concerts of TNSeshagopalan from 20th to 24th Dec2006

Concert at Parthasarathy Swami Sabha on 24-12-2006
TNS started with sriragavarnam which was followed by the Dikshithar krithi 'srimahaganapathe 'in Gaula for which he sang the chittasvaram in three kAlas. Next came Hameerkalyani and the thiruppavai 'thoomanimaadatthu ' the rendering of which was embellished with the style of 'kondukootti,' or assembling the words one by one in 'ghanam' method.TNS sang svara at 'maamaayan maadhavan.'
Next was 'kaaneere' in kamas a ootthukkadu composition.As all ootthukkadu compositions this also acquired added beauty when sung by TNS.This was followed by 'Srirajagopala' of Dikshithar in Saveri and a crisp and beautiful 'Marivere' in Shanmukhapriya, a krthi by Patnam Subramania ayyar, with svaraprasthara.
After the Karnaranjani krthi of Muthhiah Bhagavathar, 'Vanchathonu' came the real visvaroopa of TNS in Raga alapana of Kambodhi and the Thyagaraja krthi 'O Rangasayi.' The experience on listening to it is something indescribable by words. The picture that presented to the mind of this rasika was that in the eighth skandha of Srimadbhagavatham where the incarnation of Lord narasimha occurs.
As we could not foresee which krithi was going to follow when the alapana started, the scene that came in front was the appearance of the Lord Narsimha out of the pillar creating a magnificent and inexplicable awe on the onlooker and his leisurely but forceful destruction of evil, in the form of Hiranyakasipu and gradually developing into a merciful and beautiful form as Lakshminarasimha to bless Prahladha and the world.
When the krthi started the scene changed and we witnessed Lord Ranganatha and TNS sang the krthi in the manner that we were transported to the bhoolokavaikunta, Srirangam, to witness the suprabhatham of the Lord and could imagine the way Thyagaraja would have wakened Him up. The krthi which is by itself beautiful was further enriched by the rendering of TNS and the svara was in accordance with the mood of the song and depicted the gradual and effective awakening of the Lord. It was indeed an experience quite out of this world which lasted till the next day evening when TNS gave a different treat in the music academy.
TNS was ably assisted by TNSKrishna who gave vocal support and VVRavi on voilin and Velore Ramabadran on Mridangam and Madippakkam Murali on Ghatam

Concert at Naradaganasabha on23-12-2006
The Kanada adathala varnam was the gateway to an extraordinary (but ordinary to TNS) concert.Brovabharama followed with svara which was bahudhA(bhrama)ri, like the abundant(bahudhA) reemkara of the bee(bhramara).Next was 'kadaikkan vaitthu enai ALamma' a composition of MahaVaidyanatha Ayyar in Begada.
The Kumudhakriya that followed was sumudhakriya(mudha =delight) extremely delightful in svaraprsthara and pulakakriya, creating horipulation in the delineation of raga.
The makuta was the Kedaragoula , very elaborate alapana of which looked as though TNS is ploughing the field, kedara to bring out the fertile crop. the krithi as expected was 'Sargunapalimpa' by Patnam Subramania Ayyar and the neraval at 'varagunaseshadri, took us up the seven hills to have the darsan of the Lord Venkatesvara by a luxurious AC car and brought us back only to climb again through the steps provided by his svaraprasthara. So we were blessed with the darsan twice! Not only that! The svaras were so full of variety and grandeur that it looked as though he is performing the brahmothsava depicting the Lord in all vahanas.
The concert ended with 'MohanavaLLi' in Manji by Mutthiah bhagavathar and a bajan 'baso mere.'
Accompanying artists were M.Chandhrasekharan on violin, who provided his usual eminent support and Guruvayur Dorai on mridhangam and Sundarkumar on Ganjira , the seasoned pair who always delighted the rasikas.
concert at sri krishna gana sabha on 22-12-2006
The krthi 'Sriragukula' of Thyagaraja in Hamsadvani marked the beginning of the concert for which TNS sang svaras and then elaborated on Panthuvarali which contained all the nuances usually found in this raga when sung by him. The krithi was 'Ninnuneranamminanura,' and not 'Apparamabhakthi' as you would have imagined and the svara was short and sweet. The next was raga Abhogi followed by the krthi 'mansavrtha' by Thyagaraja. TNS sang svara for this too.
Then followed the rasika's favourite 'Ranganayakam' in Nayaki in which one could visualise the Lord leaisurely reclining on His bed of Sesha ( pun intended)!
The Thiruppavai 'keechukeechenrengum' in Huseni was sung in the method of 'kondukootti' each word joining with the preceding ones in succession and the sangathi in 'matthinaal' created an impression of the gopis churning the curd.
'Nadaloludai' in kalyanavasantham by Thyagaraja was the next followed by a melodious kambodhi and the krthi 'Sri subramanyaya namasthe.' The svara prasthara was at 'vasavadhi' and 'bhoosuradhi' alternatively and was a mellifluous and skilful presentation.
The last piece was the sloka 'ambamohini' sung as a ragamalika. The mohana in the line ' Ambamohini ' was a real mohana (enchanting) and the line 'Anandasandayinee' was sung in Anandabharavi and
dabharavi and amrthavarshini whcih can be better described by the very names of the ragas, (Ananadamrthavarshini). the next line 'vani pallvapani' was in Girvani followed by kalyani and yaman kalyani while singing the word 'kalyani' ending with sriraga in 'Srirajarajesvari.' an exquisite delineation.
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concert at MOP Vaishnav college on 20-12-2006
A bonus for the rasikas, which might have been missed by many who did not note the announcement in the morning paper. The concert started with Abhogi varnam with kalpanasvara as usual. This was followed by 'Sadhinchane, pancharathnam of Thyagaraja in Arabhi and then came the raga Dharmavathi and the krthi 'Bajanaseyaradha' The svaras were like the reemkara of the bees while being layapradhana.
Then came Subhapanthuvarali and the krthi 'ennaallurage' of Thyagaraja and the raga alapana, neraval and svaraprasthara were all in keeping with the mood of the song. Subapanthuvarali of TNS is always special and this was no exception. The svara singing was fantastic.
After the thani by Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam the concert ended with sloka 'shankachakragadhapane' the plaintive entreaty of Droupadi to Krishna for her manasamrakshana which was followed by 'baro Krishnaiya' a Dasarpadha in ragamalika.
TNS was accompanied by Nagai Sriram on violin who did a wonderful job of it.

