Andariki Vadanamulu to Smt. Vishaka Hari

The moment she comes on the stage spines in the hall go erect, ears go up, other senses surrender, the heart and mind fills with joy, worries and thoughts vanishes, does it sound like Paramata appearing on the stage? Well yes, who else can take away your worries, anxieties and be more than Prozac with just her singing and storytelling abilities? To a little kid she appears like the next door mami, so friendly in her appearance, speech and smile and to the older ones she is the musical spiritual power house and spiritual cleanser. I spotted a Sanyasi seated in the front and wondered if that could be Narada or Hanuman come down in the form of Sanyasi to hear the mesmirising description of Ramavatar and Krishnavatar. Undoubtedly, Smt. Vishaka is the satsang central for satwicks and more than astha channel for the commoners.

We’ve all heard Pancharatna Keerthani’s, a few of us may have read the meanings of these krithis more from the word to word, but the majority of us are oblivious to in-depth meaning, tone, raga bhava, tone of the composer. But this presentation is not the annual Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Utsavam rendition by vidwans and vidushis, seated in a line facing each other and some trying to steal the show with their costumes and jewelry and dilute the essence of Aaradhanai. The ambience was much more spiritual, serene and saintly.

A Thulsai madam to her left, two huge doors behind her and two tiny windows to her left and right, large beams with creepers on it and open space above her head reminded us of the “mutram” in the Thanjavur style houses. It was so homely, lively and comely. She didn’t appear like a strict teacher with a stick or a strict tone, but her story telling abilities silenced our senses and took us on a journey we never want to end. I must say it was thousand times much better and more vividlt presented than Steven Spielberg’s Avatar.

Be it an anecdote from Ramayana in Treta yuga (8000 years back) or Krishna avatar in Dwapara yuga and tying these together with Devar namas, Trinity compositions, Ashtapadis and Abhangs, she is blessed and best one to present, preserve and preach, definitely a bellwether of the Hindu society.

To go through the Pancharatna keerthanas of Thyagaraja, weaving together stories from various yugas and anecdotes from various yuga purushas in 3 hours, you need to be faster than the speed of light and sound, your intellect needs to be shaper than the sharpest material. Effortlessly she tied down the 500+ audience like the same way Yashoda tied down mischievous Krishna to the “ural”.

Do you know the context behind each of the krithis? Do you know the choice of ragams and rasams behind these krithis? Do you know the avatarams celebrated in each stanza of the krithis? Do you know the bhavams behind each of these krithis? Do you know the entire Balakandam is packed in the 1st charanam of the Naati Kriti Jagadhaananda karaka that celebrates the valor of Rama and Lakshamana? Can any other raga other than Naatai convey veera rasam of Rama and Lakshmana (Ahalya shapam, Maricha vadham, Vishwamitra yagam) in Balagandam? Should we admire Thyagaraja’s musical prowess or should we admire Smt. Vishaka’s proficiency to identify and present such facts to us?

I have tried my best to remember and share the tidbits on the Pancharatnams.
1.Jagadananda Karaka - Ragam Naatai – Veera rasam – Rama avataram – Balakandam. The only sanskrit krithi in the 5 ratnas. This kriti also fits in the “Tana varanam” format. Every word from Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam can be taken out “Namaha” can be added at the end and turned into 108 Ramanamavali. Eulogizes Rama as “Janaki Prana nayaka”. Composer also beautifully brings out the truth of the sum total of Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu and others, equals Rama.

2.Dudukugala - Ragam Goulai – Karunya rasam – Rama avataram. In this krithi Thyagaraja laments, confesses his sins and pleads for Karunyam and redemption. (Sins: just wandering around as though being satisfied with a full meal, giving sermons to people who are really not interested in listening or who are too incompetent to understand, self-styling oneself as a great person, and mistaking the dross for the real thing. Interestingly he lists four categories of people before whom he has tried to pass off as a great man; the ignorant, the riff-raff, the shudras or low caste folk and women. In a play on words, he bemoans those who crave for wives and progeny).

