Concerts of TNS-season 2007-8

Season2007-8
Ramanatakam of Arunachalakavirayar – concert by TNS in Tamiz isai on 1-1-2008

The programme was eagerly looked forward to by the rasikas of TNS as his exposition in Thamiz isai sangam every year will be on a new topic and his music is combined with his commentary on the work and the author and hence a lec-dem cum concert. This time it was a harikatha without the usual costume –cum- concert, the topic being the ramanatakam. Thus rasikas were treated with a performance which was two in one.

TNS started with the invocatory and introductory verses in nattai and sourashtram from the ramanatakam wherein the composer extols the previous sources of Ramayana, namely that of Kamban and Valmiki and TNS explained that Arunachalakavi has followed the Kambaramayana very closely and his songs reflect the thought of Kamban in each and every episode. He gave the Ramayana to the common man in a language easily understood by all whereas that of Kamban requires scholarly skill in Tamil literature to understand the meaning of the verses.

TNS mentioned that even in the earlier Tami lliterature like Silappadikaram Rama was referred to as vedamudalvan by a jain saint KavundhiadigaL showing that the Ramayana is beyond the barriers of religion and sects. Then he sang ‘dasaratharajakumaran,’ in kedaram.

TNS then said that Arunachala kavi has made the Hindustani ragas like dvijavanthi and jonpuri popular by his songs and Ariyakudi Ramanuja Ayyangaar propagated the ramanatakkirthanas later and immortalized them. TNS then sang from Kamban ,’arubadhinaayiram aandu,’ in dvijavanthi and showed how this was reflected in the ramanatakam by singing the keerthana ,’piLLaiyillaadha bhaagyam pettrenna’ in dvijaavanthi and quipped that this keerthana should not be sung with the first line in half as it will sound as though saying ‘pilaaiyillaadha bhaagyam,’ without the next phrase ‘pettrenna.’

Then TNS sang the viruttham describing the command of the Lord to the devas to be born as monkeys in jonpuri which was really a fantastic jonpuri with the word .’kapigal aagi,’ sung in a picturesque manner that visualised the action of the monkeys by the swift sanchara up and down. VVRavi who accompanied TNS on the violin also played a beautiful jonpuri. This was followed by the keerthana ‘ avataaram seididuveere,’ in jonpuri.

TNS referred to the first verse in Sundarakandam of Kambaramayanam, ‘alangalil thonrum poymmai aravu ena ,’ and explained it, and said that once Mahaperiava , knowing that TNS is well versed in Kambarmayanam asked him whether he knows this verse. It means that on seeing the Supreme being, this world of the five elements disappears like the serpent which is misapprehended on a rope, diasappears with the knowledge of the reality that it is the rope. Arunachala kavi has followed the meaning of this verse in his keerthanai ‘parabrahamsvarupame sriraamanaagave, ‘ which TNS sang in varali.

Then TNS described the advent of Visvamithra and his request to Dasaratha to give Rama. He sang the verse from Kamban ‘en anaiya munivarum imaiyavarum,’ in sindhubhairavi in which Visvamithra says to Dasaratha that in case of any calamity the sages like him and the devas will go to Kailasa or Paarkadal or to Brahma and to Ayodhya, and said that Arunachala kavi has composed his words along these lines in the scene when Visvamithra spoke to Dasaratha. Then he sang the keerthanai ’ramanaittharuvaaye,’ and amused the rasikas by looking at his watch at the words ,’thaamadham seyyaadhe,’ as it was nearly 11.30am.!

TNS mentioned the role Visvamithra played in uniting Rama with Seetha and said that it looked as though the sage wanted to atone for his sin in separating Harischandra and Chandramathi by uniting the Perumal with Thayar. Not only that but Visvamithra by making Rama walking all the way which made the bhoodevi happy on feeling his feet on her, incurred that puNya also.

Then TNS referred to the scene described by Kamban ‘aNNalum nOkkinaaL avaLum nOkkinAL,’ and sang that in saveri instead of the usual yaman kalyani for a reason. The bhava of the verse was in tact though, which those who have heard him sing it earlier will understand. The corresponding keerthanai in ramanatakam, ‘yaaro ivar yaaro’ was in saveri originally, he said, and Ariyakudi has popularized it in bhairavi, giving it the form as in the viriboni varnam. He said that both Poochi ayyangar and Muthiah bhagavathar used to sing it in saveri and he has also learnt it in saveri from his guru, the disciple of Muthiah bhagavathar. TNS also said that as in the raga saveri ‘sa ‘ ve ‘ri’ it is fitting raga because the Perumal and Thayar are one. Moreover the keerthanai can be construed to mean both ways, either Rama or Seetha referring to each other.

Next TNS sang the keerthanai ‘yarO enreNNaamal,’ in sankarabharanam, followed by ,raamasaami konda kOlam,’ in kapi and sobanam in madhyamavathi.

Then he did a brief alaapa in Hindolam and sang the keerthanai ‘raamanukku mannan mudi,’ with the bhava well portrayed as it is usual whenever he sings this. The line ’pattam katta ,’ was taken for svaram in which Krishna also joined.

TNS sang the keerthanai ‘arivaar yaarumillai,’ in mukhari, preceded by a short explanation of the corresponding verse from Kamban, ‘vedhangal araiginra ulagu engum virindha un paadhangal,’ and ‘thai thannai ariyaadha kanru illai,’ saying that this was the inspiration for the line ‘kanru kuralaikketu kanaitthu varum pasupOl,’ in the famous krthi ‘enraikku sivakrpai,’ and extolling the raga mukhari.

Next TNS took the keerthnai from sundarakandam in malayamarutham ‘hanumaane saamikkindha adaiyalam,’ in which Seetha gives instances for confirmation of Hanuman meeting her. Next was that informing Rama of seeing Seetha by Hanuman in vasantha, kanden kanden kanden sethaiyai,’ preceded by the corrssponding Kambaramayana paadal ‘kandanan karpinukku aNiyai, kaNgaLaal,’ wherein TNS explained the word ‘kaNgaLaal’ as meaning that the chastity of Seetha was visible in her eyes where Hanuman saw only Rama.
TNS then said that even though it is unpleasant, any discourse on Ramayana will not be complete without mentioning the entrance of Seetha into the fire and emerging from it and sang ‘ezundhaaLE poongodhai,’ in bilahari. By this time it was 12.30 and TNS said since it is supposed to be a concert he has to sing RTP and sang a wonderful ramapriya and the pallavi , ‘enakkun irupadham ninaikka varam aruLvaai .’ It was an RTP in a capsule and the svarasinging was non-stop for few minutes. After a brief thani by Guruvayur Dorai on mrdhngam, Sundarkumar on Kanjira and TVVasan on ghatam which was short but skilful, TNS sang ‘ariyaNai anuman thaanga,’ in sriragam and the corresponding keerthanai from Ramanatakam and ended the concert with mangalam.

Thus the old year ended with narayananamam and the new year started with ramanamam.
Review of concert of TNS on 31-12-2007 at Padma Sarangapani Trust, Villivaakka
TNS was accompanied by VVRavi on the violin and MSVaradan on mrdhangam
TNS started the concert with a brief raga alapana in reethigoula and sang the krthi ‘ragaratnamalikache,’ of Thyagaraja. The svara in reethigoula was ringing like a reemkara and very enjoyable. The next was the thiruppavai ‘elle iLamkiLiye,’ sung as a viruttham and ‘nayakanaai ninra,’ in durbar with short svaram. Then it was ‘samajavargamana,’ in hindolam of Thyagaraja and Krishna joined in svarasinging, and it was awesome.

What followed next was an amazing alapana of thodi and it was dhruthakaraNa , heart-melting. I have already expressed that I listen with my heart and not with my head and as such I write only what I felt listening to the music. My reviews are criticized by some, definitely not by the rasikas of TNS, that I eulogise on his music. I have said repeatedly that I am an ardent rasika and not a critic. I am sure that the real rasikas of TNS will agree with me, and they do. I cannot help expressing what I feel and it is difficult to make others who are not so inclined to understand. “eelaagani vivarimpalenu tsaalasvaanubhavavedhyame,’ as Thyagaraja has said. It was really a moving rendition of thodi. The krthi was ‘rajuvedala,’ of Thyagaraja with neraval svaram at ,’sevanugani,’ and it was fantastic.

TNS sang ‘soundararajam,’ in Brindavan saranga, a krthi of Dikshitar next and as always it delighted the rasikas. It as followed by ‘ganamurthe ,’ and TNS sang a mini raga alapana in the end when he finished the song and it was marvelous.

Then came the raga mohanam which was really mohanakaram, enchanting. The song was ‘naryanadivyanamam,’ of Papanasam Sivan and the svaraprasthara was as bewitching as the raga aalaapana.

After the thani by Varadan TNS sang pasuram in karnaranjani followed by the verse from Kamban , ‘kaamam yaavaiyum----- naamam annadhu kEL, namo naaraayanaa,’ The karnaranjanai, which he explained is a fitting raga for the narayananama which is the real karnaranjani, was ecstatic. TNS treated all with the mini-harikatha extolling the glory of the name of the Lord by describing the episode of hiranyavadhaippadalam in kamabaramayana and the kamba narasimha acclaiming the words of Kamban when the Ramayana was recited in Srirangam.

The tail piece of the concert was none the less delightful to the rasikas and it consisted of the plaintive cry of Droupadi to Krishna to protect her honour in the court of Kouravas. The sloka is very beautiful and the bhava was fully brought out by TNS who rendered it in ragamalika which ended in raga beemplas followed by the dasaranama ‘nanda thanaya govinda.’ The concert concluded with the benedictory verse ‘thiruvadippooratthu jagatthudhitthaal vaaziye in yaman kalyani and mangala sloka, ‘sriyahkaanthaaya’ in sriraga.

Review of the concert inVanimahal on 30-12-2007

The concert today can only be compared to the river Ganges which presents a different joyful experience to the onlooker in each stage of its course. When it starts from its source it is slow and graceful. So was the nayaki krthi, ‘neebajanagana,’ of Thyagaraja, with which the concert started. The nayaki was displayed with all her grace through svara and bhava. Next we were in Hrishikesh witnessing the spectacle of the Ganga rushing through the Himalayan foothills. It was the krthi of Muthiah bhagavathar , ‘ambavani,’ in keeravani with racy svaras at ‘varaveenapani.’ It was like alaknanda coming from Rudraprayag to Rshikesh.

Then we were in Haridvar the point where Ganga reaches the plains. The thiruppavai pasuram ‘elle ilankiLiye,’ in begada preceded by a beautiful raga alapana resembling the advent of Ganga to the plains. The river proceeds with gurgling and happy that she is in the plains on her way to her union with the ocean. The pasuram was sung bringing out the meaning in full, especially in the line ‘valleergaL neengaLe naanedhaan aayiduga,’ and ‘ellaarum pOndhaarO.’ This was followed by ‘Orajupuju ,’ in kannadagoula of Thyagaraja. In singing the line ‘neeketivaa,’ TNS depicted the mood of Thyagaraja in asking Rama, “Don’t I know how was your relationship with your devotees in the past?” The improvisation in ‘Deenarakshaka,’ was marvelous.

The beauty of the Ganges during the spring could be imagined by the Vasantha raga alapana which was capable of melting the hearts and it was ecstatic. The krthi was ‘hariharaputhram,’ of Dikshithar which is usually a pleasure when heard from TNS. The svara prasthar contained all the elements of the vasnathothsavam, the flowers blossoming, the cuckoos singing, all beings exhibiting joy.

The river in its course proceeds in different gaits, in some places calm and in others with speed. The next krthi ‘ambaneelaayathaakshi,’ in neelambari by Dikshithar and ‘Thappulanniyu,’in bouli of Muthiahbhagavathar , not only illustrated the peaceful part of the river but also its sanctity as a holy river. The neelambari krthi sung by TNS is always moving and the krthi ‘thappulanniyu,’ brought clearly the picture of the scene where the composer was asking forgiveness for his forgetfulness, This was sung by Muthiah bhagavathar in remorse when his performance in the Mysore court was not at its best and he attributed this to his failure to worship the Goddess Chamundeesvari before the concert and sung this krthi in front of the Goddess of Chamundi hills, by the grace of whom the king chanced to hear it and he was honoured highly afterwards. TNS sang it with such bhava so that all this came to the mind of the rasika who has heard him mentioning it in his harikatha on Muthiah bhagavathar.