TNS concerts-14-12-2006 and 18-12-2006

concert at SAFE-SSHall-14-12-2006
The concert started with a krthi 'abhimanamu' in Begada which served as an appetizer for a wholesome feast that followed. with its racy svaras. Next was he dharu varnam 'mAdhe malayadhvaja ' of Mutthiah bhagavathar in kamas, which asks at every step 'sukamasukama the way it is rendered always by TNS.
Next was the raga alapana in Vachaspathi and the krthi was 'ennALu nee,' by Patnam subramania iyer again and the niraval svara was sung at the first line 'kannathanrinApai ' of the charaNam. The svara that followed was the usual delightful fare by both TNS and TNS Krishna who gave him vocal support and drew applause by himself on his svaraprasthara.
The slow moving 'abhayamba navavarana' of Muthuswami Dikshithar in sahana was the next one which was followed by 'Nadhupai' in Madhyamavathi of Thyagaraja, which had all its usual beauty including the svara combination at 'veda sannutha' as 'sa,' 'ma.' (samavedasannutha)
The soul of the music was delineated in the rendering of "mayamma ' of Shyamasasthri in Ahiri, which was rendered in an exquisite manner , being steeped in bhava as only TNS could do. It was really moving and reflected the exact sentiment the composer has infused into it. Guruvayur Dorai who played the Mridhangam contributed ably to the mood of the song by his soft touch.
The main piece was 'sakkani raja' in Karaharapriya. The ebullient waves of the raga flowed like a high tide on a full moon day and the alapana was spiced with closed mouth singing which was awe inspiring to the rasikas. TNS constructed a rajamarga, a royal highway absolutely clear with no traffic for the royal krthi to follow. When TNS sang 'chikkani paAlu,' the milk (pAlu) was brought to boil and cooled and served with sugar. The svaraprasthara was full of pyrotechniques that never failed to delight his rasikas. The main piece lasted for one hour before the thani was given to Guruvayur Dorai and Sundar kumar, who played on the Ganjira. Sriram kumar on the violin also re ndered able assistance to TNS.
That was not all! The viruttham 'puLLinvai piLandhittai,' and the song KaNNallavo , a Oothukkadu compositon , sung on request from a rasika were like the payasam of the feast. The viruttham was in ragamalia, comprising of sankarabharanam, sarasangi, subapanthuvarali and suruti followed by the song ' kannallavo' in suruti and it was just beautiful. TNS Krishna took over from his father during the subapanthuvarali and did a fantastic job of it. His singing was fully laden with bhava and he has proved his worth, not only in raga, svara and laya but also in bhava, as the offspring of such illustrious father. The song kanallavo one could see Krishna in the act of gobbling butter and the censure of gopi which was brought picturesquely by the singing which amused and delighted the rasikas.
The concert ended with a thillana in Mohanam by Mutthiah bhagavathar and thiruppugaz.
The rasikas left as thrpthas with such a wonderful banquet!

Concert at The Mylapore Fine Arts on 18-12-2006

The concert, which proved to be rich and creamy, started with the Thyagaraja krthi 'aparadhamula,' in raga rasali followed by "merusamana' in Mayamalavagoula with neraval at 'galamuna sobillu kanakabhooshanamula' in charanam and the svara that followed was racy with poise.

The next was 'YarukkutthAn theriyum' in Devamanohari a composition of Gopalakrishna bharathiyar, a remnisence of the lec/dem in the morning on the author by Chinglepet Ranganathan for those who attended it, which TNS as the president of the conference nicely rounded up with his excellent speech and sample of his music as he does every day.The svara that followed the krthi was fabulous that made the rasikas exclaim , "yarukkum thAne theriyum ivar mahamai!"

Then TNS expounded the raga poorvikalyani in his usual fantastic skill of portrayal of the svarupa of the raga and the krthi that followed was 'ninnuvinaga,' of Shyamasasthri. The svara prasthara whcih was at 'pannagabhooshanudaina,' was shared by TNS krishna, who gave vocal support and stole an applause to his own credit, and it was something wonderful experience to listen to the lion and his cub, whcih will be ever green in the memory of the rasikas.

The creamy layers continued to be relished in the Hindolam that followed ,the raga alapana of which was again shared by the two of them and was exquisitely beautiful and here too Krishna was acclaimed for his singing by the rasikas. The krthi was Neerajakshi kamakshi and was juicy with bhava and gamaka. No svara followed but even without it the piece was rich.

The next and central layer of the dessert pudding was Kalyani, the raga was developed with masterly strokes and grahabhedha to suddha dhanyasi and the krthi was 'Ethavunara of Thyagaraja. The neraval at 'sitagouri ,' and the svara that followed was full of gamaka- oriented phrases with the usual laya display. This was followed by Thani by Guruvayur Dorai on Mridangam and N.Govindarajan on Ghatam. It was an elaborate thani and well appreciated by the audience.

It was 9pm and normally one would expect that there will not be a separate RTP after this. But the rasikas of TNS know better! Yes, there was a RTP , that too in three ragas, Kapi, Narayani and Kapinarayani, though it was short. The pallavi was worded 'kapi narayani sapi mokshapradhayini.' meaning, "who is the unparalleled(Kapi) Narayani , she is also mokshaprahdayini" which was explained by TNS himself. Though short it was wonderful and the rasikas became expectant of a more eloborate exposition of it in the near future.The concert ended with the bajan 'thum aza' followed by thiruppugaz and mangalam.
M.Chandrasekharan who accompaied TNS on the violin did an admirable job of it.

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TNS-season2006

concert at Meenakshi college -8-12-2006

The concert started with natakurinji varnam followed by 'Mahaganpathim' in Nata.Next was an elaborate alapana in sriragam with the krthi Srivaralakshmim which was good as usual. the panthuvarali that followed was exotic and the krithi kenjinene is new and I have not heard it so far. The neraval svaram in 'sundharam niraindha 'was really a sundharamniraindha svaraprastharam and kept the audience thrilled.The next was something which proved that the concerts of TNS are audiovisual. It was "Ramanukku mannan mudi tharitthale"and it should be heard to enjoy the bhava. There was a review in recent Kumudam that TNS will sing ten sangathis in this line of the song.And he did!Such an eloquence that portrayed the actual coronation of Rama was fantastic. Later in the anupallavi in "paamaramE unakkennadi pEcchEpazam nazuvippAlil vizundhArpol" the elegance with which the pazam slipped and fell into the milk was something remarkable!Pazam nazuvippaalilvizundha azage azagu!We could actually feel it.Later in the charanam singing the line "parasuraman garvam theerthavandi" TNS portrayed the garva of parasurama through his music that is not only audible but perceivable .Similarly "nAAlu pEril moothhavan" was shown to be such!This krthi which made everybody jubilant with its visual effect was significantly followed by Kalyanarama which is always delights his rasikas.Next was 'etijanam'in varaliand the main raga was sankarabharanam the portrayal of the raga was picturesque and the work of the master artiste who painted it with his masterstrokes like a brilliant atrtist. the grahabhedha with thodi was areal master stroke and was applauded heavily.The krthi was svararaga sudha and it was really a 'svararagasudha ' nectarine in its delineation of raga and display of svara and laya and it was a svararagalaya sudharasa.The end part consisted of ashtapadi 'sancharadhadhara ' in raga shyama kalyan and in the word 'mama' TNS brought into play both madhyamas ,Ma.ma, which was wonderful.This was followed by ' nirupamana,' a javali in Behag and sindhubairavi thillana.The audience apprciated the concert in every part and never got up even during thani, which was acclaimed by TNS himself and there was standing ovation in the end.

concert in Karthika fine arts at Naradagana sabha

The concert being organised by Karthik Fine Arts TNs chose all songs on Karthikeya today after starting with 'Vathapi Ganapathim' in Hamsadvani, precede by a sloka. the krthi itself being fast moving the svara was also in fast tempo and lively for the start.

Then TNS sang the last verse of Kans daranupudhi 'Uruvai aruvai uladhai iladhai,' in anandhaba hairavi and the alapana that preceded was exemplary and moving. The krthi was 'Manasa guruguha as expected and the neraval and svara at the unusual place 'nathva srigurucharanam' and rendered in a way in which only TNS is capable of. Anandhamana svara in Anandhabhairavi!

