium had exploited the potential of the visual medium admirably, h is for the first time in the city that a cultural organisation at- tempted to blend diverse artistic expressions into a cohesive aesthetic entertainment, a synthesis which holds immense possibilities. KA Y J EE Baby comes from Nagpur and tells me is in Desk an Deskar has always in- trigued me. It sounds like Bhoop. But it is not cent percent Bhoop. She tells me it is because the vadi of Bhoop is Ga and the vadi of Deskar is Dha it is Extraordinary Talent The world ol music has come across quite a lew young ones of ex- tmord i n a ry ta len t . E ven be i o re t h ey were five years of age, Ravikiran (chitraveena artiste) and his cousin Ganesh could identify any Raga in a jiffy. That was a phenomenon as neither had any idea of l s warns’. As ignorant Lhey were of the "three RsT Bhoop or Deskar Pro L N . K ri s h n a sw a my But it docs not sound like Bhoop, as does, say "Sayonara, Sayonam'J. have not heard many Japanese songs. But the lew 1 have seem to be based on a pentatonic scale like Bhoop, Tie melody is simple. Modern film music is not like that. The fi 1 m songs o f the early days u I' Indian cinema, from New Theatres, Prabhat and Bombay Talkies work straight forward. When K.L. Saiga! sa ng 1 ‘Bat at n aye hast? n to re m ai i n ley . iL was typical Kafi and when he sang “Babul mom maihar chaot hi joy H it was an unmistakable Bhairavi, in fact it is aThumn composed by the unfor- tunate Nawab of Awadli - Mohammed Shah Rangi ley. 1 have heard Bhimsen Joshi sing this Tbumri in an unforgettable Bha r- avi. So most of the songs of Saiga I were straight classical music. If you master all songs of Saigal you gel a good introduction to the ragas of 1 lin- dusLtrti music. I got my introduction to classical music through Saigal, But what raga is this "Jy&ti Kalash ** 7 1 thought \i was Bhoop t ill not like Karnatak music, where Mo- han a is always mohana. no mistake. 1 have read some where, some one dot n g an an aly si s ol t hi s v ad i - sam vad i . He has found, in practice, that many great musicians do not use the vadi more than the other s warns while sing- ing. And this samvadi, where docs that come 7 The analysis could find any clue for that, in actual practice. I tell all this to Baby. I tell her all this vadi -sam vadi is meaningless. It is only a trick to fool the lay man - the professional musician trying to make a “ga-dlia 7 ' of the poor layman. Baby says " you may talk like that, But if 1 write like that in my theory paper, 1 will get a zero.” She is studying music. She says B hoc p Dcs kar are just like B ha i rn v i and Kalingada, Now, What is the cli ffe rent e between these two ragas 7 I do not see any difference between them, either ! when a Bhairavi starts being odd. 1 suspect that it might be Kalingada. Kalingada is Bhairavi in disguise!® A more striking phenomenon has come to light in Baby M.N* Ratnakanchi whose genius revealed itself when she was hardly four. Though she had not been initiated into music, she was at that tender age iden- tifying the l s warns* in all types of music-vocal or instrumental As her mother Neela Ramanujam, herself a competent vocalist, explains as a child of four Raina delighted in reproducing tunes emanating over the TV or radio instantly. Whatis more, she could as casually render the tune in 'swarash This genius in her has won recog- ni lion from several quarters. The AIR has featured her in "Chilimiir and the TV in its children's programme. The Sangeeta Rasika Samkhya, Ttrupati has given a certificate about her ‘line demonstration* under its auspices. Now six* Raina is studying in the III standard in the Ciuny Convent and is reported to be good in studies too. G rt ) wi n g i n a n at i n os p he re su rc ha rged with music, there is every hope that Ratna will blossom into as good a musician as her mother. 21 From Here & There omfcay Beat Lind J.Vaidyanathan (mridangam h Oct 20: Vocal V. Shankaranara-yanam R. Hemal at ha (violin), Tiruvidai- marudur S, Shanks ran (mridangam) and K.S. Rangachari (kanjira). Oct 21: Flute recital by L.V. Mukund of Bangalore. Audio Cassette, by M.A. Meera and M.A. Mythili was released at Sri Vadiraja Sabha Bhavana* Bangalore by Veen a V id wan V. Dorcswamy Iy- engar. S.K. Ramachandra Rao spoke on the compositions The sabha founded by M.A. Namsimhachar celebrated its 54th anniversary. Anuradha Krish namurthi, gave a vocal recital at the Little Theatre on June 10.96. She was accompanied by Kalpana Kt shore (violin) and Arun Prak&sh {mridangam). A concert by Gulam Hussain, in memory of Us tad Vi lay at Hussain Khan was organised at the Dadar Matunga Cultural Centre Hall on June 16, 96. Rajendra Antarkar supported his on tabala and Rajabhau Patwardhan on harmonium, A jugalbandi by Neela Iihagwat and Aruna Sayeeram was presented at the Tilak Mandir, Vise Parle East un- der t lie aeg is of V i le Parle M usi c Ore [ e r N ag a mu ni Sri n at h o f M y so re g a ve a Carnatic vocal recital on June 24. 96 at the Little Theatre. Ongole Festival Gejje Naada A three day festival of dance, ‘Gejje Naada’ was held at the Ravindra Kalakshetra, Bangalore under Shambhavi Nrithya Sluiale. A two day festival of music in memory of Gay aka Chakra varthi Denurikonda Subbarao Panthulu was lield on April 20 and 2 1 at the Gayathri Devi Kalyana Mandapam, Ongole. Bommaraju Gop&iakrishna Murlhy sang the krithis of Subbarao Panthulu accompanied by Koomvadi Y e 1 a man daraj u (violin) li n d M ugi 1 1 che rl a $ ri ra m u 1 u ( rnri d anga m ) . This w r as followed by another vocal concert by Kuravi Lai it ha accompa- nied by Palaparthy Nageswara Rao (violin) and K,Sadguru Charan (mridangam). April 21 sliw the group singing by the students of Sri Van! Kalaniketan supported by Yelamandaraju (violin) and Sriramulu (mridangam), Mridangam artiste Dandamudi Rammohan Rao of Vijayawada was honoured for his services to Carnatic music. Compositions on Ganesha Karnataka Gana Kala Pori shut. Bangalore organised special training camps of compositions on Ganesha by various composers at Anunya, Malleswaram and Sri ram a Mandira, Basavanagudi on July 1 1 and 13 re- spectively. Forthcom i ng Programmes dras Beat Annamacharya Day Aug 10: Nagaswaram by Mambalam M,K,S. Siva and Mambalam M.K.SNatarajan accompaniments: Ti rupungu rT.G. M uthukumaraswamy and Mambalam M.K.S. Shanmugam (thavil). Aug 25: Mandolin by A.P. Raju and party Sep 14: Vocal recital by T.M. Krishna, Kalpana Kishore (, violin ) and Kal ! idah ku rchi Si vak u m ar ( mrida ng a m ), Sep 16: Vocal recital by Swati Shastri, MS.N, Vlurihy (violin) and Sri ram S ub ra m a ny am ( m ri d ung a m ) . Oct 19: Vocal by Vijayalakshmi Subramanyam, M. Narmada (violin) 588th Jayanlhi Celebrations of Tallapakka Annamacharya was cel- ebrated at the Music Academy, Madras, on July 20, 96. Songs of Annamacharya were sung by the group led byG.Balakrishna Prasad, B. Raj am Iyer and Mani Krishnaswamy MS.Subbulakshmi gave a recital accompanied by Savithri (violin) and K.v. Prasad (Mridangam) to the packed audience at theT.T.K. Audito- C.Narasa Raju, Chi ml a r * urn * Later Nellabotla Rangunayaka S harm a concluded the festival with his vocal concert supported by P. Nageshwara Rao (violin) , K.Sadguru Charan (mridangam) and Bhuparapalli Venkateswaralu (ghatam). A Carnatic music competition for juniors and seniors w^as held during the festival. r ^ ..... M Phoenix JuIv-Auq 1996 i l 22 July- Aug 1996 Semmangudi Honoured Semmangudi Srinivasa Tycr Golden Jubilee Trust celebrated the 89th birthday of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer at Madras recently. Semmangudi advised youngsters to give importance in spelling out swaras or the sahitya while perform- ing. He pot n ted ou 1 1 hat mel ody shoul d reign supreme in music. Violin vidwan M.S. Anantha- raman was falicitated by K.V, Narayana Swamy for his dedicated service to music. Later Papanasam Ashok Ramani gave a vocal concert. Agenda for August and September August 20 to22: Chemhai’s Cente- nary Celebrations Venue: Bangalore Gay ana Sami, j a Sri Subbaramaiah Fine Art Trust Sep 22, 96 : Saxaphone concert by Mangalore K. Anantha Ram. R Raghuram (violin), S.Subbarao (mridangam) and Dayananda Mohite (ghat am), Venue:Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, Malles war am, Bangalore. Percussive Arts Centre Bangalore Youth Wing Sep 6, 96 : Sarvotham{ Flute) Jyotsana Manjunath (violin), T.N. Ramcsh (mridangam), A.S. Kumar (Kanjira). Sep 7, 96 : V.Shankaranarayan (vocal), V,Prema (violin), B.R, Srinivas(mridangam), G. Omkar (ghata). Sep 8, 96 : Karaikudi Subramartyam (veena) T Sankari Krishnan (vocal sup- port), K.S. Sudhaman(mridangam). Sep 9, 96 : S ri k antb an N agend ra Sastri { vocal), Charulat ha ( violin), N.S. Mahesh (mridangam), S. Prashanth (kanjira). Sep 10 , 96 : Srivardhini {vocal), M a he s h w ara Sast ri ( mri dung am) , R. N , Prathap(ghata). Venue : Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, N.R, Colony, Bangalore. Bangalore Gavana Samaja Y.K. Muddu Krishna and Pany, 4- 1 5 pm. September 8; Vocal concert by Soumya and party, 4-15 pm. S ep tembe r 2 1 : A I R Radio San gee ih a Sammclana concert before invited audience. KJ Jose and party, Dilruba and Palai C.K. Ramachandran and party, vocal, 6-00 pm, Septemher22: R.P. Shastryand party, Hindusthani violin and Mam Prasad and party Hindusthani vocal, 6-00 pm. Devagiri Sangitha Sabha, Bsk II Stage, Bangalore. September 29: Vocal Concert by Gcetha Raja and party. Sangeet Samanvaya B h arat i y a V idy a B h a van an d K ar- nataka Sangeetha Nritya Academy organised “Sangcetha Samanvaya ", festival on the adaptation of Western music instruments to Carnatic music at the Bhavan premises recently. Raja Ramanna, renowned scien- tist inaugurated the festival. B.V.K. Sastry, noted critic and V. Do res warn y Iyengar spoke on Western musical instruments. August 25: P S. Vasantha (vocal), S, Chandrasekhar (violin). Rcmka Prasad (mridangam and R.R, Ra v i ktimar (g h a! am ) , Venue:Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs, N.R. Colony, Bangalore. August 26: Navagraha Kritis by S.Shankar, R,S. Ramakanth. T,5. Sah avathy and R.N.Srilatha Venue: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore Malleswaraxn Sangeetha Sabha at the Music Academy, Madras, Sep 15, 96 : Conceit by Hyderabad Sis- ters. August 20 :Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar Centenary Celebration. Kadri Gopalnath (saxophone), A. Kanyakumari (violin), Guruvayur Dorai (mridangam), Paldhar K.V.S. Ramani (ghatam) and B. Rajashekar (morching), 6-00 pm. August 21: Neyveli San than ago pal an (vocal), S. Yaradarajan (violin) and T.K. Murthy (mridangam), 6-00 pm. August 22: Karnatak Jaz/ interac- tion, 6-00 pm. August 25: Basavanagudi G Nataraj mdN,Sunitha{viohaduet), Vasudeva Ruo ( mridangam), Day an and a Mohite (ghatam) and N, Amrit (kanjira), 6-00 pm. September 1: Sugama Sangitha by C, Ramadas on piono, H.3. Anasuya on Indonesian instrument, Anklung and M.V. Nagcndnippa on Cel lo partid pasted in the festival which concluded with ajugalbandi by Kadri Gopalnath (saxophone) and Narasimhulu Vadavatti (clarionet). M.A. Krishna Murthy (mridangam), Vishwanatb Nakod (tabla) and B. Rajashekar (morching) accompanied them. Efforts of H.S.Suresh in execut- ing this unique event is laudable. Correction RMV Saagpetha Sabha, Bangalore will conduct music concert urn the last Sundays ol every month and not on last Friday as men- tioned in May 96 PHOENIX. 23 Mid-season Musical Marvel N.Sundarraj COUJ&£ Umayalapuram Sivaraman ( Mridangam) and EM . Subram any am (Ghatam). Next day evening M.S. Vidya of Bangalore gave a vocal concert ac- companied hy Tiruvarur M Balan (Violin), Nagai Narayanan i M ridangam ) and M adipakkam Mural i (Ghatam). Bangalore Ram amani's vocal con- cert which followed later was accompanied by M.A, Krishnaswami (Violin), Tanj ore K u m a r ( M ri danga m ) andT.D. Balasuhramaniam (Ghatam). N. Pattabhiraman. editor-in-chief ofSruii who was the chief guest said the fusion between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was welcome, Many musicians from all over the world yearn to perform in Madras in the seas on” he concluded. Bangalore K. Venkatram, the re- nowned percussionist from Bangalore, who is also the director of Percussive Arts Centre, lucidly explained the intricate Chandas talus used in the Tiruppugazh. This was followed by Tala Tarangim by Karnataka College of Percussion directed by V id wan T.A.5. Mani, Latgudi G Jayaraman inaugurating the Mid -Season Music Marvel Mid- season Musical Marvel, a four day festival of music, jointly organised by Karnataka College of Percussion of Bangalore and Balaganamrutham, Madras was inau- gurated hy Violin Maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman on the evening of July 27 at the Narada Gana Sabha (Mini Hall) Madras amidst a packed audience, V. Krishnan, General Manager, Indian Telephone Industries, Later followed by a vocal concert Bangalore, in his inaugural address by Q.S. Thiagarajan supported by M. 1 aud ed 1 1 le efforts of V t d wan T. A , S , C h a n d r a s e k h a r a n (' V t o 1 i n ) , Mani of KCP and Balasubramanyam of Balaganamrutham for organising such a festival in Madras. He offered his auditorium at Egmore for this fes rival next year free of cost. B.V.K, Sastry noted art, music and dance critic of Bangalore said that he k ne w M an i as M aster M an i , V i d wan Mani. Guru Mani and organiser Mani. He called upon musicians to inculcate the interest amongst youngsters. He hoped that this festival would serve as a bridge between the entire sphere of Carnatic Music Earlier Balasubramanyam pre- sented the invocation and welcome address. The festival commenced with the vocal recital of Deepa and Divya ac- companied by Surcsh Babu (violin). Thiruvidaimuruthur Sankaran (Mridangam) and Narasimhan (Ghatam), M.S, Vidya gave a vocal concert Phoenix Jok-Au Curtains came down on the last clay of the festival with Vidya of Madras singing lo the accompaniments of Padma (violin), B. layamh * miidangam) and Ramdas (Ghatam}. The main concert of the evening was by Tirchur V, Ramachandran (Vocal) accompanied by M. Chandrasekharan (Violin) T.A.S. Mani (mridangam) and Pudu kottai M. R am achan dran ( G hatam) . M ai t h rcy i R am ad u rai , sec re tary o f M usic Ac adern y , M ad ras was Lhe c h i c f guest. It is hoped that in the succeeding years musical marvel would induct more artistes of Karnataka than pro- viding a platform to those whose opportunities aplenty. ■ Tala Ta rang ini by Karnataka Coll&ge of Percussion of Bangalore A 1 1 u i ad h a S u resl i K ri s h n a M t j rt h y . daughter of K r V, Narayanaswamy gave a vocal performance later. She way accompanied by Varadarajan (Violin), Kallidaiku richi $. Sivakumar (mridangam) and Ravi Chandran (Ghatam). R. Krishnaswaim . Secretary of NaradaGana Sabha, who was the chief guest appreciating the efforts of K.C.P and Balaganamrutham in this ven- rent for their future programmes TALATARANGINI Bangalore K. Venkataram Introducing T.A.S. Mani and the Karnataka College of Percussion, (KCP) Bangalore, Bangalore K Venkataram traced that T.A.S. ManPs KCP was the first such insti- tution to offer tut ion mg i n percussion in Karnataka. The first percussion ensemble, Tala Tarangini, formed by Mani in- cluded the usual concert instruments - mridanga, ghata, kanj ira, marching etc. Later additions were dhoiak, thavil (dolu) khol etc. It is to the c re di t o I M ani t h a t h e h as pc rfo rm e d in several countries abroad and cut several recordings with jazz and trumpets with his troupe and wife R.A. Ram am ani. The author recalled the attempts of his own Percussive Aits Centre (PAC) to draw attention of music lovers to identify the independent personality of Jay a vadyas, is differ- ent from the scope and limitations as accompaniment which is exclusively a supporting role. Several leedems by scholar musicians like Lalgudi Jayaraman* Umayalapuram Siva- raman,T. K. Murthy.Trichy Sankaran, Karat kkudi Mani, Nik hi I Ghosh, un- der the auspices of LhePAC highlighting i he intricacies oflaya and allied topics were referred to. Similar to exclusive pakhwaj and tab] a solo recitals in Hindustani music festi val s. solo it em s o f in aest ro Pa 1 gh at Mani Iyer, Pal ghat Ragbu and others were broadcast over the AIR in the National Programme and the Radio Sangeeth Sammelans. Exclusive com- positions have been attempted by artistes like Vijaya RahavaRao.Gnyan Prakash Ghosh, Sivaraman. T.K. Murthy, Karai kkudi Mam, Bangalore Venkataram, Anoor Ananthakrishna S harm a and others. in this background, the laya vinyasa by exclusive laya vadyas played for quite an infrequent eleven- beat cycle was introduced. Tracing the origins - Sama Veda to music as per B haratha,Thaatakriyas like Anu Dhrutha, DhruthaandLaghu owe their origin to the GTostha V i n y aasa of rend en rig “Veda Paa t a” . Mat hang a, Sarangadeva and others have di scussed the “Chan das” in "San- geetha Saastra". In total, thaala is to gaana T what chan das is to kaavya. livery language has its own "ChandasgathiT Sanskrit chandas did not continue in the chan das of other languages. Each language has its own “Guna” - bhaasha uchaarana, depending on the “Swam Bhaara” of that bhaasha. We can identify taala and laya in the chandas of every language. "Thiruppugazhs” (Deva Stuthijof Arunagirinathar art; songs rendered by divine inspiration in praise of Lord Subrahmanya Swami (Murugaf Arunagirinathar lived in the times of Proud a Deva Raya who ruled Vijayanagar between 1424 - 46, He was an incomparable master of rhythm i n Indian music. He blazed a new trail , not only in rhythm, but in the compo- sitions o f a li n i q ue g en us o f do v ot i onal mu si e cal ed * Th i ru ppugaz h s' ' . No music scholar has yet identi- fied all the taalas figuring in Thimppugazhs. Many taalas in the “Chandas" meters of these Thimppugazhs defy classification. There arc songs in the usual 35 taala scheme. But even in the 108 taala scheme, 52 taala scheme, Navasandhi taala scheme and several others. Then there are several taalas which do not fall under any of these known thala classifications, ThusfFhtruppugazh is a vast ocean of intricate sophisticated time mea- surers and studies made so far have A Thiruppugazh and the mnemon- ics used and rendered by Alathoor Brothers with Lalgudi Ja vara man and Pal ghat Mani Iyer from the AIR re- cordings were vocally rendered and explained. There are several chandas - Thimppugazhs of 5 1/2 counts to a cycle with different denominations (I 1/2+1 1/2 + 2 1/2, 2 + 2 + 1 1/2, 2 1/2 + 1 1/2+ I 1/2,2+ 1 1/2 +.2, 1 1/2 + 2 + 2) published in the 'Thiruppugazh, Isai Vazhipaadu" by Thiruppugazh Anbargai, New Delhi - 57 in 1993. The laya vinyasa of 1 1 -beats cho- sen for the day is operated as 4 counts and a Khanda Chapu (6 1/2) and 2 counts and a Khanda Chapu (4 1/2) pi a y ed i nd i ■ vi d u al I y , 1 ater ado p ti ng t he "KoraippuA building up a finale, cus- tomary in Thalavadya Lay a Vinyasa, The introductions was provided by Vidwan Venkataram to the Laya Vinyasa of KCPA TALATARA- NGIN1 at the four- day "Mid- Season Music Marvel" at Madras on July 27, 1996, Renowned Carnatic vocalist, T. Brinda passed away on August 6, at Madras following a brief illness. She was 84. Brinda, who was the grand daugh- ter of Veena Dhanammal, was the rcci pi e nt of Pres i de n l Pu rask ar a ward , Sangeet Natak Academy's National award, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Sangeeta Sikhamani and President's Swarna Kama!. She was the recipient of the Fellowship in music of the Union Government for her outstanding con- tribution to Carnatic music. She w ? as a professor of music in Tamil Nadu Government Music College, Apart from learning music from her grand mother, Brinda had learnt From Kanjeevaram Nay ana Filial. only touched the fringe of the prob- lem. In the prevalent 3 5 -taala scheme, there are no taalas of 19 or 3 3 counts whereas all other measures can be manipulated by the combination of kalais, nadais etc. The 1 1 beat cycle chosen for the lay a vinyasa has three taalas in the Sulaadi taala scheme (Sankeerna Rupaka = 2+9, Misra Thriputa - 7+4 and Thrisra Dhruva - 3+2+3+3J, Bui the operation of this time measure, ie the ki Kriya" is what makes the struc- ture uneasy. This 1 1 -beat cycle was rendered by the noted Lhavil artiste Hari dwaramangalam A.K.Palani vel i n the thavil wizard Need am an gal am Meenakshisundaram Pillai (14th Tha al a V a ady ot hs av a i n 1995). The intricacy lay in the operation of the il Visarjitha” (wave) used : the measures arc (4 counts + Beat + Beat and Wave ~6 1/2) and (3 Beats + Beat and Wave = 4 1/2) totalling 1 L The event was made doubly sig- nificant by the presence, in the select audience, renowned percussionists, Pal ghat Raghu and Umayalapuram Sivaraman, besides the violin mae- stro, Lalgudi G Jayaraman. At the conclusion, all the three stalwarts paid handsome tributes to 1\A,S, Mani who had conceived and presented the unique ensemble. She was well known for her fa- mous rendition of padams and java] is in Camatic music and along with her sister Muktha formed a famous duo in classical music in the 1950s setting a special trend in music recitals. Many young musicians have greatly ben- efited by her guidance and teaching. She is survived by two sons and a daughter, Veghavahini. Subscribe to PHOENIX the only magazine on music and dance in Karnataka Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Send, your subscription by Checque or MO favouring 'Phoenix' to : The Circulation Manager, Phoenix, 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Chitrakala Institute of Advance Studies A four month evening certificate course in ART APPRECIATION. Open to professionals /students, persons interested in the arts. Course starts on 1st September 1 , 1996. For details contact: The General Secretary Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath Art Complex, Kumara KrupaRoad, BANGALORE 560001. LAST DATE FOR REGISTRATION.: August 25, 1996. . Phoenix July- Aug 1996 In Lighter Vein Nayikas -Then and Now Manu Vijay S liri ngara R asa , o r the sen t i me nt of love and its myriad shades* is the life-blood of Indian clas- sical dances. While the Rasa or emotion remains the same, its atti- tudes* concepts and manifestations have changed with the times. The young dancer today, is a far cry from the shy* demure nayika she has to portray* and would boldly walk out of a dishonest relationship rather than bear the indignity of being cheated. Small wonder* dancers can do little justice to their abhinaya num- bers ! Take for example, the Vasakasajja, waiting for her date, swathed in the finest mirror- works, the highest of heels and a Chanel perfume* ready for the kill. If the date; ( in this case, the nayaka) doesn't quite make it* well* the loss is all his. Our Vipralabda nayika would probably make it on her own for the movie she always wanted to see, or join her cronies at the pub for a drink. While the basic emotions of jeal 28 ousy * en vy and rage at betrayal remain the same* their expressions vary agreat deal. The teenager of the MTV gen- eration is a woman of action, and rather than languishing in a bower of sweet scented flowers* our Virahotkantitha nayika would dump her young man without another word, or march up to him and give him the tight slap he much deserves. The Swiya nayika (the wife for those ignorant), whose husband is a cheat, would, if she is an Uttama, pack his things neatly in his leather suit- cases and leave them outside the door to be picked up at will first. A not-so- Uttama nayika would seize the opportunity to return the affections of the colleague in her office and send him E-mail filled with innuendo* The Khandita would fling every object wiLhin reach at the unsuspect- ing nayaka* the sharper the object* the better. The Kalahantarita is of course, made of sterner stuff. Cry* she might not out of remorse* but usually to find a ‘broader 1 shoulder to lean on* for* move on, she must The Abhisarika would never, and I mean never* even in her wildest dreams set out in search of her man. If he* in all humility were to make the first, second and third moves in a bid to salvage the relation- ship, our nayika w ould think seriously in terms of a thirty page pre-nuptial agreement. Wedded bliss, for a Swadina pathika nayika experiencing ‘sambhoga 5 * does not translate to san- dal paste and moonlight. Today's lady expects a trip for two to the Maldives with a Tanishq watch thrown in as an expression of undying love. Confident* educated, street smart, worldly wise and above all assertive how can this pretty young thing per- form a ‘Maathada Baaradeno' ? F ""” — ^ ’ 1 ® '• •• % -■■ S' Ci-W-'-s % . " . • «• - ■ Phoenix July- Aug 1996 1 1 ... i .. 1 1 . m i WISP Tuneful Encounters -7 Lords of the Strings S.N.Sivaswamy T he inimitable Mysore T. Chowdiah had among his many d i sc i pi es , an ext raord i - narily talented duo posted as Staff Artistes in All India Radio, Madras, where I started my career. They were R.K. Venkatarama Sastry and V. Sethuramiah, Both were, like me, Kannadigas, a fact which drew us to- gether. We were always speaking to one another in Kannada, attracting snide remarks from others (who could not conceal their envy) like ”Oh! The Kannada birds have flocked together again!" I was incharge of music, English and the few Kannada programmes of the station, though the attention given by the authorities to Kannada was rather perfunctory. There was a fort- nightly Kannada play to be broadcast with a meagre budget, so meagre that 1 had to manage the show with the help of all possible free sources of voices including engineering officers know- ing Kannada, I used to request both Venkatarama Sastry and Setharamiah to lend their voices in these Kannada plays. As they understood my budgetary con- straints, they participated in this extra- curricular duty without protest. While Venkatarama Sastry was at home with Kannada, and did noL need much practice for rendering his lines, Setharamiah, who had his schooling in Tamil, required some time to mas- ter them, When I faced any problem while producing musical features, it w as to one of them that I promptly ran for advice. Venkatarama Sastry and Sethuramiah were among the most sought after violinists of the day, frequently accompanying Ariyakudi, Semmangudi, Madurai Mani, G.N.B and the rest, not only in the AIR stu- dios but at public concerts as well Although both were disciples of the samd guru, they had developed differ- ent individual styles of playing, Venkatarama Sastry played on the tra- ditional five - stringed i ns trument while Sethuramiah had a seven - stringed instrument. Both were perfect in whatever they rendered, bur a discerning listener could trace a strict adherence to for- mality in Venkatarama Sastry and a desire for experimentation on the part o f S et h a ram i a h . At t he s ame time one agreed that both were melody incar- nate wiLh their fine, faultless tech- nique. One also noticed a behavioral dif- ference between! he duo. Venkatarama Sastry was soft spoken, reserved and mild mannered, while Setharamiah was an extrovert freely indulging in conversation. They differed in looks too. Venkatarama Sastry was tall, dark and had the front of his head shaved and the rest of his hair gath- ered into a knot behind his head. Setharamiah was short, fair, and had all his hair ooumbed back into a lufft In those days, I had a fascination for the style of playing popularised by a particular school of North Indian violinists. They displayed a sort of nonchalance as they climaxed each piece they played with a blitzkrieg of cascading note in ‘ati-drut' tempo. ll was this adroitness that had me spell -bound, wondering at the finger- ing skill of the players. Once Venkatarama Sastry and l were sit- ting in the studio lounge listening to one such violin performance on the loud speaker. I remarked, why one never found Lhis thrilling virtuasity among violinists of the south. Venkatarama Sastry's reply was quiet, assured. He said any mature violi nist could achieve that kind of effect, but in Carnatic music, melody mattered more than speed. He took me to the studios and di s i I lusioned me with a demonstration of the very gi mmicks that had "thrilled” me til! then! Ganakala Shree for Mridangist The awardee of the title, "‘Ganakala Shree”, of the youth wing of Karna- taka Ganakala Parishath, this year is C. Chaluviah (42), a mridangist of Bangalore, This is the first time that a percus- sionist has been chosen for this title. This was decided at a meeting of ihe Karnataka Ganakala Parishat held at Ananya, Malles waram, Bangalore re- cently. Other names which figured promi- nently were: Veena vidwan D* Balakrishna (41 ,who missed Iasi year also), mridangist T,S, Chandrashekar (42) and vocalist R.N. Srilatha (42). 29 Contribution of * Haridasas to Musk R.K.Snkantan To us. Music i s seldom a matter of idle lux ury . M usic training formed an indispensable subject of royal educa- tion. Many were the rulers of Karnataka who were profound schol- ars in the theory and practice of this art. M any of them have writien scholarly musical trea- tises and have bequeathed an im perish- able legacy of such treatises to posterity. The royal patronage to music has been a con- tinuous process in Karnat ^ka. Matanga (6th, 7th century AD), Sarangadcva (e*1230 AD), Parshvadeva (c J 3 1 0 AD), KalHnatha (c> 1 450 AD), Vidyaranya ( c, I 360 AD), the trinity of the 3 6th century, Karnataka-Nijaguna Shivayogi (c.1520 AD), Pundarika Vittala and Ramamatya (c, 1 550. AD) Somamtha, Govinda Dikshita* have all played important roles in the evalu- ation of the theoretical framework of mu si c. M os t of the im po rta n t com po- sitional patterns of today, such as the Jdrtana, varna , ti liana and j avail are traceable to Kannada Geya Prahandhas which have been de- scribed by Matanga, Sarangadcva, H art pal a, Kail math a and others. The classification of melas and ragas o n s c i em i fi c pri nci pi es was 1 e ft to Venkatamakhin, who was also a Kannadiga, to give shape to them in his famous Chaturdandi Prakasika in about 1620 AD, He fixed the maxi- mum number of Melas that were possible and his scheme remains un- civil 1 enged . Ki ng Tu laj aj i o f Ta nj o re followed this scheme by writing his San gee ta Sorcmruta in about 1735 A.D. and he closely followed the scheme of Venkatamakhin, During the time of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Shyama Sastry, the 72 Mela Karta scheme had become an accepted sys- tem and Dikshitar in particular composed his songs in the new Mela s y st em o f Venk atam ak h in > The u nb roken line oft he 1 \ ari dasa movement of combining music w ith bhakti* continued till the middle of the 19th century 7 , the last two of this Dasa Kuta being Gopaladasa and Jagannathadasa. InTanjorealso, many of the court musicians were Kannadigas and the most important of these was Pachimiriam Adiyappayya who was a contemporary of King Tul aj a. Ad iy app ay y a c omposed m any varnas and kritis with the Mudra “VenkataramanaT His son, Krishnayya, was a great Vccna Player and an Adept in Tala. Mysore Sadashiva Rao was a younger contem- porary of Tyagaraja He belonged to T yagaraj a' s direct sishyaparampara, being a disciple of Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar, a direct dis- ci p I c of Tyagaraja, Among the modern composers in Karna- taka, mention must be made of Veena Seshanna and V asudevacharya, A few classical Kannada poets like Ponna, Raima, Nagachandra, Rudra Bhatra, Nemichandra, Rainakaravami, etc. have also enriched Carnatic Mu- sic through their works. The Bhakti Movement The Bhakti Movement in India, particularly m Karnataka* has to be viewed in its historical perspective in order to gauge its strength and weak- ness in the cultural life of our country. The era of Islamic ascendancy be- tween 1001 to 1707 A.D, has been called the medieval period in Indian history. Large pans of India came under the rule of Islam. Culturally, it was a period of stagnation. “The contributions of Kannadigas to South In- dian music and musicology have earned the gratitude of all the musicians and music lovers of our country. The Kannadigas have laboured unceasingly in all the fields of Carnatic music, so that the epithet “Karnataka Sangeeta” has come to describe for- ever, the music system of South India. So far as Carnatic music is concerned, it is the composers of Karnataka who enunciated and stabilised by illus- trative practice, the canons of Karnataka Sangeeta as well I as the formative and directive principles determining its aesthetic and physical structure”, says the writer. """T Phoenix July-Auq 1996 However, music entered a nsw phase with the advent of Islam. Bali tan and Raziya, were great patrons of music. Amir Khusrau was not on! y a 1 musician but also an authority on he music of his Lime. He has described in detail the contemporary singers end various instruments in his writings He was responsible for combin ng many Persian and Indian melodies. Some scholars feel that he invented the Si tar by combining the Indian V eena and the Persian T ambura. A ly- how, the Si tar is the product of he genius of the Indo-Muslim musicians. Similarly, the Indian mridanga, was modified to evolve the tab! a. In the court of Jaunpur, the Kheyal, astyh i of Hindustani music developed. The Gwalior school was evolved under .he patronage of Raja Mansi ngh of Gwalior who wrote “ManakutuhaT\ a work on music. Mansi ngh revived ;he Drupad style of Hindustani music and Baiji was a great singer at his court. Qawali. Thumri and Ghazal became popular in India due to the efforts of Muslim singers. In the South, Carnatic Music was evolved in Vijayanagara. Vidyaranya is believed to be the originator of I his sc h oo L Ram ant aty a and Pu rand a ra- dasa helped in its development. On the ruins of ll ie destroyed So .ith Indian Hindu States was founded the E m p i re of V i j ay a n ag an 1 1 o ri g i n a ted in 1336 on the banks of he Tungabhadra largely through the ef- forts of two energetic Hindu you hs, Hariharaand Bukka. Vijayanagarwas responsible for all -round progres ; in the field of religion and fine arts, "he peace and prosperity fostered by the Empire helped to further cultural ac- tivities. The Empire also extended generous patronage to all these [ ur- suits. Rightly, the Empire has been regarded as representing the “synthe- sis of South Indian CeultureT Bhakti Cult and Movement The growth of the Bhakti cult was a natural reaction to the spread of Islam. It consisted of a loving devo- tion to one God and it is considered as one of the ways of realising God. Bhakti cult was very ancient and the Bhagavad Gita preaches such a devo- tion. But it assumed great importance in the medieval ages in an attempt to safeguard Hindu Dharma. The cult is essentially monotheistic in the sense that though the devotees worship Si va or Krishna or Devi, they stand for one God. Bhakti cult was revived first in S o u th I n di a du e to the e f fo rt s o f S aivt te and Vaishnavite saints. Ramanuja, Vimbaditya, Basava and Madhva popularised this cult. The spread of the Bhakti cult from the South to the North was lie raided by its early flow- ering in Maharashtra, which lies midway. That the Hindu society had not completely lost its vigour and vi- tality was made clear by the rise of this movement which helped to meet the problems raised by religious crisis. Bhakti, intense devotion, is one of the three paths to attaining salvation according to Hindu belief. The other two courses arc jnema and karma. The cult of bhakti flowered in the epics and the puranas and through them evolved a popular movement. Leaders of the bhakti movement were mystic saints. The cull of bhakti formed the vital part of the religious culture of Karnataka, The rule of the Kalachuri Bijjala is important for the revi val of Saivism in the new form called Veera saivism or Lingayatism. Basava was the greatest exponent of this new form of Veerasaivism. He preached his reli- gion in the language of the region. The doctrines of bhakti have already been propounded in the Upani shads. But much emphasis began to be laid on bhakti movement in the 1 1th and 1 2th centuries AD. This continued for four centuries thereafter. There was then a lacunae of about a century. The 1 7th century witnessed a revival and then set in a decline. Thus, it spread over five centuries. The unique character of the teach- ings of these Haridasas lies in the fact that they exerted powerful religious influence on the mass consciousness. Their songs were composed in easy colloquial language in contrast with the authors of the Tamil T'hevaram and Prabandham literature whose style was highly literary - The authors of these songs were weli-verscd in San- s kri t and P h i 1 o s op hy . r Fh e ten ets , e v en the learned ones, were sung in simple and intelligible verses. They also dif- fered from the Vaishnava lyricists of Bengal who indulged in erotic forms of personal devotion to God. Bhakti through Music The impact of music on human beings is intensely spiritual, aesthetic and emotional. The former predomi- nates in classical music and the latter in other varieties, which may be de- scribed as LCM (Light Classical Music), file essentia] characteristic of classical music is its concern with technique governed by the rules and conventions of the art, the enforce- ment of the grammatical discipline and the achievement of a total effect which yields an aesthetic satisfaction in the listener. The Haridasas of Kar- nataka were the pioneers in South India in spreading bhakti through music by composing songs in the form of kirtanas, suladis.ugabhogas, etc. The secret of the popularity of their com- positions lay in the fact that they were couched in Kannada which could be understood by the masses. The trend in composition between the era of Sarangadeva and the popular kirlanakaras who made endurmg con- tributions in the regional languages from about the 1 4th to the 1 8th centu- ries, was largely a movement away from the dominance of an intricate variety of rigid classical forms, to- wards freedom in expression, a simplification in structure and the de- liberate use of music to project the thought of the song-maker. The rami- fications of the prabhandha with its six angas, and their innumerable per- mutation were gradually getting replaced by a new harmony in fash- ioning the basic designs in the an of co m positi on s . The old order coul d be 31 j Phoenix July Aug 1996 I At the hands of Purandaradasa, seen in this long period of transition, yielding place to a new one which transformed the shape of the composi- tion in a wonderful variety of ways, giving rise to a charming profusion of new forms in response to the urges of creative art. 4 .. The kirtana form was congenial to the new requirements and its intensive application led up to the kritis and pad am s of the great masters on the one side and also, in another direction, to the development of song- types which came to be employee as hand-maids of expression in a devotional setting, dramatic narration and dialogue thus heightening the element of entertain- ment. It was in this manner that the javali, he tlllanna, the taranga, devarnama and ragamalika emerged to enrich the resources of Camatik music. Madhavacharya brought the cult of bhakti to perfection by propa- gating his theory of dvaita. His philosophy was developed by his im- mediate disciples. The Role of Haridasas During the Vijayanagar period, the Dasakuta began to flourish and eminent devotees like Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa were some of the prominent personalities of the kuta. The Haridasas of Karnataka belong to the holy lineage of wandering mendi- cant ascetics for whom our country has been justly as famous from time immemorial as for her rel igious myths and legends. Thebhakii movement in Karnataka was essentially a Madhva movement. Mainly drawing inspira- tion from the teachings of the Acharyas, these saints tried to make Hindu religion popular by singing songs of devotion at the doors of the rich and the poor alike. The Haridasas were also believers in the value of Nam a San kirtana or the efficacy of meditation by means of the name of the Lord as a means to attai n sal vation . The works of the Haridasas are varied and numerous, The number of their songs available to us runs to many thousands. They are characterised by a happy blend of music and poetry . They composed songs in a variety of meters, viz.