The rasikas were now in Triveni sangamam. It was sankarabharanam and the krthi was ‘ethudanilachithe,’ of Thyagaraja. The raga was exotic like the Ganges itself and the neraval was sung at the whole of anupallavi, culminating in ‘naa tharamaa thelisi,’which would have made the rasikas reply “mee tharamu thelisinavaaru mee rasikulu.” The svara prasthara alternating in upper and lower octaves was just like the rivers Yamuna and Sarasvati joining the Ganges. TNSKrishna also displayed wonderful skill in joining with TNS in singng the svaras. One could say that TNSKrishna like Yamuna, joined the Ganges, that is, TNS and the antharvahini , that is Sarasvathi, was the heart of the rasikas, which was in unison with the music.

By this time the rivers Ganga and Yamuna together mingled with the ocean, like the union of the hearts of the rasikas and the musician, and the raga manji delini eated beautifully by TNS dinguishing its characterstics clearly as he used to say in his speeches, “Manji has got a special moonji.” The piece from azagar kuravanji by kavikunjatrabharathy, ‘mohanavalli,’ was presented in an enchanting manner doing full justice to the raga and bhava. The concert concluded with the hamsanandi thillana, thiruppugaz and mangalam, the manodharma of TNS showing its magnificence till the end upto the mangalam.

Nothing can be singled out as the jewel in the crown in today’s concert as everyone was a Kohinoor!

TNS was accompanied ably by VVRavi on the violin and Guruvayur Dorai excelled as percussionist on mrdhangam as usual. Ghatam was played by Suresh who is a seasoned artist.

Review of the concert in Sri Krishna Gana sabha on 29-12-2007

TNS started the concert with the poornachandrika krthi of Dikshithar, ‘shankachakra,’ with a shortsvara which was followed by ‘brocheevaravare,’ preceded by a brief alpana in sriranjani. The svara in the end was delightful.

The next was the thiruppavai pasuram, ‘puLLi vai keendaanai,’ in atana and then came an exquisite varali and the pancharathna krthi ‘kankanaruchira.’ It was followed by a marvelous exposition of sreeraga and the krthi was ‘karunajoochu’ of Shyama sasthri. This was followed by the Dikshithar krthi in sahana , ‘abhayambaa.’

Next came a buoyant kalyani, and the krthi was ‘ethavunara,’ of Thyagaraja. The neraval svaram was sung at ‘seethaagouri, which was nectarine in nature. Then the rasikas were treated with a RTP in saveri. The raga was delineated in its full splendour and the pallavi ‘veduko chelungi kolubvaiyunnade,’ and the ragamalika svara that followed was fantastic. The svaras sung as though climbing the ladder quickly and coming down as quickly, alternating in different ragas so quick that it was really flabbergasting, justified the epithet ‘giant wheel musician ,’ attributed to TNS by a reviewer recently. It was really like traveling on a giant wheel for th rasikas also.This giant wheel singing is nothing unusual in TNS, both in raga alapana or sangathis in the krthis and svaras. He is indeed the giant of music himself .

After a short viruttham TNS concluded the concert with a bajan in rakesri and mangalam.
Concert reviews -27th 26th 25th December2007
Etthanai kEttaalum pOdhum enbadhE illai-–TNS on 27-12-2007 at Naradagana Sabha-M.Chandrasekharan –violin- KVPrasad mridhangam-BSpurushottham –kanjira.

The above lines of the song sung by TNS during the concert depicts the feeling of the rasikas on hearing TNS sing at Naradagana sabha on 27th.

The concert started with ,’undethi ramudokkdu,’ a Thyagaraja krthi in harikambodhi, followed by a brief dhanyasi with the krthi ,’dhyaaname varamaina gangaasnaaname’ of Thyagaraja. Neraval svaram was at ‘dharanuvelayu sriramuni,’ and the svaras were in quite quaint format and ‘apoorvam” as MC remarked. The feeling one got from listening to the svara was that of plunging in the water of Ganges, ’muzugi muzugi ezundhiruppadhu pOl.’ It was a svaraganga snaanam.

The ranjani that came next was rasikamanoranjani, the raga and the svara being fantastic. The krthi was ‘dunmargachara,’ of Thyagaraja, TNS singing the line as dunmaragachara adhamulanu, splitting the word correct to the meaning. The svara prasthra was exotic.

After the mukhari krthi ‘kshenamaina’ of Thyagaraja TNS indulged in Kambhodhi which was too grand to describe in words. All the grandeur of the raga was delineated fully not only in the alapana but also by the sahithya of the krthi ‘subramanyaaya namasthe,’ of Dhikshithar. The way of singing the neraval- svaram reminded one of the stalwarts of yesterday which made MC exclaim that TNS must have heard Ariyakudi singing the song in his early years. The old bani was presented of course with the addition of the embellishments by his characteristic manodharma. Those who have heard TNS sing the krthi on that day could never forget it. It was the main piece of the concert and TNS ended the pallavi of the krthi singingit in 4 kalapramana like that of a pallavi of an RTP.

The next song looked like the reflection of the feeling experienced by the rasikas on hearing him. It was the oothukkadu composition, ‘etthanai kEttAlum pOdhum enbadhE illai,’ in bhairavi. This was exactly how his rasikas must have felt that day.

MChandrasekharan on the violin was exceptionally good as always, and KVPrasad and BSPurushottham were adding the necessary poshanam to the music.

TNS sang the ashtapadi ‘sancharathaDhara suDhaamaDhuraDhvani,’ in shyam kalyan, which was not only a maDhuraDhvani but also portrayed the mohanamaDhuripu roopam. It is always a delight to listen TNS singing the Hindustani ragas, which transports one to the land of Drupads. The concert ended with thiruppugaz and the sloka ‘Sriyahkaanthaaya’ in sriragam.

Concert on 26-12-2007 at Sriram samaj, chromepet.

TNS was accompanied by Nagai Sriram on the violin, Trichur Narendhran on mrdhangam and Madippakkam Murali on ghatam.

The concert strated with the kanada krthi of Thyagaraja, sukhiyevvaro,’ which was accompanied with a short yet sweet alapana and svaraprasthara that made one feel like answering the question “sukhiyevvaro?” with ‘one who listens and appreciates to such music.’

After a krthi in malayamarutham .dhanyudevvado,’ of Patnam Subramania ayyar, TNS started a beautiful delineation of kalyanavasantham which was followed by a pasuram, ‘kondal vaNNan,’ and the song of Ambujam Krishna in kalyanavasantham, ‘endhamukham ninaindhaalum.’

TNS sang the day’s navagrhakrthi next, budham asrayami in natakurinji with a short svaram and ‘bagaayanayya ‘ of Thyagaraja in chandrajyothi and started thodi and the alapana lasted for half an hour. Though the rasikas of TNS know only too well about his thodi to describe it in words, it presented to the mind the picture of ‘thodeekrtha sThooNaavirbhaava,’ of the Lord coming out splitting the pillar. The krthi was (not neene doddavano!) but ‘kaddhanuvaariki,’ of Thyagaraja. It is just as well because there is a legend that, to reassure Sugriva Rama showed Narasimha inside him. To those who have heard TNS sing this krthi, there is no need of saying how it was. The raga alapana contained grahabhedha into flashes of kamhodhi and sankarabharanam and the svara prasthara was simply magnificent.

After a thani TNS ended the concert with ‘ramanama,’ in Desh and ramasumara , a bajan.


Concert of TNS at The Music Academy on 25-12-2007

The accompanists were M.chandrasekhar on violin, Gurvayur Dorai on mrdhangam and Thiruchi Murali on ghatam


TNS started with varnam in sriraga which was followed by the krthi of patnam Subramania ayyar , ‘abhimanamenndu,’ in begada with beautiful svaraprasthara short but delightful.

Then TNS sang suruti raga next and it was , ‘angarakam,’ of Dikshithar and the neraval-svara at ‘deenarakshakam’ portrayed suruL suruLaana suruti, rolled into reels of ‘ri.’

Next was ,’etijanma,’ in varali which he always sings with bhava, (Etijanmamithi haa ee geetha rasa viheenulaku!)

Then came the two kohinoors that shone in the diadem. The first one was kharaharapriya the raga alaapana was just exquisite with grahabhedham in thodi, The raga was dancing along the royal road with all its splendour and it was indeed ‘sakkani raajamaargaamu’ as shown by Thyagaraja. Yes, it was ‘sakkaniraja,’ with all the intricacies of the krthi nicely woven into the manodharma of TNS and the svaraprasthara was at ‘kantiki sundara ,’ and it was sundarathama, most enchanting.

The second kohinoor was hamsanandi RTP, with pallavi ‘guha muruga shanmukha nee vaa vaa kaavaavaa kove .’ TNS usually employs svarakshara method in singing svara s and even in this it was beautiful prayoga such as ga ma dha nee ‘vaa’ etc. Hamsanandi is one of the most attractive ragas of Muthiah bhagavathar school and TNS always does full justice to the tradition. It was a pleasure to listen to the kharaharapriya and hamsanandi that day.

Ther is no need of mentioning about M.Chandrasekharan who is a rasika as well as a seasoned accompanist of TNS. Guruvayur Dorai also is so. This triumvirate never fails to delight the rasikas and to day was no exception. GuruvayurDorai excelled in his thani with whom Thiruchi Murali joined in a befitting manner
TNS concluded the concert with the thiruppugaz , ‘erumeyileri,’in raga malika and mangalam.

Review of the concert of TNS at Tarangini Arts Foundation on 23-12-2007

TNS started with the varnam in Hamsadvani which was followed by ‘manasa sriramachandru,’ in eesamanohari of Thyagaraja.

Then came one of the two karma bhooshanams of rasikas, dharmavathi raga with grhabhedha in chakravaka. It was a fabulous dharmavathi which was a Sarmavathi (Sarma=happiness or delight) to the rasikas. The krthi was ‘bajanaseyaradha,’ of Mysore Vasudevachar.

After the day’s thiruppavai ‘keezvaanam veLLenRu,’ in danyasi TNS started the second karnabhooshanam, harikambodhi. One rasika remarked that he has never heard such Harikamboji before. It was a poorna roopam of the raga leaving no doubt from the very first. This rasika said ‘saadhaaraNamaa harikambodhi yaasraavadhu padarapodhu adhu kambojiyaa, harikambodhiyaannu thalaiyai picchukkanum.’ The harikambodhi was magnificent and TNS left no corner of the raga unexplored. The krthi was as expected ,entharaa needhanaa,’ of Thyagaraja and the svaraprasthara was at ‘aagamaokthamagunee,’ and was rich in improvisation and innovation as usual.

TNS sang next the thiruvaimozi ‘kaRpaar raamapiraanai allal,’ as a viruttham in kosalam followed by the prabandam, ‘mammupugaz kosalai thun,’ with beautiful grace in the word ,’thaalelo.’ Then the concert ended with ‘nanda thanaya’ in bheemplaas , ‘anjikinyadhakaiya,’ in kalyani both by Purandaradasa followed by mangalam.

The concert of TNSKrishna at The Music academy on 23-12-2007

The main hall of The Music Academy was nearly full and the concert of Krishna surely deserved it. Besides the performance the self-confidence and the manner of rendering was that of a full-fledged musician. Hope the sabhas will take note of this young lion who is no more a cub.

Krishna started with the Begada varnam followed by the mayamalavagouls krthi of Thyagaraja ‘merusamana.’ The next was an excellent shanmukhapriya and the krthi was ‘marivere’ of Patnam Subramania Ayyar. The svaraprasthara of Krishna has reached its fullness long ago and his raga delineation and rendering of the krithis have become bhava-laden in the past few years that he delights the rasikas ,who, though are reminded of his illustrious father and guru on hearing him, are able to enjoy the exclusive quality of his music which is reflective yet distinctive that makes it a pleasure to hear him.