Next was a detailed alapana in shadvidha margani followed by the krthi of Koteesvara ayyar 'antharanga bhakthi.'This was followed by 'paradesi petrapillai' in Bilahari a compostion of his mother.

The main raga was thodi that gave the anticipation of the krthi 'Karthikeya gangeya' of Papanasam sivan and it was the same. The closed mouth singing which a speciality of TNS resembling the sound of nadhasvaram was amazing and one rasika remarked that what he sings with his mouth closed many cannot do even with open mouth! The thodi was of course marvellous and the svara had all the embellishments that could be expected from the gret maestro. The next was a song by his mother which he sang in two ragas shanmukhariya and behag, beautiful words rendered in beautiful ragas and presented full of bhava.The concert ended wiy th the thillana in Niroshta, his own composition and thiruppugaz followed by sampradayamangalam

concerts of TNS in Nov.2006

concerts of TNS in November 2006Two of the concerts were already reviewed beautifully by Ram I wish to addsome points to what Ram has written and also report on the two others left out.1-11-2006-Naradaganasabha-oothukkadu compositions.TNS was awarded the title of Bharath sngeetha samrat by the carnatica.comThe concert was different from the later one at RKSwami hall as there were many new compositions while the other one consisted of all the popular ones.The first was svaghatham Krishna as in the other concert, in which he has welcomed the Lord Kriishna in Mohanam ,who must have come and sitting in the front row, surely!Next one in Natakurinji 'kodutthuvaittha punniavan' made all feel that we were kodutthuvaitha punniavangal to hear it.Sloka in sahana 'krshnaya vasudevaya' was followed by 'vasudevaya namo namasthe,' which was also repeated in the second concert and HOW! I will relate the same when I come to it.The next was a new one in kalyani'sarasijabhavajaye' ab nd the kalyani was anantha kalyanagunavisushta kalyani, in the delineation of raga and in the svaraprasthara. Next TNS sang 'pullinvai pilandhittai in kamas, a pasuram, favourite of his rasikas, followed by Nan ennat havam in Kamas which was 'sukamas', sugamanakamas,. The next one was again a new one 'kallame ariyadha,' in amrthavarshini, which was a delightful piece. We were thanking our stars that the rains inChennai stopped for the day and had some trepidation as he sang Amrthavarshini. But we were saved!Next was the rasika's favourite 'thaye yasodha.' The main piece of the day was 'etthanaikettalum in bhairavi,' which was elaborate unlike that in the later concert which was shorter for want of time.Next was a new one 'anname' in Sama. The rest of the concert consisted in muddukrishna,in senchurutti, neelavanam inpunnagavarali and kannallavo insuruti ending with thillana in sindhubhairavi, all of them were dripping with melody and charm and one could feel the presence of Krishna as he did for Oothukkadukavi.12-11-2006-Mudra- One raga one krthi concert-NaradaganasabhaThe raga taken was Kapi and TNS sang the krthi 'inthasoukyamanine' of Thyagaraja. THose who heard the concert that day was really fortunate because the kapi raga was 'KA API'raga, meaning something that could not be described in words."kapi" or "kopi" in sanskrit besides meaning something or someone also used to denote something wonderful that cannot be described in words. The kapi that day was so exquisite that to describe it in usual terms as a kumbakonam degree kapi etc will be a gross understatement!'Inthasoukyamanine' was rendered with such skill and imagination that made the audience exclaim with Thyagaraja ;inthasukyamanine , entho emo evariki thelusuno.' 15-11-2006-Muthiah bhagavathar compositions -NaradaganasabhaRam has covered almost all the points and I will just add a few more.Muthiah Bhagavathar's compositions always attain a special perfection in the hands of TNS he giving full sway to his masterly perfection in svararagalaya.This concert was no exception.16-112006-oothukkadu compositions atRKSwami hallRam has given a true picture of the concert. would just like to share my experience of such a wonderful concert.The atana was adadana! The beauty of the compositon was fully brought out. There is a dificulty in presenting oothukkadu compositions. Unless the musician is skilled there is the danger of the sahithya swallowing the sangeetha because of the abundance of words in the krthis. But TNS enhances the sangeetha aspect without sacrificing the sahitya also. Both sahithya and sangeeth were wellbalanced and presented a bhava which otherwise would have been absent.Padmavathi ramanam was beautiful as Ram has said and the sloka that came next 'krishnaya vasudevaya was something unimaginable. In singing the word Govindaya TNS performed Gvindapattabhisheka as was done to the Lord after the govardhanoddharana by Indra. TNS was transformed into another Indra in crowning Govinda . Next in asaindhadum mayil we could see the cvisualisation that is alwatys present on his concerts and we felt, 'nijamansukham enru onru irundhal' adhu idhudhan.Next piece 'sonnal oziya manam kelaadhe,' exacctly depicts my view in writing this review. Though Ram has given an elaborate review my mind will not be satisfiled unlessI out in a few words cbecause the joy of listening to the concert is overflowing and will have to be spilt out or spelled out!All the songs as Ram has written were beautifully rendered that is, Kalyanarama which was always the favourite of rasikas and the kambhodhi 'konju mazalai,' was a delightful portrait of Krishna and his leela, Bharavi 'etthanaikettalum reflected the feeling of his rasikas, wh o were never satiated in hearing his music. TNS singing 'vanduketpar illaiyo,'a ragamalika , described aptly the performance as it describes the stelaing of the hearts by Krishna, that is exactly what TNS did taht day, stealing thehearts of the audience!Venue: Satguru Gnanananda Hall, Narada Gana Sabha, TTK Road, ChennaiReview in excerpts from rasikas.org
concert on 16-11-2006
It feels like heaven - two awesome concerts of TNS in two days. Awesome. Simply awesome !!!!!! Just what hardcore TNS fans like me would ask for !!The concert started with a beautiful viruttam in shankarabharaNam. padmAvati ramaNam brought back memories of TNS singing the same song in his youth. I have a very old audio cassette back home which has the song beautifully rendered by TNS. sahAnA viruttam that followed it was simply awesome. kalyANa rAmA, one of my favorite songs, was also rendered very beautifully. A classic kAmbOji raga alapana followed that. Sri V.L. Kumar on the violin played a short, crisp and beautiful kambOji alapana in response. I think this performance is one of Sri Kumar's best I have heard in recent times. One of the many good things that Sri Kumar did in this song was to play a small kanakku in the kalpana swarams in response to a plain piece sung by TNS. That set off TNS into kanakku mood for some time resulting in mathematically brilliant, yet melodious kalpana swarams for some time. These of course were somewhat troublesome for Sri Kumar to follow beyond a certain point but he played his replies well. Sri Trichur Narendran played non-intrusively for the songs and his style seemed to match that of Sri Palghat Raghu at many places. He played a short taniavartanam that had just the chatusra naDai. There was an exclusive Oothukkadu Venkatakavi compositions concert presented by TNS just a few days back at the Narada Gana Sabha which was also good. The concert yesterday overshadowed that may be because yesterday's venue was a much smaller hall with good acoustics and may be also because of the choice of songs.The good news for TNS fans is that he seems to be in great form. I think we can certainly look forward to some great concerts in the season. concert on 15-112006 http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2006/11/ … m-chennai/
What a beautiful concert it was !!! TNS was in great flow almost throughout. After a slightly off color start with a not-up-to-TNS-standards rendition of the mOhanam aTa tala varnam manamOhanA, TNS did a beautiful malahari raga alapana. mAtE malayadvaja was rendered with a lot of involvement. I could enjoy it and appreciate the composition more after attending his lecture on Sri Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar in Bangalore sometime back. The husEnI alapana was also a detailed one with both TNS and Sri Chandrasekaran excelling in their versions of the same. TNS sang hamsanAdam as it was supposed to have been sung in the olden days i.e., as a janya of the raga neetimati with the ArOhaNam-avarOhaNam S R M P D N S - S N D N P M R S. Again, it was a gem of an alapana.The concert started more than 30 min behind schedule again due to a felicitation ceremony and as a result TNS had to rush a bit through the main composition for the day, the bhairavi kriti. It would have been better had the concert started at say 6:30PM and went on for 3-4 hours. This would have given TNS time to pack in a few more rare compositions into the concert.The percussion support was provided by seasoned vidwans Sri Dorai and Sri Vasan. The taniavartanam they played in kanDa jAti tripuTa tALam was a crisp one. It was so much on the mark that it looked like a well prepared one and didn’t seem at all like they were improvising there. Sri M. Chandrasekaran on the violin, as usual, was in fine form and was very appreciative of all the artistes on stage throughout the concert.http://ramsabode.wordpress.com/2006/11/ … a-chennai/
Longlive TNSeshagopalan and his music