* Pada, suladi, Ugahhoga, Tatva , Suvali, Sloka * Kanda, Vachana, Gadya, Seesapadya, Vritta * Dvipadi, Tripadi, Chaupadi, Sajpadi, Ashtapadi, Ragalc, Yalapada, etc. The Haridasas were first and foremost the followers of Vittala or Panduranga. The names of nearly 200 Haridasas are known, including female Haridasas. The works of the Haridasas of Karnataka constitute a magnificent collection of songs known as Dasarapada or Devarnama. Starting with Narahari Tirlha in the 13th century down to Jagannathadasa in the 18th century'* these saintly bards enriched not only the bhakti literature of our country but also made substantial contributions to our musical system. Purandaradasa is the most celebrated amongst them. His works are marked by a charming and scintillating excellence of sahitya and sangeeta and they stand out as typical examples of the devarnama group of compositions. Dev arc) noma Kir tan as The devarnama kirtana consists of the pa l lav t\ the anupallaviand usu- ally several charanas set in popular ragas and talas. The musical arrange- ment is easy and fluent and the rendering concentrates on the portrayal of the inherent bhava. Each Das a is distinguished bv his own independent titleor mudra. Among these Haridasas* Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa hold a prominent place in the cultural his- tory of Karnataka. Both of them w ere saints and literary geniuses. Puran- daradasa was a master of the theory and practice of the science of music, a religious teacher and a humanist. It was given to him to consolidate the Dasakutta and ensure its continuity in the social life of his countrymen. It is the spirit and the moving qualities of the compositions of these great saints that make them universally respected and immortal. Puranda r ad asa *s Contribution these compositions reached the acme of per fee tion and attained the status of classical music compositions which served as models even to giants like Tyagaraja. Thus* they formed the mo. £ t significant corpus of musical com positions in the history of Car- nati; Music, Purandaradasa is revered as the Km natoket Sangeeta Pitamaha. Ill is app illative is indicative of his connec- tion with the development of Carnatic music, because not with standing the absence of any written record, this app dlativc has been in use forgenera- liors. But very little material is ava lable about his association with music or contribution, if any, in its dev riopment. And the reason for this is, f jr generations, Purandaradasa has been revered more as a saint than as a composer. And also very little atten- tion was paid by his spiritual heirs to the uusical merits of his songs. As a con sequence, much of the music of his son is is lost and we arc left only with the ikele torts of their word structures. in addition to this, there is also ano her bchcl that Purandaradasa was resf onsible for devising the present- day preliminary' training lessons in mu He, While a couple of Geetas attributed to him are available, no praaandha or thuya said to have been composed by him are available. We have of course a large number o(suladi r ugabhoga, pada and padya. Music has been utilised by Purandaradasa and others to intensify the beauty of the structure and the sentiment behind the songs* As such, there are no coir positions exclusively in praise of s an { ! eeth a. B ut Pu randarad as a brought into practice the scheme of paUavi, anupallavi and charana of a musical coir position. Nearly 30 songs contain reference to music including instru- ments and the qualifications of musicians etc, In one particular songs, he men- tions many instruments that were in vogue in his times* like the tambura kombu, flute, etc. This spiritual excel- 32 Phoenix July-Aug 1996 i ~ lence of music is stressed in ugabhoga where reference is made lo the tambura , tala, gejje and singing and their importance in leading to moksha. In one of his suladis, he alludes Lo mandara. madhya and tala sthayis. Numerous references to ragas, possibly in vogue during his times, have been made by Purandaradasa in some of his songs. For instance, men- tion is made of the ragas, Ramakri , Gundakn and Mu ha ran j i n i A hi ri, Ka- mbhoji, Gurjari, Gund&kriya, Deshakshi, Shan ka raha ran am, Sri Bhoapaliy Bhairavi Vos cm f ha, etc . and also the ragas that came later, like Kalyani, Paadi r Poorivikalyani, Gown and Saranga. Ragas like Kalyani and Darhar with Persian influence were popularised by the Dasas. The suladi sapta talas were perfected and brought into practice. Purandaradasa has emphasised the necessity of a good voice for the vocalist, it will be clear from the study of the songs that lie was a very leaned musician. To him , we owe the initial systematisation of Car- natic Music, so much so , a! I the famous ragas of today bear the same complex- ion as they did in his rime. As he was a master of both lakshya and lakshana, i t was pos s i ble for hi m n ot on l y to gi ve the correct shape to the raga but al so to compose many a kirtana lo serve as illustrations. The Sangeeta SaramrutaofTulaja Maharaja gives numerous examples of Purandaradasa f s suladis to illus- t rate raga featu res. The later com pos ers have followed his patterns in raga de- lineation, structure and tempo, the three features which make the body and soul of a song. It is difficult to assess the authenticity of the tunes now at- tributed to Purandaradasa. There is no traceable lineage of disciples or nota- tion ai script for the melodies. The kirtanas, arc, as a rule, sim- pler compositions, intended for group singing. Their main features are, firstly, the tunes are easy to sing and do not call for great expertise. Sec- ondly, they arc usually set within a single octave, Thirdly, they have no s an gat i cm bellishments, and four! hly T even where the charanams are a little difficult* Thepallavi is always simple so that while the leader sings the charanams, the chorus can intone the pallavi at the conclusion of each of the couplets. The kirtanas are their ap- peal is a combined one, in equal measure of religious devotion and musical delight. One may say that while in the krill, the words serve the song, in the kirtana, the tune serves the words, The whole credit of rescuing Karnataka Sangeeta from being cor- rupted due to foreign invasions, belongs to Purandaradasa. The main outlines of about all the ragas have been laid down by him in clear terms, Purandaradasa occupies the same position in Kannada literature which . Tulsidas occupies in Hindi. They can hardly be surpassed so far as their literary ability and poetic genius are concerned. His songs are an imperish- able part of the literary and musical heritage of Karnataka. VyasaThirtha (14478-1538 AD) was the guru of Purandaradasa. He had Purandara, Venkatadasa, Kanaka, V adiraja, Vijayendra and others as his disciples, V adiraja (180-1 600 AD) was a philosopher cum dasa. Ramagadya, Vaikuma varanane, Gundakriya, Lakshmisobhanehadu, suladi and ugahhagas are some of his composi- tions. His mudra is Hayavadana. Kanaka Dasa The next luminary in the galaxies of Dasas is Kanakadasa, a contempo- rary of Purandara, A shepherd by birth, he is an example like Viduraof the Mahabharata. Vyasarajaheld him in great esteem, Mohana Tarangini, Haribhaktisara, Nalacharitre are some of his outstanding works. Kanaka M and i ge i s p arti cu I ar ty pe o f h i s co im- positions, “full of abstract imagery, subtlety of metaphysics and inscru- table implications”. The mudrika of his compositions is Adikcshava. Vijaya Dasa Vijay a Dasa ( 1 687- 1 765 AD) was a native of Chikalaparavi in Raichur district. He suffered from extreme poverty and distress. His suladis are full of Sanskritisms. “So diverse are the themes” writes Dr M.V. Krishna Rao “So sublime is the spiritual con- tent and so elegant and graceful is the expression of the compositions that among the H arid as as, Purandara and Vijayadasa stand prominent as most disti ngu i shed k i rtan akaras . ’ L Jagannatha Dasa Most distinguished after Vijayadasa, was Jagannatha Dasa (1726-1809 AD), the author of Harikathamrtasara. It is a mine of information with many theological secrets, the sources of which are in- scrutable. He is the last among the great Dasas in whom Vyasatva and Das at v a combined. He is the author of many suladis and ugabhogas. Hts mudrika is "Jagannatha Vittala”. It has been recognised that music, though often used for amusing sensual delights and pleasures, should subserve the function of bringing poise and order to the soul. Music has played an important role in social cohesion and integration through the ages in dose association w ith feasts, dances, rituals and games. It is a more accurate and intimate mirror of the travails and vic- tories of the lone human soul than any o ther fi ne-art . W hen thou ght i s brough t to bear on experience regarding the influence of art on the individual or the community, it becomes dear that the influence of art on the common good is a very real one. India abounds in music belonging Lo the realms of art-music, s acred - music, opera music, dance-music and folk-music. She is equally rich in art- dance, sacred-dance and folk-dance. The training of our sense discrimina- tion and of intelligent appreciation of real qualities of arts is of paramount importance. An is not just there to decorate our walls and to give easy pleasure. It warns to construct, to create new values, but there are times when in order to do so, it mu si destroy false values and clear building space. 33 □ Heavy Duty □ Thermostat Controlled □ Illumination for Slide Viewing □ Sleek Streamlined Construction □ Attractive Colours to Decorate Modern Lab System ' '' j Designed and Cra FOTO Image 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Dealers: Photo Speed Go r Brigade Road f Bangalore 560001 05580505: R.K. 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The Institute of Imaging Technology introduces a short term professional course to impart intensive training in the various aspects of Photography, Photo finishing and Photo Lab Management, The brainchild of Nippon ||§|| r Group, who have rich SSg||i experience in marketing Konica products in India and successfully operating a chain of Konica ' Color Labs in the South, the Institute of Imaging ||j^K Technology is promoted as a gliSp premier centre for professional v :: '0/ 1 111 Enrol today. Rise to become an entrepreneur on your own merit! For more details, contact Institute of Imaging Technology 8 A, Biagathambal Street, 'Nimgambakkam, Madtas-600 034 Telephone : 8233656 Fax : 044-499 1071 / 499 235 l J 1 f S ,N, Chandrasek h ar "5 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 560019 ® 6675"; 58 Editor Bangalore K Venkatram 183, 8th Cross, IT Bl, Jayanigar Bangalore 56001 1 © 6630079 Associate Editor N.Simdarraj 138,5th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Managing Editor B. Rajashekar 1® 2216459 Advertising Manager Representatives Ganapathi Bhat Hubti -Dharwar K. Ramamurthy Rao Mysore Geeta Raja 9 Chhaya, Jani-e-Jamshed Road Matunga, Bombay 400019 ® 4122074 I- Annua) Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances \ PHOENIX The Circulation Manager 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar o Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 (Cheques to be drawn on ‘PHOENIX’) RN 45468/87 Vol 1 1 September 1996 No 12 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 Editorial-A Disturbing Trend 6 Calling AIR 8 Make up of a Green Room 9 Frenzy of Festivals 10 Deftly Combining a Dual Role 11 Where are We Heading? 13 Genial Vainika 14 Mumbai Festival 15 Devnandan Fest 16 From Here & There 17 Cassette Causerie 18 Know your Artistes .U, *--* Cover Photo by N.SUNDARRAJ Published by NJanardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross t Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at !PC G ratios, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 Correction EADERS Write Vidya Dadhathi Vinayam The July- August issue of Phoenix has just reached me* The picture on the outer cover is a speaking likeness of the great gentleman. His pen por- trait by SNC on page 14 is superb. It brings out the essence of the music and melody which are synonymous with Veena Doreswamy Iyengar. The truism ‘Vidva Dhadathi Vinayam * is nowhere seen as dearly as i n our i llustr ions artiste. Yet I would with thebox in which you have printed this article on pages 1 4 and 1 5 was not shadowed or shaded as it in no way improves the get up. Instead you could have decorated the edges with veena mala design and used ordinary black on white. It would have been clearer. No doubt you meant well Kmuma Rao , Bangalore Magnifient Exposure Story on Prathibha PrahladfJune 96) is superb. No other magazine in our country is giving such a magnifi- cent exposure to our artistes as Phoenix. Prathibha" s contribution to dance and dancers is unique. A.S.Madhavarao, Udipi Empty Halls Apropos to the letter by Anantharam of Bangalore (July Au- gust 96) regarding filling up programmes with artistes outside Karnataka, l fully support his views to give opportunities to local artistes. But in most of the concerts of local artistes listeners arc very few. The concert hall, though small, is never full. The number of good performing artistes in our State is very less. Hence the organisers are left with no choice but to depend on artistes from other States* Venkate shan, Bangalore Enjoyable Calling AIR I am a regular reader of PHOE- NIX since its first issue. And I must say that I enjoy reading it, especially the 'Calling ART by ESSENCE. We have been regularly reading the re- views of concerts regularly in newspapers. Most of the reviews are biased and do not have many persons who can present unbiased reviews. But, the ‘Calling AIR 1 is a wel- come change from the regular stuff though, sometimes is a bit harsh. Keep it up, K.KSundareshan, Madras Kumar Gandharva ‘A Visit to Kumar Gandharva" (July 96) is very touching . Karnataka Government should come forward to preserve the tapes by converting them into CD T s* Karnataka born artiste of repute deserves much more* Snageetha Nrithya Academy and Karnataka Ganakala Pari shat should join hands and support this project S.S.Deshpande, Pune Lay a Kala Nipuna is Palani Subram mya Pillai Award which was awarded to R.Visweswaran. H* Puttachar Memorial Award intended for pre-parangath artiste was presented to M.T, Rajakesari. R.K.Srikantan Endowment programme was the symposium on Maharajapuram Viswanaihalyer and not the concert of Maharajapuram Srimvasan. This concert was spon- sored by the Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer Trust, N.Sitndarraj Fusion l It is gratifying to note that PHOE- NIX is spreading its tentacles to other states (Mid Summer Musical Mar- vel). ' Fusion between Karnataka and Tamilnadu should be stronger. Suresh, Chitradurga Informative The July - August 96 issue has enthralled me. The article on Haridasa T s contribution to Music by R.K. Srikantan is very informative and educative* Dayan and. Mumbai Attention Organisers Music and dance institu- tions are requested to send their programmes to Tr»e Editor, PHOENIX, 138, 5th Cross, Gandhina- gar, Bangalore 560009, be- fore the first week of the month. . ri. , ■" . ■* c’; ri i ■ Phoenix September 1996 A Disturbing T rend of the Ranga-Praveshas ( Arangetrams) i n recent times have ^ ome revealed a disturbing trend. In them pomp and opulence are seemingly taking precedence over aesthetic considerations. The ostentation that marked these events may well scare away pecuni- arily less fortunate parents of talented youngsters from the art itself. In one such instance as many as 16 persons, including accompa- nying musicians and other professional helpers were felicitated with momcntoes, shawls and other accessories. That is besides the customary fees befitting the occasion. The debutante involved was a fatherless girl who could ill afford to fritter away her resources. The only consolation is that the Guru in Lhis case was single sans the encumbrance of a wife and a father to add to the list of beneficiaries. In two other cases, like in a couple of them in Shimoga around the same time, the agenda included sumptuous dinner befitting a wedding repast. All these are apparently in keeping with the Joneses, i.e. visiting NRIs for whom such events are an opportunity for a get-together with family and friends. They come, in handy to do away with formal individual visits. It the other incidentals like theatre rental, stage decor, brochure, video, photographing, publicity etc., are added the amount could easily meet the expenses of an upper middle class marriage ! And all this for a debutante who may or may not take to dance seriously. But its repercussions on the one who is really talented, more serious and doesn’t have the means could be utterly disastrous. It is here that our academies, departments of culture, and youth services and the zonal centres can play a constructive role. As it is they earmark sizeable budgets to sponsor programmes by aspirins; young- sters. Apart of thatoutlay could be set apart to fund the RangaPraveshas of deserving, indigent aspirants. That would becertainly more purpose- ful than many of the other so-called promotional activities. At any rate, it would not be less productive than the bestowal of the countless, unmonitored scholarships being doled out by the State Sangeei-Nritya Academy ! S.N. Chandrasekhar P antuvarali is one of the most commonly heard ragas on the concert stage. Hence it is not easy to make an instant appeal. But when a seasoned vocalist like R.K. Srikaman renders it, it attains a flavour all its own. With his well-preserved voice, honed perfectly to sruti the air- ing itself could be absorbing as one experienced in his recital on July 1 , 8- 30 a.m. After the total gestalt in the alap. Shakunthafa Narasimhan the popular kriti Saras akshaparipalaya was effusive with a crisp 'niraval* and enlivening ‘swaraprasthara’ adorning the rendition . What a heart warming treat to start a day with! On the previous morning, again 8.30 a.m* it was the Saralaya Sisters (Kavita and Triveni) who were on the air. Their alap for Shankarabharana was marked for its clarity, though fall- ing short in its enduring quality. But the stately kriti Endukn Peddaia an- chored well to the lilting gait to leave a lingering effect The way the duo handled the swaraprasthara between them was as impactful as it was re- freshing. Push pa Kashinath's veena recital (July 1, 9.30 a.m.) was as reposeful If Nalinakanti just revealed a tranquil mood, Pushpa ! s Kafyani (Etavunara) was full of verve, verily affirmative of her grip on the instrument and the modal frame. The flowing 'swaraprasthara’* embellishing the rendition enhanced its aural beauty. A facile, tuneful voice enabled Vinayak Torvi (July 5, 8.30 a.m) 6 to sing with ease. As he meditatively started to intonate Bhairav, his search- ing mind surfaced, Balamava* the ban dish in vilamhit exfoliating with a flurry of racy 'sar gams'. ‘Darashanadevo’ , the drat ang w as as lucid h its articulation to project a compact picture of the solemn raga. The Kambodi piece Rangasayi by Kovaladi Kala assumed its sonority more due to the flourishes thaL marked the violin accompaniment of M. Nagaraj. No doubt, the young vocalist has a trained voice that traverses be- yond two octaves with felicity. But she has yet to leam using it to achieve resonant exactitude. It is here M.K, Chenakeshava (July 6 t 8.30) revels. He has a voice that is honed to sruti as evidenced in his Shuddha Dhanyasi (Entanerchinai The rendition stood out for its tonal flourishes. But, sadly, they don’t sound original, shades of Balamirali Krishna's sonority mani- fest in each and every sonant! The veena concert of M.K. Saras wati (10- 10 a.m July 7) justified the reputation she has built for herself in a distinguished career. It was packed with a few familiar melodies, a racy Ramac handra {V as anth a) giving her a sunny start, Varali (Mamava Meenakshi) and Shahana(Giripai) were the two ragas to receive a sus- tained attention* In either case the trite ‘sangatis’ flowed with resonant exac- T. V.Shankaranarayan Pushpa Kashinath tilude, the famed kri tis acquiring a special delight due to the taut rhythm. Padma Gurudutt (8.30 a.rn. July 8) was in as reposeful a mood as she balmily intonated Shankarabharana (Nagalingam). The alap itself was coaxed with an array of saucy ‘sangatis' to facilitate a meaningful deployment for the infrequently heard krill. I The evocation in S. Shankar’s recital (8.30 a.m July ] 0) was exhilarating. If the Khamas piece helped him to bring about a true con- cert atmosphere, in Mukhari (Enta Ninne) his voice grew deeper and stronger to lend free reign to his manodharma. It was easy to see that Shankar has acquired an endur ng ca- pacity to captivate his listeners with enviable case and efficiency] The violin solo by K,V, Raja Iyengar that followed (9.30 a. m) was on predict- able lines, pleasing sans the sparkle that one looks for in a senior artiste like him. His Ganamurthe (name of the raga too) was true to the form. That night from Madras (9. 15 p.m) one chanced to hear a memorabj c con- cert, T.V, Shankaranarayan flanked by M.S. Gopaiakrishnan on the violin and Vellore Ramabhadran on mridangam. An ideal trio indeed. Shankamarayan s voice was at its best, his inspired rendition flowing mellifluously from the invocatory Nata piece itself The number in Veera Vasamha was en- riched by some sparkling ‘swaraprastharal The alap for Kaly- ani was a full-throated es- say, Lhc respected vocalist using his resonant tonality to arrive at a pleasing imagery of the melody. Etavunara, the kriti was redolent with fine touches, a sleek niravaf and spacious ‘swara* pas- sages adding glitter to the rendition. Veteran MSG was in as fine a mettle, lending excellent support to the vocalist, himself complementing with measured and pleasing touches. Ramabha- ndran’s sensitive percus- sive support enhanced the rhythmic overtones in the edifying re- cital Two rare kritis of Thyagaiaha, and Muripemu G a 1 i g e (Mukhari) lent an enlivening touch to ShakunfaJa Narasimhan’s recital on July 11 (9.15 a.m). Her voice modulation, thanks to her felicity in the Hindustani style added to the aural impact in lhc rendition. Ramapriya (Matange) revelled with some tantalising ‘sangatis* in the upper reaches, the kriti delineated with cus- tomary flourish, R.A. Ramamani has the telling capacity to bring essence in a raga. Her essay for Simhendramadhyama (Ninne Nammiti) was characteristic with a trained voice that aligns per- fectly with *sruti\ Rama lent a dignified touch to a raga, a fleeting feeling highlighting the rendition in the popular Vasiidevachaiya kriti. Bhairavi (Raksha Bittare) was as elaborate in its aural edifice, the enun- ciation heightened with some lilting touches. The kriti was embellished with a full array of ‘sargams’ in sarvaiagu. Sustained support by the staffers as accompanists was a special feature of the concert. Geeta Munhy's vocal on the fol- lowing day (8.30 a,m) was also in a upbeat mood, though the sruti seemed a wee bit non-cooperative. But the form in her Vachaspati (Pahijaga- jjananii) was convincing. The Hindustani vocal by Parame- shwar Hegde, one of the senior stu- dents of Basavaraj Rajguru, at once revealed that he has a trained voice. M.K'Saraswathi His Kausi-Kanada (Rajanake Kripa) as it progressed in its sonorous alap grew with proper Nyasa and phraseol- ogy. The "ban dish’ was chisel led with lovely taans, a quick denouement in the faster tempo leaving a fleeting feeling on the listener. The South Zone hook-up on July 21 (10 p.m) was a surpise packet, Rohini Venkatachalam, the vocalist was ably supported by Vanamala Dikshit on the violin. If the Begade piece Vallabhanayakasya provided a pleasant start, it was reinforced with a chaste, but brief alap for Vachaspati (Kantachudu).The pick of the concert was the balanced representation Rohini gave to Shankarahharana. The kriti Shankaracharya was redo- lent with a neat 'niraval 1 and spacious swara passages. Shanmukhapriya was the main- stay in the veena recital of V.Veena (July 22, 8.30 a.m). Though the alap itself did not offer much by way of melodic delight, the kriti Marivere glowed with some elegant cadences. An unpardonable fax pans in the an- noun cemen t m arked the openi ng of V . Chitra’ s vocal recital later at 9.30 a. m. The name of the raga of Paranmukha is Kanada, not Kannada as announced. The rendition itself could not do full justice to the popular GNB composi- tion. But Chitra* s voice attained an emotional touch as she intoned the line Niradharamu. That impact was, however, short lived as neither the alap for Saveri nor the familiar Kannada pada Parakumaadade could Subscribe fo vouch far a sustained technique. Anunda-bhairavi (Manasa Gurugu h a) s h o wed S uma Sudhee nd ra (July 2, 8.30 a m) in good fettle. The alap itself was marked for its preci- sion, the kriti glorying in the famous ‘Gopuchayati’ foray. But Purvikaly- ani was not as convincing, having had to depend on the kriti (Meenakshim) for its credible design. V.K alavari 1 s Shanmukhapriya had a dignified aura with meaningful sta- sis in the upper reaches. The lovely kriti Ahhimanamuto was as emotional in its denouement, glorying in the effusion of lilting ‘sangatis’. The rare de voti o aal Rogaharan a ( B ageshri) was enjoyable due to its lyrical fidelity. ESSENCE PHOENIX + It reaches you by post every month with no extra cost Annual Subscription: Rs 50-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 to be sent to: The Circulation Manager, PHOENI X 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560C09 Do you have a festival programme? You arc now entitled to square your shoulders and strut a little, and oh ! so politely, invite friends and foes alike to please witness the event. *1 ’ d love to have you/ Such is the esteem with which dancers hold festi- val programmes, vying with each other to perform in the pick of the season. And as Indians, we are festi ve Lhe year round. We have festivals for festivals - and celebrate Pongal, Ramanavami, Ugadi, Diwaii, Dashera, Ganesh Chathurthi and what have you ? Why I A festival every month of course! We have festivals to celebrate the season- Vasantha habba, for instance festivals are organised at historical monuments to promote tourism - Pattadakal, Hampi, Somanathpur, Badami, Mysore, Tala Cauvery - and all the tourism we have, is the entire artiste fraternity from Bangalore. W e h a ve govern ment fes Li vals and non-go vemment festivals - the former usually in dull, drab, areas, and the latter, full of sparkle and glamour, and yes, pots of money. The non-govcm ment types can be further classified into two - the ciga- rette festivals and the non-cigarette festivals, the former again out-glam- our the latter. Next time you have a smoke, remember a small part of the revenue, probably funds a musician or dancer. In addition, we have festi- vals with speeches and speeches with festivals - the latter are more popular with politicians and academicians 9 and the former with the dancers. * Festivals can also be technically cl as s i fi ed - mu si c cu m dance festi vals , dance drama festivals, solo dance fes- tivals, modem dance festivals and so on. There are festivals with lectures, with seminars, festivals for the young, festivals for the old. We have the well known festivals - Khajuraho, Surya, or an entire sea- son of festi vals as in Madras. Wc have failed, 1 think, in enumerating the most common sort - just festi vals -festivals for no apparent rhyme or reason, occa- sion or season - just to ha ve a festival ! In the mad frenzy of festivals, month after month, year after year, in the maze of dancers, performances, new items, experiments, innovations, and creations, Tve forgotten to men- tion a basic ingredient. To be 'festive' of course - to breathe in the air of incense and jasmine, to live a few moments amongst the rustle of silks, and the strains of the tanpura, and peacefully coexist in atmosphere of artistic camaraderie and companion- ship.# Next Issue Cover Story on Bangalore K Venkatram Tuneful Encounters Calling Air Manu's In Lighter Vein Know your artistes and Editorial HH s ' . r • _ • - - mz - . Wm Phoenix September 1996 Pad mini Ravi: Deftly Combining a Dual Role S.N.Chandrashekar W en a dancer at the apex of her career as a performer takes to teaching, one tends to be a little sceptical of the venture. An inevitable busy schedule, one fears, may seldom permit her to be regular in her duties as a tutor. Besides, few artistes are known to effecti vely combine in themselves the dual role. For, the ability to teach presupposes not only the expertise of a performer, but also a sound and rational understanding of the idiom. Only then can it facilitate communi- cation which is so essential to be a successful teacher. One dancer who subscribes to such a proposition is Padmini Ravi, one of the senior- most artistes of the State. In her case it must be conceded that the two dispensations began almost simultaneously. That is when mar- riage made this graceful dancer shift her abode from Madras to Bangalore, That was two decades ago, in 1970 to be exact. Before that, as a senior stu- dent of K J. Saras a she had made a name as a competent dancer. The fil- ial bond between the Guru and her pri me disciple was so strong that even after Padmini settled down in her new home, Sarasa made it a custom to be present every time Padmini performed or introduced a student through a Vanga praveshah She delighted to suppport either in Naituvangam. But initially, the conjugal com- pulsions had prevented Padmini from giving as much time to dance as she would wish. The result was frustra- tion. The only therapy was dance. She was able to overcome the depression and the consequent ennui only after she resumed dancing. Her very first appearance in the City heralded Padmini s inherent tal- ents and won laurels from professionals and students alike. That paved the way for setting up the Pradhan Dance Centre (1980) which instantly attracted a bevy of young, earnest girls and a couple of boys too* It speaks volumes for her tenacity that since then she has been steadfastly discharging the duties of a performer and teacher to the satisfaction of ev- eryone concerned, Padmini has been able to achieve such an enviable distinction entirely due to her studious devotion to the art, her searching mind looking for ideas from all available quarters so as to attain perfection in details. More im- portant is her undivided loyalty to Bharathanaty am. Whi lemany a dancer to day is preoccupied with the impact of the whole. Pad mint can be seen triumphing in subtle nuances, her out- ings marked for precision in line and rhythm. Indeed, seldom can one Find such exactitude in the all important ‘ara mandi’ stance, the ful I gravity of which is not easily maintainable due to the increasing complex Adavus that complement it. But its ability to lend strength and character to the form can never be over-emphasised* The other virtue in Padmini is fluidity. It is this special characteris- tic, flexion- 11 lied, langrous angikas that make Padmini 1 s dance a wondrous spectacle, A Nritta with such attributes could be a near treat and if a dancer is endowed with a command on her ‘mukhija’ as it is often in Padmini’s abhinaya, the result can be a class apart. No wonder she has been recognised as one of the top artistes in ihe genre today. The coveted invita- tion to her to dance in the ensuing annual nusic festival of the presti- gious Music Academy, Madras and in the inaugural of the Karnataka Utsav in New Delhi earlierinlhe last week of Septeml>er are eloquent testimonies to her reputation as a sensitive dancer* These are besides the many other pre- cious appearances earlier. It is for the same reason that danc- ers and iancc enthusiasts in the other parts of the globe like Germany, Hol- land, Switzerland and several cultural centres n the United States are crav- ing to see her dance and arc constantly drafting her sen ices to brush up their styles. Thus, like many of her com- peers like the Dhananjayans, Kalanidhi, Narmada, to name only a few, Padmini has become a peri pa- teti c perfo rmer-teacher of i n temat ion al repute v/hich is as it should be* As she confesses, it has become a hectic schedule, and challenging as far as fixing priorities is concerned. But it is not without its own edifying prospect of nurturing many talent, an endeavour that has given her immense pleasure and satisfaction. Already there aie among her local students names Lhai have made a grade like the Kirans (Sandhya and Subramaniam), Nivediti, Nandita, Hema, Hamsni, Preeti, her own daughter Lakshmi whose proficiency in Nattuvangam is unques i o nabl e , an d m any others . Wi th her uns inted approach, there is no doubt that she would soon add some more names to the list from across the seas. They will ensure a continuity of the illustrious line of Pradhan Dance Centre, That is a contribution that should do proud to any artiste worth the name! ■ I3T Where » are We Headicing? Padmini Ravi People at the beginning of Thretayuga were leading a mixed life of misery and happiness subjecting thcmsel ves to the elemental passion of lust, greed and musuilanity. So in or- der to inculcate into them the spirit of adhering to the just way of l i fe, Brahma was approached and the N atya Veda was created in the hope of creating intel lectual advancement and leading people towards righteousness and proper order of living. Times have changed. Attitudes have changed. Values have changed and more than anything we have changed. We are walking through a phase where people are no more inter- ested in the values of life. The word culture, when defined, means a way of life. India could boass all these years of her ancient cultural heritage, which really meant the positive way of life of an extremely brilliant race of people. But no more, today, because we no more have if India is going through a dark phase culturally. A sad phase not worthy of its great heritage. The world is progressing and the technological and scientific achieve- ments have positively confueed India culturally. When a civilisation is progressing there is nothing negative about it. Bui ironically it is not positive progress that we see today. Ours is a civilisation which is so sophisticated and advanced with 5000 year history. India has pro- duced some of the greatest men in every field. But why sudden degen- eration of values all around us? Analysed from the angle of a clas- sical performing art- dance, it has just become an old tradition without direc- tion. Let us look at the prevailing situation with a sense of detachment. A dancer, when asked whether she is happy being a dancer, says no. Be- cause she has no platform to perform and she does not get what she de- serves. A teacher when asked, says he or she is not happy. Because there is a very synthetic interest among the students and she gets no satisfaction. When organisers are asked whether they would put up classical dance per- formance. the answer is no. Because they are not able to get a crowd. When sponsors are asked for support, the answer is no. Because in their own language they do not get any mileage. So, a 2000 year old tradition is not wanted by anyone. If I am a dancer, I am deeply hurl, because after helping a civilisation for so many years, now comes a day when no body wants me. Who is responsible for this situa- tion? Whose fault is it anyway? Each one of us is responsible. This age old tradition had survived in some form or the other which can be found through literary and historical evidence. But the form in which it exists today is just about a little over 100 years old. As is well know n by every one the Devadasi system (temple dancers) was abol- ished in 1 948 to change the art form. Here too we see dance having been abused for no mistake of it. Dance which originated as an entertainment, slowly got transformed as a temple ritual. Bharatha has never mentioned what to do but just how to do, ■ li So we transformed dance into a temple art. We made it dirty and finally w t c purified i t by abolishing the Devadasi tradition and giving it a sta- tus. But did it help? Yes, but only tor sometime. The term ‘shringara* or the dement of love was cautiously wiped out and ‘bhaktf or devotion became the ultimate goal of dance. The contra- diction is but glaring. Temples which are places of worship where dance exi sted coul d not hold the purity which meant that it was we the people who were responsible and not the art or the artistes. When dance came to the auditori- ums and became a prestigious art form to be learm by the elite we are facing many problems. During evolution dif- ferent problems are faced at different tomes which have to be dealt differ- ently. So, when the Devadasi system was abolished “erotic love f had to be eliminated and the terms ‘spiritual love' and 'Indian sacred dance' had to be used. But in an age w here Western culture has, unfortunately, become so popular through media these terms have no significance. Today dance is a product which has to be marketed un- der the guise of sacred ness. In a to- tally materialistic world spirituality has no place. So why misuse the word tradition and ruin the art form? Bharatanatyam, a very rich and self-sufficient form, today is in great danger. People who learn, do so for the wrong reasons. People who pro- mote for selfish reasons and of course the people who watch, consider it a punishment. Why is this happening? It is because of the narrow mindedness of the so called purists. Dance in the form which exists today can in no way be called an old traditional style. The purists or the premier institutions which regenerated dance have unfor- tunately become so close minded and 11 Music Organisations of Bombay self appreciative, that they have stopped growing. Anything that does not evolve stagnates. Art is self ex- pression* When an individual stops thinking, art stagnates. Unfortunately artistes either do not think or they are not allowed to think. This is a fast moving world where everything and everyone around us has changed. Dance has become outdated and thus no one wants it. What can we do to repair the situation? Each one of us has to strip the ego and and come out of the cocoon of selfishness and think of dance and not of ourselves. While learning or performing, let us think and accentuate the brilliance of the form and give the audience something that will make them think and lead them to a righteous life as Bharatha wanted. Let us make the audience happy, which does not mean that the level of Lhe art has to be reduced, which has become a com- mon line of argument by the purists. But by relating to them in a way that art form will not die* One fears whether there would be any one to patronise or enjoy this traditional form and any- thing that is not patronised and en- joyed will die a natural death. Where is this tradition heading to? ■ Sangeet Mahabarati 1 Oth Road, Juhu Vile Parle Devel- opment Scheme, Bombay 400049 Music Triangle C-4 Sahakar 5th Road, Santacruz (E), Bombay 400055 Sri Tyagaraja Sabha Matunga, Bombay 400019 Naadayala Anish Apartments, 1 Floor, Amdhen (E) Bombay 400069 Tours Many of our readers want the addresses of music s abb as. Here are the addresses of prominent music organisations in Bombay* Fine Arts Society Plot 16/21, RX.Marg, Chembur, Bombay 400071 Karnataka SanghaDr M, Visveswaraya Smarak Mandir Moghul Lane, Near Matunga Road Station, Mahim (W), Bombay 400016 Mulund Fine Arts 1 Fadmavathi, Opp Valjee Road, Mulund (W), Bombay $30080 Nehru Centre Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli, Bombay 400018 N C P A (Subhash Chandran) Dorabji Tata Road, Nariman Point, Bombay 400021 Rasika Ranjani Sabha 2/22 SaVithri Kunj, Garodia Na- gar, Ghatkopar (E), Bombay 400077 Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha 4/2, Il-A, Kirti Kunj, Deodhar Road, Matunga, Bombay 400019 Music Triangle M.S. Vasan,GmShanti, 1 6th Road, Bombay 400054 Bharatiya Music and Arts Society Bhaudaji Road Extension, Matunga, Bombay 400019 Sree Valiabh Sangeethalaya Sion (W), Bombay 400016 Bhakta Rasika Ranjani Sabha 17/C Kanchanjunga, Anushakthi Nagar, Bombay 400074 Bandup Fine Arts B/705 Usha Nagar, Bhandup, Bombay 400078 The Fine Arts Society R. Chemburkar Marg, Chembur, Bombay 400071 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Chowpatty, Bombay 400022 K.S.Gopalakrishnan (flute), M. Ch a n d ra$ ekh ar a n (violin) and Guruvayur Dorai (mridangam) left on September 4 to USA and Canada on a ten day concert tour* Arena Sairam (vocal), R. Hemalatha (violin), M.R. Sainath (mridangam) and Sukanya Ramagopal (ghatam) are leaving on September 18, to Switzerland and European countries. Amrutha Narain (vocal), M.S. Govindaswamy (violin) and M.A. Krishnamurthy (mridangam) on a 12 week tour to USA. ■ .•••• ■ v L wm view of lusIc and dance ' . : 'f scenario read , , . : r-m [j ' 12 Tuneful Encounters-8 The Genial Vainika S.N.Sivaswamy I had met Doreswamy Iyengar much before we came to work to- gether at AIR, Bangalore. He was performing regularly at AIR, Madras, when I was there as a Programme Executive, way back m the forties. Ours was always a happy get to- gether of two Kannadigas, I had the privilege of hearing in first person Doreswamy Iyengar's great guru, Venkatagiriappa also at the Madras station of AIR. Every visit of Doreswamy Iyen- gar to Madras was for me a new experience as he varied his repertoire every time. More than, it was his genial personality, his ready beaming smile and his spirit of cooperation shown during a recording or a live concert endeared him to me and my colleagues* Later, when he was producer of music at AIR, Bangalore, 1 had the pleasure of his company everyday, at official meetings, at the coffee house, and across our office tables. We sat together with PX Narasimhachar, the great poet, for the production of his delightful operas. Narasimhachar had a musical form in his mind for every one of his compositions but could not dentify the ragas or could hum the tunes out for us. It took Doreswamy Iyengar' s genius to fathom the poet' s inner most mind and come out with the right tune every time, I consider those meetings with the great artistic talents as among my most memorable musical experi- ences* Much later, when I had retired from AIR and Dooidarshan, I spent a I ittle ti me every year at Madras during the music festivals, when I attended many a concert by eminent musicians, along with my wife and my lather in law. One such concert we chose to attend was Doreswamy Iyengar’s veena recital The concert hall was in I mentioned this to my father in law, an ardent mu sic lover, he said Mohan a was among the most beautiful ragas* And Doreswamy Iyengar proved it that day with a scintillating rendering of the raga. Oliver Road, and the three of us had At the erit ] 0 f he concert, when 1 seats in the front row* For the main wcm up the dais to congratulate raga of the concert Doreswamy Iyem Doreswamy Iyengar on the excel- gar had selected Mohana (/Mohana 1 cnee of his performance, he stunned Rama’ if I remember). Honestly, till me w j t h the modesty of his reply, then I had my misgivings about the H how can it be otherwise when rasikas sustaining quality of Mohana. When \^ Q you are sitting in front of me !" The Glory of Indian Music T: re art of music is the heart of Indian culture. Its origin can be traced back to the hoary past. It sprung from the divine feet of Goddess Saraswathri The large sky of Indian music is studded with the most brilliant stars like Tyagaraja, Tansen etc. Every state has produced Us own sublime stars. Later slowly but steadily it grew into a Ganges of superbly modulated melody. This Ganges spread across the sprawling length and breadth of Indi a col I ecting i nto i tself se veral tri bu- taries of music from the great masters of the different states of India. The golden fingers of our ancient virtuosos had perfected the techni cali- ties and sound sweetness of music. They practised music as a divine tapasya, For them music was a sadhana, a concentrated e ffort of heart and soul to reach the glorious end a moksha. In India, music is intended to serve the religious and spiritual needs of human soul Indian musicians ex- press their religious and spiritual aspirations through this sweet medium of sound. On the holy soil of India, Valmiki sang the song of Ram ay ana, Vyasa tuned the melodies of Mahabharatha, Jay adeva enthralled and captivated In- dia by the sweetest turns of music in his Gita Govinda. Above all Sri Krishna's flute-melodies in Blind a van stirring for ever in the hearts of all people. It is an unforgettable experi- ence to listen to any inspired piece of music of a truly great master. So every Indian bom on this sanc- tified soil can be happily proud of the great tradition of music that has be- come a Ganges of melody flowing through the hearts of all who come in touch with India's entrancing songs of pure sweetness. M. C.Narasaraju Chiral a 13 Phoenix Se City Dancer Featured in Mumbai Fete Padmaja Surest) R itu Sringara, a dance feature based on apposite verses in Hindi and tuned to a blend of Carnatic and Hindustani melodies, was the highlight of the three -day Mini Monsoon festival of music and dance of the Fine Arts Society of Chembur, started on July 26. Rain Drops A two day festi val of classical dance was organised at the Godrej Dance Academy Theatre, Bombay on July 5 and 6 } 96, The feature was choreographed and danced by Padmaja Suresh of Bangalore, daughter of K.K, Raj an, a votary of Chakiyar Koothu. Padmaja is proficient in both Bharathanafyam and Kathak. On the second day, Gopika Vcrma, a student of Kalyani Kutti Amnia doyen of M oh ini at Lam, gave an exposition for a selection of Swati Timnal compositions in that style. A unique JugalbandhP involving popular Kadri Gopal n ath on S axo ph one and Ronu M aj u md ar of Calc u tta on the flute provided a fitting finale lo the enjoyable fete. A. Kanyakumari on the violin, Gumvayoor Dorai on mridangam and Abhijeet Banerjee on tabia were the accompanying artistes in the event for the first time in Mumbai. In the Society's talent promotion eoncerUwo young aspirants were featured. While Gouri Krishnamoorthi, a student of Sound ary a Natya Kalalaya (Garotiia Nagar) impressed with her Bharathanatyam, Vidya Rajeev pre- sented a Carnatic vocal recital Narayan Parthasaralhy (violin), Gouri Shankar (mridangam) and Hari (kanjira) fonned the supporting team for her recital. Indraril Mukherjee (Kathak), Debi Baso (Qdissi), Madhuri Patil (Mohiniattam) and Vaibhav Arekar (Bharat anaiyam) gave performances, Meenakshi Seshadri, student of Charumathi Ramachandmn gave a Car natic vocal performance at the Mulund Fine Arts, Bombay on June 3, 96. She was (mridangam). A lecture demonstration on the role of the bandish in Khayalgayaki was organised at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay on July 7, 96 V.R. Athavale, a scholar of music initiated the de- bate. Traditional bandishes were presented by his disciple, Nisha Nigalye Parasnis. 