3.Sadhinchane - Ragam Aarabhi – Adbudha rasam – Krishna avataram. Thyagaraja has used the liberty of the language, Adbudha rasam of Aarabhi ragam to bring out the metaphors and smilies with having a surfeit of adjectives. But towards the end of the kriti he comes back to Rama, his Ishta deivam.

4.Kanakana Ruchira - Ragam Varaali – Sringara rasam – Rama avataram – Ayodhyakandam. He describes the entire Seetha Kalayanam from how Seetha catches a glimpse of Rama to lavanyam and lakshanam of the bride and groom.

5.Endaro Mahanubhavulu - Sri Ragam – Shanta rasam – Saluations to all saints, bakthas, immortals, the moon, the sun, sanakasanandas, dikeeshakas, devas, kimpurushas, prahalada, Narada, Thumburu, Anjaneya, Siva, Sukha, Maharishi, and Brahma.
Her explanation of the Pancharatnas was like Konar/Cliff notes – it was simple, easy and sensible. The power of Thyagaraja’s words and Smt. Vishakas narration is capable of annihilating our sins, drive away our hopelessness and put us on the path of self realization.

The three hour journey took us to cross roads of music and spirituality visited by none other than Thyagaraja and his contemporaries. She filled our eyes with tear and hearts brimming with bakthi. Bangalore audience very often put their hands together to exhibit their “anandam” and “exhilaration”. There was no yawn or no break and many wondered what yuga they were in.

Smt. Vishaka Hari is beyond limitations of languages (Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kanada, Tamil, and English), she is multi lingual and mellifluous in all of them. She is beyond national and international boundaries (Bombay, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Minneapolis), knows compositions of all composers (Trinities of Thiruvaiyaru, Dasars of Karnataka, Sants of Maharashtra) and has musical prowess to narrate Navarasas in ithihasas, puranas in more than Navaragas.

Apart from being a captivating storyteller and an adept musician, she is a spiritual doctor for those with wounded heart and mind. Spiritual doctor in her brahminical attire –traditional nine yards saree gives her the “Tam Brahm” GI tag and lends respect to the community. The community may want to claim and celebrate her as theirs, but she is a global treasure to be cherished and protected. Above all she is a torch bearer, a custodian of values for Hinduism and Carnatic Music. And to such people we just have two words - Andariki Vadanamulu!

What are you waiting for? Click on this link to download many of her Harikathas.

Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert

"Sivasailam" is a well known name in the city among the Industrialist and from today he will also be known and remembered in the "Music circuit". Sivasailam and his daughters, after Indira's demise, in association with Music Academy have instituted "Indira Sivasailam Endownment Prize" to be given away every year during Navarathri to Senior musicians with parampara (sure it is not Parampara Pattu?), wide repetoire of krithis, with innovation under the frameworks of classical music and finally with a huge fan following both local (Mylapore, Malleshwaram, Matunga, Mamis :-))and global (Sydney, Stolkholm, San Francisco). Hope the fan following is for music and not for costume and couture.

The phamplet distributed before the concert gave us an opportunity to know Indira and her musical dimensions, otherwise very less known outside of Music Academy, its office bearers and their family. And this also subtly answered why this prize was instituted in association with Music Academy. Government of India recognizes Musicians with Padmashri, PadmaBushan, etc. but Music Academy giving away prizes to Senior Musicians before they start using hearing aids, dentures, and walking sticks is like sighting blue moon. Though Music Academy is equally political when compared to Government of India, we only hope they are not corrupt. Should we construe that the Academy can never be influenced or bribed?

Mr. N. Murali, Mr. Krishna Prasad (office bearers of Music Academy) and Mallika Srinivasan (Sivasailam's daughter) in their speech multiple times re-iterated that the decision on this year's recipient was unanimous. Awards, Sabhas and Artist share a symbiotic relationship, did I say scratching each others back? Artists need awards to motivate them reach the stalwart stage and once they become Senior these Sabhas need their favor to build credibility to their awards and organization. Well it is not always that Musicians need awards to succeed (Lalgudi turned down Sangita Kalanidhi) but sometimes even organizations need ambassadors to carry them. Just like how Pothy's needed "her" to sell Silk Sarees to NRI Mamis in Manhattan?