On behalf of rasikas,

TNS the legend of our times

There is none to excel
TNS in manodharma which is explicit in his delineation of raga and svaraprasthara.

When TNS sings the svaras he fondles them as though he is patting them with a peacock feather and deposits them like deepas let down on a river of music. His svaras are mellifluous yet forceful. He is a wizard of svaras.
TNS is the emperor of ragas with Thodi as his capital. The cities in the empire consisting of ragas are laid with precious stones of svaras and sahithyas. His citadel is surrounded by the mote of gurukripa and he is empowered with the chathuranga sainya , ratha gaja thuraga padhaathi, chariots, elephant army, cavalry and soldiers in the form of vocal, veena , keyboard and harikatha , the four forces possessed by him.
The concerts of TNS are always audio-visual. When he sings about any deity you can visualize the deity. When he sings about the rasakreeda it is performed right in front of you. The audience are presented with the scene where the peacock dances and cuckoo sings by mere music without any physical gestures.
TNS infuses bhava even in his delineation of raga. Not only the sahithyabhava but even the ragabhava is enough to move the heart of a rasika. The divinity that is manifest in music is visible through the raga sung by TNS. He is able to portray the raga in one svara alone like the strokes of a master artist who later fills it up with deft strokes of paint (raga). He is a master artiste indeed! The smooth flow of words rich in humour and beautiful expression provides exquisite joy to the listeners. His knowledge and eloquent expression of it in his harikatha exposition is to be heard to be believed.


The smooth flow of words rich in humour and beautiful expression provides exquisite joy to the listeners. His knowledge and eloquent expression of it in his harikatha exposition is to be heard to be believed.
When he plays veena or keyboard his fingers seem to co mpete with his voice for excellence as though jealous of his vocal magnificence. Nothing seems invincible to him and he has enthralled the audience in playing the ragas like Thodi which are professed to be impossible to play on the keyboard and made the listeners wonder at such a feat. His veena speaks and one can hear the words. The resonance is something fantastic as he produces infinite gamakas with just one stroke of his finger. What a versatile genius! Sharp intellect has he, armed with discrimination,

Definition of Seshagopalan
Sharp intellect has he, armed with discrimination

Even temper that conquered the negative impulses;
Shrunk did he the mighty ocean of Music and
Held it in the hollow of his hand, standing
Astride like a Collossus over the great lake of Raga;
Glorious he shines like the full moon
Over the world in the sky of Nadha,
Pleasing the heart of his sincere rasikas;
Ardent devotion to his master has brought
Lasting fame through the Guru’s Grace:
All his efforts maybe crowned with success,
Nothing may deter his path to glory.








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concert review

Review of the concerts of Madurai TNSeshagopalan

Asthika samajam -venus colony-16-4-2006

Rasikas of TNS come with certain expectations worthy of his creative genius and mastery over music. He also never dissappoints them and scales the heights never reached by others. People who cannot look up to his height fail to appreciate him owing to their own limitations. The only requisite to enjoy such an exquisite music is to keep an open mind and not to expect a set formula beyond which such aperson cannot comprehend. Simple truths are sometimes understood by simple and honest minds but elude those who profess to have superior knowledge.


The concert on 16th April at Astika samajam had all the specialities that rasikas admire in TNS. He started the concert with the Thyagaraja krti 'hechchariga' in Yadukula kamboji , aptly welcoming Lord Rama as it was Ramanavami concert. Next was 'dayajuchuta' in Ganavaridhi followed by 'Orajupuju' in Kannada goula , all rendered in his usual pleasing manner. Then came' Paramapavana ' in Poorvikalyanai when the natural buoyancy became explicit and it was followed by 'Marugelara' in Jayanthsri which is always a delight for the rasikas.

The main piece was 'Nidhisala sukhama' in Kalyani. The raga was portrayed by deft strokes of the master artiste(e) and what ensued was a beautiful portrait of Kalyani with all its splendour and grace. TNS sang niraval and svara not at 'mamatha bandhana ' or 'dhadhi nava ' but at 'dasarathi dhyanabajana ' which spoke volumes of his aesthetic sense.

Then the rasikas were treated to a lovely verse from Kambaramayana followed by 'ramaramarmarama ramaayenilo' in Lalat. The concert ended with 'Pahi kalyanarama ' and the rasikas were left with a contentment of having worshipped Lord Rama through music.

Concert at Ayodhya mandapam on 15-4-2006

The concert started with Sriraga varnam fllowed by 'salamelara' in Margahindolam. Next was ' apparamabhakthi' in Panthuvarali which is ever a thing of joy for his rasikas. After 'ela needhyaradhu' in Atana , 'Yarenru raghavanai' a Ramanataka kirtana in Yadukulakamboji and 'kalyanarama ' a Uthukkadu composition in Hamsanadham, all of which were delightful, came the main raga sankarabharanam which was beyond description with wonderful delineation of raga and exotic svaraprastara. The krti rendered was' enthuku peddhala.' The hall was packed and it was a 'good' crowd.

HARIKATHA SIROMANI ON THE HORIZON

Madurai T N Seshagopalan gave a rare treat to his rasikas by doing the harikatha on Kambaramayana for five days at Hamsadhwani from 5th to 9th of April2006. It was like triveni sangamam with the lyrics of Kamban flowing like the holy Ganges, the eloquence of Seshagopalan was like the cool waters of Yamuna while his music was the antarvahini, Sarasvati. Seshagopalan plunged deep into the ocean of Kambaramayana and collected the precious pearls and strining them in the double strands of his flowing tamil and lilting music presented a beautiful necklace to Sri Rama.
In the beginning itself TNS made it very clear that it was not a mere literary discourse or a wayside carnival with a flourish of overacting , music thrown in between, but it was going to be a depiction of the deep devotion which underlies the work of Kamban which earned him the title of Kambanaattaazvaar among the devotees. It was not Ramanatakam but Raamakaadhai,or Ramavathaara as it was originally named by Kamban, steeped in devotion, culture and above all, in dharma. So those who had come with such expectations would not have been able to enjoy the rich cultural and devotional nevertheless poetical repast.