14 More Youngsters to the Fore in Devnandan Fest T he Devnandan Yuva Sangeetotsav, cdebraLing its decennary this year, has gained an important place in Lhe cul- tural calendar of the City. With the launching of Smriti-Nandan ; a cul- tural centre by Lalita Ubhaykar* the well-known Hindustani vocalist, the annual fete jointly organised by her and Sursagar has ensured a perma- nency for the popular festival. Many young aspirants who have figured in this annual have now grown in stature, winning laurels for them- selves and their gurus. Some of them like Shubendra Rao (sitar), Rupak Kulkami (flute), Rashid Khan (vo- cal), Sangeeta Shankar (violin), Subhra Cuba (vocal), Yogesh Samsi (tabla), Sanjeev Abhayankar (vocal), Sarathy Chatterjee (vocal), Gundecha Broth- ers ( vocal -Dhmpad), and many others are in demand all over the cou ntry and abroad. The sponsors of Lhe festival justly feel proud that they had pro- vided the spring board for their blooming into mature artistes. The current festival which started on August 17, featured seven artistes, including a husband and wife team and the Gundecha brothers. One dare say all of them showed promise, while the Dhrupad duo for whom this is a repeat appearance after their debut in 1992, it was a tryst with a familial ambience. The other duo was Sriram Parasuram and Ami rad ha* Sriram, Madras, Sriram is an accomplished violinist in the Carnatic style. C.R.Vyas is his Guru in lhe Hindustani style which has already won tor him several awards, including the Surmani and the Amir Khan memorial. Pres- ently he is the Executive Director of Sampradaya, a Ford Foundation * funded research institute in Madras. His wife Anuradha is no less distinguished. Well versed in all the three styles of music as Sriram, ?he is a well-known play-back singer for Tamil and Hindi movies, winning the Dr L Jayalalitha Cine Award for the best female play-back singer in Tamil for 1995. She also has the awesome distinction of winning a platinum disc for record sales of her song in the i lindi film Ram jane. In their morning concert the two- some aired a rare raga Sagara, be- lieved to have been created by the guru of Sriram’s guru CR.Vyas. It w as pleasant listening, though the more familiar Miya-ki-Malhar was not as evocative. But their style, the vibrant sonority of Sriram romantically bal- anced in Anuradha’ s flashy tonality was enjoyable. The two-day fare got to a bright start with lhe vocal refrain of Kirtikumar Radseshi, a senior student of Vinayak Torvi. He presented khayals in Bhoop and Bhinnashadj. His mellow voice makes for a lyrical appeal. As impressive was the flute recital of Rupak Kulkami, a student of veteran Hari prasad Chaurasiya. His Bageshri was elaborate with spacious taans, though short in resonance. The other artiste was also an instrumental- ist. Pradeek Chaudhury the sitarist is the son of the seasoned Debu Chaudhury. The youngster is an M.A (Music) of Lhe Delhi University. His Gurjari Thodi revealed a proportioned representation of the morning melody. The artistes were supported by as competent a team of ebullient youths comprising Udayaraj Karpurand Artis Pradhan on table and the dependable Vyasamurthy Katti on the harmonium. 15 Maharashtra Apex Festival by Nadanta Academy of Dance and Music Nadanta Academy of Dance and Music, Bangalore is organising the Maharashtra Apex-Para m para festi- val from September 27 to 29. 96. Venue: Bangalore Guyana Samaja September 27. 6- 15 pm: Saxophone recital by Kadri Gopalnath, Kanyakumari (violin), Bangalore Pravin (mridangam), Srishaila (ghata) and B, Rajashekar (morchmg). 7- 50 pm: Sugama Sangitha by Puttur Narasimhga Nayak and Snehaja Praveen. September 28. Venue: Ravindra Kalakshetra 6-00 pm: Vocal concert by So VidyabhushanaThirthaSwamiji, B.U. Ganesh Prasad (violin), Anantha Subramanyam (mridangam) andM.A. Krishnamurthy (ghatam). 7-35 pm: Hindustani vocal by Parameshwar Hegde, Vyasamurthy Katti (Harmonium) and Ravindra Yavgal (Tabla). September 29. Venue: Ravindrakalakshetra 6- 00 pm: Vocal recital by T.V.Rama- prasad, V.N. Ravi (violin), Umayala- puram Sivaraman (mridangam) and T.V. Vasan (ghatam). 7- 45 pm: Dance- Bhavy a Rama Katha by Kiran Subramanyam and Sandhya Kiran, a dance festure on Lord Rama. Festival sponsored by: Maharashtra Apex Corporation Ltd, Manipal Agenda fra Septemb * Hi Phoenix September 1 996 by one of its proud employee K.V, Nandflkumar. The cassette was re- leased by Y/K, Muddukrishna,director Kannada and Culture, Government of Kamaiala, SBl General Manager V,R + Gundannavar presided over the function. From Here and There Laya Nada Sangam Rich tributes were paid by B . V. K. S as try, S.N, Chandrasekhar, $, Ramachandran and Rhaskar. Maithri Maithri, the cultural wing of the State Bank of India on August 1 7 had got up a pleasant function for the re- 1 ease of a cassette of H industani vocal Sri Vani School of Music and the Nandi Talavadya Academy had an interesting, composite programme to celebrate their anniversary on August 12 at Yavanika. After an impressive veena recital by master T. Pramod- kumar, 1-ay a Vidwan M V asudevaRao released a cassette entitled Laya Nada Sangam, directed by S.V. Giridhar, Later, A.V. Prakash of Mysore on the flute assisted by M*$* Govindaswamy on the violin and Anoor Anantha- krishna S harm a on the mridangam gave the lead for an absorbing percus- sion interlude. Bangalore K.Venkatram who was the chief guest on the occasion, ho- noured artistes, M.S, Srinivasamurthy (flute), BR.Seshadri tmridanga). Pad- mini Rao (Rharathanatyam) and R . S . Anan th aramai ah (p ere uss ion) . The pleasant function concluded after the vocal recital by Nandakumar who was accompanied on the tabla by M.Nagesh and on the harmonium by Umakant Puranik. Homage to Chittibabu On August 1 8, the local Bharatiya Vidya 8 ha van and the Chittibabu M emori ai Com mi ttee, joi ned toge t her to pay homage to the veena maestro who passed away recently. A veena quartet by four youngsters led the Shraddhanjali to the popular Guru who had among his many students Che local favourites Suma Sudheendra and Shanti Rao. It was followed by brief recitials on the veena by R + K, Suryanarayana, Rajalakshmi Tiruna- rayanan, Shanti Rao and Suma Sudheendra. V.S. Rajagopal on mridangam and B.K.Chandramouli on Kanjira accompanied them. A dance feature based on the veteran 1 s compositions by the students cl Pad mini Ramachandran and a video- visual cassette clipping of the master formed part of the programme. T. V.Gopalakrishnan inaugurating the festival O ver 300 students of schools and colleges in various parts of the City took part in a youth music festival and competition to pay homage to flutist B.N. Suresh at the Odakattur Math recently. The three-day fiesta from July 26 was organised by the Indian Institute of Music and Arts (TIMA) of Kalyana Nagar, thus launching another Sabha in the City. Pri zes were given away in as many as 26 categories, including dance and music. Mridangam maestro T. V. Gopala- krishanan who presided over the valedictory function and also headed the panel of judges, exhorted young musicians to adorn a professional ap- proach so as to face any situation in a concert or a competition, In ner welcome address, l IMA Managing Trustee, Loehana Ashok Kumar disclosed that the Institute be- sides the annual competition, would organise workshops in the different aspects of music in different parts of Brief recital by outstanding prize- winners was an added attraction at the function. Subscribe to Vadavati. A disciple of Pandit Jambaldanm, one dare say he has im- bibed the sensiti ve style of his mentor convincingly. As one mulls over the pieces in Bhimpalas, Maru-Behag, Ch ay an at and so on , it is revealing that Narasimhulu should be as impactful in his vocalisation as in his blowing technique. He has a pleasing voice and he uses it tunefully. It augurs well for the cassette se- nes and to Narasimhulu himself that the venture was blessed by the senior- most guru of the tradition, Pandit ' .-V ■ s:W:V>" Puttaraj Gawai who released it in Raitbur on the occasion of the 57th death anniversary observance of Panchakshari Gawai. Stotra Sudha Lahari SWARA SANG AM A of Raichur under the banner of SS Stereo (SS- Kai valya Kirana by Pandit Narasimhalu Vadavati (Swara Sangama, RaichurSS 001 Stereo Rs 35-00} Vi +-,: J ?S- ■ 001 ) could not have thought of a more enduring collection to launch its cas- sette series than the priceless lyrics of Nijaguna Shivayogi, the well-known mystic. The seven lyrics under the title “Kai valya Kirana” were set to music by the late Siddarama Jam bald an ni t one of the most pcpular singers of die lighter variety like Vachanas, Tattva Padas, etc. He had popularised many of them during his life time. Stotra Sudha Lahari by M.A, Meera and M. A. My thilL Devotional Stotras in Sanskrit on Venkateswara and Krishna (Bhakti Dhwani, Bangalore Stereo Rs 33-00)* J AGG U S i ngricn gar s Venkatesha Padavalamba Stotra is as sacred to Srivaishnavites as the ageless Sri Kri shnakamamri ta of Leela S uka. The devout recite them in their daily prayers. The artiste who has rendered the seven lyrics is the well-known The two masterpieces have been clarionet-player Narasimhulu set to music by Timmalc Srinivas. Meera and Mailhili, the talented daugh- ters of Vidwan M,A. Narasimhachar have rendered them as articulately and in a style which is striking for its lyrical overtones The cassette of this rendition has been made by Bhakti Dhwani (Ganakala Mandira, 162/107, III Cross/V main, Thy agaraj anagar. Bangalore - 560028). It makes for good listening. Dasa Sankeertane Dasa Sankoertane by N, Sreemathi Jayaram. (Sree Produc- tions, Bangalore Stereo Rs 30-00). The devoted fervour in the mel- low voice of Sreemati Jayaram brings alive some oflhe most popular com- positions of the celebrated saint singers of Karnataka in a cassette released by Sree Productions (220/25, III Main, Vyalikaval, Bangalore 560003). The tunes set to these ditties of famous Kannada literati have a lingering im- pact, exemplifying their expressive lyricism. One of them dueted by Sreem ati w i th H . K . Naray ana (Ka mal a Komala) stands out for its sonorous quietude. 17 Know your Artistes H.S.Venugopal Flautist H.S. Venugopal{37) l popularly known as Venn amongst his friends, had his initial training under vidwan A. V, Prakash of Mysore when he was 14 and later from vidwan MS * Srinivasa Murthy of Bangalore, He has been performing both as a solo musician and accompanying artiste and has participated in many music festivals ai major cultural centres all over the country. Bom in Mayasandra in Tumldir district to H. Srinivasa Murthy, who was a school teacher and H.S, V Jayaiakshmi* had his schooling at Mayasandra and joined his grand mother, Rukimniarnrna, a singer at Mysore and pursued his education there. After graduating from the Mysore University in 1978 he joined Indian Bank in 1979. He is now a cashier at the K.G. Road branch, Venu is a popular artiste among dance troupes. He has performed at the Ugadi music festival at Mysore in 1991 and has participated in pro- grammes organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture, Government of Karnataka and Indian Council for Cultural Relations for National Inte- gration, Doordarshan and AIR. He has taken part in the unity concerts for National Integration organised by the Madras Telugu Academy at New Delhi. He was one of the members of the troupe in Dr Francis Barboza En- semble which extensively toured Germany and other Europe an coun- tries and took part in the Musica Sacra Interna- tional, a musical meeting of major world religions at Marktoberdorf, Ger- many and in the festi val, Rituelen Festival in Tongeren Belgium. Venugopal, apart from playing for dance performances has also composed music lor many dance bal- let and devotional songs. The devotional songs cassette, C hand ana, released by the G.M.L, Academy of Bangalore was composed by him. H. S. Yen ugopal r 61, II cross, III East Main, ITI Layout, Behind Vidyapeeta , Bangalore 560085. H.S.Sudhindra 'I f r>v • 1 • r . 1 s •• •!-•.•••• H.S.Sudhindra (28) t is a popular young mridangam artisLe of Bangalore who had his training from vidwan N. Vasudeva Rao Mohite and later from vidwan Srimushnam Rajarao of Madras, He secured first rank in vidwath grade examination and won a prize in the talavadya competition conducted by the Karnataka Sangitha Nrithya Academy in 1 994. He participated in the classical music orchestra in 1989 directed by Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan on National Youth Award presenta- tion. Sudhindra regularly participates in the ) ay alahari, percussion ensemble established by late Anoor Rama- krishna. He has performed in various sahbns in Bangalore and Madras and has accompanied many leading vocal and instrumental artistes. Sudhindra is a ’ B grade artiste in AIR and is performing regularly at AIR tnd Doordarshan programmes. He has lent percussion support to many artistes in recording cassettes, A recipient of Central Government S cho I a rsh i p , $ ud h i ndra is an engi neer- ing graduate in Electrical Engineering from Bangalore University. H.S.Sudhindra, 12 t 28th dross t Geetha Colony \ 4th Block, Jayanagar, Bangalore 56001 1 © 6633623. Eiear Reader Your comments and views are most valuable to us and the others too. We shall gladly publish the best. But, for maximum impact and better coverage, make them brief. Send your com- ments to: The Editor, PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross, Gandhi- nagar, Bangalore 560009 18 JOURNAL ON MUSIC & DANCE ■ October 96 r p For more details, contact Enrol today, Rise to become an entrepreneur on your own merit! The continuously growing demand for skilled mini-lab technicians and Lab Managers will soon be fulfilled. 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The syllabus covers Intensive theory on Photography, Photo Finishing and Lab Management Hands-on training using the latest Konica Nice Print system - and Demonstration through sophisticated training and evaluation aids Institute of Imaging Technology 8 A, Biagathambal Street, Tsiungambakkam, Madtas-600 Q34 Telephone : 82336 F6 Fax : 044-499 1071 i 499 2351- Ptrtinax S-,N .Ch andrasekhar 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 560019 © 6675758 Editor Bangalore K Venkatram 183, gth Cross, II 81, lay an agar Bangalore 56001 1 © 6630079 Associate Editor RSundarntj 1 3 8 # 5 th Cro ss , G an d hi n aga r Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Ma nag in g Ed it or B. Rajushekar ©2216459 A d vermin g Manag er Representatives Ganapalhi Bhat Httbli -Dharwar K. Ramamurthy Rao Mysore Geeta Raja 9 Chhaya, Janvc-Jamshed Road M am n ga T E o mbay 4000 1 9 I© 41 2 2074 Annual Subscription: Rs 5tMH) Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulation Manager 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 {Cheques 10 be drawn on PHOENIX) RN 45468/87 - — ■ Vol 1 October 1996 No 12 Contents 4 Readers' Write 5 Editorial-Culture, Politics, Food 7 Ghatam Maestro with a Difference 8 w *■ Down Memory Lane 12 Krishnotsava 14 Calling AIR 17 Costal Colossus 19 Instant Culture 20 Cassette Causerie Cover Photo BANGALORE K VENKATRAM by N.Sundarraj Published by N.Janardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross , Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at iPC Grafics > Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 EADERS Write Probably AIR^DD broadcast clas- sic al music progr amines 1 at in the night deliberately lo avoid criticism as very few will listen to them. More such subjects must be re- peated often so that the slumbering bosses and bigwigs wake up and act, K.N. Anantharam, Bangalore Fine Write-up Appropos articles, 'Inheritor of a Glorious Tradition \ article on the achievements and life ot Veena Doreswami Iyengar, 'Mysore Bani in Veena 7 , article by V. Doreswami Iyengar and 'Master of the Strings article by S* Ramachandran. All these are finely brought out, 1 have come to understand from Vccna Doreswami Iyengar himself, that Veena Subanna had practised vocal classical music with Mysore Sada Siva Rao. This is really an added embel- lishment to Vainika Subbanna. That is why Subbanna lias become the Guru for vocal music to Asthana Vidwan Bdakavadi Srinivasa Iyengar whose book “Gaanamrulha 7 ’ is an asset to learners on Carnatic classical music. S* Ramachandran directly ques- tions, “But do we have many creative artistes in the true sense of the Lerm ?”. The answer to this question is more pessimistic than optimistic, Doreswamy Iyengar is a true creative arti si w ho h as tru e ly el e vated cl a ssical music from the general gloom that appears to have settled on it. He really presents great compositions in the style they ought to be* The uniqueness of Doreswamy Iyengar is that he has a natural a vers ion for contact mike. His art of tana playing has attracted such glorious persons as Pal ghat Mani Iyer. This, in itself, is a great tribute to his uniqueness, *■ , . ■ H. JV* Rajanna, Bhadravathi In Defence of Prathhhtana When the editor is speaking of Karnataka Nrithya Pratishtana being superfluous, in the same breath he speaks of a glorious tradition Mysore bani in veena be true of dance ? When pandanallur, vazhvoor and Kanehi styles can prevail why not Mysore style ? As far as my knowledge goes these traditions of music and dance came down from the time of Vijayanagara period and spread with some variation, all over South India. If Karnataka has taken a lot from the Tanjorc quartet, they might have ear- lier imbibed a lot from the existent art of Vijayanagar empire, of which we can be proud of ! None of us has any prejudice agai nst 1 an gu ages o r peo pie. If one or two Kannada songs are danced, that docs not mean Tamil Nadu people are ready for integration and will team the best of Ab hi nay a from us. There is noLhing wrong in being proud of our language and art and hoping to prese rvc i t for poste ri ty . As artistes we have thoroughly enjoyed what we have learnt and definitely want to preserve it for our future generations and that is the aim of ‘Nrithya Karnataka 7 . Lalita Srinivasan , Director NUPURA, Bangalore Self Audition I read with interest you editorial ‘Self Auditi on 1 ( Ju ne 96) . Th i s i s wh at some of us were hesitating to write. It deserves and demands an urgent ac- tion by the authorities, how so ever delicate the position may be. In fact wrhat is true of AIR is true of DD also. Review Doordarshan I eagerly await PHOENIX just to see the 'Calling AIR". This is the only magazine in the country which evbaluales the AIR programmes. I ssuggestyou to take up reviewing the Doordarshan programmes also. Rajeshwari, Bangalore Vasudeva Keerthana Manjari M r Justice A, J. Sadashiva, of the KamatakaHigh Court released the cassette and book ‘Vasudeva Keerthana Manjari 7 at the packed au- ditorium of Sri Ramamandira Association, Bangalore on September 29,96. Speaking on the occasion secre- tary of the kendra and S* Krishnamurthy, for their services inthe cause of ' music f . S.B.Ramachandra Rao, former general manager, Bharat Electronics Ltd., Bangalore, who presided complimented the Kendra on its achievement* This was followed by a vocal con- cert by S. Shankar, accompanied by B.Raghuram (violin) and Vasudev (Mridangam). The cassettes and books were sold at the venue at a concessional price. Culture , Politics, Food The Karnataka Government is going a whole hog in promoting art and culture in the Stale. Whether in the munificence to the more than a dozen academics, institution of annual awards to worthies or conduct- ing festivals of art, the concerned departments like the Directorate of Kannada and Culture, Tourism, Youth Services and the department of Information and Publicity vie with one another to steal a march. Artists, both plastic and performing, also take it as a privilege to take part in all these activities, activities that call for approbation. But neither these departments nor the powers that be seem to realise that it could be disastrous to mix culture with politics or food. In such an eventuality, culture perforce takes a back seat, nay gets dismally humiliated. Yet it is surprising that this home truth should have escaped their attention. Perhaps the euphoria of it all is so overwhelming that it makes them turn a blind eye to the reality. But for the artists who would naturally feel elated at the prospect oj[ taking part in a State function, it is insulting when considerations other than aesthetic take precedence in > the order of things. Such philistine attitude is indeed a mockery ! That is what happened in the famous Rajgir festival in Bihar sometime ago when a reputed dancer cut short her recital anc another equally celebrated dancing couple withdrew from it. The experience back home is not more elevating. Instances are galore. In one such, a NRI dancer from America was slated to perform in a gl amorous function where more than half a dozen noted artists were being felicitated with State awards. As usual, the Chief Minister who was to give away the awards did not turn up. But his effusive note eulogising the services of each, together with the preambles from the reader, consumed a major part of the evening. The formalities with the concerned minister who gave awav the awards giving her own sermon befitting the occasion and the finishing touches stretched beyond the reasonable 8:30 p.m. And fay the time the stage was got ready for the dancer, there were hardly a dozen left in the hall. It was a chilling experience for the hapless da .cr who limply ran through the card. 5 an Phoenix October 1996 Another well-known dancer who was faced with a similar situa- tion was more articulate in her reaction. She was billed for the Independence Day entertainment. T he start was inordinately delayed, the Governor and the ChicT Minister who were to be the chief guests, forgiving themselves at the last minute. Much time was lost before the dancer got her turn lo go on stage, n ore than an hour behind schedule. And just when she was getting into her own with a Tarangain, the Minister for Culture took her leave, followed by her retinue and a whole contingent of officers of the department. The dancer was left with no option than to withdraw, but not bef ore she gave vent to her chagrin to the officer in charge. Distraught, the usually svave dancer lost her temper. At once she called it a day, hut not before going lo the mike and chastising the unbecoming audience for showing disrespect to a classical art which had added lustre to Indian culture. She also pleaded with the powers that be to keep culture away from politics ar d food if they were really proud of their heritage and wanted to promote it. Sane words from one who has dedicated her life for the art. Comments thereto are superfluous ! S. N. Chen ulras eka r The worst w as yet to be and tha . came in the prestigious Karnataka Utsav in New Delhi recently. It was a big event for the State, a proud son of which is the Prime Minister He was there with all his ardent admirers on time to inaugurate the three day fiesta that got on way with ■ a gala folk form. But by the time asenior B harath an aty am dancer went on stage all the fervour among the dignitaries was on the wane, especially with the richly flavoured eatables on the other side filling their nostrils. Even the Chief Minis er seemed preoccupied in discus- sions with his minions. This issue is sponsored by Smt and Sri V.Krishn an ■ Sri V.Krishnan is the Founder President of Parthasarathy Sangeetha Sabha and the General Manager (Commercial), Indian Telephone Industries, Bangalore. Sri Krishnan is a well-known philonthrophist who is helping many cultural organisations. He is the patron of Percussion Arts Centre, Ban, ore. 6 endeavour Phoenix October Cover Story Bangalore K Venkatram Ghatam Maestro with a Difference T he announcement of the Bangalore Gay ana Samaja that Bangalore K.Venkairam has been selected to preside over its annual music conference this yea:: die not come as a surprise to artistic circles in the State. The surprise was that the signal honour should have eluded this ardent, indefatigable anc trenchant lover of the an so long! Venkatram' s claim for the dis- tinction is not just as a ghatair vidwan, though his contribution in lhai disposition is not insignifi cant. He has provided ghatam accompaniment to more than three generation of vocalists and insiru mentalists in the company of stalwarts like Pal ghat Mani Iyer, Pal am Stibbudu, Muruga Rhupathy, etc. Yet he is not the senior-most in the genre, seniority both in respect of age and claim. His claim is buttressed by hU un- rivalled, long-standing service i i the cause of music and musicians. Ii is m that capacity that he has won the admiration and gratitude of artiste community. Honours such as these are only recognition of that service, something which should encourage such individuals to go on. Vcnkataram is one such individual whose life and work have acquitted himself creditably as events have proved. He has gracefully retired from his job, his brain-child, the Karnataka Gan aka la Parishath has established itself as a frontline organisation of musicians and the Percussive Arts Centre, his youngest offspring is mak- ing strides as a unifying force for artistes engaged in that pursuit. Amidst all this, he has not ne- glected his duty to his family, the ideal two- pi us -two having no grouse as far as fulfilling individual aspira- tions. Venkatram" s first love, however, has remained music with particular reference to percussion. Especially f r st h it (iimt 1 ra nnuati on he 1 \ . \ S bec n Viswanatha Sastry, a noted contem- porary composer, held with eclat in Madras not long ago, bears eloquent testimony to the Centre's expanding influence. With his inherent interest in per- cussive art, Vcnkataram in association with the Ayyanar College of Music has developed a Percussive Ensemble, co m p i i s i fig al most al 1 i nsi rument s i n vogue. The experiment has thrown open opportunities to youngsters in the line to fully explore the possibili- ties in rhythm-oriented exercises. Venkatram' s interest in vocal music is as abiding. The famed flu List B.N.Suresh was one such artiste lo have bene Hied by his knowledge of vocal music. With the cooperation of his wife, G.R.Jaya, who is herself a vocalisl of reckoning, he continues to impart traming to many vocalists like Padma Gurudatt, who has speeislised in singing the intricate *Avadhana Pallavi’. His daughter V.Kalavalhi has already made a name as a competent vocalist of both the classical and light variety. His son V. Krishna, on the other hand has taken after the father-opting for the percussion. His indeed is a sm al 1 fam Lly o f mu s id an s where one member complements the faculties of the other to share ihe joys of creative enriched the ambience in which be has lived and worked. Whether as a re- sponsible officer in a PSU or as an artiste, he has left the impress of his acumen in no uncertain terms. I f the one helped him in meeting the creature com forts, the other s erved as a succor to nurture his artistic sen- sibilities. In either case, he has giving his full-time for the Centre, especially with theGanakala Parishath getting its roots firm and unassailable. Like the latter, the Centre is also grow - ing in size and usefulness, extending the sphere of its activities beyond the confines of the State. The live-day con fere n ce i n co n n ect i on w i th the cen - tenary celebrations ol Mayuram For the small family of PHOE- NIX of which Vcnkataram has been a fri end and p hi loso p he r , it i s a happy occasion to rejoice. They join his numerous fans to congratulate Vcnkataram and complement the Sa- maja on its worthy choice. M y rein i n i s cc n ces in the fie 1 d of" music cover over live decades spanning asso- ciation of four generations of musicians, J owe my early entry into music to my father, post master S. Krishnaswamy Iyer who virtually forced me into it. Those were the days when weekiy meets of musicians were common fea- tures at Chamarajapet commencing from around J 0 p.m at the instance of the versatile vocal- violin vidwan L.S. N a ray an as w amy B h ag a va tha r and h i s brother advocate- musician L*S. Scshagiri Kao. ties for intimate association with him. When Manjunathan became very busy travelling and performing with him, A.V. Anand and myself were given murdangam practice with several ar- tistes who used to visit Manjunath. I remember artistes like S underraj a Iyengar, Hebbani Venkataramana Sastry, T. Srinivasacharya, N.L. Cheluvaraj, H,V, Vcnkataramtah, el al who used to sing for us. Anand who was senior to me used to provide mmdangam for several solo recitals of Chowdiah with Manjunathan on ghatam. Whenever My father, who was a keen admirer (himself would sing while shaving and while teaching my el der si ster Paru v at ha j n later Parvathy Krishna swamy), had an obsession for Shagavathar and Rao. I was put under ghatam vidwan. K.S. M an j un at han , who wa s a pro i egc of this fa m ily f My association with him lasted till his demise in 1989. Bangalore K. Venkataram and Jay a Venkatram My association with Manjunathan and later with the great violin maestro T. Chowdiah w as a pe ri od whi ch brough t enl ighten mem to me in a big way. Chowdiah used to stay at the Malabar Lodge at Chamarajapet, and sometimes at the residence of A. Venkobachar (mrudanga vidwan A. V. Anand’ s Manjunathan was preoccupied , 1 was asked to provide ghatam. Thus, 1 had several unique occasions to accom- pany Chowdiah in concerts. Mysore Vasudcvacharya's concert with Chowdiah, Ayyamuni [ycr (mridangam), Arunachalappa (harmonium) for which 1 played ghatam is still green in my memory. Other concerts of solo recitals which 1 played had ML.Veerabhadriah.T.M. Puttaswamiah, M.S. Rami ah f A.V. Anand on mrudangam. Greats like AriyakkudLMmin, Alathur, Madurai Man:, G.N.B, were the artistes with whom 1 bad opportunities to play be- cause of Chowdiah. I was fortunate enough to play with great mmdangam ido. Palghat JVIani Iyer, Palani Subramanya Pillai and C.S, Murugabhupathy. Before recollecting my assoc ia- t on with some of these greats, I would recall the days when I was exposed to giants of that generation through their con certs mainly at the Bangalore Gay ana Samaja. As 1 recall these from memory', thoughts could be dis- jointed. Around 1 94b, when I used to pass through the Shankariah Hal! on my way to the Bangalore High School, the English and Kannada placards would attract my attention to the details of the musicians scheduled for concerts in the Gayatia Samaja. That d< ; cad e a n d t he ne x t u r e re f b rm u I ail ve years of my career in music and 1 managed to attend all major concerts 0 '' the time. The admission to the concerts was fatherj.This opened lot of opportuni- -■ _ 8 wasCNB ' s concert with Palghat Mani who was felicitated on receipt of the Academi Award (then called President's Award), It was a packed hail GNB had brought a sruthi box and needed assistance to play it * Mani Iyer asked me to go up to the dais and play the sruthi box, which 1 obeyed V. Krishna and V . Kalavath: instantaneously. On seeing me on the platform Srinivasan sent word with Krishnappa to know how I got entry and 1 promptly produced the counterfoil Alter the concert 1 was asked to stay back. Srinivasan re- turned my ticket amount and also gave me a cover containing Rs 10/- for playing the sruthi. He questioned me on my regular attendance and wanted to know how I managed to be a disciple of ail the three at the same time. When i explained my predica- ment, he immediately issued a complimentary pass. From then on he would be enq u i ri ng abou I m y p rogre s s regularly. I admired him so much that I adopted his sense of punctuality and administrative qualities. When he was Financial Manager in Indian Telephone Industries, we had frequent discussions on music and musicians and it was in Gay an a Sa- maja that I first played and have been playing with several artistes. In 1956 when Palghat Mani Iyer and Alathoor Subbiyer were the secre- taries of the Thyagabrahma Sabha in Tiruvaiyaru, Mani Iyer ei i cou raged me by s ehed- uling me with Madurai Srirangam Iyengar, Madras Balakrishna Iyer (violin) and Kumbakonam Rangu Iyengar (Mrudangam) in a top slot. When i was about to climb thedais, Subbaiyer asked me as tow ho told me tojoin this group. When told of Mani Iyer's instructions he could not help allowing me. Later, after that slot, Subbaiyer hi mself sched- uled me for several senior slots. It was at that time that I met Umayalpuram Siva ram an who played with several seniors. I also met his father, Kasinathati at Kumbokonam. In 1 953, ChamarajapetSree Rama Seva Mandali organised a Nagasw aram recital of Tina vadulhurai T.N. Rajarathnam Pi 11 ai- S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao, the Secretary of the mandali asked metoplay ghatam for the concert. Gumvayur Dm*ai was the mrudangam artiste. This was relayed from the Mysore Station of All India Radio from 7,45 to 9 p.m. My name w' as announced as Bangalore The major concerts would be with one of the three greats, Palghat Mani Iyer, Palant Subtamanya Pillai or Muru gabh u path y . I would somehow' go to places where these artistes were lodged (mostly the Modem Hindu Hotel at Ananda Rao circle) and seek their patronage to Lake me as their disciple and take me to the concerts w ith them. They would oblige and I used to attend all concerts played by them. V ( T. Srinivasan, the secretary ofthe Samaja was a scrupulous person and would not tolerate anyone attending without a valid ticket. He would buy tickets even for his family members despite hosting the artistes in his home. Krishnappa, his assistant was equally efficient and strictly check every member. These two identified my attending all the major concerts and decided to catch me, it was a concert of Maharajapuram Vishwanalha Iyer with Papa and Murugabhupathy. 1 had met Murugabhupathy in a hotel on the SJP Road and arranged for myself to go with him. Immediately as we landed Krishnappa aecosted me and was promptly told by Murugabhupathy that he had brought me with him! V.T. Srinivasan and Krishnappa decided to keep a vigil over me. Once l went to a concert buying a ticket for Rs 6/- for the first time. It those who had tickets. A thatched barricade around the hall would pre- vent listening of the concerts from outside. There were no amplifiers except for some veena recitals. The original voice levels, instrumental tones and timbres could be heard in their natural sound levels without any distortions of any sort. 9 K.Venkataram. There was another Kadathur Venkataraman playing ghat am then and to identify me, 'Bangalore' was added and it has come to slay. When the l ham bo ora was being tuned, Rajarathnum PiUai noticed that the snjthi of my ghatam was slightly higher and he told me not to worry about it, is he was used to be accom- panied by Thavil which is not toned. On the platform, when he noticed that the sruthi of my ghatam was in tune with the thamboora, he checked up his sruthi box to satisfy himself that the th am bo ora had not been meddled with. He questioned if l had got another ghatam replaced. I replied that I had tuned the ghatam. He took the micro- phone and exclaimed' 1 what times have come; people have started tuning ghatams!' 1 Later, he appreciated my effort so much publicly that it boosted my career status. Around 1957-58. when flute B.N. Surcsh was being guided by me for concert planning and techniques, l took Surcsh to Adyar w here our grand old man, Mysore Vasudc vac h ary a had his abode. We were in Madras for a con- cert. Acharya asked Surcsh lo play. He rendered "RaaRaa Raajeevalocha- na'\ akrithi of Vasudevacharya him- self. He asked Surcsh who had taught the krithi. When told that I had taught him, I was asked how l learnt it. 1 had the script from "Vanfi’ the Tclugu Akashvani journal when Volcli Vcnkateswarulu was teaching in the ' learn to sing" broadcast from Vijayawada and Hyderabad. The notation for the charana in this script Ls slightly at variance with the one published in the "Vasudeva KcerthanaManjariT On noticing it, 1 appealed to Acharya that it be cor- rected and the original notation rc- s tore d . V as u de vach ary a explai n ed that the revised portion was aestheti- cally better and need not be changed. He advised us to stick to the "Vani" text. How great the Acharya was to say so. My association with Surest! was in 1955 when I had the occasion to meet B. Nilakantan, then Plant Engi- neer in the ITI. Ho was associated with ilutc Mali. Later, I joined ITI at the instance of Nilakantan. Soon I became one in his family. B.N. Ramesh, SureslVs younger brother learnt mrudangam under me. From ! 956, [ had been so closely associated with that family that we were consid- ered inseparables. The tonal quality of Surcsh inspired me so much that 1 took him into my f old and introduced him lo all accompanists of the day , violinists B. Vish wantha* A. Veera bhndriah, Anoor Ramakrishna , H.V, Krishnamurthy, R.R. Kesha vamurthy, P. B hu van esh- wariah, m rudangists C.K.Ayyamani Iyer, M.L. Veerabhadriah, H.P. Ramachar, Munajunathan and others. Later Lalgudi Jayaraman, M S. Gopala- krishnan, M. C hand rase kharan, V.V. Subramanyam provided violin sup- port with my mru dan gam. Pal ghat Mani Iyer consented and played for Suresh. It is very unfortunate that such a talented flautist should have met an untimely death, I was residing at Chamarajapet till 1952. When my father expired my family moved to the Viswes- warapuram residence of my elder sister, Paruvalham. My neighbour was C.K. Vcnkataramayya, then kannada transl ator lo the Government. HissonC.V. Nagaraj was a disci pie of Ganakala Bhushana L.Raja Rad (veena) with whom 1 performed a sc- ries of concerts on mrudangam apd either Rathnagiri Subha Shastry or H R. Ramachandra Rao on violin in Government sponsored concerts named "Sanskrithi Prasura" fostered by K.Hanumanthaiya, then Chief Min- ister, M.Shamanna, eider brother of my brother in law, M. Kristinas wamy was the Finance Secretary and those were days of turbulence over the construction of the Vidhana Soudha. Dr.H. Krishnamurthy, noted Eye Sur- geon, living opposite us and his uoungcr son was was my disciple in mrudangam. On the same road was "RajaSree", pen name of K. Srinivasa Iyengar and Rajalakshmi Srinivasan who used to play veena duets with my accompaniment and I also used to gu i de t h cm . Raj a S rec was a co I u m- nist lor several magazines and news- papers as a free-lancer. He later be- came t h e sec ret ary o f t he B a ng a 1 ore G ay an a S a m aj a, R aj a S fee 's son Rajoo (K.S.S. Rajan, now heading the prestigious organisation "Sampradaya" in Madras) was under my training in mrudangam. Down the road was an Ganasn- dhakara A. SubbaRao who used to visit us and we used to visit him often. It was at the residence of Raja Sri that l met the great Dwaram and we would discuss matters of music till 1 ate i n the n i gh t s. 1 reme m ber Dwaram invited me to join him and his daughter to a movie Madhumaihi at Alinkar. 1 was wondering how D wa ram , c on s i d cred s emi blind, cou 1 d see a film. He had a special frame with suitable lenses for the purpose! T.V.Gopalkrishnan, who was working in the AG's office in Madras was brought for mrudangam for the Gay an a Samaja concert. Later TVG resigned his job and opted for a musi- cal career. Dwaram used to write to me immediately he accepted any con- cert i n B a n ga 1 ore .He w as very inti - mate and affectionate and I played with him in a number of concerts. 1 used to visit his residence in Madras atTriplicane and spend time in musi- cal discussions. An interesting anecdote of his concert at Shankariah Hall for the Guyana Samaja is worth the mention, B.Nilakanfan wanted to record the recital ofDwara m and got the permis- sion of V.T. Srinivasan. A Grundtg spool recorder was used for taping the concert It was surprising lo Nilakantan when he was asked to pay R;, 12/- (Rs : - for two tickets for him and Surcsh and F s 4/- for the space occupies f or 1 h ■ : re . > n -or w Si l c h would h undated one per- son}] Thai was the adherence to rales as per Srtmvusan! Dwunmi used lo make very al feeli( naie enquiries about Ouwdidh wait me with a request in convey I ns lv . ■ a! w i she s h > (' 'how ,1 j ah . The Andhra Government an- nounced a Sale pension tor life on Duai am l i e i- him coni! mini til- ing him. t Ic' 1 1 when AIR an- iiouik'i J r iniscid L>w amm was aum/ed to receive a |K>st card think- ing me for the IcUvi whch wm re- ceivcd two days later. 