Krishna sang next the neelambari krthi of Dikshithat, ‘amba neelaayathaakshi,’ followed by ‘ambavani ,’ in keeravani, a composition of muthiah bhagavathar.

The kalyanai that followed was really fantastic with the raga and the svara being rendered with aplomb and a great skill on laya aspect.The krthiwas, ‘talli ninnunera.’ Of shyamasasthri.

Tasting the richness of his music it left the rasikas wishing for more when he sang the RTP in thodi because he did not sing svara for it but had it short owing to the paucity of time. The thodi has a special aura coming from the school of TNS especially from his heir apparent but he started it late and had to allow time for thani avarthana and hence we had to be satisfied with a RTP sans svaraprasthara.

After the thani, Krishna ended the concert with the pasurams ‘pacchaimamalai,’ and ‘thuppudaiyaarai’ in ragamalika concluding with the thillana in chandrakouns a composition of TNS.

Melakavery Thyagarajan accompanied excellently on the Violin and Nellai Balaji on mrdngam who played agood though short thani.

Review of the concert of TNSKrishna at Karthik fine arts on 20-12-2007

TNSKrishna started his concert with the pasuram ,’kulam tharum selvam’ in raga malika, it seems , but I missed it and went in only when he was singing the navaragamalika varnam. This was followed by an excellent panthuvarali and the krthi was ‘ramanatham bajeham,’of subbarayasasthri,with neraval svaram at ‘kumaraguruguha mahitham.’ It is needless to say that the svaraprasthara was extremely good because he has won acclaim singing with his father in his concerts. The next was sahana with the padhigam ,’thadittha Or maganai,’ followed by the arutpa of Ramalinga swamigal ,appaa naan vendudhal kEttu.’ Both were rendered beautifully with bhava. Then Krishna sang ,’srikanthaneeyeta,’ a Thyagarajakrthi in bhavapriya.

The next was a fantastic madhyamavathi with grahabhedham, smoothly blended with the main raga. The krthi was .’palinchukaamakshi,’ of Shyamasasthri, with svaraprasthara was at ,kaanthamakuperu,’ and both the raga and svara proved that he is the lion’s-cub fast becoming a full-fledged lion . Krishna imbibed the music and the bhava from his father and guru TNS adding to it his own manodharma which does his father proud while establishing him as a musician in his own merit.

Krishna ended his programme with the pasurams, ‘pacchaimaamalai’ and ‘thuppudaiyaarai’ in hamsanandi followed by the thillana in hamsanandi. As a rasika remarked, “kaNNaimoodindaal appadiye appaadhaan,” Krishna reminded the rasikas of his father through out while displaying his own skill as a musician alongwith it. The father is always the lion but the son is not lagging behind.

Krishna was accompanied by BVGaneshprasad on violin and Trichur Narendran on mridhangam and UdipiSridhar on Ghatam , all of them playing extremely well contributing to the success of the programme.

Review of concert of TNS at Parthasarathy swami sabha on 20-12-2007

‘Gaavatha naachatha Vaikuntajaanaa’

Vaikunta ekadasi is a day sacred not only to vaishnavites but to all Hindus as we can see all throng the Vishnu temples on that day. The day for those who have visited the temple in the morning culminated in yet another divine experience when TNS sang with more than usual divine fervour in Parthasarathy swami Sabha on VaikuntaEkadasi day. Our music can never be dissociated from devotion as all the composers were the devotees of God.

Also the musician who is involved and inspired could not help being a devotee and he could not sing something totally devoid of bhakthi as even the raga alapana or svara are considered a part of nadhopasana and the musician is the high priest of the altar of music which is divinity itself. TNS on the day of vaikunta Ekadasi was only that.

The concert started with the krthi of Thyagaraja in bhairavi, ‘koluvaiyunnaade,’ and hearing TNS singing that reminded the rasikas who have heard him in his harikatha on Thyagaraja when he explained the song and its implications. He said that Thyagaraja has woven into the pallavi the various sangathis, which depict the scene of Rama sitting on the throne on the day of his coronation, as though saying, “Has the decorations were done properly , has everyone come,” etc. TNS sang them with the same bhava and presented a vivid experience imagined by Thyagaraja. The svaraprasthara was at ‘kodandapani’ and it portrayed a picture of Rama stringing his bow , kodhanda, ‘naaNai izhutthukkattinadhupOl.’

Next was the mohanakalyani which was simply enchanting and TNS sang the pasuram ‘paLLiyilOdhi ,’ of Thirumangai azvaar on Nrismha of ThiruvallikkeNi, with such devotional fervour, which moved both the audience and himself to tears. It reminded one of another pasuram from Thiruvaimozi of Nammazvar, ‘aadi aadi agam karaindhu isai ppadippaadi kaNNeer malgi.’ The emotion displayed in singing this and the sloka on Narasimha ,ugram veeram mahaavishnum,’ not only showed the devotion of TNS but also the reason as to why he is the greatest. Yes, it is entirely through the grace of God who, not only blessed him with such quality of music but also supported him throughout, so that he could rise to such eminence through sheer merit, and finally placed him where he is unassailable.

The krthi as could be expected was ‘bajare maanasa naarasimham,’ and the svara was sung at ,paramabhaktha prahlaadha paramaanandhakaram.’ TNS sang the svaras beautifully depicting the arohana and avarohana of the raga. The svaraprasthra portrayed a shantha Narasimha, a happy Narasimaha and a playful, leela narasimha. It was just fantastic and Krishna also contributed his share in it.

Next was the krthi ,’narahariyaay vandhaan,’ in simmendhramadhayam by Ambujam Krishna, followed by Ksheerasaagarasayana, in devagandhari by Thyagaraja. This was followed by the Thiruppavai pasuram of the day, ,maayanai mannu,’ in sriragam. The pasuram as usual was preceded by the thaniyans , the individual verses on Andal, and the one ,’paadhagangaL theerkkum paraman adi kaattum, vedam anaitthirkum vitthaagum, kodhai thamiz aindhaindhum aindhum aRiyaadha maanidarai vaiyam sumappadhum vambu, was sung by TNS in his own inimitable style, emphasizing the meaning by coining the words in different ways, ‘paadhagangal theerkkum, kodhai thamiz, paramanadi kaattum kodhai thamiz’ etc. and the way he sang ‘Vaiyam sumappadhum’ was also picturesque.

Then came the magnificent thodi, the hallmark of TNS, with grahabhaedhams imperceptible and perceptible, into hindolam, mohanam shakarabharanam and neelaambari. The krthi was Sreekrishnam baja of dikshithar and the svaraprasthara was at ,pankajaasanaadhidhevamahitham.’

VVRavi accompanied quite efficiently on the violin and Umayalpuram Sivaraman on mridhangam was in his element on this day. Sundar kumar accompanied on kanjira. The thani which was quite elaborate showed the maestro of mrdhangam in his best and was enchanting.

TNS then took up the prayer of Droupadi to Krishna on her moment of anguish at the court of kouravas, ;’shankachakra gadhaapaaNe Dvaarakaanilyaachyutha,’ the words and the bhava were both excellent. It was in ragamalika and TNS changed different ragas swiftly and one could count more than 20 at least. In hamsanandi which was a bit elongated, Krishna joined and provided a complete raga alapaana of Hamsanandi.
Next was the pasuram ‘Kulam tharum selvam,’ which was also in ragamalika, of which the sindhubhairavi was marvelous. TNS finished the pasuram in raga Peelu and sang ‘hari bolo.’ The last one was the thillana in chandragouns , a compositon of TNS. Then came the mangalam, with the usual play of manodharma in ‘neenaamarupamulaku and the sloka ‘sriyahkaanthaaya,’ in sriraga.

As one of the rasikas mentioned, TNS took the audience to a virtual tour of Divyadesams. Starting from ThiruvallikkeNi through to Dvaraka . It was another paramapadha vaasal altogether. As Kabeer has said in ,’haribolo’ it was ,’gaavatha naachatha vaikunta jaanaa’ by TNS, taking the rasikas along with him.

Review of the award function and concert at Sriramabhakthajanasamaj, KK nagar.

TNS was awarded the title of sangaaethamaamaNi by the sriramabhaktha janasamaj on 16-12-2007 which was followed by his concert. Dr. Srivatsa who felicitated TNS said that he is a sampoornavidvaan, like whom “ na bhootho na bhavishyathi” one never was and never will be. All the titles gather value because of him and not vice versa. He also said that TNS is ‘pattam kodukka Etravar.’ TNS answering, said that titles may come and titles may go but he should go on forever, singing as he does till the end. He values only that more than anything else.

Then started the concert with the Thyagarajakrthi, ‘mundhuvenuga,’ in durbar.The neraval and svara were sung at ‘bhagavathapriya, ‘ TNSKrishna joining in the singing of the svara. The next was ‘aparadhamula in rasaLi, of Thyagaraja.

TNS took varaLi for alapana and it was fantastic varaLi. The krthi was ‘eti janammidhihaa,’ which made the rasika to feel that ‘etijanmamidhi” if one could not appreciate such music! TNS Krishna joined with his father in svara-singing which was at ‘saagarasayanuni.’

After a short interlude of ‘brovabaaramaa, with svara-pyrotechnics, ( all krthis were of Thyagaraja today), there came the grand RTP in simmendramadhyama. The raga was portrayed with intricate grahabhedha and it was real simhendramadhyama, a lion in the middle. The thaanam singing was shared by TNSKrishna which elicited appreciation from the audience and his father too. The paalvi was ‘raghupathe raamachandraa raaghavasimha.’ The svara singing was again shared by Krishna making it a delightful duet. The RTP was exhilarating, exciting and enchanting.

TNS sang ‘thoomaaja ,’ a bajan and the thillana in sindhubhairavi and mangalam.

TNS was accompanied by SDSridhar on violin and Harikumar on mrdhangam and KVGopalakrishnan on kanjira who gave a good support.

Concert on 17-12-2007 at Nungambaakkam culturals


The concert started with ‘ramabhakthisaamrajyam,’ of Thyagaraja in suddha bangala, with wonderful svara. Next was ‘orajupuju,’ of Thyagaraja, in kannadagoula and then came hamsanadham. It was just magnificent a real hamsanadha, kalahamsanadham, sunaadham, that too, a raja hamsa. The krthi was bantureethikolu of Thyagaraja withsvaraprasthara at ‘raamanaamamane ‘ the neraval of which was beautifully executed giving emphasis to ‘ramanama.’

The next was ‘sadbhakthiyu,’ in Anandhabhairavi followed by an elongated khagraharapriya which was just splendid. There was grahabhedham with revathi which sounded like the vedaghosham. The magnificent vocal support of TNSKrishna continued even in this when TNS sang the svaras and later in the pasuram too . It was from thirumalai of thondaradippodi azvar and in ragamaalika, consisiting of bilahari, bagesri and subhapanthuvaraLi. Krishna took up from TNS in the middle of subhapanthuvaraLi and sang the line ‘kannanekadharuginren’ with great devotional fervour which shows that he has absorbed not only the music but also the bhava from his father. It was just fantastic. MChandrasekharan openly praised Krishna.

With Chandrasekaran on violin and Guryuvayur Durai on mridhangam it was a memorable concert as both of them are veteran accompanists of TNS and Neyveli Venkatesh also gave a good accompaniment.

The concert ended with neeneanaadhabandhu in subhapanthuvaraLi and thillana in dhanasri with the usual layalavanya.

Review of the concert in Bharatkalachar on 18-12-2007

The concert started with ,brochevarevare,’ of Thyagaraja in sriranjani preceded by ashort alapana of the raga. And with svara in the end. Next TNS sang the thiruppavai of the day, ,Ongi ulagaLandha,’in arabhi and then came the raga aanandhabairavi, which was aanandhaja bhairavi, creating joy. The krthi was kamalaambaa samrakshathu of Dikshithar.

Lathangi raga followed and it was fantastic. TNS sang the krthi of Papanasam Sivan ’venkataramana,’ with neraval svatram at ‘alarmelmangai maNaalaa’ and it was purely exotic.