TNS has enhanced the enchantment of the lyrics of Kamban by his novel and imaginative explanations and his divine music. To describe his performance one would echo the words of Sri Ramachandran, secretary of Hamsadhwani, that the description of the land of Kosala by Kamban, 'thandalai mayilgal aada thaamarai viLakkam thaanga--------marudham veetrirukkum maalo' alone, which TNS explained beautifully, can be the fitting tribute. Sri Ramachandran has also praised the subtle and refined humour, the second nature of TNS, that ran undercurrent in the harikatha and his cultured manner of presenting even the episode of Ahalya and above everything else his gurubhakthi which manifested through out, all of which made his harikatha unique.

The rasikas come to hear TNS not for the mere story or for the monoacting but to enjoy his depth of knowledge and inspiring and involved devotion which even brought tears to some in the audience as one gentleman openly confessed on the stage on the last day. So sentiment, rasa, was not lacking but without ostentation.
Kamban upheld Rama as the paramporuL, the ultimate reality and this was explicit in the very first verse 'ulagam yavaiyum thaamulavaakkalum,' said TNS, who also pointed out that Kamban has made reference to Ramayana as a sarnagathi sastra, as it is called by devotees, by the last line of the above verse, annavarkke saran naangaLe.'

` There were various instances to show the deep study and thinking TNS has put forth in this venture such as his explanation of 'irukai vezam ,' by which Kamban refers to Rama; the 'iru kai' being ,one for dushtanigraha and another for sishtaparipalana as in the case of the elephant, 'vezam,' which can uproot the tree with its trunk as well as lift a child gently and put him on its back In 'sEl unda senkanaarin,' in which kamban paints the picture of the young swans seated on the lotus drinking the milk given out by the 'sEtrumedhi,' buffalo, TNS quoted aptly the thiruppaavai pasuram 'kanaitthiLam kattrerumai kanrukkirangi, the buffalo giving out the milk simply by thinking of its calf. In the verse'karaamalaiya thaLar kaikkari eytthE,' describing the namakarana of Rama, in which Kamban refers to gajendhramoksha episode, the word 'kaikkaliru, ' as explalned by TNS, iindicates that only the hand of gajendhra was visible above the water and at that juncture the Lord gave His hand to resque him..
One feels, to put it in words of Kamban ,'thOLkandaar thOLe kandaar'.in describing the salient features of the harikatha by TNS. Still one cannot do full justice to a review without mentioning some of his gems, notwithstanding the bavaladen music, such as that in ,annal nokkinaal,' the meeting of Sita and Rama, and his explanation for the word 'nOkki' was superb as he has brought out the purushakara of piraatti and the need of lakshmikataaksha even for Rama to finish his avatarakarya. It is to be noted that he has tuned 1000 verses of Kamban in apt ragas.It would be a great treasure to posterity if someone comes forward to make a recording of it.

Some of the gems are;
1) Sita remembers Rama and pines for him and here Kamban uses the word ' thaazndha kaigal ' of which TNS said that it reminds of Vamana whose hands were low on account of receiving the dhaana, which is an implication that Rama is none other than Narayana.

2) His explanation of ' thaLLaadhakaalam' as 'edhaiyumthaLLaadhakaalam' which results in misery for man.

3) Why does the elephant puts mud on its head soon after bathing? TNS gave a beautiful reason. The earth has been covered by the Lord in all His avatharas and the elephant sprinkles the particles of earth touch by His feet to purify itself.

4) Kamban describes Rama as mazaimugilvaNNan while he calls Thataka maivaNNattharakki, said TNS, to show the colour of the former is like rainbearing clouds indicative of His mercy while the colour of the latter was the darkness of thamas.

5)Why does kamban refers to Paarkadal as karumkadal? It is because the Lord is the emerald, maragathavaNNan, which, when put in the milk will change its colour from white to black

6)TNS gave a beautiful explanation for the words of Kamban 'anjil aimbadhil onrariyaadha' in the verse 'nanjam annavarai,' the message to Sugriva, who forgot his promise, from Rama through Lakshmana. He gave out several meanings with reference to Sita, Ravana and The lord Himself who has come as Rama and so on by different grouping of the letters.

7) Rama says to Sita ' ippiraviyil irumaadharai chindhaiyalum thodEn.' TNS elucidated it to mean that Rama, as Narayana, promises not to think even about His own consorts, Bhoo and NeeLaa , in that incarnation as Rama. The word was 'irumaadhar' and not 'piramaadhar' as it could have been.

8) TNS highlighted the humour of Kamban in the lines ' venjina vaali meeLaan vaalum poi ozindhadhu anre,' where Hanuman informed Ravana of the killing of Vali, as Ravana had a reason to fear the tail of Vaali.

9)Hanuman tells Rama ' kandanan karpinukku aNiyai kaNgaLaal'. TNS gave a wonderful explanation of the word 'kaNgaLaal' and said that all would see only with eyes which was not meant here but that Hanuman saw the chastity of Sita through her eyes as eyes are the windows of the soul.

10) Last but not least was the scene of Vibheeshana saraNaagathi where TNS gave out the essence of Vaishnavadharma, consisting in selfless service, hospitality, self effacing devotion to Bhagavaan and Bhaagavathas, Ahimsa, sathyam etc.
On the whole the Harikatha, besides the enchanting music of Seshagopalan, brought out the real spirit of Kamban as a devotee, simultaneously enhancing his lyrical value. Kamban portrayed Rama through out as the Supreme Lord who covered Himself with His own Maya, athireka maayaa, to quote TNS, and enacted the role of chakravarthitirumagan. TNS explained this athireka maayaa with excellent examples. One would conclude that those who can find anything disparaging to say about this harikatha programme must have been covered with athireka maayaa, that is, an illusion of their own making

concert reviews

4-3-2006 - concert at Hamsadhwani
The concert started with varnam in Begada which was followed by the Thyagaraja kritis 'Girirajasutha' and 'sobillusaptasvara.' Next came Saaranga which was 'sa ranga,' colourful. The kriti in Saranga was 'neevaada' of Thyagaraja, with his usual extraordinary kalpanasvaras. The Sarmati kriti 'Mokshamu galadhaa,' that followed proved that the music of TNS is the passport to Moksha as specified by Thyagaraja, rich in bhakthi and sangitajnana. The kudos was reached in Bhairavi which was really BHA RAVI, the splendour of the Sun. The rasikas were treated to his bhairavi three times so far within the short duration of three months, on 25th Dec. at Tarangini, on 30thDec. at Valayappatti naadhaalaya and today at Hamsadhwani. The exotic Bairavi and the kriti 'Thanayuni brova' was splashed with a cascade of svaras endin in a whirlpool centered round 'Pa Da Pa' resembling the chanting of Samaveda and the sound of Padukasahasra in which a whole stanza consists of the same syllables. TNS then took up the Uththukkaadu composition ' sonnaal oziya manam in Kannada and after 'bhaagaaya, ' a padham in Saveri the concert ended with the Periyaazvaar pasuram 'siruviralgal thadavi, which describes Krishna, the flute player, which was as usual an audio visual presented by the expressive music which ended with Thillana in Sindhubairavi. An unparalleled exposition indeed!
24-2-2006 Veenaconcert at Hamsadhwani
When TNS plays on the veena or keyboard his fingers seem to vie with his voice. His veena speaks and one can hear the words. The resonance is somthing fantastic as he produces infinite gamakas with just one stroke of his finger. The concert on 24th was no exception. Starting from the Mohanavarnam the kriti 'Devadeva in Mayamalavgoula , the Nattai panchrathna and the Anandabhairavi kriti 'Marivere ' were all of the usual standard of excellence The Bindumalini of Thyagaraja was full of melody but the highlight of the day was the Subapanthuvarali 'Ennaallurage' in which the raga and the svara were fabulous keeping the audience enthralled. The main piece was the Sankarabharana kriti 'Svararagasudha' of Thyagaraja for which TNS played Thanam in Ragamalika. At the end TNS surprised the audience by playing ' kaatrinile varum geetham' and 'Hariharathmajam.'