1957 was the year when my Lipannyanam was performed, which several musicians attended. In the morning, lime Mali came and was having break East w hen Chowdiah en- tered and went away on seeing Mali in a h ig hi y jovial me 10 d M a I i w as in his elements). Laler, C tunvdiaheameior lunch, confirming that Mali is not l he re 1 It was in that period from 1952 that I had unique occasion to meet meat masters of music with Chowdiah. Arcot Ramaswamy Mudaliai was the Do wan of Mysore Slate and a r eee p li on w as he 1 d al h i s res i d e nee at the Carlton ! louse in connection with the wedding of one of his relatives. M usri $u bra man y a I y er was s c Etc cl - uled to give a vocal recital with Chowdiah, Palghat Man: Iyer and PhooiLix October 1996 [ Manjunalhan. Our landing at the Carlton House itself was unique. We were offered a ear hy the staff of the Dewan which Chowdiah politely re- fused, telling that he would come in his own car. The car just stopped after crossing the present Maharanfs Col- lege xi ho u i 100 y a rds frt i m t he ga tc o f Carlton House. We had Lo push it lo the gate to the dismay of the Dewan 1 s staff ! In the melodious redial of Musiri, a close rclali ve of MudaJiar requested him to sing Mukhari. He felt embar- rassed as Mukhari was considered inauspicious. When Chowdiah and Musiri were engaged in a hush hush discussion, Mudaliar came and en- quired what the mailer was, Chowdiah explained the request, Pat came the reply. “When Musiri sings nothing can be inauspicious, let hint sing,” Musiri elaborated the raga and the krilhi, “Shiva Kaama Sundari" of Si van with a detailed ne nival, The audience was thrilled and everyone wondered how such a raga could be associated with mauspidousness! Musiri s rendering ofThodi and the krithi 'Thaye Y as hod ha" and the e l a bo rat e s ah ity a vi ny asa for 1 ‘ K aa I i n i I Chilambu” are fresh in my memory. I requested Musiri to attend a flute recital of B.N. Suresh in Madras in 1957. He wrote appreciating the melodic appeal and advised not to I ri iter away h i s c nerg iesin 4 * k an ak k u- vyavahaara TT , but to concentrate on ragabhava. Musiri was well educated and had good administrative capabili- ties which could be gauged from his services as the secretary of the Thyagabrahma Sangcctha Sabha, Timvaivaru and later at die Govern- ment Music College, Madras. Flute Mali (T.R. Mahal ingam) was a genius to be remembered lor his elevation of flute lo the present day state of art. 1 did have one occasion to play with Palladam Sanjeeva Rao whose rendition was unique for the paataamhara of those days. More of straight notes and il was Mali who exposed l hat quarter- tones and micro- tones could be produced on this bam- boo instrument. Using the cross - fingering techniques which was his contribution to the fl amine art, he could produce subtle gamakas with- out s t ra y i ng i nfc * any a s w ara s’, His use of such graceful notes with ‘anu- s warns' marked a new trail in this branch of art. But his mono-tonal travels indulging himself in kanakku- vyavahara, many a time would tcsi the patience of even his admirers. To he concluded Subscribe to PHOENIX A Magazine on Music & Dance Annual Subscription Rs 50-00 Three Years Rs 140-00 Subscription to be sent to The Circulation Manager PHOENIX 138 5th Cross, Gandhinahar, « Bangalore 560009 11 Phoenix October 1996 presided. The inaugural concert was a me- lodious flute recital by young A*P, Sarvoiham, accompanied by Jyothsna Manjtinalh (violin), T.N. Ramesh (mridangam) and A,S. Kumar (kanjira). Sarvotham’s aiapana of ReethigowJa and Hemavatlri was emotive. ^Namakusuma’ in Sree was a wc ] co me addition, rare 1 y he a rd t hes e days. He could have chosen at least one major piece on lord Krishna to suit the occasion. Ramesh was good in his mridangam support while Kumar on kanj i m ap pe ared p rom king, Salem S. V i j ay aragha vacha ri ar Memorial concert next day endowed by hi s son V . K ri sh n an o I Pa rt h as arat h y Swamy Sab ha was rendered by an- other young vocalist V. S hank aranara van of Madras. He was accompanied by Premia (violin), B.R. Several Aspirants to the Fore in KRISHNOTSAVA . gsWSmj iS£Sf Srinivas (mridangam) and G. Omkar (morching). ‘Nannu Brovu Lalitha’ (Lalilha), l Samajavara’ (Hindola), 6 R ara F: aj cc val oc h an a 1 ( M ohan a) we re rendered. His detailed aiapana of Kambodhi and ‘Yadava Wee Baa’ re- vealed his latent ■ potentialities as a promising vocalist. ! S ri ni vas and 0 m kar provided lively per- cussion support, ■ Neel a R amgopal was ||p the chief guest. ill Na garni an Memorial I'SwOT ^ ............ . Endowment concert |||gf|.i on September 8, ■ ' ■ endowed by N, . Nagarajan and Kumari Lakshmi was an exper i nta i : h: concert. The Director, A five day Krishnotsava Music festival was organised by the Youth Forum of the Percussive Arts Centre (PAG) and the Gokhale Institute of Public Affairs (GiPA) at the latter 1 s auditorium, Bangalore from Septem- ber 7 S 96. V.Krishnan, General Man- ager (Commercial) IT! and founder President of Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha inaugurating the festival ap prec t ated the activiticsof the f oru m . Justice Niltoor Srecnivasa Rau Brhaddfrwam, a research and training 12 centre for music of the world, Madras, Veena by Subramanian was played as an extension and a oomplemcn to the vo i ce by S an k ari Krislman.su ppo rt ed by K.S. Sudhaman (mridangam). While veena was known as an accom- paniment for vocal music „ w th the advent of the violin, veena cannot be claimed as ideal in view of the absence of violin’s continuity of nada. Sankari Krishnan proved her credentials as a promising vocalist with perfecl sense of srmhi and lay a. Subramanian is a follower of the Karaikudi tradition musical attainments. The perfect lava koraippus in their pallavi in Shan- karabharana proved their I ay a sensibilities with a touch of Lalgudi, who has trained Sankari Krishnan, Sudhaman gave lively support on mridangam. Manani' in Reeihigowla, ‘Seshachalanayakam 1 in Varali were the other items worthy of mention. Veena maestro V. Dorc-swamy Iyen- gar was the chief guest. Sreekantham Nagendra Sastry in his recital on September 10 exhibited highly promising talent with a power- ful voice. Veena Kuppa Iyer's krithis Tagavari' (Atana) and ‘Sadaa Neepadame' (Dcvamanohari), pieces not heard often, presented neatly. His raga T thana and pallavi in Kambodhi with thrikala and thrishra from l Arudhi‘ were neatly executed, Cham! at ha on violin was melodious and supportive, N.S, Mahesh and S. Prashanth gave neat mrudangam and kanjira support. R.K. Padmanabha was the chief guest. The concluding recital, M. Krishnaswamy Memorial Endowment donated by Parvathy Krishnaswamy was by Sreevardhini accompanied by A.P. Snvatsa (violin), Mahesh warn Sastry (mridanga) and Narayana- murthy fghata). She rendered ‘Sri Venugopala (Kuranji) and anew krithi L Devaki Nandana’ (Hemavathi) set to Khanda Triputa, composed by her mother, T.S. VasanthamadhavL Sreevardhini s concert reflected an upward trend. But the thamboora drone left much in wanting. A.P. Srivatsa on violin provided a melodi- ous and tuneful si pport, A. Veerabhadriah was the chief guest. Altogether the festival provided opportunities to several young aspirants,*?* Bangalore K Venkatram Attention Organisers M usic and dance institu- tions are requested to send their programmes to The Editor, PHOENIX, 138, 5th Cross, Gandhina- gar, Bangalore 560009, be- fore the first week of the month. mid established as a vainiku with high ; ;■ MM — p II I P aramapavana Rama, the Pur vikalyani masterpiece of Poo eh Sri nt v asa Iyengar was a hot favourite of old-t i mers. the kriti' s structure itself making for an au- thoritative ala pana, Bui H.T. Rama- swamy’s alap for the rag a (Aug 2, 8:30 a,m,) fell short in its gestalt. However, in his airing of the kriti proper, Knmaswamy succeeded in high- lighting its emotional overtones, some slips in the l swara' korvais not withstanding. kriti Ninne Nammiti did improve the imagery, but not strong enough to sustain. The only impression that C.K.Tara, an old favourite of many a made with it. His brief profile ot 1 lindola was as evocati ve, providing a springboard foi the kriti Manasuloni. It was music that evoked surges of optimism in the listener, a blissful feeling which swept the listener as Mariju aired Simhendramadhyuma fora sonorous Ninne Nammiti. The fingering was so crystallised that the lyrical feel of the words was inescapable. M.K.Naravana next morning {8:30 a. m.) seemed more composed than usual when he intonated C h ale r; \ va ka £ N a mat lavi). It was a fine start, the elaborate a lap for Vasantha (Devi tame) growing into in authoritative representation of he m cl ody . A n u rad h a M ad hu stid a n on her veena (9:30 a.m. same day) lound herself in a similar upbeat mood. Devadideva ( M ay a ] na I a vago u ! £ i ) gave A n u rad h a cnougl scope to weave instrumental arabesques of rich variety. A good The veena recital of B.R PundahkavaJli (9:30 a.m. same day) was less satisfactory on both the counts. Even a weighty piece like Samajavaragamana (Hindola) was not free from slips, slips that per- sisted in the alap for L Simhendramadhyama that fol- lowed. One couldnh find fault with [he form, but the delineation betrayed a mediocre key. The rendition of the R. K, S uryanarayan a musical feature from the Bangalore AIR in the fifties left is that her voice has lost its timbre (Aug 3, 8:30a.m.). M.Manjunath Her best is far behind her, the present form so dismal that her reputation could be at stake [ The National Programme the same day featured a sitar recital by Manilal Nag. From t. he initial n ote s o 1' M i ya - Malhar it was evident that he was striving for instant likeability. The alap at once acquired a special delight, the 11 ashy Jod-Jhala creating a variety of musical figures. Bag es h ri was i t to re impactful in its elan, a reposeful "gat’ ambling gracefully and naturally to lure the listener along. It was music that was at once primal and cerebral. It was a rather familiar piece in Nata that M. Maajunath chose to open his conceit at 10:10 a.m. next morn- ing. But what a graceful impact he start, but one which did not sustain as Anu rad ft a Ma dh us udan 14 Phoenix October 1996 i' : " • •' • .. ':.V i : Geetba Ram an and effectively in Shanmukhapriya, flic alap itself was not free from slips , though the kriti Marivere Dikku was reassuring. There is no doubt of her growing confidence. As a total musical experience, nothing could have been more endur- ing than the Kalyani (Shivakama Sundari) of R.N. Doreswamy on the vecna (Aug 6, 8:30 a.m.). The alap was not overly elaborate, hut flowed w i I h reso n an [exactitude. Tli e i m p os- ing Kriti. wascmbellished with a Hurry of niraval and trenchant Nwarapra- sthara' * A touch of mastery of the senior Vain ska over the mood and mode was unmistakable. Next day at 9:30 p,m., it was an- other soulfilling veena recital. The artiste was R.K. Suryaftarayana who sn the right mood could be elevating. It was a rare 'Dasha Ragamalika”, with the dignified Shankarabharana as the base. The alap itself was an affirmation of his creative propensity, the 'thananT flowing with resonant overtones. The Adi tala Pallavi "Sarusadala Nay ana Krishna” was as effusive in its elucidation, to leave a pleasing impact. The ragas involved in the package were all familiar melo- dics. etched with glowing cadences. G.Varadaraugan's vocal reel Lai (Aug 9:25 a.m.) was solid in its exper- tise. Whether il was the rendition of Sudamay i ( Amrkavarshini ) or the alap for Shree {Sri Varalakshmi ), his vo- calism was marked tor its melodic vision, though his tonal flourishes seemingly drew their inspiration from elsewhere, P.Rama who went on the air at 8:30 a.m. next day revealed a range of voice that Hits in Tarasthayi’ with ease. Her alap for Hamsammdi straightaway made a mark with her accomplishments, the trite k sruti bheda' enriching its sensitivity, Nidutvmhimn, the lovely kriti which has almost disappeared from the con- cert stage, was intoned in style, some d ai n t y * s wa ra ' j >a ss a g es en I i ve n i ng l h e portrayal The Kanada number was effusive in its structural expanse. Overall, Lite sonority in Rama’s hirga- tilled voice adds Lo the lingering effects. The National Programme on Aug I f ) fe at u red an o Id reco rd i n g o f a vo e a I reciLal of T, Blind a, the right way to pay homage to a veteran who had passed away earlier in the month. And as one listened to the choice selection starting with an ode to Thyagaraja (Goula) and the wholesome alap for Bhairavi (Chintayamam), it was easy to recognise the vintage style, a style which is marked for its emotional ap- peal. Whether it is the DhatuorMaatu, a distinct tonal effusion characterised it. The alap for Shankarabharana (Sri Dakshinamunhe) and Purvikalyam (Sri Meenakshi m) were redolent with 1 .R.Srinath :5 V. K, Raman an old-world charm about hem, the steady, unhurried pace that felicitat- ing the unfoldmcnt of the lyrical grandeur of the tested compositions. The concert itself left a devout feeling in the mind of the listener. It was the same Purvikalyani that was intoned by S.G.Rhagyalakshmi (Aug 12. 8:30 a.m.). But what a con- trast in its Heeling feeling! The 'devaranama’ Manava Janma that ex- emplified the raga, however, was not wanting in its lyrical fecundity. That was the saving grace in her singing. The vecna recital of veteran MJ. Srinivasa Iyengar (Aug ! 6, 8:30a.m.) was a real treat, standing out for its technical aplomb. His alap for Kambodi was almost a mode! for a study in melodic finesse, all the famil- iar endearments of the raga coaxed i n to t b e au r a 1 fra m e . T he stately T h ya- gaiah kriti Sr \ Raghuvaraprameya embellished with measured 'swara- p rast li ara im id e lb r i n sta n t ed i f i c at i o n . ti was a memorable recital Rupa $ ridliar ( Aug 17,8: 30 a, m . ) does not appear to be a familiar name in the circuit. She is endowed with a cultivated voice as reflected in the reposeful alap for Simhentframa- d hy a A n a n t la bha i ra v i w as e i] ual I y appearing. Yet the kritis Kamakshi and Kamala- KomaEa respectively Phoenix October 1996 r~-r- : 1 tiffin seemed to lack warmth. The veena recital of R. Saras wati (Aug 20, 9:25 itm.J could not make any better im- press. HeralupforBilahari was rather commonplace, though Paridana, the kriti had a rollicking gait. One noteworthy feature i n the new crop of artistes in this part of the coun- try, is the emergence of many talented flutists among whom V.K.Raman seems to have won instant popularity. His concert (Aug.21, 8:30 a.m.) was as reassuring as ever. The alap for Anandabhairavi saw him in an ebul- lient mood. He invested the familiar kriti Marivcic with the right amount of melodic fervour, Bui his essay for Sunandavinodmi (Devadi Dcva) could not rise to expected heights, falling short in its aesthetic charm. His senior colleague Gita Ramanand in her veena recital same day at 9:30 p*m was certainly in a better frame of mind as could be made from the effervescent glow that marked the opening number in Mayamala- vagoula. Ncnarunchi (Malavi) sparkled as effectively to serve as a prelude to an evocative Be hag (Bhavayaham). Kalyani revealed her firm hold on the idiom, the alap itself decorated with a flurry of lilting L sangatis\ A perfunctory ‘thanarrf preceded the easy paced Pallavi (Taraka Brahma Swaroopini), the rhythmic forays acquiring a special delight, a disposition in which V.S. Rajgopal on the mridangam and Sukanya Ramgopal on the ghat am linked the laya w ith consummate skill and felicity. The Sriran jini number by P.S. Saty avati (Aug 22, 9:25 a.m) was just passable, the seasoned singer not find- ing herself in her elements. Rajasri Josyar, next morning at 8:30 also seemed shaky as she started her con- cert with the imposing Hiranmayeem (Lalitha)* But she soon warmed up as the ‘swam' passages revealed, They swelled up into a convincing repre- sentation of the melody. Her alap for Vachaspati (Kantahudu) was as lu- cidly articulated to rise the recital to a different plane. The succinct, reposeful alap for Kambodi by T.V.Ramprasad (Aug. 24, 8:30 a.m.) was impressive, fluently arriving at a homogeneous structure. The weighty piece ORangashayi rein- forced the trust of his fans as a prom- ising talent. The measured *swaraprasthara’ enriched the raga’s modal felicity. The Bilahari number which was the highlight of T.R, Srinath’s flute recital (Aug 25, 8:30 a.m) was a study in melodic exactitude. The brooding excursion through the raga’s endear- ing nooks enhanced its aural elegance. S. Seshagiri Rao who gave Srinath violin support and Arjun Kumar who accompanied him on the mridangam, matched the skill of the flautist in the unfoldmenl of the structural depth,. R.S.Ramakanth was featured in the major slot at 10:10 the same morn- ing. The Vasanta Varnam (Ninnu Rori) itself showed that he was in fine fettle, inspired with the prospect of having an experienced trio in B.Raghuram (violin), M.S.Ramaiah (mridangam) and B.N.Chandramouli (gliatam). It was a bright start. Huseni (Ramachandra) showed his fluency to arrive at the intended musical picture. But it was the alap for Ramaprtva (Samodam) which really brought his 16 accomplishments to the fore . 1 1 was a .i robust rendition, the lyrical elegance of the composition receiving its due err phasis. It is also true that the sea- soned accompanists lent Ramakamh splendid support, every minute of which he exploited to heighten the intensity of his vocal presence. But the vocal recital by M R Harihara Iyer (Aug 26, 9:30 ) fell short in its sustaining quality, Manasaetulo ( Malay amarmha) no doubt gave him a good start. But the ‘swaraprasthara 1 attended to it was rat ter prosaic, falling short in reso- nance. Bilahari (Paridana) was less inspiri ng i n it s elucidation, t he ‘swara 1 passages again making one feel as if they were not memorised* But MD.Nanjundaswamy (Aug 27, 8:50 a*m) was made of a more solid stuff. His alap for Shan- mikhapriya (Velli Nayakane) was marked for his fluency of style* the kri ;i i tsel f not short in its lyrical graces* Lucid gamaks' and a trite layakari were the other noteworthy features in his recital* Later at 9:15 a.m the same day, it was Vasantha Raman uj am who was on the air. Her delineation for Kalyani wa 5 me t hodi cal , a bl end i nto t h c bhakti - laden kriti Shivepahimam which was rendered with fervour* A greater de- gree of voice modulation in the upper reaches could have made the aural impact more soothing. Nalina Mohan's violin support, coupled with M, A. Krishnamurthy on the mridan- gam and Punish ot ham on ghatam shared ihe honours to help vocalist to arr ve at a homogeneous aural edifice. Bin ILS.Mahalakshmi (Aug 30* 8:30 a*m*) failed to make her customary impact, an unsteady 'sruti * robbing the elegance of even an imposing melody like Lalitha (Nanmibrova Lai it he). Though age has told on her aura! capabilities, there is no doubt tha. her musical spirits are very much in fettle and should stand in good stead socner than later. ESSENCE J. — umsL* — . . ■ . i-f; .;; : ;r |j Phoenix October 1996 1 —T ■ : - Tuneful Encounters-9 Coastal Colossus S.N.Siva&wamv mo s t cn ch ant i ng recit al Ra m esh w as Bombay who knew nothing about I have seen neither Gokarna nor Mrurudeshwar, both hallo wee places of worship on our coast. But 3 have had the immense pleasure of knowing two highly accomplished musicans hailing respectively from these two places. Ramesh Nadkarni belonged to Gokarna and De vendra Mrudesbwar to M unities h war. I know that both of them had been working for many years in the music department of AH India Radio at vari- ous stations. \ was posted in Bombay as Deputy Director of Sales in the co mine re i a 1 B road castings erv i ce and my office was located in the same bu ildi ng as AIR i n C hurc h gate Rec i a- madam when f first met Ramesh Nadkarni in the company of Dc vendra Murudeshwar. It is amazing how the magic of sharing a mother tongue pulls together total strangers. Yes, the two musi- cians had been total strangers to me till I moved into my Bombay office. Of course, I had heard the vocal music programmes of Ramesh Nadkarni and the flute recital of De vendra Murudeshwar many a time tin the radio. Perhaps they too had heard of a Kannada officer of my name work- ing in their organisation. However, it was at the tea centre being run by the Government Tea Board near the Churchgate railway station that 1 heard them speaking to each other in Kannada, [introduced myself to them in Kannada and was delighted when they responded i n cho- rus “of course, we know you !" It seems they had been wanting to come to my office and say “hello" to me. But they were not sure whether 1 would be any different from other officers of my rank in Delhi and music hut nevertheless rode the high horse and kept themselves behaving as though they belonged to a much superior human species! All such imaginary barriers col- lapsed once we started talking in Kannada and exchanged views on subjects widely ranging between the patronage of the Mysore Palace and the Vaehanagana of Mallikarjun Mansoor. Ramesh Nadkarni, who passed away last year, was a highly dedicated musician, a disciple of Aman Ali Khan of the Bhendi Bazar gharana of Bombay, a style of singing with its own distinctive grammer, notable for its intricate swara patterns. There was only a handful of exponents of the gharana left al ter the expiry of Aman Ali Khan in the fifties, and Ramesh was the fi nes t practi l io ner of that sc boo 1 of singing at the time. He was notonly a great musician, but an unassuming and quiet gentleman, soft spoken, friendly and helpful by nature. An additional quality that drew this gaunt, bi spectacled Giant closer to me was his love for Carnatic music. He could speak with authority on Purandara Dasa and other southern composers. He himself had vastly contributed to Lhe popularisation of devaranamas in Bombay. Although I knew from chats with him that Ramesh Nadkarni liked Car- natic music, 1 was pleasantly surprised to find him squatting with me one evening at a chamber concert of Pal ghat K.V.Narayana Swamy at theNationai Centre for Performing Arts in the premises of the centre in Nariman Point. Narayana Swamy was in good for sn those days and gave us a obviously enjoying every minute of it, but I became aw me of lhe depth of his perception of true musical values, with no trace of prejudice about Car- natic music, when he swayed ecstatically to the strains of the i mm o rial c o mposi t i on o i M u thus wa- my D i k sh i tar i n S am a rag a * 4 Annapu ma VisalakshL Akhila Bhuvana Sakshi". He kept mumbling the refrain long after we had left the hall. Even today 1 remember Ramesh Nadkarni 5 s benign and smiling face as he remarked “Oh ! What a beautiful song, so beautifully sung!" ■ Ring, Silver Mridangam and the Writer The intro of a mus &c review in an English daily mentioned about a coupl c presenting a gold ring and a silver mrid angam to the awardee at a function held recently at Bangalore. That this statemen t does not form a music review is a differ- - ent matter and it is for the editor of this reputed newspaper to decide. But the fact missed by the knowlcdgable reviewer is that the silver mridangam (costing about Rs 15000-00) was con- tribution of many of the awardee's close friends and the couple had not contributed any- thing except posing with the : mridangam. lt Pailavi may be called the crest jewel of Carnatic music- manodharma, creative talents, command over rhythm, skill and imagination in portraying the vari- ous facets of the raga and above all his intelligence, A r . 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G4SGS51 FAX; (^-22) 644 3426 (CHARU) ALL THESE NEGATIVE POINTS MAKE CEPL S A POSITIVE PROCESSOR gBl Phoenix October 1996 ! m m IN LIGHTER VEIN Instant Culture Manu Vi jay While ‘Quicker’ and ‘Faster' may be the buzz words for commerce and industry , i he virus of the 2 J ft century, memories that read like the morning newspaper, and rake in barrel ful of greenbacks to take home. seems to have also bitten :be dance arena. Dancers are now required to chum out numbers racier than rap and reggae to meet the demands of yuppie audiences. Shorter, quicker numbers, set to foot tapping, hip- swinging rhythms, shorter performances in pocket hanky sized stages for small, select audi- ences seem to be the corporate requirements. Dish out continental fare-a touch of the traditional, a dash of a group, a Lea spoonful of folk and a pint of the contemporary, with com- 1 think, we can safely assume that the ‘instant’ culture has come home to stay. Packaging and marketing arc of prime importance - the glossier the better. The programme should be done, before our audience can spell and pronounce Sh-an-k-a-r-a-bha-r- a-n-a-m. The aftermath, with dinner and cocktails go on to the wee hours of the morning, but all’s well that has good P.R. ! The latest stuff that seems to be lining the shelves, next to our usual MTR rava idly mix and ORKAY in- Rich Musical Fare by Nakod Brothers From L to ft : Viswanath Nakod, Arjun Nakod and Batachandra Nakod P andit Arjunsa Nakod. the well- known Hindustani musician and drama artiste of yesteryears, must _,t y be proud of his four talented ■w ‘ . i o a r e an 10 ng stlhe to p- ran k i n g mu ohms of Karnataka today. The impressive performance of the Nakod brothers for the Bangalore An Circle at tSi£ Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on ?i e p \ embe r S 2 w m i n t) < x. u enl tes t i- wony to their achievements. slant jamun, is our ow n ‘dhideer 1 ver- sion of Indian dance. Don’t be surprised, while sauntering into Ahmed Bazaar, if you bump into a rack of 1 Learn Bharaihanatyam in 30 days' disks. 1 do remember audio cassettes of one complete marga being available for anyone who would like to have one at home and have a go at a tisra alaripu, but computer disks to leach adavus is dragging it a hit much. Couple the above features with a dic- tionary of dance vocabulary, and ready made costumes available in S.M.L and XL sizes (is Aiyyelu listening ? } and viva ! You have a dancer ! Soon, all you have to do is hook yourself on to the internet, and along with a Kenyan safari and the latest situation in Bosnia, you can learn the numbers choreographed by Gum so and so on his trip to Australia. Sound- ing cynical ? Not at all - if you can acquire a husband while channel surf- ing on the internet, a n you not learn Bharaihanatyam ?■ The programme started with Ranga Gcctcgalu, comprising drama songs rendered by Ar unsa during his 30-year career as a theatre artiste. These nostalgic songs in classical mould were rendered with telling ef- fect by Balachandra Nakod, an A Grade artiste in the AIR. His rich tonality made an indelible impact on the listeners. The trio started for a bandish in Teental with Peshkar followed by chaturasya, khanda li shra and mishra beats. Later the brothers played the Kay das of Delhi, Farookabad and Ajarada Gharanas and some of their own Kclas extended to the Nad as of temple bells. The varieties of Nadas made the audience feel like dancing. They ended with Puray Gharana varieties of Gatt, Chakradhars while rendering Bols with gay abandon. Scetha 19 Vasudeva Keerthana Manjari VASUDEVA KEERTANA MANJARI, Vo l, 19: by S. Shankar. Produced by Sharada Kala Kendra , Bangalore - 78, Price Rs.3Q/-. The volume number denotes that there have already been 18 such cas- settes, covering a wide array of Vasudevachar compositions* As indi- cated by R.K.Padmanabha. Director of the Kala Kendra, the proposal is to complete 20 cassettes, the project hav- ing started around 1992, It is indeed a remarkable achieve- ment, something not given even to the great Trinity l It is almost for the first time in the annals of the history of music that such a vast selection of songs of a single composer is made available in audio to the community. That the songs in these cassettes are separately reduced to notation and brought out in book form as a compen- dium enhances their usefulness to singers and students alike. No com- pl i me n i w ou I d be to o big to t he j o i n l efforts of Padmanabha and S.Krishnamurthy, the worthy grand- son of the maestro who has lent his unstinted support in this venture. Equally noteworthy is the fact that the rendition of each set is by a di fler- eni vocalist, each a name to reckon with* Care has also been taken to select the songs for Lhe sets in such a way that each can easily comprise a concert by itself. The set under review is assigned to S, Shankar, the second in the series so far as he is concerned* It starts with a Vamam in Ramapriya, followed by six other loveable compositions. Of the ragas T Shankarabharana receives a detailed alap, prelude to “Damodaramamsham”, not heard much on the concert platform. B.Raghuram (violin), NL Vasudev (mridangam) and R.A.RajagopaJan ( ghata), accompanying the artiste make their presence felt by their controlled artistry* The cassette* as in the case of its 18 predecessors was released in a simple* but impressive function on Sept, 29, 1996* HINDUSTANI VOCAL By. K.V.Nandakumar. Cassette , Shree Mat ha Gri / (Sarovar Apartments, Basavanagudi, Bangalore - 560 004 ) for Sangeeta Sagar, 95 R 102. Price RsJOf-. Vocalist Nandakumar is gifted with a rich and sonorous voice honed to "sruti \ He has endeared h i msel f to 1 i s ten ers by h i s s i n cere e f forts to evoke emotional depth in his singing As evidenced in Bairagi Bhairav and mm&m mm&xv Malkouns* the two pentatonic ragas he has recorded for this cassette, he strives to achieve melodic richness by the judicious use of chiselled taans, sweet gamaks and enduring murkis* There is perfect balancing between the melodic and rhythmic aspects of music, a task which has been made easier for him by the understanding support he receives from Vyasamurthi Katti on the harmoniium and M.Nagaraj on the tabala. Enticing Mel odes on Veena ENI ICING MELODIES ON VEENA :By Rajalakshmi Ttnmara- yanait in a cassette for Kanaka gin Prakashana of Mai at hi Madhavachar (1377, XU! Main /X Cross, STM U Stage , Bangalore - 560076 , Price 35/ Though Rajalakshmi, former Head of the Department of Dance, Drama and Music in the Bangalore University is a seasoned artiste, this is the first cassette she has to her credit. Obvious y, quite a stranger to cadg- ing! r'.-rS V,- -.- ■ ■■■ -'jvP'N 1 . Tinged with a touch of majesty, she starts the rendition with the popu- lar Pada V amain of Lalgudi GJayaraman in Chaiukeshi (Innum Enmanam) which has become popu- lar vvith Bharathanatyam dancers all over. The evocation of its euphonic elegance is a tine prelude to an im- pressive selection of ditties in Nata, S i mhendramadhyama, Shankarabha- rana and Hindustani Kapk The presentation stands out for fidelity of form and gentle meetuh It is pleasant listening, M.A.Krishnamurthy on the mridangam and R.A.Rajagopalan on the ghatam have provided competent rhythmic support to the noted vainika. Flute FLUTE by H.S. Venugopal for Pnmava Live Cassettes, 200 \ East Park Road, XI! Cross, MaUeswaram, Bangalore - 560 003. Price Rs.30/-. A perusal at the list of accompa- nists, at once reveals the flutist’s affinity with the world of Bharathanatyam, Percussionists G.Gimjmurthy (mridangam) and S.V.Balakrishna (morsing) as also R.R.V.Pulikeshi as having providing assistance, are names heard more on the dance stage than in concert halls. But Raghuram (violin) and Srishaila (ghatam) are not as fa mi 1 1 ar with danc- ers. Yet all of l hem combine well to enhance the sonority of VenugopaPs flute recital. Even otherwise, the play- ing is free from jarring notes and marked for controlled tonal quality. The familiar Abhogi varnam {Evari B oda) makes for a steady start. Among the other pieces Purvikalyani. (Gnanamosagarada) and Hindu I a (sam aj a v aragamana) are catchy. A good effort for a first attempt, S N C A Gala Decennial A s many as six dance features and two solo Bharatanatyam recit- als were featured in lire Nrityanjali cum Rock test 96 to mark the decen- nial celebrations of Sri Lalithakala Academy Trust of Mysore at the local Kal a IM a f 1 1 j j ra i n i h c ! as i w eek of Jul y . T lie ami u a ' fe s t i v a ] w hi c h w as bless ct J by the celebrated Rukmini Devi Amndale with the immortal dance- drama series of Kalakshctra 20 years ago, was inaugurated by R. Venkatraman, former President of In- dia. T wo wel I -choreographed features On R a may an a (based on Swati lirunaf s Bhavayami Ragburamam) and Bhagavatam (episodes based on Lhe compositions of Purandara Dasa and Kanaka Das a) of Academy Direc- tor, Lima Rao gave a flying start to the gala fare. The pieces were greatly ap- preciated by a receptive audience, the team of experienced dancers giv- ing a good accou nt o f t he i r at tai n men ts Bharatanjali of B. Bhanumati of Bangalore, Damayanti Swayamvaram of Krishna ven i Lakshmanan of Madras, Annarnaiah of Parvati Ghamasala and those of Revati Muthuswamy of Sri ran gam and Jay ash ri Narayanan of Pondicherry were other dance features. La I it ha and Vrinda Nana vat i from Bangalore were the soloists. The suffix Rockfes is in recogni- tion oi the memorable Festival of Karnataka organised by the Rasika Ranjana Sabba of Tiruehirapally in collaboration with the Academy in 1995. Since then there has been a healthy exchange of cultural ties be- tween the two cities. The Academy, like in the past, look the opportunity to felicitate sev- eral eminent personalities serving the cause of music and dance including Sharada 1 \ of fman. Prof essor of Dance, Kalakshctra; N. Pattabhiraman of Sruti, Madras; R. Yagnaraman of Krishna Gana Sabha, Madras; vocal- ist R.K. Padmanabha of Bangalore and S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao of Sri Ramascva Mandat i, Bangalore. W 7 "- ~ • : ■■■■ ' . Subscribe to VIRENDER MAHAJAN’s Creative Eye Photography 4 Fusing Creativity & Professionalism The Difficult is a Routine Job. The Impossible Takes a Few More Seconds Commercial Advertising Photo Journalism Editorial Free-lance Outdoor Nature Medical Contact C~4 F/65 Janak Puri New Delhi 110058 W-Z/34. Khyala Village, New Delhi 110018 « 5617566 22 y~\ ■: s a? K^"S :%'!■!’ v'jK’S afi; : 3K30& i <3 Creates a Record Jaganmohan Palace, Mysore etc. She has also won several prizes in compe- te lions, including that of Aryabhata Cultural organisation, Sankhya S. Puranik, daughter of SIT Puranik, is another student of Revuthi who has secured I rank in vidwat. A graduate of choreography (1 class), she has passed the junior grade in music and has been undergo- ing training in Kathak. Sankya has taken pan in the sev- c ra I da n cc lea turcs o f N at y a N i k eta n a like Navajeevana and Navaratna M alike for the TV, Vitthala Chari te, Natyotsava at Hampi and Pattadakal, Vijayanagara Vaibhava at Madras, Vijayakalyana, Bombay, and Kamatakotsava, Dharwad. Her solo Manjula Kumar B.E. student, though manages to find time for dance, Decpahadhcr Tanga pravesha’ in May 1994 and since then regularly taking part in solo and group dances of her mother T s dance school. They in- •xOT":-;:' Deepa Narasimhan appearances include those for Abilina va Art Centre, and those of the N atva Nike tan ol Re vat hi Shivakami group. Sankhya has also Narasimhan has the rare dis- choreographed a few ballets on line Li on of scoring four ranks in Lite mythological themes, examination of the Karnataka Higher Secondary Examination Board Dee P* Narasimhan who has se^ (llharathanatyam) this year. A brief curccl a 111 rank in Vidwat * is lhe note on each of these proud alumni of daughter ot Guru Revathi and the Basavangudi school is given be- K.Y., Narasimhan. She is a final year low: Manjula Kumar (Vidwat I rank), daughter of Jayalakshmi Kumar and the late S, Kumar was initiated into Bharathanatyam by Shy mala Murali- krishna of Nritya Prakasha Varsbini. She performed her Tanga pravesha 1 in 1992, | Later she came under the tutelege of Revathi, passing her Vidwat in 1 rank. Besides taking part in the sev- eral dance-dramas produced by her gurus, Manjula has appeared in solo for well-known organisations like Suchitra, Natyanjali Festival of Chidambaram, Dusara Festival at Kulu (H*P), Ravindra B harathi, Hyderabad, Kannada Sang ha, Aurai gab ad. L.S.PrakruthI dude several da nee -dram as for TV, Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, and Nungu m ba k a m T Cultural A s soc [ at ion , Madras, etc. Her solos include the Every Friday Cultural Evening, the Indian Institute of World Culture, Pal lavotsava, Mysore and the Lasya- Ranjani dance festival. L.S.Prakruthi, daughter of L.V, Sriranga Raju, has secured a II rank in the Senior Grade this year. She is a first year PUC student. Though she has been learning the art for nearly 10 years Prakruthi has not yet performed her Tanga pravesha’ , But she has rich experience on the stage, having taken part in several performances of Naiya Niketan like the Shivali festival, features on Dashavatara, Purandara Das a, etc. 23 From Here and There iumbai Beat Artistes Honoured B andup Fine Arts, Mumbai pre sented its 1996 awards to ar- tistes for their contribution to Car- natic music on the evening of Sep- tember! 4,96 at the Bright High School * Bandup (W). Gana Kalanidhi was conferred on Padmaja Srinivasan (vocal), Nad ha Kalanidhi on C. Lakshminarayan (vio- lin), Lay a Kalanidhi on Tanjavur S. Subramanyam (mridangam) and Umayalapuram K Narayanaswami (ghat am). The awards comprising a silver medallion and a plaque w ere presented by S.Seshadri, Hon Secretary, Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and San- gectha Sabha. Later, Bandup Fine Arts honoured S, Seshadri himself by confering the title, ‘Sangeetha Seva Rathnanf on him in recognition of his meritorious service to Carnatic music for over 53 years. The evening’s programme con- cluded with a vocal recital by Padmaja Srinivasan accompanied by C. Lakshminarayan (violin),Tanjore S Subramanyam (mridangam) and Umayalapuram K Narayanaswami (ghat am). Forth coming Programmes Mumbai Gayaka Samrat Chembai V aidy anath a B hagavath a ri s R i rth Ce n - tenary Celebrations. Three Day Music Festival Nov 23, 96: Hyderabad Brothers (vo- cal) Sri ram Parasuram (violin), K.V. Prasad (mrudangam) N.Govindarajan (ghatam). Nov 24, 96: Neyvdi Santhanagopalan (vocal) Sriram Parasuram (violin), K.V, Prasad (mrudangam) N. Govinda- raj an (ghatam) Nov 25, 96: Kdadri Gopalnath (saxa- phone) Kanyakumari (violin) Guruvayur Dorai (mridangam) Mumbai N.M.Jayaram (kanjira) Bangalore Rajashekar (morching). Venue: Indian Gymkhana Grounds, Malunga, Mumbai 40003 6. Adarsha Fetes Senior Vocalist S eethalakshmi Venkateshan, sc nior vocalist in Carnatic Music and a renowned teacher in the genre was conferred with the title “Sangeetha Laya Saamraagni” by the Adarsha Sam sad in Bangalore recently. The conferment of the title formed part of the Adarsha Bharatiya Samskritika Samsad’s three-day Sangeetotsav that began on October 4. Well-known violinist A Veerabhadraiah felicitated the artiste who has been the recipient of many prestigious honours in her distin- guished career. Seethalakshmi thanked the organisers lor the honour done to her and Veerabhadraiah for his nice words about her. Though beset with a soar throat, Seethalakshmi rose to the occasion to give a full-fledged concert, reeling of as many as 3 2 number, many preceded by a lap and decorated with ‘swara korvaisL Saraswatim (Athana), Guruleka (Gourimanohari) and Sogasuchuda Tharama (Kannada- goula) among them may be recounted. S aha n a ( Raghu pate R ama) and V aral i (Mamava Meenakshi) were the ragas to receive a detailed airing. The Bhair- avi piece was specially impressive. Her student Padmini who lent Seethalakshmi vocal support was given enough scope to display her talent* The Sangeetotsav began with a saxophone recital by Mangalore K.Ananlharam, Youthful T V. Ramprasad Hanked by H.K. Vcnkata am on the violin, N,G,Ravi on the mridangam and K.N. Krishnamoorthy on the ghatam was the attraction on the second day. Starting with a V asudevachar V ar- nam in Nalmakanti, Prasad regaled the listeners with a rich repast, Neekeladaya (Kadanakuthoohala), Amba Neelayatakshi (Nilambari), and Teliyaleru (Dhenuka), provided him the warming-up Tor a neat Pantuvarali (Vaadera) enriched by an appealing ‘niravaF. Madhyamavati (Palinchu Kamaksii) was the main iLem for the day and the confident manner he dis- posed tfe piece ensured that he had arrived. Kusuma Rao Raghavendra Aradhana Raghavendra Swami Seva Sami t hi Koramangala celebrated the Raghavendra Aradhana on Aug 31, 96 with a delightful vocal con- cert by B hagyal akshmi Gundu Rao, accompanied by Basavanagudi G.Nataraj (violin) and Nagendra _ Udupa (Mridangam). S. Krishna Singh chairman of the Samithi spoke about the organisation and V.Anand, secre- tary proposed a vote of thanks. 24 3 §15 Srinivasan* a leading exponent of the Mangalore K.Anantharam Mangalore K.Anantharam, the saxophone artiste, was born in 1 946 in Kokkada, a small village near Mangalore* His father, Kokkada Dharanappa* who was himself a Nagaswaram player, initiated Anantharam into piayingN agaswaram. Later Ammtharam underwent gurukula training in vocal music un- der Kanchana V en katasubra many am Iyer at Kanchana in 1967* Soon Karkala Narayanaswamy, a nagaswara player took him to Karkala to teach nagaswaram for six years and by 1973 Anamhram became a full fledged nagaswaram player* Putter Venkatappa Dogra, with his newly acquired saxophone at that time was a rage* Ananthram adapted saxophone never to looked back. He is a ‘ET grade artist in AIR. Recognising his talent , Keshavananda Thirtha Swamiji of Yadncr Mutt, confered the title. Saxophone Samrat in 1992* Later the title 1 Saxophone Sarvabhouma* by Kattilu Durga Parameshwari Temple came his way, confering its Kattilu Gopulakshma Asranna, chief priest of the temple. He gave his first concert in Bangalore at Malleshwaram San- gectha Sabha, in 1993 and last year he played at the Mylapore Fine Arts, at Chennai. He has played in almost all the sabhas at Chennai, including Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, The Indian Fine Arts Society, Narada Gan a Sabha, Rasika Ranjani Sabha, Karihik Fine Arts, Kalarasana* Nadopasana, to name a few. He has played in Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arls and Sangeetha Sabha, Mumbai* Mangalore K Anantharam Sri VenkataramanaTe tuple. Car Street Mangalore 575(X) I (?) 