When TNS started kambodhi, it could have been expected that he will sing O rangasayee but the raga alapana created a vision in the mind of this rasika of climbing a mountain and who was left
wondering because it was difficult to guess, not being able to remember what followed next. It was ‘endhamalai sevitthaalum,’ on ayyapan which justified the visionary experience. The raga and the neraval svara at ‘bhakthiyudan paNindhorkku mukthi tharum kaanthmalai,’ was vaachaam agocharam, that is, cannot be described in words.

The thani by KVPrasad and BSPurushottham was great and SDSridhar ably assisted on the violin.

Next was a kshethrajnar padham in saveri which was followed by the ashtapadi ‘sthanavinihithamapi,’

TNS sang next a Bharthiar song, .engaL kaNNammaa nagai in ragamalika followed by the pasuram aanirai meykka and the oothukkadu composition which was the favourite of Mrs. YGP, in ragamalika, ‘vandhu ketpaar illaiyo.’

TNS ended the concet with a short viruttham and a bajan ‘Haribolo,’ and a thiruppugaz, of course culminating in ‘pavamaana,’ and ‘sriyahkaanthaaya,’ which were elevated to a state of a proper krthi in his concerts.

Review of concert on 15-12-2007 by TNS at Mylapore Fine Arts.

MoovarNa izaikolam that brought a standing ovation

The concert started with the begada krthi ‘abhimanamu,’ of Muthiah bhagavathar, followed by a krthi by Ambujam Krishna in shanmukhapriya, kolam kandu kali theerndhen. The raga alaapana was like izaikolam,adhuvum puLLivaitthu, the way TNS made the raga grow in dots and curves till it presented a beautiful pattern of shanmukhapriya which was rasikajanapriya. In Svarprasthara TNS Krishna joined and it was a delightful duet.

Next came the Thyagarajakrthi, ‘enthaveduko ‘ in sarasvatimanohari which reminded of the stalwarts of yesterday the way TNS rendered it though he added his own embellishments to it. It made one imagine how Thyagaraja himself would have sung it.

TNS chose ‘jananininnuvina,’ in reethigoula next with neraval-svaram at ‘neranammina naakaadho,’ in the charanam. Both the raga and the svara were bhavapoorva and wonderful. TNS sang also the last charanam ‘vanajayatha nethri which contains the mudra ‘kumara’ of Subbarayasastri.

The salakabhairavi krthi of Thyagaraja, ‘padhavini’ was the next, followed by ‘giripriyam,’ in kathanakuthoohalam of Muthiah bhagavathar and ‘yaarukkutthaan theriyum in devagandhari, a composition of Gopalakrishna bharati.

The izaikolam created in the beginning was the welcoming auspicious sign for the main rite. It proved to be a trichromatic pallavi sporting three ragas, vasantha, bhairavi and vasanthabhairavi. When TNS started vasantha and indulged in bhairavi the seasoned rasiksas could guess what was coming and it proved to be just that, vasantabhairavi! M.Chandrasekharan too, on the violin, not leaving the audience to guess , immediately displayed it the moment TNS started the raga. And what a pallavi it was ! Words cannot describe it. The lyric was “sruthilayabhaavasangeetham adhai en vasam thaa, bhairavi paavani. ‘ The rasikas proclaimed that it is already in his vasam by their standing ovation at the end of the concert. As Chandrasekharan remarked in the middle of it, ‘avaraale mudiyaadhadhe illai.’ It was such a masterly exposition the three ragas executing swift swirling dance coming in such quick succession that it was flabbergasting.

The tail piece of the concert was a bajan by Kabeerdas, in ahirbhairav. This was followed by by the pasuram aanu irai meykka of Periazvar as ragamaalika , the first being subapanthuvarali to which TNSKrishna joined and gave a wonderful exposition of the raga bringing a spontaneous applause. TNS ended the pasuram in suruti and sang ‘kannallavo,’ in that raga and ended the concert with thiruppugaz and mangalam

The auditorium was full till the end and all the rasikas as one man gave aresounding standing ovation to the great maestro in the end. There goes a great concert . When comes such another? Until TNS sings again!

Review of the concert on 12-12-2007 at Mudra

TNS started the concert with the kanada ada tala varnam followed by ‘salamelara,’ margahindolam krthi of Thyagaraja. Then he started the alapana of mohanakalyani, and it was kalyaaNamaana mohatthai ttharum mohanakalyaaNi. The raga was majestic but full of beauty heralding the advent of Lord Narasimha . Yes TNS sang the sloka ‘ugram veeram mahaavishnum ‘ the manthra raja sloka of Lord Narasimha followed by the krthi of Mysore Vasudevachar ‘bajare re maanasa naarasimham.’ The svara prasthara was at ‘bhakthaprahlaadha.’

The next was the krthi in asaaveri, ‘epaniko,’ a thyagarajakrthi and then came the raga naasikaabhushaNi. Well it was rather a rasikakarNabhushani!. TNS painted the raga with deft strokes and created a beautiful picture of this rare raga giving it name and form making it recognizable by all. TNS alone can sing ragas like Nasikabhushani so elaborately enhancing the splendour of it exploring all the possible nuances of the raga. The krthi that followed was ‘sriran maasarasvathi’ of Dikdhithar.

After the lasya of nasikabhushani there was a nrthya when TNS started ‘nenarunchinaanu,’ of Thyagaraja in malavi. TNS executed all possible techniques of laya in the chiittasvaram and it was a fanfare or rather fun-fare for the rasikas with B.Harikumar on mrdhangam and B.S.Prushottham on Kanjira. It was really breathtaking! The next was the krthi in varali, ‘nepokadakunte,’ of Thyagaraja. As could be expected the svaraprasthara which was at neerajanayana , with svaras ending in ‘ni’ was wonderful.

Then came the madhyamavathi which was a niravaDhika (unlimited) utthamaavathi. The krthi was ‘paalinchu kaamaakshi,’ which was a bhaavapoorva rendition and the svaras were sung at ‘kaanthamaku,’ needless to say that it was fantastic coming from TNS.

After the thani the next piece was ‘sarasadurai unnai,’ in sama, acompositon of Muthiah bhagavathar.

Last but not least was the pasuram ‘vannamaadangal,’; of Periazvar. TNS sangthe four lines of the pasuram in shanmukhapriya, valaji, revathi and hindolam. TNSKrishna joined in singing the ragas valaji and revathi and how!. His exposition of valaji and revathi was fabulous. He supplemented and complemented the music which was complimenting to his guru and father, TNS. The viruttham was followed by the oothukkadu composition in ragamalika ‘vandhu ketpaar illaiyo.’ TNS concluded the concert with the thillana in hameer kalyani.

Review of the concert on 7-12-2007

shakthipravaaham or raagapravaaham!

Vijay TV is organizing a series of concerts at the Image hall Santhome, Chennai and on the first day on 7th it was that of Nithyasree followed by that of TNS.the concert lasted for one and a half hours, from 8pm to 9.30 pm. Concert of Gayathri Girish was scheduled after that of TNS. The concerts will be telecast from 17th onwards.

The concerts were thematic and Nithyasree sang on Venakatesa and the theme for TNS was shakthipravaaham. It was actually a ragapravaaham.

TNS started with porrvikalyani and one might have expected Meenakshi memudham. But it was the composition of Bharathiyar ‘shakthi shakthi shakthi enru sollu ‘ set in poorvikalyani. Next was the santhanamanjari krthi of dikshithar ‘Santhanamanjari shankari pahimaam.’

Next was a superb hindolam and the krthi ‘maamavathu sri sarasvathi,’ followed by tharunam eedhamma in goulibandhu of Syamasasthri.

TNS rendered an excellent raga alapana in sama and the krthi was not ‘annapoorne,’ but a composition of TNS ‘ thaaye thanayan sei pizai poruppaaye, ‘ It was beautiful and bhavapoorva.

The shakthi pravaaha thus being turned into ragapravaaha, Varali flooded the auditorium sweeping the rasikas off their feet. The exquisite Varali was followed by ‘ninnaicchialavarangal ketpen ‘ of Bharathiyar set in Varali as a viruttham which was soul-stirring and the song ‘yadhumaagi ninrai kali’ in varali. The svaraprasthra was something fantastic. I hope they will telecast it without deleting on the TV.

The raga pravaha continued in a torrential flow with the sloka ‘amba mohini devata thribhuvani,’ a favourite of TNS rasikas as he sings the lines in the ragas corresponding to the words, mohanam for ‘amabamohini,’ ananadabhairavi for ‘anandha sandhayini,’ vaani in keervaani etc. When he started to sing the line ‘kalyani kamaneeya kalpalathika,’ it was in yaman kalyani which was something out of this world, which made one exclaim that it was not only sjhakthipravaha but a ragapravaha as well. TNS sang the next line ‘udurajabimbavadana’ in punnagavarali ending the sloka in suruti. Then it was ‘vandarkuzaliye,’ a composition of TNS’s mother which he sang as a viruttham in sindhubhairavi ending the concert with ‘mavoor valam peruga’ in sindhubharavi, a composition of Muthiah Bhagavathar. That is the end of the ragapravaha in which the rasikas were immersed for one and a half hours.
Review of the concert of TNS on 6-12-2007 at karthik fine arts

Ustad Seshagopalan

TNS started the concert with varnam in mohanam, followed by the krthi mahaganapathe in malahari by Muthiah bhagavathar. Then came the poorvikalyani aalaapana and the krthi Meenaakshi me mudham of Dikshithar. This raga is called gamakakriya in Dikshithar school and it was just that, a gamakakriya., as rendered by TNS, which portrayed the goddess Meenakshi as rajamaathangi. The krithi, as usual, was delectable. TNS Krishna joined in swara singing adding few more flashes of colour.

The thodi that followed needs no description coming from the emperor of ragas with thodi as his capital, and the krthi was endhuku dayaradhu and not kaarthikeya as some might have expected! Thodi alapana was breathtaking in all sense of the term! The svraprasthaara was excellent as could have expectd from TNS and Mannargudi Eesvaran on mrdhangam and Aniruddha Athreya on kanjira gave a good poshanam to the music. The thani that followed was also very good.

The seasoned rasikas who expect a rich repast from TNS never leave before the end as the ice cream is usually served in the end! So it was! The pasuram ‘puLLinai vai pilandhittai,” by Periazvar is a favourite of rasikas of TNS due to the beautiful rendering of it by him in ragamalika and this was exquisite and the bajan that followed inspired the title given for the review, “Ustad Seshagopalan.’ The viruttham sported the ragas simmendhramadhyama, kamaas, revathi and basanth( I do not know whether it is same as basanth bahar, may be not.) Each raga was presented with the stroke of the genius, vying each other in excellence and the kudos being reached in basanth. The way he sang the raga he deserves the name ustad. A super Ustad because the north Indian style of singing was enriched by the gamakas of south Indian music and made the rasikas think that it is high time he gives a full concert in Hindusthani ragas, combining the force of Hindusthani music and the depth of carnatic music which is a rarity that was experienced today , a brief but astounding rendition of the raga basanth.

The word kudos refers to the experience of the rasikas because in TNS concerts, from the start, every item in the menu is best one and to extol one among them is like saying the ‘best best.’ At the outset itself TNS takes the rasikas high above as a jetplane and makes them experience the higher realms of joy, one after another. When the concert is finished he stays above. Only the rasikas are brought to earth with a jolt, longing for the next travel

‘Needhu mahima pokata naatharamaa’-
concert review of TNS on 30-11-2007 in Bharthiya vidhya bhavan

The flag hoisting for the season has begun for the rasikas of TNS and it was oordhvadhvajam,, hoisted high up. A concert splendidly superb leaving the rasikas asking for more!

TNS was accompanied by VVRavi on the violin , Manjeri Esvaran on the Mridangam and Sundarkumar on kanjira. They served as the tripod for the flag hoisted by TNS.

TNS started with the Kalyani ata thala varna and that was followed by srivaralakshmi in sriraga. The sriraga had all the auspiciousness ‘sri,’ in it and was excellent. The krthi itself was beautiful where we saw Varalakshmi arriving in her splendour with so many varieties of singing of the word Varalakshmi, as though showing the different ways in which Varalakshmi will grace the devotee. The svaraprasthara that followed was full of soumangalya with rishabha as the sindhoora on the face of Sri.