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RTPS of TNS onAIR

There were RTP broadcasts on All India Radio sung by TNS for the past five weeks. HE sang Hamsadvani/Nagasvaravali, Shanmukhapriya, Kamalamanohari, Dharmavathi and Bhagesri. There is none to excel TNS in manodharma which is explicit in his delineation of raga and svaraprasthara. No one else except perhaps some of the stalwarts of yesteryears can sing such an RTP on such a minor raga like Kamalamanohar except TNS. When TNS sings the svaras he fondles them as though he is patting them with a peacock feather and deposits them like deepas let down on a river of music. His svaras are mellifluous yet forceful. The svaras gush forth with alacrity and like flowers strewn on the river. He loves his music and the music loves him. TNS infuses bhava even in his delineation of raga. Not only the sahithyabhava but even the ragabhava is enough to move the heart of a rasika. The divinity that is manifest in music is visible through the raga sung by TNS. He is able to portray the raga in one svara alone like the strokes of a master artist who later fills it up with deft strokes of paint (raga). He is a master artiste indeed!

HARK ! TNS SINGS

AIR has been broadcasting the RTP concerts of TNSeshagopalan for the past three weeks.RTPin Hamsadvani-Nagasvaravali on 7th was fantastic being one of his specialities. The RTP in Shanmukhapriya was wonderful with his fascinating delineation of the raga and the svaraprasthara was extraordinary which could be heard only from him. The third RTP was in Kalamanohari rendered with an unbelievable mastery of a raga which though a minor one was made a major by his skill. The svaraprasthara was enchanting because it was melliflous yet forceful. He fondled the svaras as though patting them with a peacock feather releaing them like flowers in the stream of music.

There will be Dharmavathi RTP by him next week. So tune in to Madras 1 next tuesday at 8.45am sharp. Two more RTPS by TNS are to be broadcast on 28thFeb. and on 7th March.
Don't miss his Harikatha on Kambaramayana in Hamsadvani during 5th to 9th April. 

TNSeshagopalan
TNSeshagopalan a maestro of carnatic music and a creative genius. An excellent exponent of harikatha. He is going to do harikatha on Kambaramayanam in Hamsadvani from 5th to 9th April. Don't miss it.AIR is braodcasting his RTP series every Tuesday in Arangisai at 8.45 am. So far there were three of his RTPS, Hamsadvani-Nagasvaravali, Shanmukhapriya and Kamalamanohari.Next week it will be an RTP in Dharmavathi. His delineation of raga and the renderin g of svaraprasthara is something to be heard to be believed. While HAMSADVANI-NAGASVARAVALI was brilliant being double barrelled, the SHANMUKHAPRIYA was fabulous both in raga alapana and svaras which were out of the ordinary. The minor raga KAMALAMANOHARI was given a stastus of a major raga which is possible only by such a stalwart as TNS. The svaras were melliflous yet forceful and he fondled each svara as though patting thyem with a peacock feather and the flow of svaras were like flowers strewn in river os music.
posted by rasika_tns @ 1:59 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
TNS-Alegend of our times
The music which reflects the divinity within and transmits the same in the listener is a great blessing, where there is a communion with the inner self which is

TNSeshagopalan
TNSeshagopalan a maestro of carnatic music and a creative genius. An excellent exponent of harikatha. He is going to do harikatha on Kambaramayanam in Hamsadvani from 5th to 9th April. Don't miss it.AIR is braodcasting his RTP series every Tuesday in Arangisai at 8.45 am. So far there were three of his RTPS, Hamsadvani-Nagasvaravali, Shanmukhapriya and Kamalamanohari.Next week it will be an RTP in Dharmavathi. His delineation of raga and the renderin g of svaraprasthara is something to be heard to be believed. While HAMSADVANI-NAGASVARAVALI was brilliant being double barrelled, the SHANMUKHAPRIYA was fabulous both in raga alapana and svaras which were out of the ordinary. The minor raga KAMALAMANOHARI was given a stastus of a major raga which is possible only by such a stalwart as TNS. The svaras were melliflous yet forceful and he fondled each svara as though patting thyem with a peacock feather and the flow of svaras were like flowers strewn in river os music.
posted by rasika_tns @ 1:59 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
TNS-Alegend of our times
The music which reflects the divinity within and transmits the same in the listener is a great blessing, where there is a communion with the inner self which is

TNSeshagopalan

TNSeshagopalan a maestro of carnatic music and a creative genius. An excellent exponent of haraikatha. He is going to di harikatha on Kambaramayanam in Hamsadvani from 5th to 9th April. Don't miss it.
AIR is braodcasting his RTP series every Tuesday in Arangisai at 8.45 am. So far there were three of his RTPS, Hamsadvani-Nagasvaravali, Shanmukha priya andf Kamalamanohari.Next week it will be an RTP in Dharmavathi. His delineation of raga and the renderin g of svaraprasthara is something to be heard to be believed. Whiloe HAMSADVANI-NAGASVARAVALI was brilliant being double barrelled the SHANMUKHAPRIYA was fabulous both in raga alapana and svaras which were out of the ordinary. The minor raga KAMALAMANOHARI was given a stastus of a major raga which is possible only by such a stalwart as TNS. The svaras were melliflous yet forceful and he fondled each svara as though patting thyem with a peacock feather and the flow of svaras were like flowers strewn in river os music. 