0824-441922 K.R.V. Pulikeshi K.R.V. Pulikeshi, young and tal- ented dancer hails from a family of cultural background. Son of Raghusutha and K.R.Padmini, a big name in the liter- ary field* Pulikeshi was initiated into Bharatanatyam by his brother, K.R.S. Prasanna himself a reputed Bharata- natyam dancer. A ftor initial training under Lai itha Mysore style and later under Narmada. Pulikeshi graduated from the Natya Institute of Kathak and Choreography headed by Maya Rao, Pulikeshi has performed in many prestigious dance festivals like the India International Trade Fair, Nitya Nritya, Pattadakol Dance Mahotsava and National Jamboree . He has toured France, England and Switzerland giving performances with his brother. Pulikeshi* apart from being a dancer* is a good nattuvangam artiste too. He learm the intricacies of nattuvangam from his brother and the mridangam vidwan B.R. Seshadri. He has been trained in Martial Arts of Manipur by SonourChand and Khilton N any molt hem and in abhinaya by T.K* Mahalingam Pillai. He has assisted in choreographing many ballets* He is now imparting training to students in his Shantala Arts Academy. He was recently fe- licitated by ‘KinkinF during its 10th Anniversary. K.R:V. Pulikeshi 7 Pulikeshi Road, I Main Yeshwamh-pur t Bangalore 560022. t> 364758 /Mterticr Cigariseis Music and dance institu- tions are requested to send their programmes of next month for publication to: The Editor, PHOENIX* 138, 5th Cross, Gandhina- gar, Bangalore 560009, before the first week of the month. 25 No More Buckling while Mounting your Transparencies Professional Card Board Mounting Unit □ Heavy Duty □ Th ermostat Controlled □ Illumination for Slide Viewing □ Sleek Streamlined Construction □ Attractive Colours to Decorate Modern Lab System 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 5GOO09 <£) 2263696 Doafors: Photo Speed Co, Brigade Road, Bangalore 560001 -X 5580505: FfK. 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It is read by over 40,000 readers all over the country who understand the products you offer Advertise in Indian Photography & Cinematography 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 No More Buckling while Mounting Transparencies Professional Card Board Mounting Unit Heavy Du t ■ Thermostat Controlled ■ Illumination for Viewing ■ Sleek Streamlined Construction ■ Attractive Colours to Decora te Modern Lab System Designed and created by 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Dealers: BANGALORE: Photo Speed Co, Brigade Road, Bangalore 5150001 © 5580505: R.K.Photo Guide, 5th Mai, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009: NEW DELHI: Sangam Electronics, M-t 1 Palika Bazar, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001 © 332 2090: HYDERABAD: Jitens, B-37 MCH Market, Chikkadapally, Hyderabad 500002 © 040-7633043 mmm y \ ' T Bumper Issue JOURNAL ON MUSIC & DANCE Housed in a spacious, air^ conditioned facility, and equipped with a Studio and Library, this is the first of its kind in India, providing a great r to learn the the art. The continuously growing demand for skilled mini-lab technicians and Lab Managers will soon be fulfilled. The Institute of Imaging f introduces a short ess tonal course to nuances o The 3 - week course is designed to create scientifically trained technicians and management personnel. The syllabus covers Intensive theory on Photography, Photo Finishing and Lab Management Hands-on training using the latest Konica Nice Print system - and Demonstration through sophisticated training and evaluation aids term pro impart intensive training in the various aspects of Photography, Photo finishing and Photo Lab Management, The brainchild of Nippon Group, who have rich experience in marketing Konica products in India and successfully operating a chain of Konica Color Labs in the South, ihe Institute of Imaging Techno log,' is promoted as a premier centre for professional education A this sort. Enrol today f Rise to become an entrepreneur on your own merit! S.N.Chandrasekhar 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 56G019 2263696 ■ (Cheques to be drawn on I ‘PHOENIX’) RN 45468/87 T| 4 J' 73 4 J rHOENIX Vol2 27 Journal on Music and Dance Nov-Dec 1996 No 1&2 Contents Readers' Write Editorial-Marching Ahead Calling AIR Down Memory Lane At the End of it All Focus on Music - Laya Restless Genius Naadanta Fall in Line Ragavisleshana - Hindola Radel's Tala Mala LT - 15 From Concert Hall to Cricket Field Gangubai Opens Music School Know Your Artistes Yakshagana in New Garb Rewarding Experience Cover Photo RAJIV TARANATH by Krishna Potadar ^ Published by N.Janardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross , Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at IPC Grafics, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 Self Audition Valiniki has sung Rainayana. PHOENIX is tine and fascinating to look at and enjoy reading every page. The cover page is so tine and superb, credit should go to N, Sundar Raj. It might have taken lot of time to beauify the cover pages. The Associate Editor, Bangalore K.Venkatram is both a reputed musi- cologist and a great name in music- pe rc u ssi on . be si de s be i ng a goo d w ri ter in English and compliments to S.N. Chandrasekhar for his tine editorials. Your editorial 4 Self Audition 1 (June 96) raised the all - important issue very succinctly. What some of us were hesitating to write about has been done by you. It deserves urgent action by the authorities, how so ever delicate the position may be. In fact what is true of AIR is true of DD also. Probably the AIR and DD bro adc ast cl assi c al m u s i c progra m mes late in the night deliberately to avoid criticism as very few will listen at that time. More such write ups regularly may wake up the slumbering bosses and big wigs and make them act. A riant ha rat n , Banga lore. Glory of Indian Music t commend M.C. Narasaraju of Chiral a for his article, The Glory of Indian Music 4 . The art of music is the heart of Indian culture. Saint Thyaga- raja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Shama Saslry, Tanscn and Baiju Bawra are some of the most brilliant stars of the first magnitude in the large sky of Indian music. Vyasa has tuned the melodies of Mahabharata. Jayadevu’s Geetha Govinda is immortal and unique. Mali’s flute takes us back to Krishna's [lute melodies in Brindavan. The melody of mandolin Srini vas, the fingering technique of Vcena Do res warn y Iyengar and that of Kadri Gopalnath on Saxophone and some of the modem techniques displayed in play ing clarionet, flute and veena show what a 1 arge scope there is to delineate ragas and reach their depths. This in itself is a testimony to the glory of Indian Music. The annual subscription of Phoe- nix, Rs 50-00 is so low that every one may desire to subscribe to the journal. Sponsores like Somnath, Kulkamt, Rama Rao and V.Krishnan deserve every commendation and this would maintain the dignity and respectofthe esteemed journal. Some contemporary geniuses have been over looked and they have been forgotten in the history of music. Mention may be made of Swara simha Kuthi Anamha Sastry of Bangalore* Pranavanada Kalabhi- ehakshana B.R. Govindaswmny of Chikballapur who was appearing in most of the concerts of Chi door Subramanya Pillai and other renowned musicians of Bangalore, The prestige of Phoenix will be heightened if columns are seE apart to highlight such geniuses, H.N. Rajanna, Bhadravathi. Noble Cause It is nice to note (hat you are working for a noble cause by bringing out a beautiful journal on dance and music. The coverage and articles are entertaining, educative and depicting our culture. The name 'PHOENIX’ has suited very well as it ‘speaks’ the language of dance and music. Malum tin Venkaieswam Rao Visakha Dance Academy Visakhapatnam Music Conference Concerts Opinions may differ on the qual- ity cf each of the main evening concerts recently concluded at the Bangalore Guyana Samaja. But it is unanimous that the vocal concert of S. Shankar was extremely satisfying, sumptuous and as a kalcheri should be. He has silenced the organisers, who lean only towards “foreign art- ists 4 ’, and has proved many points over them including attracting a size- able audience. This concert should give a phillip to more Karnataka musicians. Anantharam Bangalore A Clarification Anantharam in his letter (July, Aug 96) has made a note that some organisations fill in the rogra mines with artistes from out- side Karnataka and pointing out Qdakathur Mutt as one wherein all the fourteen programmes were stud- ded with outside artistes. We wish to clarify that , as at Odakathur Mutt our “Jothi Manram Half’ was given to Sri Guruvayur appap Bhajan Samaj who conducted the above said programmes for their !9th Year Gokulashtami Celebra- tions and not Qdakathur Mull. Secretary Qdakathur Swamigal Mutt Bangalore i 6 Phoenix Nov- Dec! 996 With die present issue, a bumper, PHOENIX enters its second year. The year that has gone by has been eventful to the nascent journal and its handful of promoters in more ways than one. Though fraught with trepidation it w;ls launched amidst fanfare, thanks to the hospitality of friends in the Bangalore Gayana Samaja. Since then the editors have spared no efforts to see that the journal serves the cause to the best of their ability. It is gratifying that almost everyone who peruses its pages has a good word about its editorial quality, usefulness and low price. But the editors are by no means complacent. A wider variety, interests and range are the journal s objectives. They can be achieved if more and more youngsters come forward to write for it. That will also pave the way for the blossoming of serious art criticism for the future. But the editors are aware dial it is not easy to persuade youngsters to the task. The journal has been received well, there is no doubt. But finan- cially, it is very much in the red. Subscriptions are trickling, but the proceeds oil that count can hardly meet the cost of production. And that is all that is needed to keep the show on, as all other services including die outlay on photographs and DTP are not charged. What has kept the fiopes ol the promoters high is the unsolicited sponsorship of some issues. These sponsors were magnanimous in their offers, which in many cases for sure is not a one time offer! In the absence of substantial Ads these voluntary sponsorships have been an impetus to the promot- ers. PHOENIX hopes there would be more sponsors in the years to come. The readers would have seen that the issues are almost regular. If the copies have not reached the subscribers on time, it is as much due to postal vagaries as the yet to be fixed logistics involved in the production. However, ample care is being taken to see that the schedule is not upset at any cost. But the one department where the promoters have had to face a tola! blank is advertisement. The journal’s PR has utterly failed to tap the goodwill properly. All it can do at this juncture is to appeal to institutions and commercial houses connected with or interested in the twin arts to use its pages for their publicity. Appeals to this effect are being made from lime to time through the pages of the journal. But the response, alas, lias not been encouraging. If some such promotion is forthcoming and with ho goodwill it has already been enjoining, PHOENIX is sure to march ahead. S. N. ( luu uh asi'k har 1 " — reel — I K Hr- Phoenix Nov-Dec 1996 i mm Calling AIR S.N.Chandr asekha r D ivyanama Sankeertana of Thyagaraja, a series that is being broadcast by the Chennai station of AIR has turned out to be so absorbing, so elevating that for sure it should have become a "must" for lovers of music. Rightly so, as it has been planned and executed by two well-known musical personalities in T.S. Parthasarathy and Balamuraii Krishna. Among the singers could be found quite a few familiar voices, sin- gly and severally. By the lime of going to the Press, as many as 1 4 programmes have been through, though one is not sure how many more are to follow! Even so, the half an hour slot every Tuesday at 9- 30 pm which is relayed from the local station as well is worth sacrificing all other priorities in the day to listen to. The slot i I self is at the expense of a time- honoured National Programme of Talks, Which should give an idea of its importance. And if many listeners have missed it, it is worthwhile ap- proaching the authorities for rebroad- cast. Equally rewarding was a programme on Ashtapadis. The credit for Lhat agai n shou I d go to the Chennai station. Produced by S, Janakiraman (Sep 4, 8-30 am) it was imaginatively conceived, attributing the Nayika to each of the gems of Jayadeva Which could be of particular interest to danc- ers, An experienced team of vocalists like Madurai G.S. Mani, P.S, Narayanaswamy, Prema Hariharan and Bushan K. Kalyanaraman was in charge of the rendition which was noted for its meaningful diction. The raga in each case complemented the rasa underlying the composition + In the routine listening post, the Sithafakshmi Venka tesh an lop place should be given to veteran Thitte Krishna Iyengar (Sep 6, 8-30 am). Flanked by M.Nagaraj on the vio 1 in and R a v i s h ankar on mrid an gam > the nonagenarian’s rendition of Ragamalika was so impressive and so impactful lhat age for sure has not M.S, Govindaswamy withered his spirits. Indeed, he is still relevant] The AnandabhaJravi piece gave Siihak.kshmi Venka teshan a steady start later at 9-15 am. But the alap for J anj houti was not on as solid a ground. Nor did the piece Pafisemma build up confidence in the senior artiste. Geeta Shamprakash’s veena recital (Sep 7, 8-30 am) took of on a bright note. Her al ap for Thod \ stood out for its clarity, the easy - paced Than am helping her to lend a well-reasoned imagery to the raga. The kriti Meenalochane had a lively gait to rise the level of the con- cert, Shaila Sub ram an yam's Pantuvarali piece Saramegan at 9-30 was as enduring, though a tew slips in ‘swarasihana 1 were disconcerting. The National programmed of Dinanath Mishra (Hindustani vocal) the same night could hardly measure above the pales of mediocrity. True, he has a pleasant voice, but its range is limited as could be made put from the initial Puriya-Dhanashri. The alap fell shell in its tonal felicity, Bagcshri was a shade better, the tilt in the L 1 ayakari ’ heightening its aura! charm. Tlii: Jal atarang rectal of Venugopai (Sep 10, 8-30 am) started with an Eshamanohari piece in style. A com- position of B. Devendrappajt bristled the alap and Than am in Dharmavati, rendered with mix-up trills in the ‘kalpanaswarash However, as it hap- pens, an unfamiliar kriti (Pavanalmaja?) was the undoing in the instrumental recital. Mysore Naga raj’s violin accompaniment pro- vided enjoyable moments. Nadathanumanisham and Nidhi Chala I Kalyani) by T.D. Alavandar (9-30 am) bristled in the familiar Phoenix Nov-Dec 1996 Padma Gurudutt Madurai Manls intonation. But it could do proud to neither. Pushpa Kashinath on Veena (1-30 pm) re- vealed competent instrumental com- mand in Bantureeti (Hamsanada). The violin solo of MS, Govindaswamy(Sep 1 1 ,8-30 am) was notable for its tonal quality. G a j anan ay u t h h a in ( C h a k ra va k a , termed Vega vahini by Dikshitar) s :ood out for its raga 4 bhava\The broadcast was neatly balanced with M A. Krishnamu rt liy 1 s mri dan gam su pj )ort . At 9-30 am Rukmini Srivatsan’s Neeia Ramgopai I ' Saveri (Sri Rajagopala) as also ,t mridangam solo by S.S. Anandaraj had their lively spell The inevitable cut-cut due to high-power transmis- sion failure took its toll, but the usual regret announcement was conspicu- ously absent. It is strange Lhat despite the rapid ad vancement o f tech no I og y the AIR has no standby for such con- tingencies. It is high time that the matter receives attention. Padma Narayan’s Sadbhaktivu fPoochi Iyengar), was tuneful, a crisp ‘chitteswara* adding to its lively gait The veena recital ofS. Rajalakshmi ol Mysore (9-30) was delectable Kambodi was the main raga, exempli fled in Lambodaramavalamba. It is a pity that the Tamboora drone w r as in- audi ble. The accompanying morch- ing need not have gone on non-stop from beginning to end. It did not help enlivening the lay a. Tumkur Ravi shankar on the mridangam was especially consistent. Us ha Ramaniurthy’s Manonmani (Shubhapantuvarali) of Muthiah Bhagavataron Gottuvadya (Sep 1 2, 9- 1 5 am) was passable. Nor was there much to write about Evarura (Mo- hana) lhat followed. V. Dcsikachar’s Hure (Sep 13,8-30 am) was melodi- ous, Sarasadala-nayane ‘raga bhaval Uma Gopalaswamy (9-15 am) chose Pantuvarali for elaboration, for Ram anal ham of Dikshitar, It was p 1 eas ant . The st u dy o f D han y a si by T S Rama (10 pm) which included a facile alapana by K.V, Narayana- s wamy w as quite in form ati ve. Radhika Rajanarayan's veena re- cital (Sep 14, 8-30 am) included an infrequent piece Mayamma Nannie Brovamma (Natakuranji) of Shyama Sastry, It is a pity this lovely piece is not heard often, the Kanada thi liana of Lalgudi pu Isa led with its innate raga bhaval M.Ramesh chose Marubalka (Sriranjini) and Kalyani (Dayamado Ranga) for his vocal (9-30 am). Both the concerts were above average. Uma Gopalaswamy fall in line with the ‘Gouri pujal Nccpadame Gati (Nalinakanti) of G.N.B, Parvati Palisemma (Shan- mukhapriya) and Pahi Parvati (Ar- abhi) of Swat i Tirunal glowed in their raga ‘bhaval P,5, V as an i ha was in the nick (10-10 am) as she intonated Purvi kalyani and Hindola. The an- nouncement was Deshadi for the Shyama Sastry kriti (Purvikaiyani) proved all wrong. Nor was the Vilamba Chapu gait which was rendered, prop- erl y an n ou n ced , n o dou ht a I apse on the pan of the artiste. The raga-thana- pallavi In Hindola for a trikala, tishra Padma Gurudutt (Sep 15, 8-30 am) reeled of some pieces on Devi to Thitte Krishna Iyengar ■■■ Phoenix Nov- Dee 1996 R.R.Keshava Murthy Vasudevachar (announced as Thyagaraja’s!) was rendered devoutly with alap and swara l korvais T . It was a neat, nicely balanced recital. Neela RamgopaJ (Sep 18. 9-30 pm) revelled in a rare Saranga Tarangini, It was an aesthetic treat. The Shahana vama gave Chitra Lingam (Sep 20, 9-15 am) on her veena a tidy start, the following Mo- hana-Kalyani piece being more pleas- i ng, coaxing as it did the very crux of the soulful melody. The alap for Bindumalini (Enla Muddu) acquired a special delight, the kriti receiving the right dose of s warapmsthara to rise the concert to a lingering mood, Rajakesari on the mridanga was in fine touch. R. Visweshwaran Sr, in khanda jam pc was neatly ex- ecuted, negotiating Bowli, Shahana and Kanada in short spells. The broad- cast was disrupted with the usual cut- cut an d an i n tru si on of a J al t ara n g for some unknown reason. The South Zone hook-up (10 pm) featured a delectable veena re- cital by V. Maheswari withChellappa of Madurai on mridangam. The Valachi varnam of Lalgudi, Sri Mahaganapatim of Mysore Maharaja (A than a) and Visveswara Rakshamam (Kanada) of Dikshitar were rendered sans alap or swaras. Rara Rajcevalochana (Mohana) of The National Programme on Sep 21 (9-30) featured a veena recital by R, Visweswaran. Dhcnuka (Thcliya- leru) gave him a sedate start. But the alap for Kambodi recei ved a reposeful airing, all the endearing facets of the raga combining to heighten its aura. The Pharas piece was a fitting finale to the thoughtful presentation. Veteran R.R. Kesha vamurthy was in, an ebullient mood when he started his violin solo (Sep 25, 8-30 am). Manasa-Manasa, the Vardhini piece fitted ideally into that frame of mind and it was run through with casual disdain. The short alap for Dcepak I Kalalanerehi) brought h greater restraint in his ap j I preach, though the dash j I was i n tact. As al ways, one could only imagine what a treat it would be to listen to | i this 'sadhaka* if only there was a little more restraint! ■ Saraswathi Ramachandran (9-30 am) T'Mm : certainly not a familiar ^ name. She has a mellow ft voice as found in the rendi- W 1 1 o n of Kanj ad al ay atak shi . I But her alap for Shan- mukhapriya (Vadanc) be- trayed an unsteady 'sruti'. > The raga ‘bhava* was also elusive, though the krili was very much on the traditional track. The flute recital * of K.P. Upadhyaya (Sep 27, 9-30 am) could no; account for a good form. True, the Navarasa-kannada piece, some- thing ideal for the flute, revealed a steady blowing technique. The alap for Gouiimanobari (Gunileka) also had some lilting moments. But the notes in the upper reaches betrayed a screench which robbed all the nuances in the area. H.K. Narisimha-murthy’s vio- lin accompaniment was a highspot of the fare. But R.A. Rama- manias re- fined vocalism stood out in relief in her opening Kannada number I n 1 ak ante, 1 1 w as an i mp ressi ve s tart , the masterly Thyagaiah piece Ksheenamai (Mukhari) was so tune- ful and so full of emotionjhai the rendition left an indelible impact A rewarding recital indeed.B Attention Organiser Music and dance institu- tions are req uested to send their programmes to the Editor, PHOENIX, 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009, before the first week of every month. V.Desikachar several i me rest i ng anecdotes spring to my mind when I recollect my association with Mali, Just as t joined the Indian Telephone Industries in 1957, violin T. Gumrajappa had re- turned from Trichy to join the local AIR. Gumrajappa and myself used lo accompany on violin and mridangarn in concerts of B.N. Suresh (flute) and others. Once Mali sent word to me for a concert at Erode. While l was hesi- tant, as f had to attend the office next morning (Monday) at 7-30 am, Mali assured of our return by the Trichy mail scheduled to arrive at around 5- 30 am. He persuaded me to accept adding that Gumrajappa who was coming for violin, also had a live broadcast at 7-30 am. As we landed late night (very early morning) at Erode and moving towards the car, some Sabha people requested us to see that the recital was a success. There were apparently two parties in the Sabha opposed to each other and one of them had reported to police about possession of alcohol (it was a prohibited area!) Around 8 am next morning when we were at our breakfast, the Sabha friends requested Mali to give his best that day. Mali in his usual reposeful way asked to be provided with drinks to rise to the occasion, They managed to get a doctor’ s prescription and brought sev- eral pegs for Mali. The programme was to commence at 4-15 pm anc Gumrajappa, Alangudi Ramacha- ndran (ghatam) and myself were read) by 3-30 pm. The organisers arrived by 3-30 pm only to find impossible to get Mali's room opened. He was fast asleep. With herculean efforts, we forced open his room around 4-30 pm. Readying Mali was no easier and by the time we reached the venue it was 6 pm. A huge crowd was waiting in the hot Sun from 3-30 pm. We got on the dais at 6-15 pm and it took another 15 minutes for Mali to start blowing his instrument. The audience was as restless as we on the dais were, Mali started after lot of initial bustlings and tumultuous confusion. l Ninnukori' (Mohana) was taken up in a ticklish gait. The first line Ninnukoriyu-nnamura* was rendered, first two counts in Chatusm, the next four counts from the ring finger to the completion of first Dhrutha in Ihrishra vilamba and the last two counts, the second dhrutha in thrisra mad h yak ala, leaving an impression that the speed variations were going wrong! He would play on and asked Gumrajappa who played the full line in a single common speed to repeat, Mali would no l relent and demanded repetition on 9 violin. Such mathematical renditions were not common those days, 1 re- quested Alangudi to keep the thalam and played the mridangarn almost beat- ing the pulse with a sign to Gumrajappa to just follow. This went on for a full 30 minutes to complete the ethugada s war as. People were all restless as we ourselves were. Then followed “Parathpara” (Vachaspathi) in such a slow tempo, that for sometime we were wondering whether it was ala- pana or kriti. After such intriguing items lollowed an alapana of KambodhL The calm serene atmo- sphere built up by Mali in the mandhrasancharas made everyone forget all that preceded. That was Mali, It was nearing 9 pm and I was worried about my return journey. When I reminded Mali of the time, he took up the microphone and explained that though he was prepared to play any length of time his accompanists were demanding an early closure. The audience bounced back and one of them got up and threatened of dire consequences if we did not oblige. But Mali continued, took up an a lap for five minutes, followed up with thanam for three minutes and rounded off a pall a vi, swaras, thrikala all in five minutes and by 9-30 pm sounded the manga! am. Gumrajappa was just checking his remuneration and 1 hastened him to hurry up to catch the train. As we entered the platform, the train was moving and we got into a ladies com- partment only to be chastised by the occupants. We managed to get down ai the next stop and moved to our reserved compartment. When I met Mali after two days , 1 asked him when he had returned from Erode. He was surprised and asked me how 1 knew that he had gone to Erode! One evening Chowdiah drove down from his Ayyanar College in Basavanagudi to my Visweswarapuram residence and asked me to rush. Getting into the ear, I asked what the matter was. Driving slowly, he I ament ed at the news of the death of Flute Mali. Despite all his misdemeanors, Mali’s artistry is inimitable and his contribution to the fluteline technique a great asset. It is unfortunate that we lost him. He showed me a copy of “Janavani” carrying a photo and the obituary of Mali. We landed in the K.V. Iyer’s Vyayamashala where Mali was lodged and tapped the door. It was a laugh i n g Mai i w h o o pened the door and explained that it was he who had sent the mes- sage to the Press ! Someone had told Mali that his ‘ayushya’ (life span) would increase if people talked about his death. The violinist countered the chal- lenge and asked if Mali could play all that he played in violin. Mali accepted the challenge. The intelligent violin- ist bowed the violin with two different swaras on two different strings and produced a ‘chord’ with the flute on hand and realising that he cannot re- produce this, Mali jokingly questioned why the violinist was playing a harmonium. The violinist spontaneously re- torted that it was known that Mali was Ariyakudi Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar is a hs I lowed name in Carnatic Music. 1 1 is to his credit that the present concert format (a vamam, one or two small krithis, a krithi with alapana and crisp swaras, a krithi after a detail alapana, niraval, swaras with a thani avarthanam, another short kritl in brisk speed, Ragam, Thanam and Pallavi mostly in Adi tala, 4 kalai, 3/ 4eduppu - thrikalaand thrisra, swaras, sometimes in ragamalika, vi ruth am -sloka, pas u ram, a devaranama, javali, thillana, and mangalam) i s Lraced. There is also a complaint in a section of musicians that Ariyakudi diluted our music. Hooding it with a number of items, thereby reducing the alapana and other manodharma aspects. But generally, connois- seurs and musicians were of the view that Ariyakudi popularised our music by pro- viding a rich variety in the repertoire. Essence of ruga bhava was the criterion and repetitive portions of long pre- sentations were avoided. Chowdiah got infuriated and blamed Mali and the entire return route , it was nothing but choice epithets on Mali! Different Story A concert at an old Madras Sabha had a different story. As usual the co nc ert com menced o ne and half hou r late and in a place where the lava vyavahara was involved, it was the ‘Koraippu’ in kalpanaswaras. In a monotonic phrase, Mali resorted to n adai -bhedha wi Lh a t ic kl i sh * "Karava i T . The violinist could not reproduce the actual gait and Mali was adamant. A skirmish followed, the violinist said that al 1 1 hat is prod u ccd in flute cannot be reproduced in violin. Mali would not accept and challenged that he would play the violin and demonstrate it. drunk but was he so inebriated as to not being able to distinguish between a harmonium and violin, Mali repeated his demand that he would play the concert himself with- out the violin. Here was a different story. The violinist thundered that the concert should either be cancelled or lie be allowed to play for the rest of the concert. He threatened the secretary to sue him as his name had been pub- lished and the concert had to go on with him. Afterpersuations both came back to continue the concert. There are several anecdotes in Mali’s chacquercd career. Mali was a good violinist; infact he had given an exclu- sive solo violin recital at the City Institute pan dal in Chamarajapet for the Sree Rama Seva Mandali. However, there is no doubt that A ri yakudi was a past master in rendcr- ir g short kal pan as warns and bring out the character of the raga with light lay a bhava as well. He was the unri- valled king of his pataanthara and whatever he sang was considered an authority to be followed by all. He was in very great demand during his days. Ariyakudi was selected tor the fi rst President’s Award (Sangect NaLak Akadcmy, Delhi) and Mali wrote in The Hindu questioning the norms. Most of the musicians were shocked at these ‘antics’ of Mali, I showed the paper to Chowdiah who was also taken aback and asked me to find out from Mali, what he meant. I went to Mali and he clarified that Ariyakudi was singing several com- Phoenix Nov-Decl996 position s of M y sore V asude vachar a nd Acharya who was a highly venerated vocalist should not have been ignored and should have been given the award earlier. Chowdiah instantly responded joining issue with Mali. Vasudcva- char was given the Award the next I was married in 1964 at Mysore on a Friday. I had returned with my bride on Saturday, Malleswaram San- geetha Sabha had organised AriyakudPs concert on Sunday. That morning Ariyakudi surprised me and all the members of my family visiting won id bri ng out th e el o quence of his laya srusti with intricate rhythm pat- tern coupled with the left and right coordination of the highest order. He would resort to laya vinyasas in the sophisticated ‘Thiruppugazlv thalaas. He passed away very early at his 54th year in 1962. He deserved more honours than he had received. His accompaniment with Lalgudi Jayaraman for an excellent veena re- cital of S * Balac hander is unforgettable. For that concert at the City In- . stitute pendal for Sree I Ramaseva Mandali, he asked for my mridangam. He opened up the left thoppi to suit his large palm to such an extent that I could not play in that thoppi again. He asked me to I get a mridangam repairer and I I took P, V , Paramcs h w aran who had just then started a concern ! of mridangam making and re- pairing, When he had applied the 1 karanai 5 ( bl ack ro u nd spot .. on the right drum head), Palani was furious and went on to ex- plain how it should be done. Paramcshwaran learnt this — unique technique and later turned out to be one of our best instrument manufacturer and repairer. Two artistes who passed away in 1965 leaving indelible impressions on me are Alathur Subba Iyer and G.N. Baiasubramany am, called as Subbudu and GNB. Alathur brothers provided classical music of the highest order, it would not be incorrect if I assert that their music was my model. Whether it was alapanaor a clean cut rendition of a krithi, Sahitya Vinyasa or Laya Vyavahara (kanakku in Tamil, lekkachara in Kannada) in swara or delineation of Pallavi, sukha bhava was of prime importance, l 3hantha- mulekha\ 'Sri Raghu Varaprameya', ‘Koluvamragada 5 are some of the krithis that are still green in my mind. His accompaniment to a gay aka Surati, Natakuranji, Nayaki, or vadaka would be fully supportive Devagandhari, Mukhari are some of without any hindrance. His solo turns the ragas handled exquisitely. Their the Jayanagar residence, of my sister with whom I was put up. When I plainly expressed my pleasant sur- prise at his visit. Ariyakudi interjected "You are coming whenever and wher- ever I sing. Should \ not come to see year, Ariyakudi ’s repertoire was very rich and whatever a listener asked, he would respond immediately remem- bering the sahitya of so many krithis without looking at a slip. His ragamalika pallavi "Shankara- bharanam Azhathodi Vaadi Kalyani- Darbarukku’ with H kalpanaswara in the respective ■ relevant ragas Sahityakshara was a rage for sometime. Whenever in Mysore State, he would invariably render Kettavarillavo 1 in l Nambi thrisra rhriputa in detail w r ;th niraval, swaraprasthara of ‘Garudagamane’ with a layavinyasa of the percussion- ist, ‘Kandu Kandu Nee Enna 1 , i* and a few 'Kaliyugadal devaranamas were always 4a- | §| gerly looked for. Ariyakudi - Chowdiah - Mani was a combi- nation which would fetch handsome collection for sabhas. AriyakudPs treatment would be precise and bring out the personality of the raga at any given point of time. His swaras were soaked in raga bhava and he would at times resort to rhythmic calculations which would never spoil the beamy and grandeur of the ragas. The present practice of ren- dering ‘thrikala’ from the 'cduppu 1 is mostly attributed to Ariyakudi, Palghat Mani had the greatest of regards to Ariyakudi and wrote an article 'Ariyakudi Pechhullavarai Paduvar (Ariyakudi would sing as long as he could speak) in a felicitation volume on the 75th birthday of Ariyakudi. Ariyakudi was a perfect public rela- tions man and would keep acquaintance with all those he came in contact with. Palani Subramanya Pillai 11 Pall a vi in 5/8 and 7/8 Tduppus' without loss of any raga bhava are exemplary. The rendition of ‘Ninrtuvinuga Mari’ in viloma chapu set in Desliadi tala in the company of Lalgudi Jayaraman and Palghai Mani Iyer can never be forgotten. In a concert at the Malles waram Sangcetha Sabha, this was the major item and Mani Iyer played one of his best laya vinyasa for 1 5 minutes after a wonderful awe-inspiring ‘koraippu’ for the charana Taramalobhulanu*, with a 2/7 A cduppu\ participated by three tier rendition of the brothers and Lalgudi with Mani Iyer right down to 1/8 avartha without a single miss or blot. Later the Pallavi Thenparam Girivazhar Mumgaguhane... ’ in Natakuranjl set to khanda triputa, 4 kalais with l he take off after 5 counts was rendered in thrikala and thrishra, instead of allowing Lalgudi to play the thrikala, they asked Mani Iyer to play. He Rendered a lightning, thunderlike short laya vinyasa. The Pallavi was converted into a single kalai with 1 1/4 eduppa and the .sahitya was rendered in one avartha, 2, 3 and 4 avarihas and back. Subbudu de~ manded Lalgudi to play this. Lalgudi with his usual cal m demeanour p] ayed it so perfectly that even Mani Iyer was prompted to say ‘bhesh!’ Perhaps we cannot listen to or witness such pallavi expositions of Alathur- Lalgudi - Mani Iyer. to be concluded IN LIGHTER VEIN A f fK a F n rl A* f it All 1 jt \1 Tilt: JCiiltl U. Lit ^\il ; Manu Vijay T here were many things that one looked forward to at ihe re cently concluded Ms world pageant. There were those that wanted to see if the corporate house led by one missed the pageant altogether- but not the excitement prior to the show. This brought to my mind some of the hype that precedes a Political influences, romantic li- aisons, latest fads in costume, jewellery and stage decor, programme tour are discussed and dissected in detail The poo r d anc er, i s of cou rse forgotte n. If of India’s most proclaimed actors would fall Oat on its face for its organisational abilities. Some wanted to see how any of his wi ves the Sultan of Brucnic..,, brought to the extrava- ganza, would. Dr Raj ku mar accept AR 3 s invitation ? Would Ruby Bhatia make a fool of herself 7 After reading reams of news pri nt about this much hyped event, few gave a thought to poor Ms World. She would be crowned of course-but that was incidental, KEB, anyway, put us oul of our agony for a few hours we Bharathanatyam Rangapravesha. While the studenL and family put in hours of agonizing effort, the event is almost ami climatic. The frenzy of activity fizzles oul as the final Tillana is over and only a few me mo ri es re ma in . The au di e nee , of course, has a few hours of fun. We want to know the latest gossip in the field who’s wearing what-which dancer is on an American tour, who has programmes in Chennai, which Guru pays the least to her/his musi- cians, which guests are invited etc. she’ s so-and-so’ s student X YZ 3 s niece, or belonging to this family she has got to be so good or abilities bad. The dancer's abilities and diligence is quite lost in maze of speeches, guests, decor and gossip, and at the end of it all leaves her feeling depleted and 1 os t i n stead of t he e xc i te m cm of s ta nd- ing at the threshold of fulfilling career in the dance field. She has of course, the albums to look at and remember much I i ke the Ms. World pageant faded into obi vi on 1 ea v i n g a m a n gl ed cric ket pitch at the KSCA Stadium. $ PHOENIX wishes its readers, wel wishers, sponsors and advertisers a Happy & Prosperous NEW YEAR Phoenix Nov-Decl996 Focus on Music - Laya Bzngafore K. Venka trail beitt # honoured by Unuiyalapurain Siva rowan certs has increased there by limiting the scope tor improvised music. Laud- ing the highly evolved state of the an ol contemporary musicians, Venkatram dwelt on the different roles of laya vadyas, as accompani- ments and with individual personality. Expressing his happiness at the systematic assessment by the AIR he appealed the Doordarshan to extend die timeslot for classical music simi- lar to AIR. Sathyanarayana Setty, Vice Presi- dent proposed a vote of thanks. Earlier Padma Murthy rendered the invoca- tion and H. KamaluNath the welcome address. Lecture Demonstration The 28th Annual Music Confer- ence of the 91 years old Bangalore Gay ana Sa maj a, h el d at i ts audi to ri urn from November 27 1 96, was inaugu- rated by Ganapathi Sachidananda Swamiji of Avadhoota Dana Peeta, Mysore. In his inaugural address the swamiji explained the significance of various s war as in music, its sal u lory effect and medical vailues. He stressed the need for encouragement and sup- port to classical music. N, Paltabh Iranian. Editor of Shmti, a music monthly from Madras released two audio cassettes rcndcrec by M.S, Sheela and observed that artistes should restrict the number ol compo- sitions in a cassette and instead provide better scope tor kalpana aspects like raga T nerval etc. Veteran percussionist Bangalore K Venkatram, who was unanimously elected as the president of the confer- ence in his scholarly address spoke on his close associations with the Sa- majaand recalled his association with late V,T. Srinivasan, the founder presi- dent of the Samaja. He remembered his gum, Ghatam Manjunath and the support he got from the violin maestro T. Chowdiah. He observed that tire number of compositions in the con- in his lecture demonstration pre- sented in the evening, Venkatram presented a two-tier Laya Vinyasa, 'Laya Vadya Vaividhya’ presented several percussions used in record- ings and light music like Dikkt, Roso-rosa, Nagara, Poong, Tamar in. Phoenix Nov-Dec 19% thittu andbadaguthithf and explained various talas in use. Explaining the two versions of the *thrivide\ the nidhana thrivude and thwarithas, the 'thiuhilhai’ taalas, Rhat observed that in sahitya and artha are preduminent in Yakshagana as different from San- geetha where Bhava and raga are domineni. Mridanga Vidwan A.V. Anaud observed that the misrachapur and thrishra thnputa resembled the two varieties of thrivude of Yakshagana. No Led academician and scholar of Mysore, R.SaLhyanarana in his lucid explanation on Tala chapters in an- cient Sanscrit texts on music* observed that tala system of Indian music is uniq ue He referred to ancient texts in three stages. Natya shasira, Daltilam, Bruhacdeshi and Abhinava Guptas commentary and Bharat a Bhashya formed the first part. Manus oil as a, Sangria Choodamani, Sangeetha Sudhakara, Sangeetha Samaya Sara and Sangeetha Ralhnakar a formed the ■L-r second part. He observed that there are 4000 slokas pertaining to talas only. H.S. Anasuya Kulkami demon- strated and explained select drums of Papua New Guinea and Uganda on the third day. Kundu, Gengang drums were played. Noted music and dance critic Dr Rajaramanna honouring V. Knshnan ‘Sheeksha 1 , dealing with the phoenetics, pronunciation and ‘chanda’ are noteworthy for recitation of vedas. He explained all aspects of vaidika and lowklka chandas* Noted mridangam vidwan, Vellore Ramabhadran explained the ‘sarva laghu’ pattern of mridangam playing to the accompaniment of the vocal duet of R.K. Padmanabha and D.V, Nagarajan. The second day’s sessions saw T. Keshava Bhatt speaking on Tala and Laya 1 in Yakshagana. He traced the salientdifferences between the ‘thenku Damdi, Idakka, Khol, Ghata Singari, Tape, Marracos, Base Dulak etc. Most of these instruments were seen for the first time. Bali, Shivu and Kashyap rendered these instruments. The second part w as a lay a vi ny as a. The basic theme was a sioke on Saraswathi and the relevant Solkattu. of Shahaji Maharaja. The sloka and solkattu were rendered in Misra Jampai. The ‘Kuraippu* was planned to present groups of s ruth i and other vadyas, The finale was build up with precision and clarity. Academic Sessions The academic sessions every day had renditions of kri this with refer- ence to swara, tala and lava to suit the theme of the conference, ‘Music- Lay a 5 . S.K, Ramaehanclra Rao in his ‘Music in Vedas 3 called for an exten- sive research on the aspect of evolution of tala and laya from the Vedas. He said that music V.Doreswamy Iyengar, who for- mally inaugurated the acamedic sessions observed that the proceed- ings would help the sudents of music and connoisseurs to understand the intricasies of the art for better appre- ciation. Ramachandra Rao stated that music is undergoing changes over the years but of the six vegangaas the Vidwan S.Slutnkar in concert 4 Phoenix Nov-Decl996 plained the various krithis series of Dikshithar and referred to the pu b] i ca- tion (on Dikshithar) of Ihe National book trust authored by 