My first US concert!

SRGMPDN, a non-profit organization in the Washington D.C. area that is striving to promote to Carnatic music in the community invited me to perform on Jan 28th. It was a nice experience singing with Smt Pavani Shrikanth and Vivek Chellappa on the violin and Mridangam respectively. Here is the song list:


1. sAmi ninnE - sri rAga varnam (S) 

2. palukavEmi nA - pUrNachandrikA- Adi- T (R,S)

3. pAhi shrI girirAjasutE - Ananda bhairavi- rUpakam - SS (R)

4. kAntimati- kalyani - tisra Ekam- Subbarama Dikshitar (R,N,S at shAntamuna)

5. nI bhajana - nAyaki - Adi - T (R- sketch)

6. cani tODi - harikambodi - Adi - T (RNST)

7. OsOsi - mukhAri - misra chapu - padam

8. yAla padarE - begada - tisra triputa - kshetragna

9. shAntakAram - viruttam in sAvEri, dEvagandhari, pUrvi kalyANi, darbari kaanada, yaman kalyani

10. krishnA nI bEganE - yaman kalyani - misra chApu - dAsar nAma

11. ElarADayanE - javali - bhairavi - Adi - Dharmapuri Subbarayar

12. madiyAl vittaganAgi - surutti - tiruppugazh

Shri Madhavan and Smt. Kani Madhavan hosted this concert - it was a very nice experience indeed!

--Gokul

Mumbai trip - Jan 2012

I visited home soon after I came to the US. Why so soon? One might ask. If you know me weel, you would guess that I was missing music lessons with my Guru Smt. Kalyani Sharma. Never have I missed someone or someone's art form so much in the past. Mami and I developed a keen sense of respect and a strong relationship soon after I started learning padams and javalis from her. Learning a padam is a not a tough task, it is a herculean one. Only after 2 years of constant practice, am I comfortable singing padams like koNTE gADu (suruTTi), ninnu jUci (punnAgavarALi), payyada (nAdanAmakriya), etc. When learning is such a difficult task, imagine how difficult would teaching these mammoth compositions be! Mami taught me each one of these with painstaking care and effort. She ensured that I got each sangati, voice modulation and intonation required for rendering these compositions correctly. I can only hope that I am doing some justice to these!

To add to this list, I learnt a beautiful composition during this trip - kuvalayAkshirO - a padam in gowlipantu. Like some other students who were present while Mami taught this to me said, this padam is so haunting! Padams are in general like that. When you sing/listen to yAla padarE (bEgada) or koNTe gADu you can feel some kind of exhilaration. When you sing/listen to payyada or ninnu jUci, you can experience the pain of separation. Such amazing compositions! I consider myself blessed to be able to learn these compositions and that too from a vidushi like Kalyani Mami. I am eagerly waiting for my next trip to Mumbai when I hope to learn mora tOpu which is THE padam! And  inta mOha - the big shankarabharanam padam (I know a couple of smaller ones)

I also learnt other beautiful compositions - mahAsuram kEtumaham (shanmukhapriya), smarAmyaham (rAmapriya), Emi jEsitE, buddhi rAdu, maharAju karammanE (a beautiful javali in behag), muccata brahmAdulaku, nIvu brovavalEnammA (saveri). Learning music and especially new compositions in a good pAThAntaram from a good Guru is such a delightful experience.

Apart from learning, I also performed at a few places - All memorable experiences! My session with Rajesh Sreenivasan at his place was uplifting and refreshing! I also gave my first AIR recording! Overall this trip has been very useful and memorable! Will miss all my music friends and of course, Kalyani Mami! Like Mami herself said, "What to do, to study, one has to go to US!"

--Gokul--

My experience at Tiruvaiyyaru, 2009

Here is my recount of the homage to Tyagaraja Swami that happens at Tiruvaiyyaru every year during Sivaratri. I was reminded of it today after reading about this in a forum.