So who could that be? Is it a he or a she? A week before the Oct 15, every news paper had an announcement unvieling both recipient and the award. Her presence can never be missed and there is always an aura created by her costumes, child like smile and stunning stage presence. She was the first classical musician to be featured in a saree ad and first of the page 3 from the Carnatic Music world. Do you need any more clues?

In the Chennai music circle you will definitely need to influence the Sabha Secretaries for a slot to perform(irrespective of whether you have talent or not), but to hear concerts you don't need invite or influence. But this concert surprisingly needed an invite. It was a part of pre-event hype. Who needed this hype? Was it the awardee or the award? Did the concert live up to the expectations? Well before I go answer this question, I will have to put my hands together for the organizers. From stage decor to decorum it was impressive and impeccable. Well what can you expect when the sets filled with lavendar colored silk and jari came from Thota Tharani and set dosai with chutney and chilli podi came from Arusuvai Arasu? From the moment invitees walked in traditionally dressed young girls walked everyone to their seat and specially I was moved to see them escorting Senior citizens to their seats. However much this was staged, it was nice to see seniors getting the respect they deserve. It was also refreshing to see all the support artist for the evening concert being called on the stage and honored.

The evening concert didn't start until 7.15 PM and with Mallika mentioning her mother's favorite songs, even a "dah" listener was sure of what was coming. Swarams emanating from the brand new Miraj Tampura before the brisk Viriboni - Bairavi varnam was rendered. It was nice to see Sudha strictly adhering to the concert format laid down by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. Did you know that Bairavi varnam is loaded with Shringara rasam? The next item was Sharanu Siddhi Vinayaka in Sourashtram, a Purundaradasar composition popularised by Smt. ML Vasanthakumari. Have you noticed that the swarams of Sourashtram meanders like the trunk of Ganesha? Aa: S R1 G3 M1 P M1 D2 N3 S Av: S N3 D2 N2 D2 P M1 G3 R1 S.

What could be the next number after a varnam and Ganesha invocation? Could there be a brief sketch of raga followed by a Devi Kriti by Dikshithar or Shyama Sastri? What followed was Ragasudharasa in Andholika by Thyagaraja, popularized by GNB school. While rest of the music world considered alapana of non-melakarthas outside the tradition, GNB was the first to do alapana of ragas like Andholika, Sunadavinodhini. One needs both skill and boldness to take such ragas for Alapana, but we didn't get to hear or see any of that that evening :-( Andholika is one such raga that grows on you and the lyrics "Raga Sudha Rasa" makes you ponder if raga lends kriti its life or it is the lyrics that accentuates the appeal of the raga.

3 songs down, no alapanai yet, Petra thaai thanai viruttham in Hindolam was followed with Nambikettavar by Papanasam Sivan. Sudha didn't seem to have faith in her memory and the relationship with note book in front of her reminded me of the umbilical relationship that mothers never severe. It was neither a difficult kriti, a rare one or in a different language, most of them in the audience murmured the lyrics, while Sudha needed an aide. Constant peeping into the paper was a distraction for both audience and the artist. May be she learnt it a few weeks before the concert? It showed in her rendition, there was no life and lack to practice was well exhibited. What added a little bit of flavor to the kriti was the kalpanaswarams in Hindolam. A beautiful raga worthy of expansion, just appeared like a drizzle and left the audience high and dry.