TNS-Alegend of our times

The music which reflects the divinity within and transmits the same in the listener is a great blessing, where there is a communion with the inner self which is purely divine. To achieve that one should listen with open heart, a heart free from ego, prejudice and preconceived notions. To such a heart the divinity manifests in the form of music, blessed is the artist who is adept in receiving and communicating Naadhabrahman of which he had direct experience and equally blessed is the rasika who is able to receive it fully. Such a musician is a vadhaanya, a generous man ,who gives everything he has. Sa eva vadhaanyah yaha aseshavisraananadakshah sva kosajaatharatnaani mahaarhaani sangeethaarnava uddhrthaani. This is the impression one gathers on hearing the music of TNS.
A musician like TNS comes only once in a millenium. some singers cash on their melodious voice alone, others try to become popular by gimmicks and set patterns and even those who are able to put feeling into their singing lack the skill of presenting a raaga in its full splendour or fail to indulge in a delightful swaraprasthaara with a mastery in laya . TNS alone possesses all these skills and heart rendering melody in addition and also depth of feeling enhanced by the mastery over raaga and laya.
The concerts of TNS are audio visuals For instance, in the recent concert at the Bharatiya vidya Bhavan in Mylapore where he was awarded the title of 'Sivan isai selvan' by the Papanasam Sivan Rasikar Samgam, TNS sang the kriti 'Thanigai valar saravanabhava' in thodi, one could actually see the playful dance of the peacock when he sang the line 'Thulli vilaiyadaivarum thogai mayil.' Later in the song 'Enna thavam seidhanai,' TNS depicted Krishna calling his mother in different moods 'Amma enrazaikka', as only he can do, bringing out the full significance of the sahihyabhava. When he reached the part of the song 'Uralil katti vay poththi kenjavaihthai,' it was a different story altogether. The rasikas witnessed the difficulty Yasodha experienced in trying to tie the Parabrahmam to the mortar and the enchanting scene in which Krishna was entreating His mother,'kenja vaiththai kannanai,' all being presented visually in the mode of singing. TNS is not a mere isai selvar but also a iyal isai nataka selvar as all the three aspects are present in his music. It made this rasika exclaim ' Enna thavam seidhomo,' to listen to such music and to be able to understand and appreciate its merit.
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TNS is a genius and nadhopasaka par excellence. He breathes music and lives on music. Even when he is tired, as when he has just arrived after his tour out of town, the moment he goes on stage he is full of vigour and produces enchanting music with no sign, whatsoever of his exhaustion due to travel. This makes his rasikas wonder as to what is his secret of energy, only to conclude that his music is his secret energy! TNS is nota mere musician. Her is the embodiment of music. A rasika of more than thirty five years standing remarked that TNS is the emperor of Thodi to which this rasika would like to add that TNS is really the emperor of whole empire of ragas with Thodi as his capital! Whichever raga he handles, it vies with others to become his masterpiece. Same thing happens, when he renders the krithis, those which are well known to be the specialties of others seem to woo him to become his.
When a musician commited to his art sings the nadabrahman is manifest in his music even perhaps without his knowledge and the listener who is attuned to the spirit of the singer which is trying to express the divinity through his music is able to feel the presence of God. I am writing this through my own experience. When a singer forgets himself in his music he becomes one with God. The listener who has same wave length is able to experience the divine presence. This happens not only with the sahithya bhava but also during the raga alapana and swaraprasthara, which proves that bhava in music is not confined to words or language. That is why I feel that words are only auxiliary and not prerequisite to bhavasangeetham. If the musician contacts the divinity through his music he is able to communicate it to the fortunate rasika who is a sahrdhaya and receives the divine outburst of the musician like a well tuned wireless receiver equiment.When that happens the rasika is no more satisfied with anything less like the mongoose in Mahabharatha which became golden in one half and was not satisfied with anything which could not make his other half golden too. When God chooses to appear to me through the music of TNS who am I to prevent Him!

concerts of TNSeshagopalan- season 2005-6

1-1-2006 at Tamizisai- ANNAMALAI MANRAM
The year started gloriously with the Pasurams of Mudalazvars. TNS usually gives thematic concerts in Tamizisai every year. He has given conceerts on Kambha Ramayana, Thayumanavar padalgal, Arutpa of Vallalar and Tiruppugaz in the last few years and several other compositons earlier. This year he chose the pasurams of poigai Azvar, Bhoothathazvar and Peyazvar, who were the first among the azvars and hence were called Mudhalaazvars. The story goes that all the three were taking shelter in a small place where the Lord Himself came and gave them His darsan. TNS brought this out before our eyes through his music.
TNS, after an inspiring short speech on the devotional aspect of the compositions started with’ Pallandu pallandu ‘ in a traditional manner and then sang the invocatory verses on the three azvars by Mudaliyandan and then proceeded to sing the first pasuram of each of the three, all set in nattai raga, thus setting the scene for devotional fervour. The first pasurams are really beautiful in their meaning which was vividly portrayed by the music and one could feel the emotional content. We had a glimpse of the Lord in the lamp lit by the music in keeping with the words of the azvars, ‘Vaiyam thagaliya.varkadale neyyaga veyyakkadiron vilakkaga etc. and felt the meaning of the words thirukkanden, ponmeni kanden.
He selected sets of three pasurams, consisting of the compositions of all the three, set in ragas various ragas which included the piece in Ahiri, ‘Parkadalum venkatamum’ which is one of the favourites of his rasikas. After leading the audience gradually into the sanctum sanctorum through the pasurams steeped in devotion and soaked in the essence of the beautiful ragas TNS brought everybody to the divine presence of the Lord , the glimpse of whom was obtained earlier, in the pasuram’namam pala solli narayana’ which was sung in Bhairavi with niraval svaram . We witnessed the whole thirumanjanam of the Lord performed with the raga alapana and svaraprasthara , the madhyamakala svara serving as the sahasranama archana. The pasuram ‘adivannam thamarai’ sung as a viruththam before ‘Namam pala solli’ which was set to thala, presented the scene of the lotus rising from its roots and blossoming out and the Pasuram ended aptly with the word ‘azagu’ The beauty of the music depicted in the pasuram was in keeping with that of the lyric and was a fitting prologue to the niraval at ‘karumamugilvannan.’ The audience had the elated feeling of having visited the temple and witnessed the thirumanjanam of the Lord. What an experience on the first day of the year!


31-12-2005- Nadhabrahmam- Bharathiyavidyabhavan
The concertbegan with varnam in Mohanam followed by ‘ragaratnamaloikache’ in raga Reethigoula.Next was ‘Nayakanai ninra ‘, tiruppavai in the raga Nayaki. The main piece was ‘Sarojadalanethtri’ in Snkarabharanam which was preceded by ‘Samajavaragamana’ in raga Hindolam which was beautiful .The Sankarabharanam had all the usual embellishments in which TNS was ably aided by TNASKrishna. The concert was short and sweet and ended with ashtapadi ‘chandanacharchitha’ in Behag preceded by a padham in Saveri by Kshethrajna.