This happens every year on Sivaratri. Three years back, I had gone on an extensive temple trip with a friend. On Sivaratri day, in the morning, I went to Tanjore Peria Kovil, had darshan and then proceeded to Bangaaru Kamakshi Temple nearby. After singing Shyama Shastri's kritis in front of Ambal, the kurukkaL inquired more about me. After I introduced myself, he asked, "Are you going to Tiruvaiyyaru?" I said, "No mama, no plans for today! I have to go back to Kumbakkonam and then to Kodavasal to my Grandpa's place for Sivaratri" He said, "No No, you have to go to Tiruvaiyyaru! You are a musician and since you are on a temple trip, you must go. That way you can also visit Thiru-Indaloor, the chandra sthalam near Tiruvaiyyaru. I will make all arrangements. You come home for lunch, and you can leave in the evening." Also, another friend had called me up in the morning and asked me to do archanai at Panchanadeeshwarar temple on his mother's name if possible (as it was her birthday that day). I had replied that I will try, else I will do the archanai at Kodavasal. So after  kurukkaL mama's persistence, I felt that maybe it was destined for me to visit the bard's shrine on that auspicious day and so agreed to his request. After having amazing lunch at his place and a nice nap after that, my friend and myself left for Tiruvaiyyaru. Please note that util this point, I did not know at all that there was an akhandam going on at Tiruvaiyyaru.


When we reached Tiruvaiyyaru, I was pleasantly surprised to find many musicians and vidvans around! Some musicians whom I personally know (also surprised to see me!), insisted that I also sing. The organisers hesitantly acceded to their request and said that I could sing two kritis after about two hours. In the meanwhile, my friend and I quickly went to Thiru-Indaloor (it is just 15 minutes by rickshaw from Tiruvaiyyaru!). On the way to Thiru-Indaloor and back, I went through some kritis in my mind. 

I came back in time to sing. I did not have veshti at that time so someone arranged for one and I sang muddu mOmu and then palikavEmi nA. I was just about to get up when the organiser came and told me to go on for some more time(later I told myself that maybe it was Tyagaraja Swami's way of telling me that I am not so bad a singer  )! I sang all those kritis that came to my mind. I sang right in front of the bard's sannidhi. Sri VV Srinivasa Rao provided violin accompaniment (he was one of the musicians who insisted that I must sing!). I do not remember the mridangist's name but I have seen him play for many vidvans! 

Before singing a kriti I would ask "is this OK?" and the organiser would nod his head if it had not been sung before or request me to take up another one. After I finished a kriti, I would also ask him "shall I sing nAdupai?" The organiser would say "You sing that at the end as that is in madhyamavati"! He asked me to go on and on for almost an hour! And finally he let me sing nAdupai!

This has been the best experience I have ever had in my life. Despite the fact that I had not planned to go to Tiruvaiyyaru at all, destiny took me there and made me sing to my heart's content in front of the bard (and other musicians/vidvans). It was the first time I went to Tiruvaiyyaru and destiny made it extremely memorable for me! The organisers (whose names I forget) are doing a great service. I sincerely request all those who get a chance to visit Tiruvaiyyaru during Sivaratri to do so! I am sure that your experience will be memorable!

Iyer Brothers @ Mumbai on Jan 1st 2012

Iyer Brothers (Shri Ramnath and Shri Gopinath) performed at Mumbai on 1st Jan. The early evening concert, with a pleasant breeze and an almost full moon reminded one of the tEvAram "mAsil vInaiyum..." of Appar. It was like listening to Shri KSN and Trivandrum Venkatraman live. The selection of kritis, the presentation and the discipline shown by the brothers made the concert highly aesthetic and pleasing and made my New Year memorable!


Here is the list:
1. inta mODi - sArangA varnam
2. mEru samAna - mAyA mALava gowLa (R,N,S @ gaLamuna)
3. rAma pAhi - dEvagandhari - Rupakam- Swathi Thirunal (R)
4. bhajarE rE citta - kalyANi - RNS @ nijarUpa
5. giripai 
6. shobhillu 
7. tanayuni brOva - bhairavi - R, Tanam and S @ vatsamu followed by tani
8. srinivAsa tiruvenkaTa - hamsanandi
9. vaishnava janatO
10. adi nI pai - yamuna kalyani - Adi - Dharmapuri Subbarayar 
11. bhAgyAda lakshmi
12. mangaLam


Both the extensive Alapanas in Kalyani and Bhairavi were extremely aesthetic and were no-frill affairs. Kriti renditions were just perfect. The devagandhari kriti was new to me but what a delight it was! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of the concert. Rohit Prasad on the Mridangam was a very sensitive accompanist cum admirer. The tani was aptly sarvalaghu in nature and placed great importance to sowkhyam and appropriate nAdam.
Hope to hear more concerts of the Iyer Brothers in future!