Where is Navarathir and where is the Devi kriti? Before audience lost their patience, Sudha picked up one of Dikshithar's masterpiece, Akilandeshwari and rendered it with perfection. Felt like a test match with all dot balls and no boundaries. 5 songs were over, all of them popular numbers and none with raga alapana. May be there was more to come the audience waited patiently, but what came next pushed many from their seats to the corridors of Music Academy. Not that Todi was a bad raga for the evening or Papanasam Sivan's Karthikeya Kangaeya was any worse, but definitely rasikas were disappointed. A short virutham Kandhaney Kadambaney was rendered prior to the kriti. With 2 viruthams the concert felt like a devotional rendition than a classical. Sudha quickly picked up GNB's Mangalakara in Kadanakuthuhalam, but that didn't retain rasikas in their seats, that included me as well.

I qualify to be called her "ardent rasika" I have heard Sudha from the days she accompanied her guru, I have all her albums and heard her in many venues outside the city. But I must confess I have stayed away from her concerts in the past 10 years, there is nothing new that she sings and there is no scope for matured listeners to gain from her concert. Her best performance came in the 15 years that followed her Guru's death and ever since titles, page 3 status, coast to coast tours and cinema songs have taken the best away from her and she has given room for other artists from Bombay to establish themselves. Hearing her is like having Molahu rasam with lot of pepper and perungayam, it smells good and makes you hungry for something more and better!

How does one plan for an award concert? Should one satisfy the rasikas or patronizer? Should they pick up popular melodies or deliver rare krithis? This concert left me with more question and quest for better music. I am already waiting to for the next edition of Indira Sivasailam Endowment Concert, but before then let us hope award and reward season (December) will bring more creativity, competence and variety to both listeners and performers.

Andha Naal - Mylapore

Everytime when you meet someone old you always get to hear “in those days” stories. These are tales from the days when “currency denomination was in Ana, Naya and Paise, distance was measured in Furlong, grains measured in marakaal and time was in Nazhigai. None of us in this generation would know that all this means.

The stories that men share are very different than women. Women would typically talk about price of gold, silver and diamond more importantly among other things. Some of us have grandparents who live with us, while some of us have either lost them to time or to old age home, those of you who have got them at home go and ask them those stories. I used to grill my grandmother with all sorts of questions right from her school days, about her arranged marriage, honeymoon, her first trip to the movies, her memories of Madras. I always found such nostalgic stories more interesting than science fiction and history text books. If history was taught this way then I would have definitely turned into a historian.

Anways, the nostalgic tone with which the oldies narrate such heritage stories in a way that will make your heart long, just like the way MS sings in the movie Meera, “Andha naalum vandhidaatho”. Definitely for old people “andha kalathu ninaivugal” is their priced possession and they make us believe those were the best days. May be they are! Sometimes the conversation is so intense that you go into their world and often feel trapped.

Last week when I walked down my street I noticed a 60 year old, typical “Madras type bungalow” with high roof and beautiful Burma teak railings on the ceiling (Madras ceiling), spacious porticos being demolished. How many times I would have jumped over the wall to get into the house to retrieve my tennis ball? How many mangoes I would have stolen from that tree? How many times has the mama caught me red handed and threatened to tell my father? I felt depressed watching my childhood memories being demolished. I would rather suffer from dementia than having to watch this and painfully erase my memory. But sadly this has been happening for ages and many generations have gone through such memory turmoils and helpless watched them crumbling.

I was in Paris last month and I found every building was atleast 300years old, built during Napolean Bonaparte’s time and they take pride in preserving those stone structures. Today it is a rarity to spot such old buildings in Madras and especially in the heritage filled Mylapore. A place where Sammandhar got Poompaavi to life from a pot of ash, a place where Tiruvalluvar and Vasuki lived, Papanasam Sivan sang along the four veedhis and a place where Parvathi was born as Peacock and she worshipped Shiva to get out of her curse. Innumerable tales and trilogies associated with this place.

I belong to the generation that saw maatuvandi in Mylapore, heard discourses and concerts at RR Sabha, bought vegetables in North Mada Street, had Brahmin lunch at Karpagambal Mess, got my text books only from Vijaya stores and went to tuition in Palathope. Today tuitions have gone online, concerts and lectures are heard on Youtube, books are read on Kindle, lunches had out of microwaveable packets, bought cut vegetables at Reliance Fresh and Metro station stands taller than temple gopuram.