What followed next was what made the rasika exclaim, ‘needhu mahima pokada naatharmaa,’ Yes, it was the hamsanandi krthi, ‘needhu mahima,’ by Muthiah bhagavathar. Hamsanandi is one of the delicacies TNS dishes out to his rasikas and this was sweet beyond description. What a hamsanandi it was, which made one feel, by closing the eyes, that it was a nadasvara recital! Such were the phrases of the raga that has been the speciality of the pithamahaguru of TNS, the great Muthiah Bhagavathar. To the rasika who have been listening to almost all the concerts of TNS it still remains a miracle how he makes his music sound astoundingly new and fresh every time. It creates a feeling that it is the best until he sings next time! By the raga Hamsanandi, the svara that followed which was beyond description ( ending the svara in ‘ni’ and ‘sa dha ni ‘ and with all the possible svara laya combinations), and by the krthi itself, TNS created ‘modhahrdhaya ‘ in the rasikas by his ,nadha svarupa.’ The lyric of the krthi itself is the correct description of the rendering by TNS.

‘Ramachandra ra ra’ in Anandabhairavi by Ramadasar, ‘kanakaanga’ a koteesvatra iyer krthi in kanakangi and ‘Mayamma ‘ of Shyamasasthri in Ahiri were the krthis that followed and then came shankarabharanam the main piece of the concert.

The sankarabharana raga was rendered with usual expertise with graha bhedha delicately and intricately woven into it and the krthi was ‘svararaga sudha rasa.’ Like the hamsanandi piece the lyric of the krthi itself served as a commentary for the music , that is , it was svararagasudha rasa. Svaras were sung at ‘moolaadhaara,’ the laya oriented nature of them presented a dance by the svaraanganas, damsels of svaras.

Mannargudi Eesvaran and Sundarkumar added to the magnificence of the concert with their expert handling of the respective instruments and VVRavi gave the usual support on the violin.

What followed the resonant and excellent thani avarthanam by Eesvaran and Sundarkumar was ‘Begabaro,’ a dasara nama but rasikas had a surprise in store as TNS sang the piece in ragamalika instead of the usual maund raga. The ragas, revati, natakapriya and some other raga resembling bipas of Hindustani music were leisurely strokes from the brush of the master painter making them exquisite.

Then TNS concluded the concert with the thillana in Sindhubairavi and the mangalam pavamana was as usual sung with gusto which rasikas of TNS expect from him, his inexhaustible manodharma leaving its mark even in his mangalam. But instead of the ever delightful sriyahkaanthaaya the mangala sloka was sarvamangalamangalye, may be in consideration of the day being Friday and fitting indeed as both the beginning and the end were marked by soumangalya.
Anuradha Krishnamoorthi who sang before TNS finished with singing mangalam which raised many an eyebrow as it is not done usually when another concert follows but by God’s will it has indeed served as an augury for the soumangalya of the concert of TNS which was in store for the rasikas, an aaloka and not samapthi.

Review of the concert of TNS at Brahmaganasabha-on 16-11-2007-KVN memorial concert.

Rasikas were treated to another fabulous concert by the sangithakalnidhi trio TNS, MC and UKS. Araadhanaa is the right word to describe the concert, araadhana of naadhopaasakas. It was a fanfare with such accompaniments but laden with bhava. All the rasikas who attended the concert would surely look forward to more such treats in the coming season.

The moment TNS started with the Kanada ada thala varnam it produced in the mind of rasikas great expectations which was realised in full. The Anandhabhairavi that followed might have kept some guessing as to what would follow but considering that it was a memorial concert and that it was Skadhashashti, it could very well be anticipated and it was of course ‘manasaguruguha .’ The Anandanbhairavi of TNS never fails to produce ananda and this was no exception.

Next was the thiruppavai koodaaraivellum in Poorvikalyani . We were treated with two thiruppavais today, this and anru ivvulagam at the end of the concert. The air was charged through out with the nostalgic memories of Ariyakudi to the rasikas of that school, the day being the commemoration of KVN. The pieces chosen and the rendering, both were deliberate attempts to bring back the memories but TNS enhanced the ariyakudi bani wth his originality and proved that he could create a colourful rangoli with in any given frame, providing a kaleidoscopic fare.
The music of TNS itself serbves as the best commentary on the thiruppavai and other pasurams. The way he sang the phrase” koodaarai vellum” was picturesque and brought out the full meaning that the Lord wins over even those who are against Him which is true. (pun intended!) By singing mooda ney peidhu TNS provided a dish of the delectable akkaravadicil (sarkarai pongal) richly laden with ghee and the words Adai uduppom presented a picture of Andal decorating herself with silk garment and ornaments. Such is the visual quality of his music.

The natural sequence to dressing up nicely is to go to the temple to have the darsan of the Lord. So the next was Ranagnayakam and the raga was brought to the forefront with very first stroke which made us exclaim “nayaki!” And, what a nayaki it was! Every nook and corner of the raga was examined with all its nuances displayed. He portrayed the raga as a real nayaki (ranganayaki) rendering tender service to the Lord who was seen immensely enjoying it. We had a real darsan of Lord Ranganatha by the song which brought tears of joy. Blessed indeed are those who heard it .

The song Parthasarathy nannu of PoochiU Iyengar, another from the school of Ariyakkudi, though the rasikas have heard TNS singing it earlier. was a fanfare with the accompaniment of UKS. The svaram sung at the apt place ‘sarvadharmaparipalaka sarvaloka saranya’ in keeping with the meaning of Partha sarathy was excellent

Next was the main piece enthuku peddhala in sankarabharanam, the raga delineation of TNS elicited the comment from UKS ‘Aiyangar ippaditthaan paaduvaar.’ To those rasikas who witnessed TNS presenting the bani of Musiri earlier in the year, this came as no surprise and it was delightful to hear Musiri bani or Iyengar bani added with the manodharma of TNS and in the voice of TNS. The svaraprasthara at vedasasthrathatvaarthamu thelisi, filled the rasiks with the anticipation of his employing the svaras to suit the mood and it proved to be so, with his ending the svaras with ‘sa ,ma’ to make it sound as samavedasasthra. The svaras sung were mellifluous and melodious but forceful and along with the masterly accompaniment of UKS both the neraval and the svaras were fantastic.

The thani that followed was enjoyable Sundar kumar ably following in toe with the skillful presentation of UKS, who is one of the percussionists who makes the audience glued to their seat during thani..

The next was marupari, a javali in kamas which as sweet as usual but what followed that was the real treat in keeping with the whole trend of the concert. It was the pasuram Chediyaya rendered in ragas of madhyma sruthi , senchurutti, nadhanamakriya and yaman kalyani followed by sindhubhairavi, the raga which always receives special treatment in the hands (should I say voice of!) TNS. The rasikas have heard more than three or four variations of ragamalika of this pasuram and TNS keeps on springing surprises to show that the variety of his music is inexhaustible. UKS could not contain his joy on hearing the rendering of this pasuram by TNS and expressed it openly by patting him on the back, which reflected the mood of the audience as well. The bhavaladen music of TNS could be witnessed in his singing the line ‘ponracchakatam udhaaitthaai ,’ where it was a visual presentation of Krishna kicking the chakta to shreds.

The concert ended with thiruppugaz and mangalam. The rasikas of TNS would not stir until he finishes his singing of the sloka sriyahkanthaaya in sriraga in the end because his mastery and skill of music is manifest even in the singing of ‘pavamana and the mangalasloka. Today was no exception and he sang even these pieces with such manodharma and it was really a concert that was a delicacy from the beginning to the end.
The music of TNS the playing of the violin by MChandrasekharan and the accompaniment on the percussion by Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Sundarkumar, What more a rasika could desire for. The music and the accompaniments together was a well laid mosaic, 'azagukku azagu seivadhupOl
It appears to this rasika that whom ever TNS sings about, Vishnu, Siva ,Amba or Skandha, all are Krishnagaanam only. AkarshanAth, krsheekaraNaAth, ‘Na’pradhAnAth.
The word Krishna means one that attracts, and it is made up of two particles, krsh and Na. Krsh means ploughing and ‘Na’ means ananda. The music that attracts, ploughs the mind to produce a rich harvest of ananda is surely krshnagaanam.

Review of the concert by TNSKrishna at Srikrishnaganasabha on 12-11-2007

The concert of TNS Krishna today made the rasika feel that he is no longer a tender off-shoot of the mahaavrksha, the giant tree but he has developed his own branches promising to become a tree by himself.

Krishna started the concert with the atatalavarna in the raga kalyani which was followed by vallabhanayakasya in Begada. The svaraprasthara was aptly taken up at ‘valli vivahakaranasya, ‘ considering that it was skandhashashti festival concert. As such all songs were on Lord Skandha. Krishna is always delightful in his svaras ant this was no exception

Next was the subhapanthuvarali which, along with the thodi that succeeded, brought nostalgic memories to the rasikas of TNS, who has been out of the country for the past two months.
The subhapanthuvarali was exquisite and Krishna sprung a surprise to those who might have been debating about the song to follow in accordance with the occasion,, by singing the thiruppugaz ‘charanakamalaalayatthai,’ preceded by viruttham from kandar alankaram . The rendering of the raga as well as the thiruppugaz with neraval svaram were something to be heard to be believed.

There was a fast but skilful presentation of the composition of Mutthiah Bhagavathar in Pasupathipriya, saravanabhava. Between the subhapanthuvarali and the main piece ‘kaarthikeya gaangeya ,’ of Papanasam Sivan in thodi. The exposition of the raga and the rendering of the song was as expected from the heir-apparent of the emperor of Thodi.

Afer a virutthm in Brindavansaranga Krishna sang ‘kaliyuga varadan,’ and ended the concert with the thillana in Nuroshta by TNS and the viruttham he sang, azumbodhu aNaikkum annai ,’ which he sang with much devotional fervour especially the lines, en gurunathan vazi,’ made one wonder whether he was also having nostalgic memory of his father and guru, TNS!

Krishna was accompanied byby SDSridhar on the violin and KRGanesh on Mridhangam andN.Govindarajan on ghatam, all of them well known in their respectivefields. SDSridhar, being a senior artist, provided the smooth flow ofmusic, and the percussionists really drew acclaim by their performance