7\L. Venkatarama Iyer, scholar-c uni- mu- sician, Padma Gurudutt explained the Laya varieties in ehandus, vachan&s and ugabhogas, extensively describ- ing the details of eh and as of Kannada. She narrated the vachana and gay an a concepts in vachanas and ugabhogas, Mysore V. Subramanya observed that laya delineation similar to Thiru- ppugazhs are not available in Kannada. He referred to the anibaddha narrtion of vac h anas and ugabhogas in earlier At the sadas 28th Music Conference times and the nibaddha narrations of B.V.K. Sastry explained the features of drums of Africa and traced the dhwani laya vaividhya of instruments and complimented the artiste on her lucid presentation. Bangalore K Venkatram, the con- ference President explained the varying and vanishing tala traditions with illustrations. G,R. Jaya and V. Kalavathi lent vocal support. Disappearance of deshadi and madh y ad i tal as t co n c eptua i d i ffc re n ces between misra chapu and thrishra thriputa talas, earlier and present ver- sions of the operation of rupaka !ala were demonstrated. Noted vainika, V. Doreswamy Iyengar, complimented Venkatram on his explanations with, clear expression. Versatile vocalist M.S. Sheela demonstrated pallavis as presentee in earlier days and present. A pallavi in Mtidrika tala, one of the Ashtothara talas, three speeds of pallavi rendition as per prevalent practice in Mysore s Lyle, Contemporary practice of thrikala and thrisra for four kalai - 3/4 eduppu pallavis, samples of prati loma and sophisticated 5/8 and 7/8 edupj. us were demonstrated, Venkatram nar- rated the details of several earlier pallavi exponents of yes ter years and available texts on pallavi. The fourth day saw the noted art, dance and music critic and the editor of Phoenix, S. N. Chandrasekhar spoke on all aspects of ihattu-metlu-nattu- egaru thattu / mettu- thattu, mcltu- jaru- mandi. Demonstrating various rechakas like Hastha, Kati etc he ob- served that Grceva reehaka is not in use these days. Students of Padmini Ray participated in the demonstration andDamodar Bhatt played the mridangam. Shankaran gave a lucid demon- stration of the Palani style of mrudangam playing. Sankaran re- ferred to the dexterity and artistry of the great Palani Subramanya Pillai, nadai - sorkal, subtle introduction of nadai-bhedas without loosing the acs- t h cti cs , p ray ogas of g u m k i we re amp I y demonstrated. Sankaran referred to laya as the 'Rate of Speed of events”. He referred to the Thiruppuga/h talas which his gum revealed, Sankaran spoke on his publication on the intro- duction ol the notation system to preserve the patterns with an accent on ‘'not- to- loose” the finguring tech- niques. Venkataram referred to the maintenance and upkeep of instru- ments by Palani and the aesthatics in the vy a valiant of the Palani style. The penultimate day had Kanaka Swamy rendering select krithis of Dikshithar, with a special reference to vibhakthi krithis. Venkataram cx- 15 the present day. Vocalist T.S. Satyavathi gave a raga darshana of Saved, profusely illustrating points and explaining the different swaras wi t h s u i tab 1 e n arret ions. S h c ren dered 'Rama Baana” to illustrate her obser- vations. She referred to the work of K.S. Nagarjan whose collection in- volves 87 compositions in SaverL H. Kama! anal h explained contri- bution of Maharajapuram V is wanalha Iyer, as part of the birth centenary celebrations on the concluding day of the experts’ sessions. Profusely quoting from an article of B.V.K, Sastry published inGayana Samrajya, K.S, Mahadevan (former editor of ’ Shanmukha”) and Venkataram spoke on the artistry, personality and contri- bution of Vi.shwanatha Iyer. A symposium on “Laya Vadyas in Karnataka Music” was interesting. Key-note address was presented by art critic K.S, Mahadevan, participants included A. Veerbhadraiah, T.N. Padmanabhan, T.S, Satyavathi, Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharrna, Mysore Subramanya, V. Krishna, N.R, Ananlhanarayana. Expectations of participants were d i scu ssed . Sen i or acco m pa n i s ts , not accompanying versatile competant 1 ady arti stes , tim ings and du ration o f solo turns for percussion accompa- nists, problems faced by accompanists were explained. Need for research and development instrumentation of 1 ay a vadyas, creation of exclusive com- pos itions for percussion ensembles were highlighted. Curtains of the festival came down on Novembers, 96. DrRajaRamanna, eminent scientist and noted Piano art- ist presided over the function. Mrldangam maslreo U may ala ptiram K, Shi varaman conferred the title 61 ‘San- geetha Kala Rathna” on Bangalore K. Venkataram, Si varaman in his address referred to Vcnkataram as the son of a post master and a past-master of percussion art; he lauded the ser- vices and contribution of Venkataram to the field of music and especially to percussi ve arc L ocal talent had every every reason to be happy with the co n f e rence . R es i de s a host o f young, competent accompanists, the week long fare featured three vocal- ists from its ranks. Names like Nagamani Sr math, R,A, Ramamani and S. Shankar are reputed among the present generation of musicians as their counterparts elsewhere like U .Srini vas (mandolin), Rajkumar Bharati, E. Gayatri (veena), the Hyderabad Sisters, Lalitha- Haripriya and Sikkil sisters, Neela- Kunjumanr It goes to their credit that the former acquitted themselves as impressively as the others, Much has been written about these artistes in recent times and their per- formance in the conference was in Artistes of the year R. Seetharam, C Krishna Murthy, S.Chandrashekar, A.V. An and. H. Narasimha Murthy (Master Hirannaiah), T.N. Pad man a- bhan and E,P. Alamelu were felicitated, V . Part ha s arat hy, Managing D i rector of State Bank of Mysore, distributed the prizes to the winners of the music competitions and junior concerts. Raja Ram anna enlogised the ser- vices of Venkataram and complimented him for popularising percussive arts and artistes. Master Hiranniah in his highly humorous ad- dress, thanked the Samajaon behalf of the artistes felicitated,* Photos: Phan! Raj keeping with their reputation. But there was something more to it in the conference and that is the emergence of names in the youth wing. Assess- ment of their fare in the afternoon session is worthwhile, as many of them are sure to hit headlines in the years to come. The afternoon sessions featured some noteworthy talent of the younger generation of musieiansdhe concert part of the eight day conference got underway with an impressive *iaya vinyasa* by the percussion artistes of the Ayyanar College of Music under the direction of ghatam Vidwan A.Vasudha 16 Bangalore K. Venkataram, the con- ference president. There was a full array of rhythmic instruments, the ensemble revealing the one solid element that lifts a laya vinyasa’ to a height-intensity. A col- lective effort where each artiste displayed his mastery over the tech- nique. On the concert side, M.S.Vidya’s vocal stood out for its scholarship. Her vamam (Hi n do la), a composition of her father, the late M. Scshagiri Ach ar, g a ve her a 1 ilti ng st art . Thoug h her voice was not in fettle, her Kalyani raga-thana-pallavi for a complex chatushra-jhampe, khanda nadai, showed her as a complete singer. The flute recital of A.P, Sarvotham was equally impress! ve. His alap for Shan- kambharana (Enduku Pcddala) was neat, revealing a steady blowing. But it has yet to acquire resonance. Hams ini Nagendra as she intoned Simaendramadhyama (Dayaleni) ap- peared in a hurry if not overconfident. Her Kambodi (raga, tana, pallavi) was more convincing both in its lyrical essence and rhythmic elegance. Pushpa Kashinath in her veena shows rem ark abl e fel j ci ty as evidenced j n the vama (Jaganmohini), Her inter- pretation of Kapi (Mec valla) was as impressive for its modal fidelity. All she seems to need is a greater sense of involvement Bui her technique is sure, Dharmavati andThodi revealing lilting lines. The popular duo Roopa and Deepa Rao has made a name in the light music genre. Their alap is (Bilahari and Vachaspati) neat, butthephrasings are short of colour and flourish. But even as S . Vasudha of Mysore started the Saranga vamam, one could discern class. Her Sriranjmi (Bhuvanidasudani) and the lovely pallavi in Shank arabharanam reaf- firmed a mastery in the style that is associated with a generation of musi- cians that, alas, is fast dying out. Overall it was a reassuring series. . S. N. Chandrasekhar Rajeev Tharanth THE RESTLESS GENIUS Krishna 1 ‘ 1 h ad not seen a sarod bei ng pi ay cd till 1 was 1 S>, What [did hear of the pre- Ali Akbar sarod turned me away from that sound. I was an adoring fan of Pandit Ravishankar who was a fre- quent visitor to Bangalore, In the 50' s. A performance of his ar theTown Hall was advertised. Later it was mentioned that a sarod player called Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was coining too. 1 was sad, 1 decided to concentrate on the si tar. The even i n g c ame and t he c oneert began with raag Puriyakalyan, Chaturla! waited behind the Tabic, [n a very short whi le, this strange balding Buddha on the sarod, draped over his exot ic i n s tru me n t, j u st took o f f , so ared and explored the depths of the dark silences and burst into volcanic fury - metaphors fail me. 1 was a changed man. My world was emptied of 'every- thing except that man and that sound,” This is Pandit Rajeev Taranath one of the Rajyotsava awardees this year and one of the foremost sarod players in India today, narrating his first encounter with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Recently, this Bangalore based maestro was invited as a Visiting Professor of Indi an Music by the pres- tigious CAL ARTS t Cal ii fom i a I ijsti tute of Performing Arts, USA, an institu- tion established by the famous Wall Disney Fou ndat ion . A f ter Pand i t Rav i Shankar, he is the only other Indian to be honoured with such an invitation. Talking to this restless genius is always fascinating. There were a few crucial questions to ask of him about his formative years, music, his recent visit to GALA RTS, et ai, OJ Being the son of Pandit Taranath, who must have been a Ke- naissance role- mode! to you, imbibing a vivid idealism and a passion for excellence must have been very natu- ral and important. What made you give up the promise of a brilliant aca- demic career and go off into music ? A] I started learning music from my father, the late Pandit Taranath, a man with a remarkable versatility of ac hi c vc men! a nd ra n gc of i n tere s t$* A thinker, reformer, doctor, education- i st , w ri ter, mystic , m usi ci an , w hat h ave you ! At the beginning of this century, he was to Karnataka what Tagore was to Bengal. 1 was around four years, when he started me on the tab! a. At around six, he taught me vocal music. When I was short of seven he put me to learn under a series of good musi- cians, who stayed in our house from time to time. Prominent among them were Yenkat Rao Ramdurgkar, the senior most disciple of Sawai Gandharva of the Kirana Gharana; and Shankar Rao loshi of the Gwalior Gharana. I was considered a prodigy and made to give concerts which 1 didn’t * like. \ liked the resulting adulation of adult admirers though. They gave me tanpuras and l aba las for presents. My voice braking w*as quite a psychological crisis for me. I began 17 my broadcasting career as a singer in fact. 1 was successful, but bored and gave up. Meanwhile, 1 studied En- glish literature and stood first in the University. But, more than that l was a successful debater and orator for my institutions. Active person in what might be called intellectual pursuits. 1 expected and many expected that I would take a shot at the Civil Ser- vices or Foreign Services or go into pure academics. That 1 did not, I went off to do music. This happened sometime in 1 955 , when Rajeevji was 22. He stayed with the Ustad in Bombay and then in Calcutta for six years. Reminiscing, Rajeevji says with deepest reverence that today behind all his music is the rich resonance of Baba (Ustad Ali Akbar Khan). He has been among the greatest during his learning years. Those who taught, gave him precise guidance (infact it was Pandit Ravi Shankar who urged him back to music as a career, when personal problems pushed him into English teaching and kept him there for long) and support- ive care - Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Annapurna Devi, and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. Rajeevji feels privileged “to create and per- form in the aura of their blessings”. T oday Rajeevji i s one of the finest exponents of the ancient 'Senia T school of Hindustani music, which origi- nated from the immortal Mia Tansen and has nourished in this century, the greats like Ustad Al laud din Khan and his children Ustad Ali Akbar Khan anti Annapurna Devi and disciples Pandit Ravi Shankar Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, and PandiLPannaJal Ghosh. He has travel led extensively and been acclaimed by serious music lovers the world oven He is the first Indian lo have played at the famous Sydney Opera House in Australia. A frequent visitortotheUS and Europe* he has taken the richness of Indian music to name a few, have all won him admira- tion and awards. Music drew him away from writ- ing, But he was at the centre of the modern Kannada literary movement at one lime. The few hut brilliant pieces of writing dun ng his years as an English Professor* have found inter- national recognition. lead a student somewhere, someplace good, where he starts deriving satis- faction and becomes aesthetically locomotive. Q I Tell us about the ambience of CALARTS and the very interesting if ambitious concept of World Music " that the institute has evolved. A] There arc very excellent con- servatives teaching — classical music, , classical dance, like ballet in many U.S, cities. But j CALARTS is the 1 only institute, where I , a range of Western Music - - - classic | cal, traditional jazz, modern, post mod- M ern, computer T music, opera sing- ing - - - everything I taught side by side with other Music and Arts, in which also high level traiu- ing is available, all the non-western musics, are gathered underWorkl Music. T here is a constant attempt thro 1 the year to bring to- gether the Western and non- western music in structures, where they inter- face, i nterac t an dfuse. Tru e , th c resu 1 is could be quite scattered or spacy some- ri mes . B u t a 1 way s t he re is I hat openi ng available for that special, sudden epiphanic combination. Then, I have suggested some changes in t he structuring of the world music. Some of the people who go to the States from underdeveloped coun- tries also want to secure their places thereby making world music pro- grammes sift options, the fear at the background being that the presence of difficult learning items might reduce the number of students opting for the programme \ Too many purveyors of things Indian abroad sit back in the new found cosiness and talk tirelessly Hungary, Egypt, Eden. A music critic whh at New York reviews rhapsodical 1 y “Raj ee v T ara nat h\s B| i J| f l sarod improvisation mixes the spiritual and the spirited' 7 and calls his music, “an exuberant rhythmic 6 celebration’ 1 . He is \ responding to Rajeevji’s music w hie h co mes t hro ’ as 1 a constant dialectic between deep cl assi- .. cal rigour and an t irrepressible emo- tional intensity, The careful in- tellect which chooses, experiments with and juxtaposes tones and textures of sound can also storm into grand passion or relax in lovely lyricism. Rajeevj i has worked with a plural - tty of medium like films, writing, English teaching A brilliant thinker, he is one of the few musicians who can talk intensely and interestingly about politics, society and culture. His mu- sic lor the first new wave film in Kannada 'Samskara 1 set a trend in music direction for serious cinema in the South. Tallavf and l Sringaaramasa T and Malay alam films like Aravindan’s ‘Kanchana Seeta 1 followed. "Pokkuveyir was an un- usual experiment where the narrative of the film was set to the logic and sequence of its music! V as tide van N air’s L Kadavu' more recently, to Teaching seems to be at the centre of his being. As a Ford Foundation Scholar he has researched on the ' teaching techniques of Maihar- Allauddin GharanaT As a teacher who has taught Indian classical music in India and across cultures, he talks about the validity of the art of teach- ing. Q I fs music for all or is it more a matter of genes and genius? A] 1 don’t think we should be talking much too facildy about genes. What do the genes carry? Do they carry music, if so at what level of delicacy? Hindustani music? Sarod music?. An ability to play Chandra- nandan 7 But certainly intelligent practice, intelligent learning and imaginative teaching — all presided over by a durable seriousness, should about peace, spirituality, Nadabrahma and all the other’ meniionab!es T asso- r i ated wi th this subcon t i nett t . This is very wrong because they themsel ves have learnt competence in processes difficult and demanding in the extreme — And I was trying to say that if one level of competence was aimed at in Western music teach- ing was necessary* The students accepted some of my abrasiveness quite well, {Soon they got hooked on to the excitement) honing tneir skills. One student actually accompanied me during the end ot the semester concern f * Q] Students, who register for this programme what are they looking for cmd where does the whole thing lead A] Learn ! If they do very well to get across the ethnic barrier, people of the Mother culture will accept them even if they offer slightly uninspired stuff my sort of allowing it with phrases like “'For a foreigner he is doing very well But to be accepted and respected independent of biodata, race or euUurc, then one is required to achieve a very high standard indeed. It is possible. It is just a beginning. What \ and the students there are aim- ing at is 10 make them competent performers not complete musicians, not so much the raagas but useful techniques which when internalised, the imagination will create and create within the challenging tightness of the classical raaga. 1 look forward to pushing them a little further during the next three months of my second visit. Students wrote letters to the Presi- dent carrying a lot of admiration for my somewhat driving kind of teach- ing. The authorities requested me to stay back at CAL ARTS permanently. But as a performer* I could not settle down there. So I have accepted to be a permanent Visiting Professor there, that is I teach at the institute u henever \ am in the U.S. * Rajeevji left for the U.S. In Sep- tember this year for yet anothe r session Phoenix Nov- Dec 1996 at GALA RTS. It is time indeed that we Indians felt a proper pride in the achievements of this fine musician. Music ■ .. :&»" . ii Competition Music Compete! ion was organised by Bangalore Guyana Sa- maja. The compete! ion was tough and the quality good. J udges h ad a t o u gh timer n c h < >s i n g the winners. Following arc the win- ners at the annual conference of the Juniors’ Concert Sumitra Nf tin. R.A.Dakshina Murthy, A.P.Srinivas, Madhura S. Kumar, K. Prashamh, K. Srinivas, B. C. Manjunath, S. Prashamh, Jyothsna Manjunath, V, Ganesli, N. Amruth, B.N. SathyanarayanaMurali, Pushpa Raju and K. Jayashree, J timers’ Competition V.V. Rukmini, CN. Vasudha Prahlad, R. Shruthi , M. R. Srinidhi, S. Ashok, R. Madhu Kashyap, Shree Krishna, B.L Bharath, C.Kiran, C. N. Vtswanath, Amith A.Nadig, Priya Sheshadri, P. Nanditha , T. Karthik Ashwin, Kama B, Alhreya,R. Divya, "J. Lakshmi, S. Datta, A. Shiva Ku- mar, A. Shashank , R. Kavyashree.M. Bharath, R.T. Vidya , BG. Jayanth, S wet ha Kesha v, N. Sumana, Shree Krupa, K.S, Swetha* G.Sriranjani, Aruna Ranganathan, K.T.Udaya Kiran, T. Pramod Kumar, N.R Deepashree and B.K. Raghu. Senior’s Competition Chirm Srikrishna, B. Sreerama Bhatt, K.Bhargavi, Manasi Prasad, M.S. Shilpa, R.Suchcthan, B.S. Anand, P.Srini vasa Prassana, Matangi Rajasekhar. M.S. Gayathri, $.K Raghavendra, Vamshi Raghu, R. Arvind, Ranjani Siddanthi,Geetha R. Bhatt and S. Karthik. 5 Nupura's Calender of Events December 19 ; Bharathanatyam by students of Nupura at * he National Pathology Conference, Indian Insti- tute of Science. 4)ecember23 : Bhamlhanatya Ranga- pravesha of Mridui Rajashekhar at Ravindra Kalakshcthra - 6.30 p.m. December 26 : Bharathanatyam by student of Nupura at the Dakshina Rharatha Sahithya Sammelan, K ark ala. Sri Ganasudha Sangeetha Sab ha Bhadravathi Silver Jubilee Year Music Festival December 25 : IV S. Vidya (vocal), R. Raghuram {violin), A. V. Anand (mridangam) and L.Bhimaehar (marching). December 26: V.Ananth (flute), J.K. Sridhar (violin), A, V. Anand (mridangam) and L.Bhimaehar (morching). December 27 : Basavanagudi Nataraj and N. S imiiha (viol in duet) ,Nagendra Udupa (mridangam) and Giridhar Udupa (ghata). Dec ember 28 : R . K . Pad m a n ab h a and D.V. Nagarajan (vocal), R. Dayakar (violin), N.G. Ravi (mridangam) and Omkar (ghat a). MBwbtra ftpei arawpara Phoenix Nov-Decl996 enoire c f Bharathanatyam, the senior students of Padmini Ravi presented a feature Entitled “Bhavy a Rama Katha. As the title indicates, the idea was 10 draw on the mythological and spec- tacular appeals in the familiar saga of Rain a. Bui as the elucidation unfolded with the almost shop-soiled Swati Tirunai piece “Bhavayami Raghuramam” (ragamalika), one that the impact was nearly total. One rajendra, all dancers and Suma Sudheendra, Vasantha Madhavi, mu- s i ci ans , have al I formed institutions of their own to promote not only their own chosen art form, but also throw open opportunities to fellow-artistes pursuing their allied arts to share the platform Most of these artistes organise annual festivals which make way for exposure in both music and dance. * The latest to join the group is the Nadaanta Academy of Music and Dance, The brain behind this Acad- emy is the couple T.V.Ramaprasad and Indira Kadambi, the husband an upcoming vocalist and the wife a sea- soned Bharathanatyam dancer. Hence, it is only natural that their festivals cover both dance and music. The Academy 1 s festival last month was in a similar direction. But there was one difference and that is the absence of a recital by Indira herself of course r entirely personal rea- sons, An iat vacancy in dance was filled by me Kirans - Sandhya and Subramanyam, must add that the meaningful rendi- tion of the familiar lines by Neela Ramantij am added to the punch and sparkle of the fare. The popular Vidyabushana Teertha S wamiji was one of the attrac- tions in the musical segment ot the three-day festival. Though his forte is the devotionals comprising the cel- ebrate^ 1 Hari dasa padas ’ , the Swamiji is no novice as a classical singer. His alap for Saveri (Bhubharamati) and Artistes themselves organising fes- tival s of music and dance seem to have become the order of the day. What- ever the mode of the artiste, the fash- ion is to present a composite fare ot the twin arts. In recent times, the performing arena has seen regular performers like Pratibha Prahalad, Padmini Ravi, Purnima Ashok, the Kirans, Vyj ay anti Kashi Salauddin Pasha, Nirupama- Doing away with the routine rep- Pantuvrali (Aparama Bhakti ) at once revealed a ringing flourish* though the form derived sustenance only from the kritis. The devotional^ in Kharahara- priya* Mohana and Amri avarshini were certainly more evocative* draw- ing repeated applause rom the crowded house. B.U.Ganesh Prasad (violin)* Ananthasubramaniam (mridangam) and Rtmganafh Chakra varti (ghatam) lent the S warn iji excellent support. The other Carnatic vocalist fea- tured in the festival was Ramaprasad himself. His concert* however, was preceded by a short function to felici- tate two distinguished artistes, the no- nagenarian vocal istThitte Krishna Iy- engar of Mysore and Abhinaya expo- nent Kalanidhi Narayanan of Madras, A soulful Nagaswaram recital by the husband and wife duo S.P.Palanivel and Prabhadevi, Right from the cus- tomary salutation to Ganapati (Ham- sadhwani), the duo revealed a varied repertoire* Dharmavati (Bhajanaseya) and Charukeshi (Adamodigalade) re- ceiving an elaborate treatment. The confident way they went about devel- oping the alapana and elucidated the krilis with sprightly Swaraprasthara, spoke f or thei r astu te perform i ng ski 1 1 s. It was a lively fare. As Ramaprasad intonated with a composition of Lalgudi Jay Iranian in Mohana-Kalyani* it became evident that the youngster was in fine fettle. A fter reel i ng of di tt ies i n A mri t a vahin i (Sri Ramapadama) and Ahiri (Mayamma) in style* Prasad took up Kambodi (O Rangashayee) for a de- tailed a lap. Though his voice in the upper reaches was a trifle unsure* the re n di tion of the state! y Th y ag araj a kriti was not short of its lyrical appeal* some sparkling 'sangatis* heighten- ing its sensitivity. But in the "swara’ forays* the rendition could not conceal shades of Shankarabharana straying in. Also* as in Mohana-Kalyani ear- lier, Lhe ‘korvais' extended beyond their sustaining limits. Veteran Umayalapuram Shivaraman who provided mridangam support was the cynosure among the accompanists* V.V.Ravi (violin) and T.V.Vasan (ghatam) completing the team. Right through the 90-minute fare* Shivaraman rollicked with his lively layakari, the Thani* for the Kambodi Adi tala piece reaching a crescendo to the delectation of the avid listeners. But Ravi certainly found himself in a low key. The lone Hindustani artiste in Lhe fare was Parameshwar Hcgde, a se- nior disci pie of Basavaraj Rajguru. In rollicking form* the sensitive vocalist opened with a leisurely alap for Maru- Bchag. With lingering meends and resonant tonality* he explored the depths of the melody* decorative L sargams' investing its overtones. Audav Bagcshri that followed was harnessed to as sprightly a mood* Parameshwar enriching the portrayal with a wide array of bol-taans in the Antara. It was pleasant listening, a Bhajan “Janama Janamaki Das” lending a lilt- ing touch to it. Seasoned Ravmdra Yavagal on thetabalaand Vyasamirthy Katti on the harmonium complemented the vocalist’s aesthetic sensitivities. Chandrasekhar Naadanta Naadanta Academy of Dance and Music was founded in 1 989* by T. V. Ram prasad and Indira Kadambi* to impart education in music and dance. A Trust was formed in 1995 with the objective of expanding the activities of the Academy from teaching to propagating music and dance and organising festivals. The Academy is organising work shops by eminent teachers in the field of music and dance for the benefit of the artiste in Karna- taka. It plans to propagate music and dance through production of audio 21 cassettes, compact discs and video cassettes and distributing them world over. The Academy which had con- ducted 4 Arohana’ and Tarampara' l est i val s in 1 9 95 * i s cond u c t i ng cl as ses at Raj aj inagar* Vijayanagar and J.P.Nagar, T.V. Ramprasad T.V. Ramprasad is a young vocal- ist from Karnataka who is making rapid strides in the field of Carnatic Music, T.V. Ramprasad was trained under illustrious teachers like R. R. Kesha vamur thy, T.V. Gopal- krishnan and S. Raj am. Blessed with a melodious voice, T.V. Ramprasad has evolved his own unique style of sing- ing* mixing both a lively approach and involvement, to heighten the mood of the listeners. T.V, Ramprasad is a regu- lar AIR and Doordarshan and has performed in major organisations in the country, T.V. Ramprasad has toured the United Kingdom for con- certs and workshops. T.V. Ramprasad is anchoring a programme of Carnatic music ‘Sapiha Swara* on Udaya T.V. Indira Kadambi Indira Kadambi is a reputed Bharatahatyam danceuse of Karna- taka. She has had the privilege of trai ni ng under o u tstandi ng gu ru s , U sha Datar, Narmada and Kalanidhi Narayan. Precision of line and move- ment, combined with grace and fluidity could be seen in her performances. Her 'Abinaya* is subtle and sugges- tive and has been widely acclaimed. She has undergone training in Mohiniattam under Kalyaniku- ttiamma. Indira's dance recitals have taken her to many parts of India and abroad. She has performed at the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha* the Vasanta Habba* Wishagandhi festival, South Central Zone Cultural Centre’s festi- vals and performances in different places in Europe. Indira is an empanel led artiste of the Indian Coun- Hire-purchase ♦ Leasing > Deposits * Bill Discounting ♦ Money Changing cil forCultural Relations UCCR), New Delhi. Indira finds time from her busy performance schedule to train young- sters, at Nrityagram, where taught Bharatanatyam for three years, and at the academy. Indira is a good Nattuvanar, too, having received advanced training under Kamala Rani of Kalakshelra, Madras. Indira is well versed in the allied arts of music and literature. proud to enjoy the confidence of more than 1.20 lakh depositors, spread oyer 65 branches in 10 states. It plans to increase its net w ork of branches to 70 by the end of the financial year 1 995-96. The company has been paying an un- interrupted dividend for 52 years and has declared a dividend of 30 % for the year ended 3 1 st March 1995. The company has had 4 Bonus Issues and 7 Rights Issues in the past. The company’s shares arc listed on the Stock exchanges of Bombay, Pune. Bangalore and Mangalore. The festival Maha Kashira Apex PAR AM PARA was spon- sored by Maha Rashtra Apex Corporation, a leading financial services company. The Company is a member of the reputed Manipal Group. Established in 1943, and headed by i : Rarnesh . U .Pai , Chai r- man is ably assisted by Sri T.Sudhakar Pai, Managing Direc tor, his eldest son. Hie company has diversified activities like Hire Purchase, Leas- ing, Deposits, Bill Discounting and Money Changing. The Deposits of the company has crossed the Rs. 1 900 million. The Company is Kurl-on Ltd., makers of the well-known Kurl-on' brand of coir mattresses and pillows, is another reputed member of the Manipal Group. oianoa cr vices ommoni man s OOFS unite*: Rashtra Apex Esiomi Corpn Ltd. Regd. CHiCc: SyndicalE Hcuse. MANIPAL - 576 IIS, S-501JS02, Manipal Centre, 47, Dickenson Road, BANGALORE-560 042. Ph: 5536067, 5588001. No 45, Geetna Colony 2nd Floor, 29th Crass, 4th Block, JAYANAGAR, BANGALORE-560011. Ph:642009, 6641452 No. 75, G. Koil Street, Puruswalkam, MADRAS-600 084. Ph: 6420252, 6422593 27. Dowlanj Towers, Dr. radhakriShna.Salai. MYLAPORE, MADRAS-600 004 Ph: B235068, 8233915 kala was exhibited by singing "Neerajakshi Kamakshi”. Veera- Adbhutha rasas noticed while Vareku Janti and Daatu swara gamaka prayogas in Du rit ha Kala were exhib- ited by singing “Sujana manoratha poorana chature” by G.R. Jaya, Compositions known in Hindola were explained. Lakshana Geetha (SangrahaChoodamam) was rendered by Rathnamma Keshavamurthy. A geetha of Venkatamukhi in Jhampe. Vamas, “Swami ninne kori” in adi • ■--- ^ — ft : I Phoenix Nov-Dec 1996 ----- Raga Vishleshana - Hindola katnamma Keshavamurthy\ Bangalore Venkatram, G.R. Jaya and Uma Gopataswamy at Raga Vishiexana Programme was rendered by G.R. Jaya and “Rammanave” of Ramaswamy In the "Raga Vishleshana” series organised by Bharatiya Vidya B havan, Bangalore Vidus hi Rathnamma Kesha vamurthy of Shimoga gave a vintage vocal recital commencing with a Varna "Ninncnammi-yunnanura”. She attributed the piece to Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar. Though the name occurs it is not so. She rendered "Fadmanabha PahC of Swati Tirunal and “Samagana Lolane” of Siv;in and rounded off with a Vachana. RasavangudiG. Nataraj and N. Amrnth provided the violin and mridangam support. Earlier, the raga vishleshana was conducted by Bangalore K, Venkata- ram assisted by Uma Gopalaswamy and G.R Jaya (vocal) and G. Nataraj i violin). Venkataram explained that : tie re is no raga by name Hindola in Hindustani music; Hindof andHindoIi do not resemble Hindola, Hindustani raga Malkauns does. Hindola is an Oudava Vakra Sanchara upanga raga; rishabha and panchama varjya. Sadharana gandhara, shudha madhyama, shudha daivatha and kaishiki nishadhaare the assigned s waras. There i s a pataai ithara forthe krithi , “Manasuloni Marm amtT of Thyagaraja rendered with chatusmthi daivatha. Smgmdns- S ndmgs are prescribed texts (Sangraha Choodamani of Govinda- charya, Sangeetha Swaramruthi in Telugu, Sangeetha Kalanidhi of Taehur Singrachar, Gay aka Siddhanjanam of Taehur Brothers, Karunamrutha Sagara of Abraham Panditb* Sangeetha Chandrike of Salem Manicka Mudabar and Veena Seshanna). Mahabharatha Chooda- mani prescribes ''Sgmdns-Sndm g s” extensively used in contemporary concert music. ‘Smgm 1 in Arohajia is the Vakra Sanchara. There are 12 ragas commencing wi th Hindoi alike Hi ndol a Darbar , Hi n- dola Saranga, Hindola Vasantha with- out any sembl ance of Hindol a. As per the text book of the Department of Education, Mysore Government in 1973 prescribed for proficiency ex- aminations authored by Thi tie Krishna Iyengar, this is a janya of Sth Mela Hanuma Thodi. A sloka describing the swaras of Hindola was rendered by Uma Gopalaswamy. Shantha - Deena - Kanina rasas noticed while Jaru and kampitha gamakas are used in viiamba Dikshithar on Thyagaraja in Ata by Uma Gopalaswamy. Another Varna was "Ninne Nammiyunnenura”. Krithis are Samajavaragamana and Manasuloni of Thyagaraja, Neerajakshi Kamakshi and G o vardhan a Gi ree s ham of Di k shi th ar, Padmanabha Pahi of Swati Tirunal, Bhajarc Gopalam of Sadashiva Brahmendra, Mamawatha Sri of Vasudevachar, Chintayami of Jyachamaraja Wadiyar, Karunday a of Vedanayakam Pillai, Samaganalolam of Si van etc, Sruihi Bhcdha of academic inter- est was explained. Jaya rendered Shudha Saveri shifting tonic note from Gandhara while Uma rendered Udaya Ravi chari ka with shift tonic note from Madhyama. Natarajan (vio- lin) played the scales of Mohana and Madhyainavathi by shifting tonic notes from Daivatha and Nishadha respec- tively. Devagiri Sangeetha Sabha Jan 4, 97; T.N. Seshagopalan (vo- cal), Mysore Nagaraj (violin and Praveen (mridangam). January 11, 97, 6 pm: S.Nithya- shree Mahadevan and party (vocal). 23 I Phoenix Nov-Pec 19% RADEL’sTala Mala LT -15 50 lakh with the assistance of Karna- taka State Finace Corporation. All the equipments produced are indege- nously designed and implemented. He said renowned artistes heralded as a breakthrough and informed that he has plans to bring out new products. Later Malavika Raj Narayan, Bhamini Seshadri, Soumya and Dev sang w ith the help of the Talmela LT 15. Radel Electronic Pvt Ltd is known for i ts i n n ov ati ve elect ron i c mu s 1 cal instruments for Indian classical mu sic. They are: G.Raja Narayan Y.K.Muddukrishfw, Director of Kannada and Culture releasing the Tala mala LI -15 T aalamala LT 15, an electronic tabla for light music was re teased by Y,K. Muddukrishna, Director of Kannada and Culture, on November 9, 96 at Bangalore by switching on the unit. Muddukrishna described it as a wonderful development and an unique contribution to the field ol music par- ticularly Lhe light music. He was happy that l such a genius is amongst us", and the State Govern- ment identified the talent of Raj Narayan, the inventor of t he system by confering the ‘Rajyolsava Award 7 this year. Muddukrishna felt that the Talamela would be very useful for school and college students while teaching light music and wished Raj Narayan succeeded in innovating more such instruments. Eminent scientist and former Union Minister, Raja Ram anna noted that the instruments are reaching ma- turity and said that the whole world is using modem technology in music, though the development has not reached that stage. Light music exponent, C. Ashwath hoped that Raj Narayan would pro- duce a compact electronic harmonium, easy to carry and wished for the suc- cess of his projects. Noted Hindustani musician, Vinayak Torvi, said that Radel Elec- tronics has contributed a lot to the cause of music and in the process he has created a guru in the Talamela LT15. Earlier, Raj Narayan, Director of Radel Electronics (P) Ltd, who intro- duced the Talamela LT15, claimed that lhe function was a blend of tradi- tion, culture and technology. Briefing on Lhe establishment he said that Lhe unit was set up near Bangalore with an investment of Rs Electronic Tabla G. Rajnarayanan has blended them into a movable maestro - the cl ec t ron ic tabl a. K n ow n as T a al ma \ a, which produces the actual sound ol the :abala is ideal for use during practice sessions. The Taalmala produces the iheka (rhythmic sounds of the table) for the various commonly used Hindustani taals such as ck Laal, teen taal, jhap taal, rupak, dadra, deepchundi, kchcrwa, ada cahutal, jhoomra etc. It is simple to use, having controls for volume, pitch (snithi), speed and a balance control for relative volumes of the left hand (bay an) and right hand (dayan) sounds. Selection of various taals are made through a calculator- type keyboard which also has 'start’ and slop' keys. Various laya ranges, sue h as d h m ti vila mbi t and at i v i 3 ambi i can also be set u> obtain any desired speed range. Within any of these ranges, the speed is continuously ad- justable through a knob. The instrument automatically inserts additional bols (sounds) for Lrue-lo- life accompaniment. v Dhruva ? , electronic tabala ‘Taalmaht’, electronic lehera SunadamaUT and the ‘Talameter’ , an electronic laala aid. G. Rajanarayan, one of the founders of the company, is the inven- tor of these revolutionary products, which are unique for their technologi- cal features and have been invented by an electronics engineer who is also a performing musician. Rajanarayan is an accomplished flautist, A-grade ar- tiste of AiR and has performed on Doordarshan loo. dance ballet, Sri Virupaksha, was pre- sented by Suma Vijay. Kadri Gopalnath gave a memo- rable Saxophone concert and Sangeetha Kattl a Hindustani vocal. PunyaTheertha Bharat, was presented by Yuvak Biradari from Bombay. Lakshmi Gopalaswamy of B an ga 1 ore p resen le d a B h aratan aty am recital to be followed by Talavadya, by H.P. Ramachai s Karnataka Mahila Layamadhuri. Ministers M.P. Prakash, H.D. Rev anna and Leeladevi R. Prasad ac- T3ie instrument is compact and portable. It can operate on AC mains (220 V or 1 10 V) as well as batteries. It is designed around a Z80 micropro- cessor* Bols are represented by nurncri cal codes which are deciphered by the microprocessor. The whole process of producing the bols in a cyclic rhythmic manner is pre-pro- grammed into the memory. A 2K ROM (with provision to be extended to 4K) is provided* Tabala goes Electronic with Taalmala The electronics age has entered the citadel of Hindustani music with the advent of Taalmala, the electronic table. The ingenious instrument was presented for a critical appraisal be- fore an audience of musicians, music students and music critics by its in- ventor Mr Rajanarain of Bangalore. His lecture-demonstrations have drawn a bigger audience than 1 i ve per- formances. Raj anarayan, who devised the two instruments has achieved something worthy of a government research unit. And his Bangalore-based Radel Sys- tems is manufacturing and marketing these electronic classics, Radcl Electronics Pvt. Lid is known for its innovative electronic musical instruments for Indian Classi- cal music, electronic ram burn kSaarang’ , the electronic sruthi box Most artistes of Carnatic and Hin- dustani classical music use this instrument. After launching the 'Sunadamala' electronic lehera (an electronic instrument that plays 150 preset tunes in 19 different taala of Hindustani music). Pandit Ravi Shankar said, “Perhaps you will soon have my concert with just a photo- graph of me and your electronic instrument performing f” Glorious Hampi Festival A three day cultural festival ‘Utsav 96 1 was organised at Hampi, the cultural capital of theerstwhile Vijayanagar Empire, from November 3, 96 by the State Government in association with the Government of India. Chief M inis ter, J . 11 . Patel , l be ch i ef guest, was accorded the poorna kumbha swagatha He inaugurated the festival by offering pooja to Godess Bhuvanc-shwari. The inaugural concert was by Gangubai Hangal* noted Hindustani vocalist. Kunkum Mohanti and troupe presented an Odissi dance ballet. Kuchipudi exponent, Manju Bhargavi presented a Kuchipudi dance ballet. Suma Sudhindra of Bangalore presented a Pancha V eena concert. A tively participated in the festival which ended on November 5 with a colourful p recession o f fo I k art i stes and d i sp I ay of lire works. A 15-day workshop conducted by Guru C. Radhakrishna and organised by the State Sangeetha Nruthya Academy along with the South Centra] Cultural Zone to propa- gate the style of Guru Kolar Rittanna imparted to 20 interested students was rewarding. Some novel items not usu- ally performed, including the Poorva Ranga, the Thaaya, the Prabhandha and the Swara Pallavi were the high- light. The workshop cu I minated i n a per- formance a I the Bangalore Gay ana Samaj where the students presented the items learnt at the workshop. Se- nior disciples of Guru Radhakrishna, Veena S rid liar, and Roopa Vijay pre- sented a few other numbers creditably* The most interesting piece was the Navarasa presented by Veena Sridhar, # Guru Radhakrishna in his nattuvangam was support .i by Chandrashekhar on the vocal and K.C Ashwathanaraya on the flute. Mann Vijay 25 Tuneful Encounters - 10 From Concert Hall to the Cricket Field S.N.Sivaswamy Come cricket season, my mind goes back to the early forties. All * ndia Radio, Madras where l was working with collogues many o^ whom shared my love for cricket. We used to clus- ter round a short - wave radio receiver listening to the inimitable A.F*S. Talyarkhaifs one-man running com- mentary' on the Quadrangular, later Pentangular cricket matches played at Bombay. (Of course, there was no T.V. as yet). We were a group of programmers, engineers and announc- ers, one of whom, V.S.Chakrapam, turned out to be an ace cricket com- mentator in later years. And there was also a musician silting with us, the young versatile S.Balaehander the budding Veena maestro. Balac hander was a few years younger than me, in fact a teenager. He was working in All India Radio as an instrumentalist when I joined there as a Programme Assistant. He was one of the child prodigies of those days, coming from a musical family. He was proficient in playing a number of musical instruments of various types. Besides the Veena, he played on Dilruba, Sitar, Tabla and many other instruments. He was the first artiste I knew who played "Tabla Tarang” the percussion ensemble with a difference. Indeed, his versatility amazed me as did the versatility of Mali, Balamurali, Rajeswara Rao,the other well known boy wonders of the musical world of that time. Apart from music, Balac hander was interested in a variety of other pursuits, books, sports, films — .He had acted in a film, tailor made for h i m , as the young R i shy ash ri ngar The name of the film too was ‘Rishyashrmgar 1 and I remember the sweet singing of the boy-hero in that film* Later, he was to himself direct an unusually intriguing film "Andanaal". I often used to argue with Balachander that he should concen- trate only on Veena instead of playing on too many instruments, In those days the great Karaikkudi Sambasiva Iyer was a regular performer on All India Radio, and listening to him, I had the feeling that Balachander was either influenced by him or had learnt Veena from him at some time or the other. My suggestion to Balachander was made in this light, but it appeared to di s please him. H e u s u all y bru shed it aside with the remark that l was hardly qualified to speak on instru- mental music and did not know what l was talking about. Eventually l stopped annoying him with my com- ments, but by then we had stopped having any conversation on music, or any artistic matter at that * One Saturday evening, however, 1 saw Balachander approaching my up- stairs flat in G opal apu ram. It was the first time he was coming to our house and my wife and I were naturally sur- prised a$ well as pleased by this unexpected visit. 