The only piece of heritage and history that is remaining in Mylapore today is Kapaleeshwar Temple, temple tank and Santhome church. Before they get conquered I decided to capture them digitally. Hopefully this collection will take you on down your memory land, do share it with your family, friends and elders at home. i am sure they will have more stories to share.

Andha naal gnanbaham nenjiley vandhadhey nanbaney nanbaney nanbaney….

Oothukadu Festival - October 2, 2010, Chennai

Saketharaman opened the concert with a short and impressive sketch of Sri Ranjani. Like the Gopis watching little Krishna climb on top of Kalinga and control the multi-headed snake with a beat and gait, the mesmerised audience watched the little genious ascend and descend the notes of Sri Ranjani, while aptly stressing the "Ni dha" notes in Sri Ranjani reminding us of the Sharanagathi tatwa. He presented Neethan Mecchi Kollavendum, pausing and stressing the right words to bring the rich bhavam in the lyrics. But unlike what was said in lyrics "nimisham povathu yugamaai aaguthu" the beautiful song sadly ended in a few minutes.

What can be a better mood-enhancer for the evening than Hamsanadham? Like the sound that emanates from the Panchajanyam driving away evil, fear and boredom, Hamsanadham brought cheer, excitement and enthralled the audience. Oothukadu's next gem, Kalayanarama, narrating the wedding scene of Lord Rama and Sita. We live in an age where celebrity weddings are telecasted and narrated, but Oothukadu's sahityam narrated a wedding that happened in a different yuga. This kriti is a treat to all sensory organs. Those were the days of no "breaking news" and OVS (Oothukadu Venkatasubbaiyer) starts with the smell of the perfume and goes all the way describing the important sages and rishi's who've come to bless the couple. ASI, Supreme court and Allahabad High Court can argue the janmasthan and history of Rama, but this one song is a testimony to "Janakaja manohara raghurama's" existence. No further arguments or appeals! FYI: OVS composed this song in praise of Vaduvoor Ramar.

It is art and a science to pick up a ragam like Neelambari, manuver through the crests, troughs and sing to the right amplitude without letting the audience head completely fall to the left or right. Mani Noopuradhari was meticulously and melodiously describing the beauty of Mannargudi Sri Rajagopalan. For those of you who've seen him person, you will recollect his visual appeal and charm, but for the rest the lyrics will do so. Description of gems that adorn him, intricate work on his makutam, the color of his ravishing skin, the fragrance of sandalwood, perfumes, herbs and flowers, surrounded by cows and finally being a treasure of compassion. Saketharaman made sure that he didn't wake up the sleeping Santhanakrishna near the Rajagopalan. Enrapture is the verdict on this kriti!

Can Krishna charithiram ever be sung without a Thodi? That is like Gokulashtami without butter! Muthuswamy Dikshithar, a Devi Upasaka sang Sri Krishnam Bhaja in Thodi in praise of Sri Guruvayoorappan. Todi is a sampoorana ragam and so is Krishna! It was Venugana ramana that kept the audience under a mystical spell and completely put the mosquitoes to sleep. Nereval at Karunya komala shyamala nayana was delectable. Saketharaman proved that Venugaanam can be done without a flute. 500 judges shook their heads in soulful satisfaction and gave an arousing verdict without accepting a single pie! Isn't this amazing India of another kind?

I couldn't sit through the concert due to some personal commitment, but Saketharaman's soulful, open-throated, gimmick-less singing is a treat to hear and watch. Saketharaman made full justice to the composer and his guru. If you have not heard him hear him this December season, he is a promising star in the Carnatic world. Most of the musicians are either big in their ego/sariram or both, but this little boy at the center sits like a utsava murthy and gives immense visibility and room for the accompanist to contribute.Let us attend and encourage such young and talented musicians to live like the Trinities and not use Carnatic Music like ATM machines.