Review of the concert of TNS at Brahmaganasabha on 20-8-2007

The concert was arranged as a musical tribute to the great freedom fighter Sathyamurthy. TNS was accompanied by MASundaresan on violin and Umayalpuram Sivaraman on mridhangam and Sundarkumar on ganjira. TNS was given vocal support by TNSKrishna.
The concert began with a Bharathiar composition on Ganesa, in Nattai and TNS sang svaram for it. Next was, not a surprise as far as the theme of the day was concerned, but the piece chosen gave a little surprise as it was “Aduvome PaLLu pAduvome ,’ that too in Bilahari. The picturesque portrayal that characterises the music of TNS was found in the line ‘sangukonde vetri oodhuvome,’ when the audience could hear the sangam being sounded. That is not all. The svaram that was sung at the end at ‘Aduvome,’ was suited to the sentiment of the line and it was a dance of svaras with the able accompaniment of UKS.
Next was, ‘Chandram baja’ in asaveri as it was Monday and that was followed by the Begada krthi ‘abhimanamennadu,’ of Patnam subramania ayyar, which never fails to delight the rasikas of TNS. The svara prasthara was racy and fantastic. It was a fanfare with TNS-UKS-MAS ensemble reaching a crescendo to the joy of the rasikas.
This was followed by a leisurely Ranganayakam as a contrast which was beautiful by its serenity and it brought to mind the experience of traveling among the Alps, a lofty and magestic mountain on one side and the peaceful expanse of the lake on the other side, especially when the scene changed again to the one of scaling the mountain in ‘madhura madhura’ a oothukkadu composition in Atana. The rendering of it by TNS was fabulous which gave enough scope for UKS to exhibit his skill . It was a display of fireworks.
What followed next was a Niagara, the raga subhapanthuvarali which is always a subha bandhu of TNS. It was a superb and super subapanthuvarali. TNS created by his raga alapana a marvellous edifice for the krthi, (it was anybody”s guess about what was to follow, the day being in honour of Sri sathyamurthy). It was a sculpture of marble every inch filled with intricate design. (Apologies for the mixed metaphors) One could see the rising of the temple, stone by stone each one carved with intricate pattern by the invincible manodharma .
TNS sang the pasuram from Thirucchandhaviruttham of Thirumazisai azvar, “ekamoorthy, moonrumoorthy,’ Azvar asks the Lord, “ How did you become so many forms?” The rasikas felt the same on hearing the subapanthuvarali from TNS.
The krthi was, yes, you are right, sri sathyanarayanam of Dhikshithar, which was exquisitely rendered as always by TNS. He sang the same krthi in the previous concert and it is due to the specialty of the occasion that it was repeated so soon, which is a rarity with TNS.
The cascade of Niagara continued in the svara prasthara , in which TNS aided by his son and disciple TNSKrishna constructed (sorry for the mixed metaphor again) the tower of the temple and performed the kumbabhisheka, helped by the able accompanists UKS,MAS and Sundarkumar. Krishna as usual stole the thunder by his svaras ending with a wonderful korvai that drew acclaim from the rasikas also his illustrious father himself. The raga alapana and the svaras were in accordance with the tempo of the song and I compared it with Niagara only to show the amazing flow and grandeur.
The thani that followed had all its splendour one could expect from the duo, the UKS, past master in the art of percussion and Sundar kumar who is fast approaching the top of the ladder.
The tail piece of the concert consisted of ‘ivan yaro’ in kamboji, ashtapadi ‘chandhanacharchitha’ in Behag and the thillna of Swathi thirunal in Dhanasree, in which the accompanying artistes exhibited their superior skill with TNS acting as their pilot.
The concert ended with thiruppugaz and mangalam.

The concert on 16-8-2007 of TNS at KGS

To say in one sentence those who attended this concert were fortunate.
Everyone of the items was a gem.
TNS was accompanied by V.V. Ravi on the violin, Srimushnam Rajarao on mridhangam and Vaikom Gopalakrishnan on ghatam. TNSKrishna gave vocal support.
TNS began his concert with Begada varnam followed by Devadeva of Swathithirunal in raga mayamalavagoula. Neraval- svaram was at sritha vibhudha and TNS gave it his own colour in by singing it as Asritha vibudha, elongating the AkAra at the end of mAmava.

Next was not often heard krthi of Thyagaraja ‘bhuvinidasuda,’ in Sriranjnani and the raga that preceded was beautifully rendered and the fantastic neraval- svara at padhamule gathi was given an added fillip by ending the svara in nishadha and making it sound’neepadhamule gathi.’

Then came one of the crest-jewels on the diadem of the emperor of ragas, subhapanthuvarali. Together with the krthi that followed, ‘srisathyanarayanam’ , of course, as suggested by the mellifluous raga alapana, the rasikas were taken on a trip to Badrinath and back. (To the elderly rasikas like me the real trip may be an impossibility and hence it was a welcome experience!) It was sarvam vishnumayam, that being the feeling which the music created to the rasikas.

‘Veeksheham,’ a composition of Narayanthirtha in Ahiri was the next and TNS started the song at ‘sAkshAth madhankoti,’ creating a picture of loveliness that was Gopala.

The main raga of the day was Kambhodhi and it was in a leisurely style beautiful and melodious full of bhava auguring the august arrival of ‘ORangasayi,’ preceded by the sloka ‘sacchittha sayee.’ The audience witnessed a careful and loving waking up of the Lord during the raga and the rendering of the krthi of Thyagaraja had all its splendour and devotional fervour which made the rasikas feel that they were in bhooloka vaikunta. The svara that was sung at O rangasayee was in-keeping with the general mood of the song, yet with all the grandeur of kalpana and laya.

Last but not least was the pasuram ;siruviralgal thadavi ,’ of periazvar , one of the specialities of TNS., and a favourite of his rasikas. When he sings this as in all other devotional pieces the rasikas can witness that what has been depicted by the lyric before their own eyes. A wonderful portrait of Krishna playing the flute was presented by the ragas through unbelievable manodhrma , the ragas being, Rishabhapriya, Nayaki, Bhagesri, Hameerkalyani, Kanada and Surutti.

The best part of the viruttham was the phrase ‘govindan kuzal oodhinapodhu in Hameer kalyani.’ TNS brought the sound of the flute in ‘oodhinapodhu,’ which brought ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ from the rasikas but the best was yet to come. TNS left it to Krishna to continue and he sang the phrase and how! He proved, ‘like father like son,’ and the manner in which he sang it was fabulous , similar to that of TNS but not same! He presented his originality while following the footsteps of his father. It drew applause twice from the audience within a short time span of one or two minutes. It is laudable since he had to be alert and capable waiting for the sign of TNS, as it could come at any time during the concert. Krishna’s rendering of the phrase brought a look of surprise not only to the faces of all around but also to TNS himself!.

The picture of Krishna (I mean the original!) playing the flute with His fingers dancing on it and with pouting lips and slanted eyes, with all the birds flocking to him and the cows listening even forgetting to move their ears, all was brought on the stage by the music of the duo. The oothukkadu composition that followed was . ‘kannallavo’ in Surutti, the beautiful rendering of which defies description. When TNS sang ‘kArmenikkattazagA,’ one could feel the charming form of Krishna in front and in the last line, ‘pecchennna inimele,’ he stopped the music for a split second to present the bhava of the lyric and continued with ‘chechecheche ‘ depicting the feigned disgust of Yasodha in shielding Krishna from the gopis who complain against him, to the amusement of the rasikas.

The concert ended with the thillana in Chandrakouns, one of his own compositions and a thiruppugaz followed by, mangalam.

After the experience of Bhooloka vaikuntam we were brought down forcibly to earth when we came out of the hall when we had to wade through the blaring light music at the temple opposite, (unlike on another occasion when I and my husband , fully immersed in the music of TNS from the same venue, got into an auto and were taken to vadapalani by a drunken driver instead of Abhirampuram).It was an onslaught on our eardrums. To add insult to injury, our auto driver had to sing in the top of his voice some film songs through out the way! Well ! That is life!

The concert of the YearThe concert under the auspices of the Semmangudi trust in ragasudha Hall on 29-7-2007 comprising of three sangithakalanidhis, Madurai TNSeshagopalan.M chandhra sekharan and Umayalpuram Sivaraman was really the concert of the Year. The hall was fully packed and some were found even standing. Barring the stage, the whole space was occupied with rasikas. Expecting this, we arrived at the hall early enough to ensure good seats. The experience of the rasikas that day was something beyond description. The concert began with the composition of kavi kunjara bharathy in kanada, ‘swami gajamukha vibho’ and from the first moment of take off we were flown high above as by a jetplane. When TNS sang the svara for the krthi and we were sailing above the clouds!Next came Panthuvarali, the raga, as usual with TNS, was exquisite, and there were predictions around as to the krthi but I had a hunch that it would be ‘Siva siva siva enaradha,’ and it proved to be correct! There was a hint of it by the smile that was exchanged between TNS and UKS! The svara was fantastic and proved to be a ball game between the two, TNS and UKS, which was later taken up by MC with UKS.The nayaki krthi ‘palayamaam .’ by Swathithirunaal followed the panthuvarali piece and the nayaki , as usually is with TNS, was full of grace and beauty. Next, there was a sudden change in the atmosphere and a shower of svaras followed the Bhavapriya krthi, ‘srikanthnee,’ of Thyagaraja at a fast rate and it proved to be doubly delightful as both TNS and TNSKrishna , who gave him vocal support took it up in turns, ably assisted with UKS on the mridangam.Then came the main raga of the day, Bhairavi. The raga delineation was done with deft strokes and TNS painted with the raga (means colour), leisurely and delicately, square by square and created a mosaic pattern rich and beautiful. While the rasikas indulged in wild guesses on the krthi , TNS, the master of surprises, started ‘kamakshi ambaa,’ of Syamasasthri , and how! The pace was slow with the ocean-like depth and the krthi was laden with rasa. I even noticed one or two surreptiously wiping their eyes! The experience was something which could only be described by the very words of Shyama sasthri as ,’anudhinamu maravakane.’ Neraval svaram was at .shyamakrishna sodhari,’ and that contained all the fireworks of TNS and ably supported by MC and UKS.The whole concert was as exciting as watching the final day at Wimbledon, singles between TNS and UKS , MC and UKS and doubles by TNS and TNSKrishna on one side and UKS and Sundarkumar who played kanjira, on the other side. The thani by UKS and Sundarkumar was in keeping with the main sprit of the day.Finally TNS concluded the concert with the rasika’s delight, ‘saayankaale vanaanthe ,’ which was as usual a splashing of colours(ragas), and at the end came the thiruppavai .’vangaakkadal’ in suruti and mangalam

The concert at Hamsadvani on 27-7-2007 The concert was organized by the Parampara, RukminiArts Academy and Hamsadvani together and took place at the Hamsadvani auditorium. TNS was accompanied by V.V.Ravi on violin, Trichur Narendran on Mridhangam and Purushotthaman on kanjira. The format of the concert was slightly different from usual with sparsity of svaras . The day being Friday in the month of Adi, all the songs were on Devi as could be expected with TNS. On the whole it was devi upasana rich with devotional fervour. The concert started with ‘Ojagadhamba,’ in Anandhabairavi with short svara and it was aanandhamaana anandha bhairavi. Next TNS started the raga poorvikalyani which was dealt with deft strokes and proved to be apoorva kalyani, and he surprised the rasikas by the krthi of Ramaswami Sivan, ‘ekkaalatthilum.’ The Sriraga krthi ‘srivaralakshmi’ that followed contained neraval svara and had all the beauty as one would expect from TNS. The bindumalini raga that followed was real garland of honey-drops, madhubindhumalini. The krthi, n however was not entha muddho as one would expect but it was a new one , ‘anbaaga ennaiyum,’ a beautiful composition of his mother perhaps. Next came ‘brovavamma ‘ in manji, which always has a specific profile (Maanji has a special moonji, to quote TNS) with TNS, and it was followed by a racy ‘jaalanthara’ in valji of Muthiah bhagavathar. This was followed by a saveri piece by Ana ayya ,’varmamaa enmel.’ The main raga of the day was kalyani and the krthi that followed was.’ninnuvina gathi kaana,’ by Subbaraya sasthri. The raga was exquisite and the neraval svara was at ‘nee padha pankaja,’ and TNS gave a rich repast of svaras ending each phrase as ni pa da, in svarakshara pattern and it was fantastic, especially when he made various permutations and combinations ending with ‘ni ni.’ Next was ‘akhilandesvari,’ in dvijavanthi after the thani and TNS sang a sloka ,vandematharam ambikam,’ in ragamalika followed by a viruttham ‘parkadal eenra paavaai,’ in sindhubairavi, presumably a composition of his mother. The sindhubairavi was wonderful and sported with all the possible nuances of the raga which TNS alone could unearth. This was followed by A Bharathi composition ‘thediunnai charanadaindhen,’ in sindhubairavi . TNS never ceases to surprise his rasikas and this concert was no exception because he chose the Thyagaraja krthi ‘Vinayakuni,’ in madhyamavathi to end his concert and sang the sloka sarvamangalamangalye in madhyamavathi as the mangalam.

collage of TNS in pictures

review of concert of Madurai TNSeshagopalan on9-4-2007

Review of the concert of TNS at the Musiri chamber of music.



I was a little upset in the beginning due to my inability to sit on the floor in front like Ram did and also because of the fact that the artistes were not at all visible clearly due to the diffused light in the hall,in which, normally concerts used to take place in broad daylight, I beleive. But the moment TNS started singing Mayamalavagoula and "Merusamana that could move the mountains" ( thanks Arasi for the coinage) I was raised slowly from the earthly discomforts and all of a sudden found myself up in the clouds as though transported by a jetplane. When we landed back( I say "we" because this feeling was shared by other rasikas who were with me.) we were left dazed, stunned and wonderstruck.