1 thought his visit must have something to do with our strained friendship quite unnecessar- ily fomented by my indiscreet comments* I waited for Balachander to break the ice and come to the sub- ject so that we could shake hands and forget the affair. As it happened, what had brought him to our house was not our quarrel which he seemed to have completely forgotten. You see, he had a cricket match to play that Sunday and he had come to borrow from me a pair of laundered white trousers for the occa- sion ! Along with the pair of pants I also ga\ e him a piece of elderly advice, not to field in the slips and risk hurting his valuable fingers trying to catch hot chances from the batsmen. MURALI MUSIC MUSICAL SOLE DISTRIBUTORS j°F CD DHRUVA & SARANG OF RADEL'S FOR KERALA & KARNATAKA REGION Dealers in Quality Musical Instruments - Expert Repairs & Prompt Service Shri Kumaran Building, Opp Panagal Pack T. Nagar, Chennai -600017 Ph: 4345105 Real: 4991234 12/96 Gangubai Opens Music School Gangubai Hangul who inaugurated the Ranganayaki Kalamandir seen with Jayalakshmi Imumku. Pandit Seshadri Gavai and Surendra Paid named f anganayaki Kalamandira at T he art of Gamaka lias its own lyrical appeal, proj acting as it does the intricate texture of poetry. There is music in ii, the com- position being such that the ragas exemplify the lyrical essence. How- ever, it is free from the rigid, stultifying mathematical conventions of Taala. That doesn't mean there is 10 lay a. It is very much there and that is where its nearness to classical music is obvious. Hence while it is not necessary that all Gamakis should be musicians, it is eminently desirable that all musi- cians are Gamakis! That will enhance the lyrical base of their rendition. Of course, there are quite a few who arc competent in both the dispensations. One such is Jayalakshmi Inamdar of Hubli. Though afflicted with polio early in life, the indefatigable artiste in her got the belter ol it by invigorating her creative faculties in making head- way in the twin arts of Gamaka and music. Today she is one of the front- line artistes in the genre, qualifying herself as one recognised both in Gamaka and music circles. Jayalakshmi inherited her interest in these arts from her fat her, Chi k kappa Sbrcshti. He had an abiding interest in music, literature and ph i losophy . This cultural backdrop invigorated Jayalakshmi ’s inherent talent. She consolidated it by learning veena un- der G.V.Ranganayakamma and vocal under Srinivasa Iyengar, both veter- ans in their respective arts. She received her training in Gamaka from N.Aswathanarayana, poet Dcvarsa Kulkarni having been her mentor in philosophy. Equipped thus, Jayalakshmi \ re- citals in music and gamaka are marked for their lyricism and meaningful ar- ticulation of underlying words and ideas. No wonder reputed organic sations like the Karnataka Gamaka Kala Parishat, Dharwad District Gamaka Kala Pari shat, Manjayya Heggade Centenary Celebrations Committee, Kumaravyasa Seva Sangha, Hubli, Chitradurga District Gamaka Sammclana have felicitated heron her contribution to the art. The latest is the annual award (1995) of the State Sangeeta-Nruthya Academy, J ay a 1 aks hmi , at the i n s ta n ee o f her friends and admirers, has now shifted over to Bangalore, Her school of art. ‘Devatashree’ Jain Temple Street, V i s vc s w arap ura m was i n augu rated b y Dr. Gangubai Hangal, the noted Hin- dustani Vocalist in the presence of dignitaries like Chandrabhaga Devi, Chairman, State Sangcet Nritya Acad- emy, Pandit Seshadii Gavvai and Surendra Dani, a senior journalist of Hubli., Jayalakshmi explained that in or- der to facilitate all sections of society to learn the art of music and gamaka, the fee is kept at the minimum. Be- sides vocal in both the Hindustani and Carnatic styles, arrangements are made to impart training in a variety of in- struments like the violin, veena, si tar , flute and harmonium. Mridangam and tahia are also taught by competent teachers and the training covers from the primary to the graduate levels Wedding Bells Mysore V Subramanya, great grandson of Veene Seshanna and the Secretary of Karnataka Ganakala Farishat married Savithri on November 17 , 96 at My so re , Many dose friends attended the wedding. PHOENIX wishes the couple a long and happy married life. 27 Know Your Artistes a.p.roo T.S.Vasantha Madhavi Traditional vocalist. T.S.Vasantha Madhavi is a disciple of Ganakalanidhi D, Subbaramaiah, Bom in the family of musicians, her father, Srinivasa Murthy was a great lover of music and mother Rangalakshmi is a renowned vocalist. Her grand mother, Subbalakshmi was also a vocalist. She started learning music from an early age of five and continued for. more than 1 5 years and passed Vidwat examination with distinction. As a performer and a staunch fol- lower of tradition she has achieved authenticity in rendering mu si cal com- positions. Hereon certs are notable for due stress on the usage of gam aka and rendering raga with full of bhava and varieties of rare sanchara, She has her own style of alapana, neraval and taana singing. Vasantha Madhavi is a graded artiste of AIR and is performing all over the country for over three de- cades, She is an approved composer in AIR, Bangalore and has directed many AIR and TV programmes. ‘Lakxhmi Vandana', *Shak£i Sthuthi\ ‘Cauverf and ‘Ganesha Janana*, are some of the popular programmes pro- duced by her for Doordarshan. She has directed and composed music for a number of ‘Navasuma* songs for AIR Bangalore, * Several vam as and navasandhi krithis have been composed by her for Bharatanatya concerts. A set of Navagraha kritis composed by her in Sanskrit are being presented by many musicians. Her Ashta Deepika kritis exhibit scholarly knowledge anti in- sight of Sanskrit vedic version. Vasantha Madhavi has conducted several workshops on Saint Thyaga- raja, Muthuswamy Dikshithar and Kamalamba Navavama kritis. She has presented several papers on vari- ous music subjects and has conducted lecture demonstration programmes. She has written a number of articles on interesting aspects of mu- sic for music magazines. V asantha Madhavi has given con- certs in Bar galore Gay ana Samaja, Karnataka Gana kala Pari shat and Vlvek Cultural Centre, Madras, She is the founder and managing trustee of Sri D Subbaramaiah Hue Arts Trust which is doing yeomen service to the cause of music. As the principal of Rangasree college of music, Vasantha Madhavi is training many promising students. V asantha Madhavi , who is a gradu- ate in Science from Bangalore University, is married to H.M. Kesha va Murthy, an Electronics En- gineer and has a daughter, Sri vanfhini, an upcoming vocal artiste, Vasantha Madhavi 75 ‘Pallmi th cross, IT I Layout, J.P.Nagar, l Phase , Bangalore 5 jQ078ti> 6646089 H,K. Nagaraja Young Hindustani vocalist, Hanurmnlhappa Kadaramand Algi Nagaraja was bom in 1 966 in a family o f mu $i c co nnoi sseu rs . He learnt i n i- tially from S.L.Venugopal, a staff artiste of AIR, Later he had advanced training from renowned maestro Pan- dit Basavaraj Rajguru for seven years. After the death of Rajguru, Nagaraja is being guided by Chandrashekar Puranikmath and M.Vcnkatesh Ku- mar. A degree holder in English His- tory and master's degree in music of Karnataka University, Dhanvar, Nagaraj is the recipient of Kamatak Sangeetha Nrithya Academy’ s schol- arship for three years. He is a L B" high grade vocal artiste of AIR Dhanvar Nagaraj has participated and won prizes in a lumber of music competi- tions to name a few are: First prize in Al' India P&T Cultural meet, Hydera- bad, Second prize for l gazaF at All India College Youth Cultural Festi- val, Panaji; represented Kamatak Uni versity in South Zone Youth Fes- tival , Madurai Kamaraj University; won prizes in 6th Yuva Sangeetha NriihyaMahotsava organised by South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur 28 <■ ■: ^ | and a first prize in Thamankur Memo- rial Music Competition, Academy of performing Arts HublL The latest addition to that distin- guished list is Uma Gopalaswamy, a ■ leading Carnatic vocalist both on and off the AIR, where she is graded *A\ Nagaraj has developed a fine me- lodious style of singing. His creative mood and clear vision of sound musi- cal knowledge have given him considerable recognition among up- coming artistes. He is of hue giving concerts all over the country. His concert at the annual music festival Tarampara’ in memory of Pandit Basavarj Rajguru in August this year attrac ted apprcc i ati o n from n lusie I ov- ers of Bangalore. Nagaraj is a part time music lec- turer in a college at Dharwa: . Gifted with a pleasant voice, Uma is a senior student of the renowned vocalist and preceptor R.fCSrikantan. Even in her collegiate studies she had taken music for her optionals, eventu- ally taking her Master's degree in music, Uma has given concerts for almost all the leading music organisations all over the State and in Madras, The Madras Music Academy has given its award as ‘The best dem- onstrator' in one of its annual conferences. artiste of AIR, provided him the ad- vance training. Narasimha Murthy helped Dayakar to establish as an accom- plished accompaniest. Dayakar has won several awards during his college days in intema- . tional University competitions and festivals. He has accompanied many veteran musicians of repute in all the leading sabhas of the country. He was centered with the title “Surinam” from Sursmgar cultural organisation of Bombay. He toured Switzerland on invitation from Keshava Sangeetha Nrithya Academy. H,K Nagaraj C/o , K.J.Shah, 12, Novo day a Nagar, I5th Cross, Dharwar 580008 Uma Gopalaswamy Till recently, doctorates in music and other fine arts were mostly honoris causa or gratia. With the introduction of music and dance in the university curriculum, more and more graduates in the faculty have started quili Tying for a degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The Bangalore University itself has among its alumnus quite a few doctor- ates in music* Uma 1 s subject for the doctoral the- sis was "A Study of SANGEETA SAMPRADAYA pradarshini, an ancient treatise on the subject, Her guide was DrPadma Murthy, Profes- sor of Music (Rtd),, Department of Performing Arts, Bangalore Univer- sity, R. Dayakar Violinist R.Dayakar (35) was ini- tiated to music by his parents D. Ramu and Shankaraledamma. He had intitial training under H.T. Puttaswamachar and later with KJ. Venkateshachar of Mysore, Violin vid wan H.K* Narasimha Murthy, staff = He has good skill as a accompani- ment artoste. Fie is an accomplished artiste with good fingering technique Dayakar is the A-grade artiste and a staff artiste of AIR, Bhadravathi. Subscribe to PHOENIX Journal on Music and Dance It reaches you by post every month | Subscription Annual: Rs 50-00 Three Years : Rs 140-00 Send your cheque to Circulation Manager PHOENIX 138, 5th Cross Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 Yakshagana in New Garb Udupi. As is fhe wont, mythology and spectacle inexorably held away on the audience in the packed Klncha Audi- torium day after day. Even as the curtains went up on the opening production, Mala- Damayanti, it was evident that the age- old style is shorn of many of its crudities in almost all the departments of production. Firstly, the music ensemble which usually occupied the centre stage, the R hagavatar verily pi ay i ng the role of a conductor, is shifted to the wings as in a cl as sic al d ancc rec i tal . Th e screech- ing voice of the singers is mellowed down to render the diction clear and coherent. The musical spectrum is widened to include a wider variety of ragas, l ie tonality in each case articu- lating the emotional demands in the sequence. The inclusion of a violin and saxo- phone e nhanced the melodic overtones of the score, obviously di reeled by the seasoned violinist A, V. Krishnamachar (Pad mac ha ran) who himself domi- nates the orchestral effects on the violin. The emphasis on the clarity in the rendition becomes imperative in the absence of the dialogue that usually helped identifying each character. True, often the players would indulge in extempore dialogue on matters of contemporary relevance. Relevant as the form was used as a medium of mass communication. It is these refer- ences that excited the rural populace industrialist friend G,D. Rirlaand the members of his family. The book under its English title, ‘"Bridge of Words” had impressed Karauth so much that he wanted to translate ii into Kannada, The B ha van readily agreed to publish it and it was in the fitness of things that Sarladcvi Birla, daughter- in-law of Ghanshaiudas. personally released the work which is undoubt- edly a valuable addition to Gandhian literature in Kannada, Besides these two eminent per- sonalties, C. Subramaniam. the President of the Bhavan, S. Rama- krishnan. its energetic Executive Director, and R,K. Birla, the illustri- ous son of the famed industrialist, graced the occasion. E.S. Venkataramiah. retired Chid Justice of the Supreme Court of India, who is the chairman of the local Kendra, pre- sided over the colourful function. During the week beginning Octo- ber 1, as many as seven Frasangas were enacted by the artistes ol KarantITs Yakshagana Kendra of The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Bangalore Centre celebrated the 95th birthday of the renowned Kannada litterateur. Dr K. Shivarama Karanth with a week-long festival of his ver- sion of Yakshagana 'Frasangas 1 , Though the folk theatre which has flourished in the coastal Karna- taka for centuries is nothing new to the City theatre-goer, it was for the first time that a whole gamut of his cre- ations with the new look was being presented here. That by itself was an event to rave about. The presence of that multi-fac- eted personal ity on the ctinciudi ng day ol the festival, added colour and gaiety to the celebrations. The occasion was doubly significant as the Bhavan took the opportunity to felicitate the cre- ative genius. Besides his latest book entitled "‘Marina Sethuve ", a publica- tion of the Bhavan was released on the occasion. The book is a translation of letters in English exchanged between Ma- hatma Gandhi and Ins benevolent 30 Phoenix Nov-Dec 1996 and the traditionists have not taken kindly to the change. On the positive side, the new form assumes a sophistication which ap- proxi mates with the ballet. But the Nritta part of the dance movement is retained with all its variegated l angikas\ 4 utplavanas\ 'bhramaris' and suggestive footwork in tact' The costuming is equally suggestive and as rich and colourful as in the original form to the point of portraying Rama, Lakshmana and Sita under banish- ment in ail regalia ! Some of these innovations have resulted in reasonably reducing the play time, mostly not exceeding 1 20 minutes. That is a factor which makes the form eminently acceptable to the urban elite. What is more, it has wid- ened its popular appeal, a factor which cannot be ignored by the most ardent votary of the traditional ! Chancier Artistes , * a mark in pudi Fete Nehru Kendra and the Kuchtpudi Kala Kendra had jointly organised a national festival of Kuchtpudi in Mumbai recently. The three day ustav starting on October 1 1 covered almost all facets of the art from solo to ballet and in- cluded a seminar on music For Kuchipudi, lecture cum demonstra- tion on all the topics. The demonstration covered all the classical dance forms that origi- nated in Andhra Pradesh: Kuchipudi, Yakshagana, Andhra Natyam , A ten day music workshop on Dasara Padagalu was conducted by R.K. Srikantan at the Lalitha Kala Academy, Vidya Yard h aka Sangha, Bangalore from November 1 , 96. T.S. Satyavathi, a senior disciple of Srikantan made a fervent appeal to the participants to make good use of the opportunity of learning the re- nowned master. She praised Srikantan for his scholarship and learning with full of concern for his well being, Tt is not just learning a few r songs but a way of life which the students would do well to imbibe from the venerable master’, she said and com- pared his knowledge of music to the ocean. 40 young and old men and women participated in this workshop. Manu- script notation written by Srikantan in his clear, neat hand was given to par- ticipants. Nine compositions by different Dasaas were taught, Padams of Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Vyasarayaand Sreepadarajain raagas of exquisite beauty like M ay am aa I a vago u I a, A nan d abhy ra v i , Begad a, Sree, Bhyravi, Mohana, Bila- hari, Udayaravichandrika and Surati were were taught. Nine Dasara padas ane nine gems, each a work of art set in a raga emi- nently suited to the bhavaof the sahitya. Theessenee of the raaga is brought out unmistakable in the very first few lines of the pad a, * Srikantan explained the context and meani ng of the words and phrases. He clarified as to why certain lines or passages should be sung only in a pa rt i cu 1 ar way for be s t res til ts. W ord s , context and the mood set the pace and the style of the song. The ragas arc chosen with particuoar care keeping in mind the chan das of the pad a. The pad a can make an impact only if it is sung in the authentic raga in the correct kala pramana. The words of the padas are colloquial expressions of daily use. But the wisdom and philosophy of life contained in them can reach the hear of the listener only if they are sung in the way they soul d be sung.H Kusiana Rao Mclattur Bhagavata Mela, Vi I asi ni Natyam etc. For the ben 1 fit of parti ci- pating artistes critics from parts of the country ttok part in a seminar. The two artistes who represented Karnataka were Manj it Bhargavi, who along with Rauaiah Sharma of Ku- chipudi village presented a masterly ‘Bhama Kalapanv in the demonstra- tion sessions and Vyjayanthi Kashi who presented a solo. The latter pre- sented ‘Urvashi Shapa Vi mo chan am 5 and *Kukutha Sabdam\. both new pieces. They were acclai medal most the highlight of the festival. Mahadevan Passes Away Morching vidwan, Pudukkottai Mahadevan died on Oc tober 23 . M ah ade va n w h o was an auto parts dealer was ruimni ng a hotel at Tiruchirapalli. Recipient the title, Kalaimamani from the Govern- ment of Tamil nadu* he i s survived by his wife, two daughters and one son. 31 Phoenix Nov-Decl996 Purandhara Pancha Ratna Mala: Produced and distributed by V id min B. Venkatappa Sangeeta Mahavidyalaya, I Cr, Satyanar- ayanapei Bellary 583 103 ' Rs 30/-. ter, Starting withlhefamiliarShahana vernam of Veena Kuppier (Karupimpa), it runs in the popular concert pattern with ditties in Bila- hari, Jayamanohari, Purvi Kalyani. MadhyamavatL a De varan am a in Sindhu Bhairavi and a Thill an a (Hameer Kalyani ). The title has its relevance as the focus is on the alap for Madhyamavati preceding Ehe celebrated shyama (mridangam) have complemented the vocal refrain adequately. But the title card falls short in its artistic perspec- tives, Palinchu Kamakshi: (Carnatic Vocal) by M S. Sheehn Hamsadh warn Audio, 5 y 3rd Cross , 1 Main, Marathi Extension, Bangalore 56002 1 . Rs 38/ The other kritis in the selection arc as evocative, an experienced team of accompanists of Nalina Mohan (vio- lin), Anoor Aminthnkrishna S harm a (mridangam) and Ravi Kumar (ghaumi) adding to their aural enrich- mem . There can hardly beany musician or music - lover worth the name who is not familiar with the Pancha Ratna K rids of Saint Thyagaraja. They are unparaldled in their musical percep- tion. But here is a similar set of kritis entitled 'Sri Purandhara Pancha Ratrta Mala 7 . The label itself is intriguing as no such kritis are attributed to the Dasavarenya, That is irrefutable. Equally undeniable is the fact that the live Kannada lyrics rendered in this cassette are his own. Only the musical structure is different, adopting as it docs Lise pattern familiarised by Thy a- garnja. And that is the creation of almost an obscure musician, Subhadramma Venkatappa, a violin v id wan of the V id wan B Venkatappa Sangeeiha Malta Vidyalaya, Beilary, As one listens to the Jive com po- sit ions, preceded hy the Saint's mas- terly Sri Gananatha in Malahari, one can only marvel at tire genius of this unpretentious musician. The choice of the kritis is such (hat each blends itself io the structural demands of a pancha ratna'. 'S he rendition, rightly in the form of a chorus, led by V. Kata vat i with Meenakshi Ravi and Dhanya Ravi, is as impressive. B. Raghuram (violin) and N.G. Ravi Hand as a Namana (Dasara Padas) A Compendium Volume Of- fered by Hamsadheani Audio. Rs 33. Mere again, S heel a in her milliiluous voice renders some well- known and some less- known compo- sitions of the saint -singers of Karna- taka. The musical score in each ease The standing of M.S. Sheela in Carnatic music today is indisputable. She is well-known both in i he classi- cal and light classical variations. Al- ready many of her cassettes in hot h tile dispensations have become hoi favourites with music hul ls, I Jer ren- dition of the erstwhile world of slokas propitiating the entire pan- theon of Indian god-beads have run into more than one edition. 1 1 ere b one more cassette of hers under the new banner llnmsadhnni Audio, ll is a choice collection of compositions, each of a reputed mas- 32 Phoenix Kov-Dec 19% •■: '■;•?•. •'• . *.S -V; Dk’s Dance Comes Alive S eeing some young dancers of South Kanara and its envi rons dance in the Akhila Kar- nataka Nritya Sammelana organised by the Karnataka Nrityakala Pari shat h at Udupi in the last week of October, it became evident that the much- vaunted cry in some quarters to “take fine arts to the rural areas* 1 was purely politi- cally motivated. The pick in the three-day fare, spread over six sessions was Apama Samaga, student of Mohan Kumar filial. From the initial push panjab i tsel f she w as ab i e to ca try co it v i c l i on . The jatiswaram (ragamalika) contin- ued her grasp of the grammar, all the attractive aspects of the art getting the due emphasis. The familiar Natakuranji Marnam revealed a glimpse of her ab hi nay a which was much above average. There was a studied approach in the use of hasthas and facials. That was indeed talent that deserves to be watched. Equally impressive was the group dance choreographed by Chandra- sekhar Na vad a f or 1 he t n voc at ory . The you ng gi rl s re vea led liveliness un u su a I in beginners. Bramara, who demon- strated for her Guru K.B. Madhava Rao was equally sprightly, revealing neat lines and trite thattu - metttu But Navatfa’s another student, S hob ha Bhat seemed to be carried a way by a superfi ci a I del i ght . Lak sh m i Gururaj, student of Sandhya Rao was no better, though her sense of rhythm was sharp, Preeti Pai of Shi moga, a student of Gee l a Dalar. had shown promise in It er Aran get ram som e t i me ag o, B u t her matrix in this outing revealed too much on visually attractive elements and lost credibility. The whole thing lacked depth. The climax in the festival reached as Lakshmi Gopalaswamy danced. The pretty dancer, her mother Uma s i n gi ng l h e wo rds and G u ru N arm ada wielding the cymbals, was in her ele- ments, executing the bill with utmost confidence and understanding 'Hie Thodi Vamam (Maye Mayan of T.N.Krishnan) stood out for its well wrought nritta, though the overly bhakti sentiment saw her facials all though in a supplicating mood. But the popular Krishna Nee Bcgane brought her potential in the right per- spective to the delectation of an appreciative audience. The Parishath this year had se- lected Maya Rao for the prestigious * 4 Nnlyaka!a Shi roman i” award, Maya is a worthy choice, as she is not only the best student of Sohan Lai who brought Kathak to Bangalore way back in 1939, but lias revived it with her Natya Institute of Kathak and Chore- ography. A mong the ot her eminent person - all lies honoured on the occasion was M S , Natarajan, a pioneer in organising orchestral music for dance. As secre- tary of the State Sangectha Nritya Academy in the sixties, he was instru- mental in not only recognising many traditional activities, but organising inter-state cultural exchange pro- grammes. He had also provided musical support to several interna- tional dancers of his day. SNC M.S.Natarajan being honored at the festival Maya Rao being honored at the festival mmm I L'tiSlT ABSOLUTE DENTAL FACT Bad breath has more to do with the health of your gums than your teeth ABSOL UTE FACT ill|[||||lH32INTACTil:ill!lll Proper dental care ! egins with Comract.GM99l.91 h 4 1 V *»« INDIAN PHOTOGRAPHY & CINEMATOGRAPHY STEPS INTO IT'S I of Uninterrupted publication It is read by over 40,000 readers all over the country who understand the products you offer Advertise in Indian Photography & Cinematography 138 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Professional Card Board Mounting Unit ■ Heavy Duty ■ Thermostat Controlled ■ Illumination for Viewing ■ Sleek ■ Streamlined Construction ■ Attractive Colours to Decorate Modern Designed and created by BGW 183 WPP-3 No More Buckling while Mounting Transparencies SUPERA SEAL 101 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Dealers: BANGALORE: Photo Speed Co, Brigade Road, Bangalore 560001 © 5580505: R.K.Photo Guide, 5th Mai, Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009: NEW DELHI: Sangam Electronics, M-1 1 Palika Bazar, Connaught Place, New Delhi 110001 © 332 2090: HYDERABAD: Jitens, B-37 MCH Market, Chikkadapally, Hyderabad 500002 © 040-7633043 January 97 JOURNAL ON MUSIC & DANCE ** &L ANEW DIME SION TO A Professional Course Photo Finishing and Photo Lab Mana cement The continuously growing demand for skilled mini- lab technicians and Lab Managers will soon be fulfilled. 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The syllabus covers Intensive theory on Photography, Photo Finishing and Lab Management Hands-on training using the latest Konica Nice Print system - and Demonstration through sophisticated training and evaluation aids For more details, contact Institute of Imaging Technology 8 A, Etagaihambal Street, T^ungambakkam, 034 Telephone : 8233656 Fax : 044-499 1071 f 499 2351 S.N .Chandrasekhar 67 Basappa Layout Bangalore 560019 © 6675758 Editor Bangalore K Venkatrani 183, Hlh Cross, II Bl t Jayanagar Bangalore 56001 1 06630079 Associate Editor N.Sundarraj 138, 5ih Cross, Gandhinagai Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 Managing Editor B, Rajashekar © 2216459 A c h e rtis in g Met nage r A.P.Rao 74 L 7th Cross, 111 Block Kora manga! a. Bangalore 560034 ©5532658 Rep resen 1 ati ves Ceeta Raja 9 Chhaya, Jam-c-Jamshcd Road Matunga, Bombay 400019 ©412 2074 Annual Subscription: Rs 56-00 Three Years: Rs 140-00 Please send all remittances to PHOENIX The Circulati on M an uger 138, 5th Cross, Gandhinagar Bangalore 560009 © 2263696 (Cheques to he drawn on 'PHOENIX’) RN 45468/87 Journal on Music and Dance \ f Vol 2 January 1997 No Contents 4 In Mali's Footsteps 5 Editorial-AIR's Priorities 6 Calling AIR 9 Purandhara Namana in USA 10 Down Memory Lane 12 Dancing All the Way 14 Music Between Two Rivers 15 Skilful Homage to a Maestro 16 Dancers Captivate European Viewers 17 News in Pix 18 Obituary Cover Photo DR N. RAMAN I by N.Sundarraj Published by NJanardhan and printed at Enjay Printers, 5th Cross , Gandhinagar, Bangalore 560009 Composed at IPC Grafics, Bangalore 560009 Phone 2263696 In the FOOTSTEPS of MALI Bangalore K Venkata ram N. Ramani (R) with Dindigul Natarajan N oted flute artiste N. Ramani (bom 1 934 ^ was the recipi ent of the coveted *‘San- geetha Kalamdhi” honour of the Madras Music Academy for the year. This is an occasion to reminisce on the development of Flute as a solo con- cert instrument and the contribution of some of the artistes who revelled in the flautine art. Flute is said to be the first instru- ment called Venu with its origin as a simple Bamboo piece in the field of instrumental music. Venu and Vecna were used as accompaniments to vo- cal artistes. It was in use tor support in orchestration for dances and group recitals. It was Sarabha Sastry ( 1 870- 1904), a blind flutist who passed away in his 32nd year who gave the instrument an independent status as a solo major instrument. Palladam Sanjeevi Rao (1882- * 1962) was a highly successful con- cert artiste who put the flute at the concert platform. He was the first flutist to be honoured with the ”San- geetha Kalanidhi” in 1943. Timppambaram Swaminatha Pillai (1898-1961) next got this honour in 1953. T. Viswanthan (1926) was the third in the line 1988. It was the flute wizard T.R. Mahalingam (1926-1986), popularly known as Mali who brought about a metamorphosis oft he flauti ne an By adopting the cross -fingering tech- niques. Mali was able to bring out all the gamakas, thereto unheard of and intoned all the microtones. The ^sukha raga bhava” in any sophisticated gam aka could be brought out by Mali. The statc-of-art of the instrument has undergone a sea-change lor the better. Dindigal S.P. Natarajan and N.Ramani , disciples of Mali used the Mali technique on the concert dais Phoenix January 97-4 with great eclat Sikkil sisLers (1930), K.S. Gopalakrishnan (1948) are the contemporaries of note. B.N.Suresh (1946-1990) was an- other flutist who made use of the Mali techniques in abundance in his brief successful career, blute duets oi N. Romani and B N. Suresh with double mridangam accompaniment of Tanjore Upendran and this writer were great events presented at various places like Madurai, Coimbatore, Qoty, T 3 nj ore etc , , ft >nd 1 y reme mbe re d b y connoisseurs even today. N. Raman L the disciple of Mali appeared at the Madras Music Acad- emy in 1956. In addition to Mali's techniques, Ramani has developed and established his own individual style. The major difference between Mali and Ramani has been the ”Sruthi” Mali would not accept anything less than “G” (5) and phoo-phooed the lower sruthis, Ramani chose "Dis" (21/2) and successfully developed his own style after the VVV (Venu- Ycena-Violin) concerts with Lalgudi Jayamman and R.Venk aura man. Ramani sustained himself with his improved techniques of a profuse mix-up of Duritha (speed) phrase in h i s K al pana S w araprastharas . This h as projected Ramani in a specific sepa- ra te excl u si ve sty 1 e of h i s own . His use of a long flute to produce the "Mandhra” and “Anumandhra" sthayees with a cool breeze, similar to the “RansurT of the Hindustani vari- ety are his exclusive attainments. His ‘jugalbandis 7 with Hariprasad Chaurasia brought him reknown at the National level. Ramani 1 s count- less number of tours abroad has b ought him international acclaim, H e f ou nd ed t he Ramani A cade my of Flute in 1983 to propagate his art, Ramani is the fourth flutist to have been honoured with the l San- geetha Kalanidhi’ in the 70th Con- ference of the Madras Music Acad- emy, which honour he richly de- serves. His adherence to traditional values coupled with his innovative improvement in his flautine art have been recognised by the lay and the cognizant alike. $ AIR's Priorities T he recent economy drive of the Union Government is not without its debilitating repercussions in the Held of music. Its first casualty are the musicians affiliated to the AIR, Mysore, They have been asked to do with the electronic tamboora instead of the dependable traditional one, Th is because there is no proposal to fill up the post of the lone tamboora artiste who recently retired. Earlier, the other artiste also retired and the post has re ma i ned v ac ant with no h opc o f rep 1 acem en t. N o doub t the same rul e i s bei ng applied to other categories too. But in them there is no dearth for alternatives. Which is not the case with the tamboora artiste as it determines the very quality of music. It only betrays the callous indifference of the concerned ministry or its utter ignorance of the importance of "sruti 1 in music, A Hindustani vocalist in a similar situation would revolt at the prospect of singing with th eel ec ironic gadget. But his Carnatic counterpart is seemingly ever willing to compromise even though it is detrimental to his prospects. This indeed is unfortunate, The electronic gadget is revolutionary in its concept and is certainly not without its usefulness. It comes in very handy in practice sessions, especially for the instrumentalists. But for the vocalist the traditional tamboora is well nigh irreplaceable. Nay it would be suicidal for him to resort to the novelty as it has heen seen in many a concert on stage. Indeed it is easier for the singer to get attuned to the drone emanating from the tamboora at the ear level than its counterpart place before him/her. Hence the former’s inevitability, besides the aesthetic aura it lends to the very setting, Even otherwise, it appears as though Karnataka comes last in the priorities of the 1 & B ministry. When one of its own compatriots assumed Lite office as the minister for the all-important ministry .the least the Kannadigas all over expected is a status equal to the metropolitan character of Bangalore. But the incumbent seems to be more loyal to his native Kerala than the State which has sent him to the Upper House, the credentials for his present status. As it is, Kerala enjoys a short-wave facility and recently an announcement said it would soon be on FM band. On the contrary, the FM hand which was on trial in Bangalore has suddenly become silent. Its trial broadcasts have altogether gone off the air, presumably in the absence ol adequate stalf. A short-wave facility for the State is of greater importance, especially after it has come into focus on the national level. That has been the complaint of the Delhi Karnataka Sangha which has submitted y memorandum to both the Prime Minister and the Broadcasting Minister, Inter alia, the memoran- dum explained that only Kannadigas among all the major linguistic groups in Delhi were deprived of listening to programmes in their language and to know about the happenings in the State firsthand. According to the Sangha sources, both of them had promised to expedite the matter. That was soon after the UF government had assumed office at the Centre. All one hopes is that it will materialise during their tenure which itself is a matter for conjecture. And if it doesn’t, there is little doubt that the position will be back to square one 1 Which means a golden opportunity lost! 5. /V. Chandmsekha r Calling AIR T he feature on Thyagiah's ‘Divya-nama Sankeertana’ has already revealed how edi- fying a chorus could be when the lyric, the raga and bhava coalesce. Indeed, the credit for achieving such harmony should go to M Baiamurali Krishna who has directed the lilting music. Sources reveal that its duration is 30 hall hour sessions. Some even doubted how it could last so long as there are not more than 30-32 kriti s under that head. However, on verifi- cation one finds the exact number as 8ft (vide Kalluri VeerabhadraSastry's Thyagaraja Keen ana I u — Vises ha Vivaranamu — 1975), That is suffi- cient to last the intended course. What- ever, (here is no doubt that it is a memorable series, one that bears rep- etition. Reverting to the routine, a locus on three veen a recitals, each of a dif- ferent generation could be an ideal start for this instalment. Chitra Lingam of the younger generation has already made a name for sustained tonality. The Shahana v amain fol- R.R. Kesha vamurthy lowed by a crisp Mohana-Kalyam piece (Sep 20, 9-15 am) gave her a flying start. Her prelude for Bindumalini (Entamuddu) was pleas- V . D c >res w a m y 1 yen ga r ing for its exalting aural edifice. The kriti itself acquired a lilting flavour, the racy Raja-Raja in Niroshti lending the recital a delightful finale. The seasoned R. Visveswaran of Mysore featured in the National Programme (Sep 21, 9-30 pm) be- longs to the current generation. He opened with a spacious alap for Dhenuka. It was neat and rich in fc gamaks\ providing the Thyagaiah kriti Teliyaleru a solid base. The kriti with some alluring ‘swam’ passages left a lingering impact. But the alap for Kara bod i did not rise to such heights. The well-known V. Dareswamy Iyengar, representing the aging gen- eration was the other artiste among the trio. His recital on Gandhi Jayanti day (Oct 2, 9-30 pm) had V.S. Rajagopal (mridangam) and Bangalore K Vcnkatram (ghatam) for rhythmical support, a reassuring combination in- deed. Rhavanuta, the stately Mobana kriti gave the veteran a rollicking start, though the rendition was not free from slips. His alap for Bhuvanagandhari (La I ham bike) steadied down, but it was evident. that his grip on the instru- ment is lax, the aging taking its loll. His best, no doubt, is far behind him. But Pran atari hihara, the masterpiece of Vasudevacharya in Janjhooti was thoroughly enjoyable, its lilting lava giving it a haunting. tilt. Another veteran who was on the AIR around the same time (Sep 25, 9- 30 pm ) w as R.R. Kesha vamur thy on the violin. Even as he i n t onated V ardi ni ( Mamisa, Manasa), it was evident that lie was in fine fettle. It was disposed of with the usual elan, though not with- out its harsh overtones. His alap for Deepak (Kalanerchina) was more re- priseful. though the kriti bristled with some jarring notes. n I Earlier (Sep 21, 10 pm) in the South Zone hook-up a mellifluous voice was heard. It was that of Mini, not a familiar name. But her venugana (Kedaragoula), followed by spacious alap for Kalyani (Pankaja Lochana) had lingering effect. It was a surprise packet. But the vocal of Saraswati Ramachandran (Sep 25, 9-30 am) was short in its resonance due to an unsteady ‘sruti 1 . Whether it was KanjaiJalayatakshi or the main raga Shanmukhapriya (Vadane), the for- mal w as in tact. Yet it failed to make an impact due to shortfalls in * sruti'. Much the same is the case with the flute recital of the senior K,P. Upadhyaya (Sep 27, 8-30 am). The tonal fidelity in Navarasakannada R,A, Ramamani Suma Sudhindra {Nee pad a mu) and Courimanohari (Gurulcka) could never be disputed. Thai was in the ‘Madhya Sihayi , Once the rendition drifted to the upper octave, it went off the tune marring the impress no eru£, H . K . Na rasi mhamu r th y 1 s violin support was one of [he highspots of the recital, Intakante', the Thyagaiah offering in Kannada gave R.A. Ramamani a bumptious start. Its steady pace and sonority paved the way for a cozy feel- ing. Her alap for Mukhari was as enduring, the enchanting Ksheenamai rising the emotional fervour to a trance. A.R. K rishnamurthy 1 s subtle touches on the violin complemented Rama's rendi- tion with as much sensitivity. For G. Rajanarain (Oct 4, 9-15 am) the Kapi piece was totally unim- pressive. Even the seasoned S. Seshagiri Rao's solid violin support could not lift it from its low-key imag- ery. But Shah an a (Vandaiamu) changed the whole complexion of the concert. qThc kriti assumed a stately presence, a few gorgeous Nwara’ korvais enriching its structural iden- tity. Suma Sudhindra was in as good a nick as she started her veena recital (Oct 9, 9-30 am) with the even paced Eec harikaga ( Y adu kula-K arribod i ) . Her crisp alap for Kapi (lntasoiikhya) was equally impressive, despite a few slips in the fingering. But Varaii (Mamava Meenakshi) put the concert in a solid mould. The alap itself was well proportioned, the kriti acquiring a del i ght fu 1 p rose n ce . Ramakanchuka Dharir i the Kambodi masterpiece has almost been dumped, having become a forgotten melody. It was the piece selec.cd for her recital by Jambu Karman i Oct 9, 8-30 am) , B ut i t bei i ed t he expec tat io n , the timbre in her voice having faded beyond recognition. But G,R. Jay a (Oct 10,9-15 am) was in line fettle as she started with a s h arp a 1 ap for 4 fh od i . It was a good effort, the ovely Rajuvedala enlivened with some lovely saneharas’. Shanmukhapriya was equally impressive, sustained in the rare kriti Parvatinayaka. She is certainly capable of rising higher to meet aesthetic elegance, R. Rajalakshmi on violin and R.A. Rajagopalan on mridangam lent Jay a co m mend ab I e support. Lalita Nagarajan’s Ramanannu ( Hari kambodi ) on the next day at 9-15 showed she has yet to hone her voice fully to add glitter to her style. Her alap for Kalyani (Kamalamba) was in shape though it was the renowned kriti that lent credibility to the melody. S. Seshagiri Rao’s violin support was solid. T. S ha rad a on her veena has been known for her consistency which was substantiated as she opened (Oct 13, 8-30 am) with Sri Saras wati (Arabbi), Rajalakshmi Tirimarayan It had a lovely gait, Bhairavi ( Nee pad am u luni ) emerging as majestically. The impact bristled with an enduring quality. But her senior N, Chokkamma who lends her own vocal refrain to her veena left little to write home about (Oct 15, 8-30 am). Nei- ther her Natakuranji (Mamava) nor the Hamsanandi piece that fol- lowed could bear testimony to a radiant past. It is a feeble replica. More surprising was the lack of form in R.S. Nandakumar’s recital (1-30 pm same day). His Bhairavi piece is rarely heard on the concert stage. But neither the alap nor the kriti itself could sustai n T as slips kept inlrudi ng at will. Some imaginatively conceived £ taans T lent a dignified charm to Jayatkumar Das’s Parameswari on Ihe si tar (Oct I7 T 8-30 am). It was a cool, calm and sustained effort that made for pleasant listening. Hamsini Nagendra who followed him at 9- 1 5 was in as good a mettle. The Bilahari piece gave her a fine start. But the alap for Dharmavati was a trifle short in its resonance, though the unfailing kriti Durgadevi restored credibi 3 i ty , All the same, a sense of complacence could not be missed. It is here that Rudrapatnam duo Thy aga raja n and Tar a -na than cannot be faulted. Their Shuddha-Sav- eri showed them in a buoyant mood. It was a classic picture of the haunting melody. Kokilapriya (Manayata) kept up ;the tempo to leave an indelible impact on the listeners. V. Kalavati (9- 1 5 the same morning > was in as fine a fettle. Right from the opening Nata ( Kanjadalay a) piece her voi ce touched the peak form. Especially pleasing was the leisurely alap for Kalyani. The lovely kriti BiranavarainTishra-nadai was invested with some enervating £ swara* kovais. A sure sign of her steady progress, G.Ramesh (Oct 22, 8-30 am) was as refreshing as he intoned a leisurely Simhendramadhyama, The alap was reposeful, redolent with some chiselled 'saneharas’ associated with it. The kriti Kamakshi was rendered with as much confidence, an array of lovely ‘swara’ passages embellishing its format. But D.N. Gum Dutt who followed at 9-15 am; could not sustain, his Anandabhairavi classic "0 Jagadamba’ lapsing into insignifi- cance because of persistent slips in ‘srutiL Rajalaskhmi Tirunarayan’s veena recital on the following day (8- 30 am) lived upto her reputation. Her prelude in Rilahari for the wcigblly Sri Ralasubramanya gave a good idea of the feast that was to follow. Rightly, the rendition of the kriti gave a digni- fied picture of the soulful melody. Equally engrossing was the Kapi piece, rich in its tonal flourishes. The popular local duo, R*K. Padmanaha and D.V. Nagarajan was in as consistent a form as ever. Drawing their inspiration from a lovely ode to Ganapathi in Amritavahmi the duo built a reverberating base in Madhyamavati Ramakatha. And what G.R. Jay a a sustained quality of melodic grace it turned out to be! The same rollicking tempo was maintained by R.5, Ramakanth (Oct 23, 9-30 am). His Bhairavi stood out for its classic imag- ery, the kriti Thanayuni redolent with nostalgic overtones. A reassuring re- cital. Padina Mur thy who was not heard for long on the AIR was back on Nov 5. Her piece in Saras wali ap- peared sedate in essence. But her veena seemingly came alive as she medita- tively tl welt on Bhairavi. The alap was not without its misgivings, but the kritii Lai ithe brimmed wi th confidence to emerge as a solid piece. K,G. Kanakalakshmi is another artiste who will never disappoint. Her recital (Nov 5, 8-30 am) substantiated the helief. The number Yaro Bandaru is by no means a famliar composition. But her alap for the raga Shan- mukhrpriya and the facile way the words blended with the melody was proof of her craftsmanship. It was hearty listening, thanks to her culti- vated voice. ♦> ESSENCE SUBSCRIBE TO PHOENIX Calendar Released Dr Raja Ramanna, released a cal- endar on musicians brought out by Ananya, an organisation for the pro- motion of music and arts, at the B angal ore G ay ana S am aj a , B angalore. Releasing the calendar Dr Ramanna said Ih&t calendar art has come longway in our country and lauded the efforts of RaghavendraRao in bringing out the pictorial calendar. Portraits of Veena Seshanna, Veena Subbanna, Vasudevachar, Ridaram Krishnappa, Muthiah Bhagavathar and T.Chowdiah have been published in this calendar. The unique calendar which is priced at Rs, 20-00 can he had from Anunya,Mal!eswaram, Bangalore 560003. l — 1 I Gwalior Festival A three day festival of music in memory of The renowned sarod mae- stro, Ustad Hafcez Ali Khan was inaugurated by Vijayaraje Sindia on Nov 21 ,96 at Gwalior. P; ndit Shiv Kumar S harm a (Samoor), Mari Prasad Chourasia (flute) V.GJog (violin), Rahmat Ali Khan (vocal) and Amjad Ali Khan (sarod) son of Hafiz Ali Khan partici- pated in the festival. This festival w as organised by the Hafiz Ali Khan Memorial Trust Thyagaraja Aradhana Sri Thyagaraja Aradhana Samilhi, Srirangapatna is organising the Thyagaraja aradianu from January 28 to 30, 97 at the Sri Kodandarama temple. Bazar Street, Srirangapatna, N.S.Kr shna Murthy, retired Director of AIR Bangaiore was on a visit to the USA on an invitation. Purandara A set pattern has evolved for a mini concert over the years. A varna or a kriti in a madhyama kaia to begin with, gradu- ally building up the tempo wit i more elaborate item reaching a climax with a rag am, tanam and pallavi or a de- tailed exposition of a major raga, kriti nerval and swara followed by j avail, thillana and lighter items like bhajan and de varan am as have been generally accepted on constituting a balanced fare. The concert must have a variety of raga, tala and items of different vaggeyakaras. However there are spe- ciaj occasions when a concert is wholly devoted to a single composer in order to pay homage and highlight his musi- cal genius. One such concert was held i i New Jersey (USA) in November 1996 as part of Purandara Dasotsava. 