B for Bhairavi

As a part of my raga a week program , most of last week was spent listening to Bhairavi compositions and RTPs. It really helped that the week was a “writing” week, where I spent most day at school siting at my desk with Word open, trying to find new BS for 2 new proposals. I am known for perpetually wearing earphones in the lab and so can listen to music pretty much all day! With the task at hand I set to work purposefully. I have had very little previous association with Bhairavi other than a few occasional hearings and ofcourse having learnt the viriboni varnam, what seems almost a lifetime ago! So the exercise was not only a very good learning experience but I also discovered the majestic beauty of the raga itself!

My pick of the Bhairavi compositions I listened to was Amba Kamakshi, Shyama Shasthri’s awesome Swarajathi. It was simply regal in its melody and the rhythmics of its Chittai Swaras. By the end of the week, I had this song in loop for hours together! I particularly liked MSS and SSI’s  joint rendition that I found which was from a Ramanavami kutcheri at Kalki Gardens. Next in my choices is Muthuswami Dikshithar’s magnum opus Balagopala , especially a version of TMK singing it. Simply mindblowing! Yaaro Ivar Yaaro was another favorite. The version on youtube from Sanjay’s Jaya TV concert is particularly good. Especially the neraval. My pick of the RTPs was Sanjay and SSI. Ofcourse this was just what appealed to my ear. I am still a beginner and am in no capacity to judge the quality of the RTPs. MLV’s RTP was also very good. Her voice is so unique and powerful!

Here is a comprehensive list of my hearing experience :

RTPs : Sanjay, SSI, TMK, GNB, MLV

Krithis : Amba Kamakshi -Shyama Shastri

Balagopala – MD

Yaro Ivar Yaaro -Arunachala Kavi

Thaye Ezhai – Papanasam Sivan

Upacaramulu – Thiagaraja

Janani Mamava – Swati Thirunal

Odi Bharayya – Purandaradasa

Keesu keesendru – Thiruppavai-Andal

Koluvai – Thiagaraja

Neevanti Deivamu – Thiagaraja

Overall I think it was a very fruitful exercise as not only did I become familiar and in love wit Bhairavi, I also got to listen to krithis I hadn’t previously heard of. I’m loving every moment of this. I have changed the mood and it will be a Sahana saaral this week 😀

1k and raga of the week!

Blog stats tells me there have been 1001(my paati will be happy) visitors to my blog so far! It might not be a big number for a blog that is about 4 months old now. But frankly I wasn’t expecting to get that many eyeballs, as I rarely leave comments in blogs and almost never as Dandilsa. And it’s not like I write brilliant stuff for the url to spread by word of mouth. So thanks Subbu and Sid. Glad you guys kept the promise and opened my webpage 10 times a day…Lol! Kidding..People, even if you came here looking for “puliotharai dishes” and went back disappointed: thanks! If not anything else, it is but motivation for me to write more sensibly and frequently! I have only 30-odd comments but I won’t be a hypocrite and ask people to de-lurk 😀 (hint hint)

My friend Uts and I are doing a raga a week exercise where we listen to one raga all week-RTPs, all possible krithis and almost everything that pops up on searching for the raga on sangeethapriya. This will hopefully make me “the maami with the discerning ear” I soooo long to be! I have been maintaining a notebook to record the songs and ragas I’m covering. But I realised might as well put it down here-good for the environment and the blog :P. I did a whole week of Kalyani last week. By the end of the week I could recognise a Kalyani from miles away (Wishful thinking!). This week’s Bhairavi- a raga that both my favorite singers – Sanjay and TMK, sing with superb elan! Will keep you posted (pun intended)!

Zakhir Hussain and the masters of percussion

I was very lucky to watch the Ustad live as a part of his masters of percussion ensemble on Friday (2nd May). It was in the magnificent Southern Theatre building in downtown Columbus, complete with the ornate gold brocading and the velvet curtains that such buildings are known for! A packed hall of white and brown. All eagerly waiting in anticipation. The opening act left us gaping with our mouths wide open. A brilliant display of acrobatic percussion from the Meitei Pung Cholom troupe from Manipur combining drums, dance and martial arts. I was completely floored by their rhythmic footwork complimenting the drumming (reminded me of Revathy Ramachandran’s Shuddhanritam). The soulful music of the Saarangi then ushered in the ustad and his brother Faizal Qureshi. This was the first time I ever heard a Saarangi live and the melancholic tones of the instrument was simply inspiring! Dilshad Khan on the Saarangi then provided the musical backdrop for the tabla gimmicks of the brothers. There were several humorous interludes and soon Zakhir Hussain had the audience eating out of his palm literally! Then came the musician from Tashkent playing the Doyra. The stuff he did with it were mindblowing. There was also some brilliant beatboxing from Taufiq Qureshi another of Zakhir’s brothers. Post break, Niladri Kumar came on the sitar with some brilliant stuff and soon the whole ensemble was jamming together breaking spontaneously into tunes including Vaishnava janato, Ragupathy raghava and Mozart’s 25th symphony (ala Titan ad). The music reached a crescendo building up on rhythmic fireworks from the Qureshi’s, Manipuri drummers, the uzbeki doyra player, Vijay Chauhan on the Dholki and the saarangi and the sitar providing the melodic support. Brilliant stuff and a truly rare and blessed experience!

The Name is Rajnikanth

I read it and you know what, I liked it! I had read so many reviews trashing the book in both the blog and print world, that my expectations for this book were rock bottom. The book is all it claims to be and all it is accused to be. It definitely presented a very honest and detached view and narrative of our thalaivar’s life. The author made no attempts to sugercoat the superstar’s vices or past misdeeds. It wasn’t a fan’s account of Rajni’s life either. There was no holier than thou attitude in the book and nor did she make it sound like a devotee’s tribute. The book was a racy, interest binding and an honest narrative of what made Rajnikanth the man he is today. I am a huge Rajni fan too, and the author’s approach to the biography really appealed to my sensibilities. Sure, the grammar was terrible in places and there were some glaring factual errors in some of the film names she quoted. But these for me, only added to the casual conversational story telling style of the book. I was really impressed about how the author managed to retain her perspective despite being a huge fan and presented the facts as they were. Her accounts of Rajni’s childhood and time at the film institute were surely new to me. Especially the story about New Woodlands and the buying of the building next to Palmgrove.  What I didn’t like was the cover design and the awful picture of the blond Rajni from Sivaji.  Surely there are better pictures of the superstar that bring out his magnetism and charisma! And also I was expecting a foreword/afterword from Kamal and(or) KB. Not sure where, but I had read somewhere that there was going to be one. I definitely was looking forward to that.