The concert was a layalahari from the start which was enhanced by Sangithakalanidhi TKMurthi who accompanied on Mrdhangam and MASundaresan who played the violin. The svara to 'Merusamana' of Thyagaraja was short but expressed expertise.After 'chandrambaja,' one of the navagraha krthis of Dikshithar, the day being a Monday, there came a beautiful Saranga followed by 'NeevAda nE gAna' of Thyagaraja as expected, with a similar short and sweet svara as in Mayammalavagoula.

Next came a surprise! 'Enthaveduko' of Thyagaraja, a forte of Musiri. The way TNS sang this made one remnisce of Musiri and the music of Musiri school, coming from the voice of Seshagopalan, nevertheless with the unmistakable stamp of TNS along with it, is a rare treat that could be expected only in the Musiri chamber of music.

After this TNS sang 'brovavamma' of Shyamasasthri in manji, which proved what TNS said earlier, during the annual conference of the Music Academy last December that manji has got a definite profile(moonji).


Then it was the nayaki krthi of Thyagaraja, the raga which always received rich nourishment in the hands of TNS and what followed was the exquisite abheri, the raga which was shaped, groomed and dressed rich to resemble a celestial dancer . In the end of the alapana the closed mouth singing finished the decor and then flowed the heavenly 'nagumomu' of Thyagaraja. The svaraprasthara was as usual at 'jagamele paramathma ,' following a fantastic neraval and it resembled AbheerinAtya (kuravaiyAttam).Sri TKMurthi and Sri MAsundaresan ably supplying the pakkavAdhya which was pakvavadhya.

The thani that followed was splendid with Sri TKMurthy on Mrdhangam and Aniruddh Athreya on kanjira after which it looked as though the mani part of the concert was over but no! What followed next was the unexpected, amazing (not amazing with respect to TNS but only regarding the time of its inception.) a double barrelled , double decker and double creamed RTP of Anandhabahiravi-sindhubhairavi.(it was not double raga pallavi with poorvardha in one raga and uttharardha in another but a pallavi sung in two ragas. simultaneously and hence the above adjectives! ) I have used so many qualifying phrases because it was Anandha(tthEn) sindhu(m)bhairavi.It was amazing in the sense the transition of one raga to another both in raga alapana and svaraprasthara was very quick but smoothly blended with the masterly strokes of a creative genius.It left the audience dazed, stunned and wonderstruck with its incredibility which feeling continued even after the javali "marulu konnadhira' in kamas, and a bhajan of Tulsidas in bahiragibhairav(or revati of carnatic) and the thiruppugaz in hamsanandhi which itself was a delight by the play in gathi, and it took a long time to come back to earth even after the landing like that felt during a jet-lag! He is not a mere sangithakalanidhi, a treasure trove of music but an inexaustible mine of music.

Review of concert on 4-4-2007

.Review of the concert ofTNS in Ayodhya mandapam on 4-4-2007

The concert was lifted to the skies like a jet from the start.. Every time TNS seemed to reach a height which looks as though he has reached the zenith only to find that he can go even higher in his next concert.

Yesterday everyone of his rendering was a diamond that decorated the crown of this gayakasimhaendra while the simmendramadhyama was truly a simha nadha shining as the gaykasimhendra kireeta madhyamani.

When he started the sahana in the beginning it was not quite obvious as to what was going to follow though when he started 'vandanamu,' one could see that it could not have been anything else. The svara had all the usual beauty and the ganavaridhi krthi 'dhayajoochuda,' has all the charm one could expect from him.

Next came a fantastic rendering of 'thanavari' in Begada, a very racy pace and with svaras streaming in a marvellous flow, which was a wonder to behold and TNS was ably assisted by SDSridhar and KVPrasad making it a real treat for the rasikas.

The same fare was presented later in 'Brovabharama,' the two together constituting the sentiment of closeness and familiarity which Thyagaraja must have displayed towards Rama.

All concerts of TNS possess a thematic undertone sometimes explicit and sometimes implied and this was no exception.Starting from vandanamu, offering salutations to Rama, the explicit theme being about Rama but the implying theme was entreaty after salutation, by 'dayajoochuda,'the tone changing to a demanding one in the ,'Thanavarithana' and the next was again plaintive varali, ,'Etijanma' in which the raga was exquisitely rendered that took the rasikas to a different realm altogether and hearing the krthi one could definitely feel that 'ETijanmamithi hA,' to not to be blessed to enjoy and appreciate such music.

TNS sang the svaras at 'sAgaraSayanuni,' ending each phrase in thArashadjam thus making it a svarakshara. The combination of svaras were something fabulous and in keeping with the mood of the song.The word 'vegame' was sung in a picturesque manner in different ways to depict the haste expressed by Thyagaraja to see the Lord in ksheerasagara and we could also see the speed of the Lord who Himself hastened to come to the devotee as much as the latter was in a hurry to see Him.

In BrovabhArama again there was the demanding attirtude of Thyagaraja portrayed by the way of rendering and the svaras looked as though to illustrate the miracle of the Lord having all the worlds in His udhara, 'andakotla kukshi neeyinchukoledha,' such was the magic with laya showing all the possible permutations and combinations in svaras.

Next was the Bindhumalini krthi 'entha muddho entha sogasO,' started with anupallavi. This piece is always a sudha bindhumalini with TNS. . Carrying on the theme mentioned above, one can imagine that the Lord has heard the cry of the devotee and has presented Himself and the beauty and grace of His form is described therein. this rasika could not help feeling the truth of the words, 'satthabhAvgavathavesulairi thutthapAlaruchi theliyusAmyamE,' that is unless the musician feels the sentiment expressed by the song and sings with the same me divine experience felt by the composer it is similar to expecting the vessel to know the taste of milk it contains.

The main item of the day was RTP in simhendramadhyamam and as I already mentioned it was a simha nadham. The pallavi 'raghupathe rAmachandra rAghavasimha dhayAnidhe justified the theme and depicted the joy of the devotee on seeing the Lord in front and praising Him.

Words fail me to express the RTP. Rama was said to show Narasimha in him once on the battle field to reassure Sugriva. I could only experience the same on hearing the simhendramadhyamam yesterday. Rama changed into Narasimha and it was the roar of the Narsimha coming out of the pillar and blessing His devotees. Such was the raga and the svara that flowed from TNS.

I express what I felt and surely it would also be the feeling of all his ardent rasikas, though in a different manner.

After a brilliant thani by KVPrasad and TVVasan the concert
ended with 'he dhayAluva,,' and ,Ramamanthravajapiso.

It took us, me and my friend who is also an ardent rasika. nearly an hour after the concert to comeback to earth from the heavenly region to which we were transported and it is a miracle we reached home safely without losing our direction!

Harikatha on valmiki ramayanam by TNS

Harikatha of Valmikiramayanam by TNS on 27-3-2007 at Hamsadhvani

The day being Ramanavami Sri Rama might have willed to hear only about His birth on the janmadhina, and wished to hear the rest of His story after an interval of time, to allow Him to grow! How else to explain the Hariikatha being postponed after the first day!. That TNS was having virus infection after the first day and could not continue and hence the date has to be postponed to allot five days together, which is only possible by end of April, owing to the Hamsadhvani concerts already scheduled , is by the will of the Lord who wanted to hear it in the month of Chaithra , which is His real month of birth.

In the inaugural address Sri.L. Swaminathan was all praise for TNS drawing attention not only to his talents but also his attire so as to neceessitate a pallandu by his rasikas and wellwishers! Any way he spoke well and pointed out the importance of bhakthi in music which alone will secure moksha and not mere music. But the sloka quoted as the example that sangitha alone is not enough to bring the Lord and to secure moksha was actually a case of siddha sAdhanam, that is, trying to prove what is actually proved. The words 'madhbhakthA yatra gayanthi thathra thishTAmi nAradha,' only stresses the importance of bhakthi in music and not mere music alone.Even then, as TNS himself pointed out later in his harikatha by referring to the story of Ajamila that by merely uttering the name of his son called Narayana, Ajamila was purified of his sins, because the very nama even uttered unconsciously is capable of bringing salvation, should it be a wonder that by mere singing of the name of the Lord which is part and parcel of carnatic music one could attain salvation, if the Lord so chooses? Or is it possible to sing the names of Rama or Krishna through the krthis of the saint-composers without any trace of bhakthi what soever?

Now let us come to the actual harikatha by TNS.

After the usual invocation sloka on Haygreeva, which itself was imposing and a delight for the rasikas, and the rest of the traditional pieces sung during Harikatha TNS launched on the Valmiki Ramayana by the sloka ' koojantham rAma rAmethi madhuram madhurAksharam Aruhya kavithA SAkhAm vandhE vAlmiki kokilam,' in which the rasikas could visualise the Arohana, climbing, of the cuckoo Valmiki on the branch of poetry, kavithA SAkha, by his picturesque way of singing the word 'Aruhya.' Next came the sloka 'vAlmeekermunisimhasya kavithAbvanachAriNah,SrNvan rAmakaTHA nAdham kO na yAthi parAm gathim,' Hearing the story of Rama,the roar of the sage-lion Valmiki, roaming around in the forest of poetry, who will not reach the ultimate?

TNS then delighted the rasikas in singing the sloka 'yaH karNAnjalisamputairaharahah samyak pibathyAdharAth;vAlmikErvadhanAravindhagalitham rAmAyaNAkhyam madhu;janmavyADHijarAvipatthi maraNErathyantha sopadhravam samsAram sa vihAya gacchathi pumAn vishNOH padham SAsvatham,' in madhuvanthi, saying that the madhuram madhurAksharam madhu should be presented in madhuvanthi. The whole sloka means that one who drinks the honey of Ramayana, which has fallen from the mouth of Valmiki, again and again with love,through his earfolds, reaches the ultimate abode of Lord Vishnu.

TNS said that his harikatha is not going to be kaTHApramAna, that is mainly narrative because everyone knows the story and Harikatha should have devotion, music, eloquence and expression. with passages committed to memory.He said that the Ramayana is a great ocean frequented by mighty fish, mahamathsya, and boat men, like Valmiki, Kamban and others and he has come forward to do harikatha on Valmikiramayana prompted by sheer devotion as the only qualification and that he was reassuring himself by saying so.This rasika could not help feeling that TNS is himself a mahamathsya who swims around in the mighty ocean of music!

The Valmikiramayana , which is deemed as the AdhikAvya is the only original text, said TNS and all the other Ramayanas that came later were only commentaries explaining the subtle meanings in a gross manner.The reason for this is that Valmikiramayana was divinely influenced, being the will of the Lord Himself, for which purpose He sent Brahma and later Narada. The Ramayana was veda itself as the sloka goes, 'vEdhab vEdhyE pare pumsi jAthe dhasarathAthmajE ; vedhA prAchEthasAdhAseeth sAkshthramayNAthmanA.' When the Lord known only through the vedas became the son of Dasaratha, the vedas were born from Valmiki as Ramayana.TNS sang this sloka in karaharapriya giving it the flavour of the vedic chant, the scales of the raga resembling Samaveda.

The Lord took several avatharas for the sake of dushtanigraha and sishtaparipalana, said TNS, and the incarnations before Rama seemed to imply the evolution theory, starting from the fish to man-lion, and then to diminutive man as Vamana. Ramavathara was that of full human being to show that how man can be transformed into God. Rama was the manifestation of the gunas of Brahman ,the supreme being, who cannot be understood or experienced. In all the avathras, especially in Ramavathara and Krishnavathara, where it is explicit,sishtaparipalana was the main purpose while dushtanigraha is subsidiary. That is why the Ramayana is called saranagathisasthra.Rama could have killed Ravana from Ayodhya itself but he took the trouble of walking to Danadakaranya in order to give refuge to the rshis there and to various saintly and good souls like Guha,Jatayu, Sabari and Vibheeshana.