14 We wanted to present Purandara Dasa compositions in a classical mould and not just as post-pallavi items \ ex- plained K.K. Ramamurthy one of the organisers who along with his- wife Kama! a has been playing enthusiastic hosts to many of our senior artistes who visit US on concert tours. A full length concert of only devaranamas is a risky proposition because we still do not have com- monly accepted notations for hem. More often than not the ragas and muttu chosen by artistes fail to evoke the sentiment of the devaranama. But it goes to the credit of Vani Sateesh who was the artiste of the e vening for gi vi ng a very soothin g and satisfying performance forover three hours. Her rich repertoire and munodharma were fully evident throughout the concert and a full house was treated to a thoroughly enjoyable programme by this young artiste of Mysore settled down in USA after her marriage. Vani made an auspicious begin- ning with 'Sri pathiyu emage sampada vecyali 1 in Sri r It was clever handling of swara prasthara, making use of the opening swara phrases of ‘endaro mahanu bhavalu’ charanas. She then sang ‘Ramamanthrava jap iso’ in K^nada before taking up 'Yare Rangana 5 in Hindoia with a detailed raga alapana. Instead of the customary begin- ning, she sang the pallavi 1 ike GS NDM GSN SMS. The swara singing for 'kariraja varadana 7 starling from 3 1/2 akshara from sama was skilfully handled. ‘Swam! mukhya prana* in Ananda Rbairavi, *yekc nirdaya nadeyo' in Ranjani, 'necne gati 7 in ragamalika consisting of Patdeep, Dcs and Dwijawanti were gone through in quick succession before she took up a fairly detailed alapana in Mukhari and rendered ‘echharadalinade’ inmishra chapu. The structure of Lhc composi- tion is such that it hardly permits any sangatis. One felt a detailed alapana for such a composition was dispro- portionate. However Vani deserves to be praised for attempting a raga which is rarely heard these days. The main item chosen for the evening was hiinna nodi dhanya nadenu 1 in Paniuvaraii. The tune is almost identical with Thyagaraja’s l ninnu neranammi nanurah The nerval for 'desha desha thirugi nanu 7 and swara prasthara lent Phoenix January 97 -9 a high degree of classicism to the concert. What followed alter the thani avarthanam by Balachander (mrida- ngam) and Murali Balaehander (kanjira) were in the lighter genre, 'Ninnantha swami 7 - ugablioga and l necne doddavanu 7 in Revathi and other popular numbers like ‘tarakka bindige 1 and jagadhodharana' were rendered wi t h fu 1 1 of feel i n g r Vani was ably accompanied on violin by her husband Sateesh who is basically a computer engineer He had made use of thicker gauge strings which enabled him to play in the same octave in which the vocalist was sins- ing. Thereby he was not sounding too shrill which is inevitable when ac- companying ladies with high pitched voices. One wished Lhat percussion- ists were more subdued and sober The concert was held in the base- ment of Ramamurthy’ s spacious bun- galow. He has very tastefully treated the hall and has made it acoustically perfect. Listening was a pleasant ex- pe ri e nee Vi th s uperb so u nd s y s te m . Shy a mala G Bbave, has been appointed Chairperson of the Karnataka Sangeetha Nruthya Academy. The post fell vacant follow- ing the resignation Chandrahhaga Devi due to ilfheakh. * GNB was a crusader of a new wave of * l Birka” 11 lied music. A ■ pri n ce among mu si c i a n s , G N R s co n- certs drew' packed houses. GNB-Chowdiah-Mani trio at the Bangalore Guyana Samaja in Shankariah Hall was always am ea- gerly awaited event. ¥ While Rs 4 was charged for the first class for major concerts, a spe- cial hike to Rs 6 was levied for this trio and the hall and even the area nearer t lie fenced pe n d al wou 1 d be o ve r II o w- ing. The concerts were of a very high order, pleasing to the innocent and the cognezanti. The renditions of “RadhaSametha Krishna*', “Himagiri Thanaye”, 4 'Saras a Sam ad ana" were always re- ceived with thunderous applause with Palghat Mani in the focus, himself singing as it were on the mridangam. Elaborate alapana of Kalyani fol- lowed by a crisp rendition of ’ l VasudevaEni" invested with nerval at Raga Thala Gathulanu Paaduchunu" and a flurry of kalapana swaras arc musical presenting ever green in Lhe memory of even the aris- tocrat s connoisseurs. GNB”s 12-minute rendering of Malavi is still haunting me. In those days when small Jan aka rag as were not dealt with in such detail, most of the audience were left wondering what the rage could be. When he took up ' Nenaru nchi nana* there was a hush and lull and they traced the raga finally ! *GNB had a command on musical mathematics. His pallavis, though short could be a testing time for those Down Memory Lane Bangalore K Venkatram flanking him. Aesthetics were never sacrificed i n t he pres entat i on. To ci te an i ns t an ce , GNB was seated for a programme with Chowdiah and Mani. The programme was to commence at 4. 1 5 pm. This writer had gone with Chowdiah and the duo had landed in time. So did GNB. Mani Iyer was not there and there was no indication as to why he was delayed and when he was expected. It was learnt that Mani Iyer had not arrived in town at all. No nearby artiste was readily available. Chowdiah did not want the concert cancelled, (He was worried about the loss of his remuneration I). Hesentfor a mridangam from the residence of a nearby local v id wan. In consultation with GNB, 1 was directed to take up the mridangam ! I was totally unnerved and ex- M-K Thyagarajii Bhagavatliar Phoenix January 97-10 plained that I was no match for them. But they convinced me saying that immediately Mani Iyer arrived, 1 could make way for him and that this could not be done with other artistes. Fi tally, I consented and the con- cert b~gan with right earnest Mani Iyer did not turn up at all. But GNB managed it all so tactfully that nobody could feel the difference. He instilled so much confidence in me that noth- ing went amiss. Gradually, during the progress of Lhe coicert, 1 was also gaining confi- dence hat 1 could manage the situation that day and salvage the issue. Look- ing safisfied with the confidence built up in me, GNB told me that I could play my solo turn in the pallavi itself. Again I was perplexed and he told me that the pallavi was very simple. He took up Aranda Bhairavi with an elaborate alapana in three stages ren- dered Lhanam at length and took up a short pallavi in Adi Tala, single kalai with 1 1/2 eduppu. No pallavi could be more simpler! The spread' of the pallavi was “P trvalhi Paramananda Bhairavi' 1 . 1 was very happy at the simple structure and played with confidence. Later, as the Sahitya Vinyasa contin- ued GNB made the 'spread' quite sophisticated and resorted to the thrikala. He demonstrated that it is noi “what” is rendered that is impor- tant, b.it 'how" it could be interpreted wi hout sacrificing the Raga ‘bhava’ or the underlining Sukha-Bhava. He used lo revel in singing such very short pall avis in what appeared to be very tough to handle. His rendition of il Gana Lola Karuna-alavaala" in single kalai Adi and resorting it in thrisra with thrikala exhibited his acute musi- cianship with equal expertise in raga andlaya. Sometime in July 96, a video cassette prepared hy N. Pattab liraman ot the Sruti Foundation was presented in a programme entitled, “GNB Sangiia Darshana" for the Karnataka GanakaJa Paris hath and Antanya in B angalore. It was an exhaust! ve analy- sis, of GNB's music hy a group of musicians and scholars. GNB entered the field when greats like Pal ghat Rama Bhagavathar. Cbcmbai, A ri yak u di , M aharaj apura m , h f \ ad urai Mani and Setnmangudi were on the scene. How he became one with them is avai labile in that exhiuslive, highly informative scholarly study ♦ GNB was heard in the corn pany of comparatively younger but versatile accompanists like Lalgudi Jayaraman and Pal ghat Raghu in those days and brought out the essence of classical Carnatic music. His passing away in 1965 created a void not adequately filled even today. He was a very successful teacher (ML. Vaeantha- kumari , Rad ha Jay alakshmi , T R.Bal u (died very young), Kalyaneraman. V.Ramachandran and a host of dis- ciples) and an able administrator (In change of the Swati Tininal Ac ademy and Producer of Music, AIR ). He was a charismatic artiste (acted wit i MS. Subbulakshmi in Shaku itala). He did create an individual style of his own, the GNB bank nurtured by' many youngsters even to this day. Two other artistes from t lie cine world who were not adequately recognised in the arena, but popular in the fifties in the film field and dished out chaste music are M KThyagaraja Bhagavathar and M.MDan Japan i Desigar. My acquaintance with them and association was very short but the concerts 1 played w ith them an worth re me m be ri ng, fh yaga raj a B h a ga- vathar, MKT as he was knowr was a prolific singer. Very popular in Tamil films and a rage in his days. He had undergone vigorous training under Alathur Venkatesa Iyer (fatter of Alathur Siva Subramanya Iyer of Alathur Brothers) and possessed a rich GNB tonal timbre. Once for a concert arranged at Denkanikota, Madurai Venugopal (violin), ML.Veerabhadriah and my- self (Ghatam) we travelled in a car. Right through the route, it was fre- quent stops for garlanding MKT. We used to proceed a few miles and throw away the garlands to dear the car of the load and to be reloaded at the next slop ! We reached the concert arena. The stage w as erected at the centre of a huge open air garden, it was with great difficulty that we walked up to the dais. MKT gave me his silver kooja and some volunteers took away our instruments- As w'e were walking through, there was a stampede to see MKT and I felt the handle of the Silver kooja weightless ! The bottom had been screwed and taken away, leaving only the lid in my hands. My shouts to tell MKT was in vain and we finally reached the dais. As I was explaining the loss of the kooja, some MKT- fan produced it and explained that he had no other way out to meet MKT in person ! While 2 or 3 songs were over, Lhere was a huge cry for film songs and they wanted “Manmada Leelaiyam Venraai Undo". MKT commenced the song. In betw een the song there is a dialogue when the songster says "Swami” be- fore continuing the song. Immediately ASwami" was uttered Veerabhadriah responded saying “What sirT The vociferous merry response of the crowd was uncontrollable! MKT died in 1959, Dandapani Desigar was well known for his devotional Tamil songs. Stalwarts like Kumbakonam Rajamatiickam Pillai used to accom- pany him on violin. Desigar presided over the Tamil Jsai San gam Music Conference and received the Msae Perarignar title. He was the recipient of the Sangcct Natak Academi Au'ard, Kalarmamani title and so on. He had a rich, emotional voice and had acted in several tamil films like Nandanar with Kothamangalam Subbu, Pattinathar Thayumanavar, Manicka- vachakar etc. In a concert for the Congress exhibition at the .Subhash Nagar grounds (now the Bangalore Bus Station) in 1960's Desigar ren- dered a memorable concert. He passed away in 1 973. The great Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer, the mentor of the all time great Pal ghat M an i Iyer who passed away i n 1947, played with Tanjore Lakshminarayana Iyer at the Guyana Samaja sometime in 1946, He created a style of mrudangam play known as the Tanjore school and trained mas- ters tike T.KMurthy. Bangalore Nagarathnammah who was i espo risible fo r burl d i ng u p a s h ri ne for Saint Thy agar aj a at Tiruvaiyaru w r as a great exponent of Carnatic mu- sic. She visited Bangalore for a fund raising concert for the Tiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Shrine. Arcot Rama- swamy Mudaliar, the then Di wan who was the chief guest at her benefit con- cert at the Town Hall was requested by Nagarathnammal for the monetary assistance and the Diwan obliged! sfc (To he concluded) For a ringside View of Music World Read PHOENIX Phoenix January 97-11 Rnngashree DANCING All the Way Chandrasekhar T he last few weeks of 1 996 saw veritable spurt in dancing ac u vines in the City, as though the young and seasoned dancers were ouL to reach a target they had set for themselves ! The programmes were as crowded as .it has been with music in recent times* ' ran gapraveshas T , a dance feature or two, and an array of ‘sadirs 1 filling the bilk It all started with the annual art festivals, the Sharad Vaibhava of Pratibha Prahlad, Karthik Fine Arts festival of Suma Sudhccndra and Ragashree festival ofD.Subbaramiah Fine Arts Trust. By and large each presented a mixed fare of music and dance* Like all these festivals* Lhe Venkatesha Naiya Mandira ol'Radha Sridharhad an ambitious programme. Besides presenting a few seasoned students of the school* it had thrown open the stage to several guest artistes too. The senior-most among them was u n dou bted I y V asu n d h a ra Dorcs wa my of Mysore. An intelligent adoption of Thyagai alv skriti Ganamurtc vouched for her choreographic skill. Some attractive Sthanakas coupled with meaningful* if wee bit loud, Abhinaya* heightened its popular appeal. Rangashree was another invited artiste of repute. She was as confident as ever in her interpretation for the celebrated Kambodi varnam So man a Nagesh Phoenix January 97 - 12 { N ada i a i )* Th e Nritta was e m p h as i s ed by spacious A da v us, though her Abhimya tended to be a trille dra- matic. In its turn. Nupura presented one of its successful experiments. In her chore* graphy for Suladis* its director Lalilfa Srinivasan showed the danceily possiblities of the tested musical form. But instead of a quartet which inevitably cuts into the fluidity, a solo perhaps could have been more purposeful. Though the interpreta- tion was convincing, the staid movement appeared rather monoto- nous, A i n ong t he M andi ra ' s i ncu m ben t s , neither the US-based Rupa Shamsundar nor the out-of-form Manama Prakash could make a mark. The ex elusion of Nritta oriented items itself vas a pointer to their lack of confidence. Nor did their Ahhinaya pieces serve them any better. If Manama's facials failed to go beyond the superficialities* Rupa seemed to rely more on lhe descriptive than on Rasahunaya. Even here the por- trayal was on alow key as exemplified in Van alamo (Manji). It is here that Sumana Nagesh, an other student of Rad ha Sridhar. pres- ently under the tutelage of M.R. Krishtiamurthy* displayed greater depth in both the aspects. The very leisurely pace in the tested Thodi varnan (Rupamu Joochi) accounted for her steady stance, Suma executing the wc 1-knit Adavus with quiet confi- dence. HerAbhinaya* unfolding the Virahctkhandita, was as impressive, though her ‘drishtf could do with some brushi lg up. Poornima Ashok The way Poomima Ashok uses her ‘djHshtF could be a pointer to others. Her feature for the Ragashree festival was on Krishna* based on a variety of compositions available on the subject. The choreography was simple, the movements were not as dynamic as one associated with Pornima, but the expression of this senior sLudent of Radha was almost compensating for the shortcomings. Mahita Nagaraj and Poornima Sagar Indeed, that carried the day. Sohanlal Memorial The annual Sohanlal memorial dapce recital lor the Malles waram Sanaeeta Sab ha featured Vrinda l_r Nanavati, a Kalakshetra product. Pe- tite and prim, Vrinda is known for consistency and with vocalist 5 rivals also in form, the Alaripi and Jattswaram (Saved) gave her s good Vrinda nanavati start. Her Nritta as adumbrated in the celebrated Kumbodi varnam (Nadanai) raised the fare to its rhythmic heights. / Her portrayal of the Virahoikhandita was also precise, her trained ‘drishti - carrying conviction. But her 'aharya\ especially the facial make-up ap- peared so colourless that the overall effect got utterly stunted. Around the same time, Natyashree in association with the Bangalore Lalitkala Parishat presented Srividya Murthy, the US -based steady student of Kamala Narayanan. Prom the invocatory, it was obvious that Vidya has grown in stature. True, the de- scriptive in Kamala Jasana (Ragamalika) of Swatitumal offered little scope for abhinaya. Rut her Nri tta, dotted by liberal Utplavanas and var- iegated Adavus was absorbing. A glimpse of her maturity in Abhinaya was also evident in her portrayal of the Khandita in the Javali Nee mala sala (Purvikalyani). Praiseworthy Though seemingly less involved, the Abhinaya of Poornima Sagar and Mahiia Nagaraj, students of Padmini Rao was equally praiseworthy. More so as they were obliged to lullil an obligation under the shadow of a grueso me ac ci de n t i n whi c h t hei r G u ru only on the day before had badly fractured her leg. U w r as an i mere sting fare, Poornima interpretation for the popular Bagilana Theredu and Mahita 1 s portrayal of Parakiya in Evvade O Bhama (Shankarabharana) sta nd i n g ou t t o r l h ei r po i n ted A b h i n a y a and neat ‘angikasb Rangapraveshas The period witnessed two Rangapraveshas, Smitha.K, student of Meenakshi sundaram Centre and Mrudul Rajburgi, student of Nupura. Smitha has talent, the only drawback being a bit heavy on her feet. Her Abhinaya also has to gain an depth as could be seen in the day's varnam (Khamas). Mrudul, however, was more ag- ile, her movements overall testifying to her self-assurance, Mrudul* s Sri vidya Mur thy Abhinaya was especially impressive. The facile manner in which she inter- preted the Kalahantarita in the Ashtapadi (Madhava Makurau) re- vealed a dear understanding oi the art. As convincing was Pamadi Yashodharu. another student of Meenakshi s undaram Centre, a day earlier. Hers was a compact fare, in which thcTKodi varnam (Kopamela) stood out for its coherence between a trite Nritta and an austere Abhinaya. SNC Poornima Ashok Phoenix January 97-13 Tuneful Encounters-11 Music Between Two Rivers S.N. Sivaswamy Winter in our country is a season lo celebrate, With Christmas and New Year, with music and art festi- vals, mel as Jambories, industrial fairs, trade exhibitions and gala shopping sprees. The temperature in many of the northern cities and tourist places hewers around zero degree cent i grade, which is a shade uncomfortable for Li 1 o se 0 1" us i n the re st o I I n d i a. N e v er- theless winter is the best ti me to travel , with no rain, clear atmosphere though of course, misty, and plenty of a vari- ety of fruits and other food available everywhere. I spent three winters in Jul hinder in Punjab after it had ceded its possition as state capital to Chandi- garh. The mercury in winter in that Cantonment City, especailly in mid winter, which is the last week of De- cember. stayed under live degree cent! grad c . Th ey were su rely l lie cold- est days of the year. Thi s w as the week Jul 1 under chose to commemorate a nineteenth century musician of the region. Baba HarvaJlabh. The Baba was somewhat akin to Baiju Bawra of Akbar’s days in that he was a mendicant devoted to music. A samadhi has been built by the people of Do-aba (meaning two rivers, Beas and Sutlej, between w hich lies an area known for its rich sob f ert i [ i t y and p 1 e n t i fu 1 n ess o f sub-soil water) in the Devi Talab tank bed on the outskirts of Jullunder City. At this Samadhi many thousands of music lovers of Punjab gather for four day s every December on the cold- est days to listen to the greatest musi- cians of the country in day-and-night long sessions during the biting chill of even the early hours. Before coming to Jullunder, I had thought that Punjab's interest in music was restricted to its rich folk melodies like the songs accompanying th* Bhangra and Giddha dances, the great folk operas like Hccr-Ranjha, Mir/.a- Sahiban, Sassi-Punhu etc, besides the soulful shabad keertans of the Ragis. Soon I was to meet great musi- cians of the land like Sotian Singh (Faiaz Khan’s disciple) and Dilip Chander Vedi and to be reminded that Punjab's Patiala was the home of the legendary Bade Gulam Ali Khan's gharana. The HarvaJlabh in el a is no doubt among the greatest musical events in t h c cou n t ry . F very year, mu s i c ent h u - siasts are treated here to the cream of Indian music. Among the concerts I attended were those ol Bismilla Khan, Ravi Shankar, Bhimsen Joshi ... the list is endless. Bade Gulam Ali Khan, the doyen of Patiala Gharana, was a regular per- former at HarvaJlabh incla. The last time he sang there must have been his last public appearance. 1 can Eleven forget his arrival on Lhe platform that day. Thanks to my acquaintance with Ashwini Kumar (the former Indian hockey star and noted police officer) who was in charge of the organisation of the inela those days, 1 was able to secure for myself and my wile place close to the dais. That was the last opportunity 1 had of being present in an audience listening to the Thumri Samrat. I also witnessed that day the most poignant scene. Bade Gulam Ali Khan was obviously too ill and could not cl mb up the steps to the dais. His son Munnawar Ali and a few other disciples had to virtually carry him and scat him in his place on the plat- form, Until! he was properly seated, they had lowered the curtain, sparing the a ll Jience the sight of this agonising experience. \\ e had barely recovered from the shock of seeing the great musician’s suffering when the curtain went up and a tumultuous applause rent the sh ami ana, F From the initial strains of the Swmmandal, through the majestic C al kau s fol 1 o wed by i h e u n forgett ab 1 e thumri and uptb the culmination in the haunt ng Bhajan, Had Om Tat sat, it was a feast for our ears and we had all forgotten that the maestro was ailing. Academy Awards Follow ing arc lhe winners of the Karnataka SangeethaNrithya Acad- emy Award for 1996-97: Carnatic Music: B.Krishnappa {vocai), A h Veerabhadriah (violin), L. Bhimachar (morching), and H.S. Anasuya(special service). H Endustani Music: M. Lakshman Go wd a( vocal), K,S, Hadpada(tabla), S i d d a ram as w am y K o ra w a r (vocal) and S B.Hungund (harmonium). Dance: PratibhaPrahlad,P. Rama (dance singing) Pad mini Ravi and Chitrs Venugopal (dance teaching). L gilt Music: S.Somasundaram (vocal), B.V.Radhakrishna (instru- mental) and Su loch ana Venkatesh (vocal), Katha Keerthana: B. Guru- Addappa, and K.S. Narayanacharya. Kalashastra: Gauri Kuppuswa- my and S.C Sharma. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 X)0, a citation and a memento. Phoenix January 97 - 14 All-Night Concerts Have Come to Stay SOULFUL HOMAGE To a MAESTRO T h e n 01 c wo rt h y ac h i e v e r nent ot the Gururao Deshpande Puny a Smarane Sanuthi is the inculcation in music-lovers in the City of getting accustomed to ihc all- night concerts. Though such Mehfils are common in the Hindustani music ori ented northern d i stricts o f i he State, back in Bangalore and the erstwhile Stale of Mysore dominated by its C a rn at i r counte rpart 1 he t i m i ng s wo u I d rare! y lake o ne beyond 9 ; 3 Op. m , sp an- ti i n g it l mos t fo u r ho u rs . Came the Jalotas and the Chitra- Jagjil Singh duos, listeners started responding in their numbers to late night faressitting well past mid-night, en 1 i vened by thei r s one mu s di u ics . B u t V i na y a k T o r v i oft he S a m a ro h has brought about a transformation in the attitude of the music buf s. As witnessed in the 14th anniversary of the Punya Smarane December I, the Samaroh has become an accepted rou- ti ne fo r avi d Hindustani mu sic 3o vers , R so successful and so popular t lat the venue has moved from a small audi- torium in the eighties to a specially erected, sprawling s ha mi ana in the spacious forecourt of the Canara Union, The fares in these solemn Mehfils have become doubly attractive, sev- eral redoubtable masters in the genre filling the bill. A welcome departure of the annual homage-paying event is a slot for a session of Carnatic music. Such inter-action is nothing new in Carnatic music festivals, prestigious institutions like the Bangalore Gay ana S array a having had Hindustani stal- warts like Mallikarjun Mansoor and Ganguhai Han gal preside over its an- nual conference. B ut i n t he H in du sla n i m u si e worl d , this is a new trend, beginning almost from the time the Samaroh moved over from Dharwad 10 years ago to the City. Now it has become an annual fe ature. 1 n 1 994 M . S . Sheela s ang i n the Mehfil and in 1995 it was Nagamani Srinath, Now it was M. N agaraj , the young viol i n virtuoso who is a much-sought after accompanist, besides being as popular a soloist as in duet with his equally competent younger brother, M Manjunath. ITis solo in the fare came as a breath of fresh air after a rather dismal show in the inaugural concert by the Pune -based vocalist Prakash Ghangrekar. His Bageshri was me- diocre, fail in g to live upto expectation. Notes seemed to stray into the essay at will to distort the very identity of the raga. Nor did his Tarana* in Malkus improve matters though the delinea- tion struck to a known contour. What a contrast it was when the repetitive Vatapi Ganapatim ( Ham- sad h wan i) unfolded itself through the tuneful violin strings of N agaraj ! The alap for Shanmukhupriya in the silli- ness of the night was more reposeful, a flurry of sonorous Tang at is' enrich- ing its overtones. It was a solid prelude to a crisp Thanatn to be followed by a robust Pal I avi in ‘chatushraf The serene quality of the melody and its tonal fidelity should sure have made an impact on the packed audience. Veteran Ganguhai Hatigal who had earlier inaugurated the festival, was undoubtedly a star attraction in Phoenix January 97 - 15 the programme. Abhogi gave the doyanne of the Kiran Gharana an im- posing start. Her meditative alap sounded as though she w^as glorying in the notes, the effusion of Taans* finding as alluring an intonation in the contrasting sonority of her daughter Krishna. Gangubai’s Kalavati stood out for its refined exactitude and the Adana piece with which she rounded of her 100- minute rendition, was absorbing, bringing hallowed memories of the great Roshanara Regain. The young flautist who followed was Praveen Godkhindi, son of Venkatesh Godkhindi, also a flautist who had the distinction of being the only Hindustani artiste from the State t o fi g u re i n the ,an n ual Rad i o S ange et Sammelan- 199b. He aL once proved his mastery over the technique, the abandon with which he exfoliated the melody winning him unrestrained ap- plause. !iw r us a rewarding experience to watch the youngster wielding the difficult instrument with effortless ease. The Mohan aveena recital of Vishwa Mohan Bhat as anticipated was the piece de resistance of the festival. H is Jo^ straight a way pro v i ded his artistry, i he jod-jhatu foray casting a magic spell on the listeners who had kept wide awake for the blissful moment. The Maand 'gat' which the master intoned on request, had the same lingering flourish in which Ravindra Yav gal's competent i aba la ‘sathi made as indelible an impact. The concluding session which started almost in the wee hours of the next morning „ was reserved for Vi nay a k Torvi, the worthy desdple of Pandit Deshpande whose memory the former was commemorating in such a fitting style. He had chosen Thodi for the main raga, the soulful melody assuming its dignified aura from the very outset. His airing of Deshkar and ionpuri was as impres- sive. And as he rounded of hi s recital with the customary Bhairavi ‘bandish’ , it was broad daylight, something the avid listeners realised only as they came oui into the open! ♦ gfsJC programme was that they had always seen one person render one style only for the ei tire evening and found 'our programmes more exciting with vari- ety, good quality and lively young pet formers’ . At this point it may he pointed out that mat y a times merit is a casual ity wf tie in the choice of artiste for inter- na ional festivals or sent on cultural tours by the Government and cultural T.D.Rajendra and Nirupaima in a F ive young city dancers from Abhinaya Arts Centre, T .D, Rajendra, Nirupama Rajcndra, Nandi ni Mehta, Sathyanarayan Raju and Murali Mohan were on a cultural tour of Switzerland and France per- forming classical and few folk dances of India, In a span of 40 days in October - November figured in 1 6 performances, three workshops at various cities in Switzerland, Paris and France. The co-ordinator was based at Geneva, Sujatha Venkatesh, herself a Bharaihanatyam dancer, teacher, se- nior disc i pic of Prof LLS, Krishna Rao and Chandrabhaga Devi, The organisations included many l ndian associations, Indo-Swis, French and the Afghan associations who pro- mote South Asian Arts and Culture, Abhinaya 1 s director, Nirupama says, 'It was revealing to see the genu- ine interest among the Swiss, French and Afghans who drove hours to sec the' performances and to know more about out rich cultural heritage. Dur- ing our programmes we could fee! them watch with so much love for the arts, be it music or dance which we tail to notice here in India these days. Maybe they are not yet overfed with programmes, at least not many poor quality programmes which is a main reason for the disinterest among people here. Our audience enjoyed the programme and more did we." One usual remark after every serious young performers who are co m mi 1 1 cd and c ap abl e o f rende ri ng quality performances are ignored. Well all our previous cultural tours abroad were through out guru's initiative or dance companies estab- lished abroad. It was a wonderful ex- perience as wc were presenting from our own centre. We have had good response for the artistic abilities and been invited again next year for all- ot ter tour. ■ MURALI MUSIC MUSICAL SOLE DISTRIBUTORS OF CD DHRUVA & SARANG OF R ADEL’S FOR KERALA & KARNATAKA REGION Dealers in Quality Musical Instruments -Expert Repairs & Prompt Services Shri Kumanan Building, Opp Panagal Park T, Nagar, Chennai -600017 Ph: 4345105 Resi: 4931284 12/96 Phoenix January 97 - 16 In Lighter Vein ‘97, So WHAT’S NEW? Y et another year bites the dust and ushers in anew one. One would like, of course, to sweep a lot of this dust under the carpet and move on and hence. New Year drinks are gulped down and reso- lutions arc made- -hope springing eternal in the human mind. One hopes to find a touch of something new in monotous rcnlines. What would a dancer aspire for the* New year to bring with It ?. Loss of a few kgs around the hip, no doubt, and loads of programmes scattered all over the world, L of course went on a The renowned Nupura school of Bharathanatyam, under the able guid- ance of guru Lalitha Srinivasan, recently celebrated its 1 Sth anniver- sary with a two-day programme on December 7 & 8 . The schoo I has, over the years produced a wealth of talent and its students win laurels all over the country and abroad. Its ballets have been acclaimed for taut choreography and sophisticated production, Lalitha believes that its young stu- dents are the hope of tomorrow, and therefore, the first day s programme concentrated on a recital by junior students who conducted themselves creditably. The performance was rounded off with a Nupunte’s :on- temporary dance piece "DWANDWA’ conceived and cho- reographed by a few young and produced by a team of dancers, musi- crash diet between 9 am. and 6 pm on the 1st Jan. and decided it was un- healthy. Programmes, of course, were wel- come, How about one in NCPA Bombay, another in the fata Audito- rium in Bangalore, the Academy Madras, the Rabindra Manch, Hydera- bad? But i am sure all we’ El gel will be one in Bel 3 ary, in Kasargod, Hubli or Patna ! Of course, the New Year could always usher in a new costume in the new fangled three colours, stitched to perfection by Aiyyelu of course. A dans and young talent from allied arts, “DWANDWA" dealt with the indedsi veness faced by an artiste who has to choose between Ins creative urges and the demands of his audi- ence, The three dancers Ajay, Gowri and Sowmya gave a convincing per- formance, The troupe lead by Sowmya showed promise. The second day saw two of Nupura’ s senior students lima S u d hee nd ra an d $u ma Kri s h na mu it hy dance. Lima rendered the A tan a Var- nam with grace, while Suma performed a kriti in Bowli and an Ashtapadi with con iidence. The two concluded with a brisk Ragamulika Ti liana of Balamurali, The students of Nupura then per- formed ‘Folk Dances of India, a colourful rendition of dances from double layered temple jewellery set with HUGE earrings will round off the ensemble beautifully. On second thoughts, the building frown on my mother’s brow put all thoughts of new costume and jewellery away from my mind. How about a new production, 1 pander, amply funded probably by the Ministry of Human Resources or bet- ter slid, a private company. Something about global warming would do just 11 ne, or o ['course, corruption would be more current. Thank God there are no censors in the dance field, i immedi- ately erased all thoughts of such a production from my mind. I don't want all the local goon das after me [ I quickly started running out of new things to do in the New Year. My mother had a suggestion: how' about practice and more practice, hours and h ou rs o f work i n the cl a s s , s he q u e i re d sternly. Before I could conjure up an exe u se she s at do w n p u rposef ully with the takkal mane and I had to w ind up! different stales. The Ke like, Tam asha, Suggi Kunitha. Garba, Kummi. Holi and Karaga were well received, Nupura now stands on the thresh- old of completing two decades in the dance field and its contribution has been immense, be it young dancers, new innovations, ballets thematics or its rich repertoire of Kannada items. MANU A workshop on Indian classical dance appreciation meant for layper- sons and dancers was organised by Mandakini Trivcdi at Pritlwi Theatre, Juhu, Mumbai on December 1,8, 15 and 22, l 96. This four- part workshop covered the founding principles of Indian dance, the dance of Shiva, Abhinaya, the vocabulary of Indian dance and the rasa theory. Geetha Raja Nupura's A 18l:h Anniversary Obituary Chintalapalli Krishnamurthy Chintalapalli Krishnamurthy noted vocalist passed away on Dee 29,1996. He was 76. • Bom in Gudibande of Rolar district Krishnamurthy was trained by Chintalapalli VenkaLa Rao of hallowed memory and the popular vocalist Chin tal apa 1 3 i R am achand ra R ao . Wi th a vibrant voice Krishnamurthy was an exponent of the antique patanthara which he passed on to a host of dis- ciples including his son Subbaganga. He was felicitated by prestigious organisations like Karnataka Ganakala Parishat, Bangalore Gay ana Samaja, Tyagaraja Gana Sabha, Krishna San- geetha Sab ha and had performed in and outside the State, He was the recipient of the State Ac ado m y A w ard i n 1 99 3 -94 an d t i 1 3 es ‘Gayana Chatura , ‘Ganasudha Nidhi\ Kalasindhu 1 , 'Gayaka B hush ana’ etc. M.N.Ratna M.N. Ratna who was 68 passed aw ay on Dec e mber 3 0 , 96 i n B a ng a 1 ore after a brief illness. Born in Huhli. Ratna had her training under Vasudeva Sastry and Bagalur Krishnamurthy. Ratna used to render light classi- cal varieties, later turned to sugama sangeetba singing vachanas, bhavageetha in addition to devaranamas. She gave recitals at Bangalore Gayana Samaja, MaEleswaram Sangeetha Sabha, Kar- n at aka Ganakala Pari shat, Mysore Dasara Festival, Delhi Kannada Sang ha and had toured USA and Lon- don, S he had recorded for gramap hone of films and dance and a regular broadcasted. She was the reci pient o I the State Academy Award and the Chow di ah M em ori a l A ward . Her dau gh ter M . S . Sheela is a leading vocalist in great demand. B.Shivaramiah B.Shivaramiah B.Shivaramiah. noted flautist and guru if late B.N. Suresh passed away recently. He was 82. Shi vara mi ah who had started giver g flute concerts when obly 15. w r as an employee of the State Bank of My sc re and an amateur 11 utist. He w as trained by Pal lad am Noras Inga Rao and litter from T.R, Mahal ingam for nearl j 40 years and had attained con- sider able command over the w r ind insm, ment. Shivaramiah was a good flute teacher, having imparted his instru- mental techniques to several artistes amor g whom are die well-known 11 au- list B.N. Suresh. He was felicitated by the Bangalore Gayana Samaja in 3 982. He leaves behind three sons and a daug iter. V.C.Lokiah V.C.Lokiah, a well known per- sonality in classical dance passed away recently in Bangalore. He was 82, A recipient of the Karnataka Rajy atsava Award, Karnataka Kalu Tilaka. Natya Kalanidhi and Natya Shirt mani. Lokiah had toured Canada, China, Australia, Mexico, Romania, Pakistan, Germany, Italy, Sri Lanka and i ^ f r i c an co u nt ri cs . Lokiah started his career as a vo- calis under the guidance of veteran musicians in Madras and C alculia and later umed to Bharatanatyam. He was a ditciple of Meenakshi Sundaram Pilla of Pandanallur. He was trained in Kuchipudi dance too, Lokiah popularised the classical dance for over six decades and was one of the senior nattuvanars. He was the first Bharatanatyam exponent from the State to travel arou id the world with renowned ar- tiste; , Ramgopah Shanta Rao, Indrani Rein nan, Mrinalini Sarabhai, Tara Cho’vduri and the Krishna Kaos.