TNS referred to Krishnavathara and said that the Lord wanted to show what he was going to preach later as Krishna, by following his own teachings as Rama. He stood as an example of an ideal son, brother, king , friend etc. Even the ordeal of fire he made Sita to undergo and later his banishment of Sita is to show how a chakravarti should set an example to his subjects. Both Rama and Sita enacted their parts, by crying and laughing when necessary like ordinary mortals to show that a human being can rise to the state of divinity, and TNS said that Rama was the illustration of the ThirukkuraL 'vaiyatthu vAzvAngu vAzbavan vAnuraiyum deivatthu vaikkappadum,' meaning that one who lives in this world following dharma will be considered as being equal to God.

Then TNS started to elaborate on the circumstances under which Ramayana was composed.It was Narada, who came first to transform the hunter into a sage. So Narada was his first guru who showed him Brahman, as a guru should do. TNS said there was no distinction between guru and sadguru in those days as all were sadgurus only , that is the one who showed the Brahman he experienced to the disciple. He also extolled the role played by Narada in enlightening good souls whenever necessary and said that the character of Narada has been abused much in plays and films, while he was seen in the puranas, to be present whenever anyone needed advice and enlightenment,..

This narration was followed by a divine exposition of the AtANA krthi of Thyagaraja, 'Naradaganalola' by TNS. His Atana is always adadANA and this was no exception! Narada came again after Valmiki became a sage and the latter asked him a question the answer to which was the fountainhead of the Ramayanakavya later. Both the guru and the sishya were acclaimed in the sloka 'thapasvAdhyAya niratham thapasvee vAgvidhAm varam nAradam paripapraccha vAlmikir munipungavam.' The guru was thapasvdhyAya niratha, ever immersed in penance and study of vedas and the best among speakers, vAgvidhAm vara and also the best of sages, being devarshi.The disciple was also a thapasvee, who had done penance while under the anthill, and best of sishya because he asked earnestly, paripapraccha.

TNS said while it is rare to find a guru who practises what he preaches,, anushTAnam krthavAn, it is even rarer to find a sishya who is fired with earnestness for acquiring kowledge and asks the right questions. Nowadays ,he quipped that the sishyas are more interested in discussing politics and cricket with the guru rather than learning what they have come for.

The question of Valmiki was, "kOnvasmin sAmpratham lOkE guNavAn kascha veeryavAn,dharmajnascha krthajnascha sathyavAk yO dhrDavrathah." TNS explained the sloka word by word which made the listeners aghast with his knowledge and wisdom

(I say knowledge and wisdom because one may have knowledge acquired through study but only with wisdom he will be able to give proper interpretations and not merely reproduce what he has learnt. TNS is adept in that art as he comes out with his own explanations quaint and thought- provoking which shows his originality and ingenuity.)

TNS explained the sloka thus:
Valmiki wanted to know who is the guNavAn , virtuous, veeryavAn, valourous, dharmajna, well versed in dharma, krthajna, remembers whatever service done to him,sathyavAk, true in words and dhrDavratha , unswerving in his vows.One may be a guNavAn but if he is not strong enough no one will care for his gunas, said TNS, and hence he should also be veeryavAn. Similarly he should know what is dharama and uphold it,that is, to be a dharmajna and dhrDavratha.He should also know and appreciate what others do to him, krthajna and true to his word, sathyavAk It is rare to find all these qualities in any one individual and hence Valmiki wished to know whether there is one such person living at that time, sAmpratham.
Narada answered that there is such a noble soul living right then and started to tell him about Rama. 'ikshvaaku vamSa prabhavO rAmO nAma janaiH SrutAHniyathAtmA mahAveeryO dhyutimAn DHritimAn vashee;prajApathi samO shreemAn dhAthA ripunishoodhanaH rakshithA jeevalokasya dharmasya pari rakshithA rakshitA svasya dharmasya sva janasya cha rakshitA.'

TNS sang the whole passage about valmiki's question and the answer by Narada in short phrases all in the raga atANA to the great joy of the rasikas.He explained that Rama , from the clan of Ikshvaku, was not only valiant but had self-control and equal to the creator himself in glory,and terrible to his foes, while protecting his own people and dharma .He was not merely possessed all these qualities but was ADyaH, richly endowed with these, and sadhA Eka priya dharsanaH, always pleasing to look at. TNS emphasised on the words sadha and Eka, always and only of pleasant personality, as Kamban says that his face was like a fullblown lotus both when he was asked to take the crown and when he was ordered to go to the forest.Narada thus related the whole Ramayana briefly"like the 4 kaLai pallavi we sometimes sing in 20 minutes in concerts due to paucity of time," quipped TNS.

Then TNS switched on to the episode of the killing of the krouncha bird by the hunter which was instrumental to the birth of the Ramayanakavya.He said the sloka that arose from Valmiki, seemingly a curse to the hunter but later assumed the character of mangalASAsana for the Lord, was born out of Soka, grief. Valmiki already distressed on account of the separation of Sita, who resided in his asrama, from Rama, was grief-stricken to see the bird struck by the arrow when it was in the company of its mate.The sloka that arose from his lips was 'mA nishAdha prathishTAm thvam aganmaH SAsvatheeH samAH; yathkrounchamiTHunAdhEkam avadDHeeh kAmamohitham.' TNS sang the sloka in subhpanthuvarali, which is suited for karunarasa, he said, and not for mourning as it is commonly believed.

Later Valmiki was surprised to see that the sloka had samAkshara, equal number of syllables and Brahma who appeared before him told him that he has already sent sarasvathi before him, said TNS,. that she took her place on the tongue of the sage and made him give out the sloka which, construed differently, became a benedictory verse in praise of the Lord, for killing Ravana.

TNS also referred to the principle called dhoorAnvaya, which is a defect in a passage unless it is auspicious in meaning. Here, the negative particle 'mA ' when connected with 'prathishtAm agamaH' gives the meaning that "you will not get rest forever ,SAsvatheessamAh, "as a curse to the hunter because he killed one of the two krouncha birds , krounchamiTHunAdhEkam avaDHeeH, which was in love, kamamOhitham.In this sense it suffers from the defect of dhoorAnvaya, connection with a word far away from it.

But when the same verse is construed to mean a benediction to the Lord, the syllable , 'mA,' instead of being a negative particle, means 'mA'=Lakshmi. In this sense the verse means mAnishAdha, consort of Lakshmi, that is Narayana, thvam, You, prathishTAm agamah, have become well known, SASvatheessamAH, for all the years to come, yath thavam avaDHeeH , because You killed, krouncha miTHunAth, from the pair of rakshasas, meaning Ravana and Mandodhari, Ekam , one, kAmamOhitham, who was possessed with lust.

TNS said that even in trethayuga the Lord gets His mangalASAsana by the word mAnishAdha, meaning 'abode of Lakshmi' and only in Ramavathara Sreedevi has accompanied Narayana for the first time. She actually went before Him and hid herself under the earth. Here TNS referred to the mangalASAsana of Azvar by the words 'agalakillEn enriraiyum alarmel mangai urai mArbA' to Lord Srinivasa, who has Sri in His chest permanently and hence there was no separate sannidhi for Lakshmi. She is described as 'thadhvakshadTHalanithya vAsarasikA and thadhksAnthi samvarDHInee,' living in His heart always and makes Him mor patient and merciful.Not only that, said TNS, but The Divine mother is further described as vAthsalyAdhiguNOjjvaLA and 'jaganmatha, 'VathsalyAdhi guNojjvalAm bhagavatheem vandhe jaganmAtharam.' (The Lord has willed that I should write these lines on the day of Panguni utthara, which is ascribed to the Divine mother which proves that everything that happens is only by His will.)

TNS said at this instance, referring back to the sloka 'mAnishadha,' said that even being scolded by elders of reverence and gurus and mahathmas is itself a blessing. He deviated a little here and said that the sloka 'suklAmbaradharam,' which is sometimes humourously explained as follows to extoll the merits of coffee as a beverage.It is suklambaradharam and sasivarnam, having white milk and chathurbhujam means there are two hands giving and two taking and drinking it gives rise to a prasannavadhanam, smiling face and it is sarvavighniOpaSAnthayE, for removing all obstacles as the one who drinks a good cup of coffee will be so pleased and will grant anything!

Valmiki mentions that the whole Ramayana consists of 24000 slokas representing the syllables of Gayathrimanthra but actually there are two hundred and odd slokas more, said TNS , which shows tht the great souls will rather underestimate their achievements.

Then TNS referred to the actual text of Valmikiramayana, which begins with a description of the land of Kosala,He said that normally the narrative should start with the account of the presentation of the epic by instructing it to lava and Kusa and their singing it in the court of Rama, but he had to rush through in order to describe the birth of Rama, when the punarvasu nakshathra rises, as the day was Ramanavami. He will come back to that part of the story the next day, he said, but the Lord has willed it otherwise as though telling him "You proceed in the normal manner and I will wait till m next month for it!"

Valmiki has mentioned the land of Kosala in only one sloka which was elaborated by Kamban so as to devote an entire chapter for it. The land of Kosala was so rich and there was abundance of food and money.TNS sang the sloka beautifully in the raga kosalam, and quoted the Thiruppavai pasuram 'AzimaZaikkaNNa,' where it is said 'thAZAdhE sArngam udhAittha sar mazAi pOL vAza ulaginil peidhidAi,' and said that as in the benediction 'kAlE varshathu parjanyah,' there was timely rains and the land flourished as a result.

Valmiki describes the city of AyOdhya in detail and says that all the people were rich and had everything and all were asthikas and bhakthas.There was only one thing lacking and that was due to the fact that Dasartha was without progeny. TNS sang the sloka expressing the grief of Dasaratha in Neelambari.He said while Dasaratha was pining for a son the Lord was looking for a suitable father to effect His incarnation. 'Evam dathvA varam devO devAnAm viSNuH AtmavAn mAnushE chinthayAmAsa janmabhoomim atha AthmanaH.- tataH padhma palAshAkshAH krthvA AtmAnam chaturviDHam pitharam rochayaamAsa tadhA dasharatham nrpam -- This sloka was sung by TNS in sankarabharanam.

Valmiki says that the Lord became fourfold and was born to Dasaratha but Kamban says that the Lord along with Sesha, shankha and sudarsana became Rama-Lakshmana- Bharatha- Sathrughna. Then TNS sang the Ramavathara sloka in Bilahari and mentioned about the placement of the grahas in the horoscope of Rama,( it was a placement as the Lord Himself willed it so and not due to karmaphala as in the case ordinary mortals.) thus showing that he is knowledgeable even in astrology!

Briefly but beutifully describing the episode of Rsysrnga TNS effected the birth of Rama at the exact moment of the rise of punarvasu on the horizon. He referred to Kamban also and quoted the verse ' oru pagal ulagu ellAmudharatthuL podhindhu arumaraikku uNarvu arumavanai,anjanakkarumugil kozundhu ezil kAttum jothiyai, thiru urappayandhanaL thiram koL kOsalai.' It means that Kousalya gave birth to the one who had all the world inside Him and who was the import of the vedas, who was looking like the dark cloud that took the form of a small flame of light. Here kamban uses the epithet thiram koL to describe Kousalya. TNS explained why she was called that, meaning, very skilled. What was the extraordinary skill in giving bierth to son that made her special among all mothers? TNS said that the infant was the one who slept on the banyan leaf having the whole universe inside Him and could be controlled only through devotion and He came inside the womb of Kousalya like a dark flame ( blue fire). Hence Kousalya has accomplished something which no one could.

Then TNS mentioned the namakarana of the children by Vasishta who knew the real identity of them.That is why he is referred to in the sloka as paramapreethah.The eldest was named Rama,'jyeshTHam rAmam mahAthmAnam bharatham kaikayii sutham saumithrim lakSmaNam iti shatrughnam aparam taTHaa vasiSThaH parama preetho nAmAni kuruthe tadha.'

TNS sang this sloka in reethigoula which was superb and also the verse from Kamban , extolling the glory of Ramanama, 'nanmaiyum selvamum nALum nalgume----immaiye irAma enru irandu ezutthinAl,' and he went on an eloquence on the greatness of Ramanama for few minutes non-stop which was a marvel to behold and served as the kudos of the day and the rasikas left thoroughly stunned.