30-12-2005 at woodlands – felicitation of Thiruchi Sankaran.- MORNING
TNS gave a concert after the felicitation function. The speech of TNS felicitating Thiruchi Sankaran and the other awardees, one of them being his own disciple Madurai Sundar, was as excellent as his music that followed. A lunch was announced after the concert but the rasikas felt ‘Do we need food after this?’ as they were filled with the delicious music. It was short but sweet.
Beginning with Sriragvarnam TNS launched on to ‘Telisirama ‘ Poornachandrika and ‘Nenarunchinanu’ in Malavi. I say ‘launched’; because they were forceful like rockets.
Next came a big surprise. TNS sang ‘Nadhathanumanisam’ in Chittharanjani raga, with suddhanishadham, as janya of19th melakartaraga Jankaradwani instead of the usual form, sung as janya of Kharaharapriya. He said that it was the old tradition and later it was changed, may be due to the fact that the song is about Lord Siva who is kharaharapriya, dear to Rama , the killer of khara and because it contains the words samavedasaram , and the samaveda consists of the notes of Kharaharapriya. However the raga as sung by him was indeed chiththaranjani when listened with an open mind.
The Hamsanadham that followed was also quaint because it was the version found in old patantharam like that of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar in which it is sung as a janya of Neethimathi with shatsruthi dhaivatham. TNS sang the kriti composed in this form of the raga by Muthiah Bhagavathar.knowmn as Sivasthothrakriti,’ Krpanidhe krpajaladhe.’
TNS then sang ‘Karunajuchuninu in Sriragam a Shyamasasthri kriti and svaraprasthara was, as to be expected with such audience, layapradhana and the thani by Guruvayur Durai was also suited to the mood of the day. When Guruvayur Durai was about to finish his korvai TNS joined with him and sang it together which elicited the appreciative comment from Durai that the korvai which he prepared specially for the day was understood by TNS in a split-second and he sang it and he said that there can be one and only Seshagopalan who can do that.
TNS finished the concert with the thillana in Huseni, his own composition and tiruppugaz.
It is said of the Sanskrit work ‘Kadhambhari’ of Bhattabhana that ’Kadhambhari rasajnanaam aharopi na rochathe.’ It means that those who have tasted the Kadhambhari do not care for food even . This exactly described the mood of the rasikas on that day.
30-12-2005 – at Valayappatti ‘s Nadhalaya – EVENING
The concert started with ‘Vallabhanayakasya in Begada, followed by ‘Kanchadhalaayathaakshi’ in Kamalamanohari. Then came Natakapriya raga with the song ‘Thaye undhan,’ followed by ‘Rajarajarajithe’ in raga Niroshta by Muthiah Bhagavathar. So far it has been an unusual fare consisting of quaint ragas. Then came Bhairavi in all its grandeur. Which made the rasikas exclaim’what a Bhairavi.’ In fact one musician cum rasika from the audience went to TNS after the alapana and said that no one can sing such a Bhairavi except TNS. The song was ‘Kamakshi ambha’ of Shyamasasthri during the end part of which Valayappatti walked in and after finishing the song TNS left it to the percussionists to play Thaniavarthanam. Manjeri Esvaran was on mridangam and K.V.Gopalakrishnan on kanjira. Of course MChandrasekharan played on the violin both in the morning and the evening. The Thani was well appreciated especially by Valayappatti and the young Gopala Krishnan drew admiration from the other artistes on the stage by his excellent and enthusiastic performance. It was a delight to watch him. Some of the rasikas may have wondered why TNS left it for Thani without singing neraval svaram. But no! He started the neraval after the Thani He weaved a canopy for Goddess Kamakshi with his svaras which was laya pradhana as in the morning and seated Her on the throne erected earlier with his alapana . TNS sang Bhairavi earlier in his concert in Tarangini on 25th which was a treasure for the rasikas and Bhairavi on this day was a bounty , a bonanza which made the rasikas feel like billionaires.
The concert ended with the viruttham ‘pullinvai pilandhittai’ a ragamalika

29-12-2005 - at Naradaganasabha
The concert started with a kriti in Ritigoula 'Satguru swamiki ' which was followed by 'Kanakangakaa ' in raga kanakangi by Koteesvara aiyar. Then came the sweet sound of the swan, yes, the raga Hamsanadam which was delineated in an elaborate manner in the fantastic style of TNS. The song was Kalyanarama, a composition of Uthukkadu Venakatasubbaiyar.the svara on Hamsanadam was fabulous, a real array of rajahamsas. After a short respite in 'Kamalambasamrakshathu ' in Anandabhairavi TNS launched a magnificent Abheri with grahabhedha , a usual fare in his concerts, and started ‘Nagumomu' the kriti which is a perennial source of delight to his rasikas because it never satiates no matter how many times one listens to it. The svaras sounded like a bheri nadham, aa-bheri, from a divine drum. The concert ended with the sloka 'Vaidehisahitham’ in Maund followed by ' He dhayaaluvaa ' in the same raga.

28-12-2005 at Kapali FineArts.
TNS started the concert with varnam in raga Panthuvarali which was followed by the kriti ' sarasasamadhana.' Then came ‘Jagadhanandhakaraka ' in Nattai. Madhyamavathi raga alapa preceded the kriti of Thyagaraja, ‘Ramakathasudha,' a beautiful song beautifully rendered. The Ragam Thanam Pallavi was in Simhendramadhyamam, the pallavi containing the word ' Raghavasimha ' indicative of the raga. The svaraprasthara was a ragamalika including the ragas Marubehag and Ahiri and of course Kapi and was delicious and delightful, and the Simhendramadhyama was really a supreme king of lions, Simhendra-utthama parading the hall with the gait of a lion. The audience consisted of knowledgeable connoisseurs of music, what you could call a quality audience, and, the concert was well applauded.

26-12-2005 - Sriranjani Fine Arts
The organisor being Sri Ranjani Fine Arts TNS chose to sing Ranjani as well as Sriranjani as expected of him. If Ranjani was a ranjani indeed, colourful and delightful, the Sriranjani was even more enriched. The songs chosen were Kaadhiruvenu in Ranjani by Ambujam Krishna and Bhuvinidasuda in Sriranjani of Thyagaraja. Next was Ambha Neelaayuathaakshi in Neelaambhari. The highlight of the day was the ragam thanam pallavi in Subhapanthuvarali which was a shubha panthuvarali That day being the day of Tsunami a year ago, as the secretary of Sriranjani mentioned, the concert and the RTP in Subha panthuvarali especially, was a tsunami in its mountainous waves of raga and svara, while, as TNS remarked that carnatic music is always Sunami as the musician sings only the nama of the Lord, the Su-Nami, the concert was a Tsunami which swept the rasikas off their feet only to take them to the realms of joy, constructive and conducive to wellbeing and not destructive like the other.



25-12-2005 morning at Tharangini - RKSwami hall - evening at Music academy.
TNS rasikas were overjoyed to hear two concerts of his on the same day. The morning concert started with 'Thappulanniyu' in Bowli appropriate for a morning concert. The raga Bilaharii followed with its usual grandeur and the Kriti was 'Sri chaamundeesvari to the surprise of those who expected Paridana or Kanukondini. Well, TNS is full of surprises! The main piece was however 'Thanayunibrova ' in Bhairavi and the glory of the bhairavi that emerged and the svaras that followed is to be heard to be believed.
The svaraprasthara in Bhairavi was unique and glorious and when TNS sang svaras in such a manner that the svaras 'pa da pa' occurring often a rasika exclaimed that it was like hearing the Padukasahasra of Vedantadesika, who is famous for packing so much meaning in a few syllables, sometimes even one or two, repeated in succession , which give different meanings with different derivations. The skill of TNS is also similar in as much as he separates and combines the svaras with different laya combinations.So the compliment is well deserved.
After that TNS sang 'Vadanadhyuthijithasoma ' the panthuvarali utsavasampradayakriti of Thyagaraja which was as usual full of delicate grace in the way he alone can sing that kriti. The thillana in Huseni , a composition of TNS himself was different in its mellowed pace nevertheless mellifluous in grace and gave a deceptive idea to the audience that the concert is going to end with that. But no! TNS never fails to surprise his listeners!
He started the all time favourite ' sayamkale vananthe in ragamalika which is a perennial source of delight to his rasikas. The greatest surprise of all came when he finished the ragamalika in sindhubhairavi and sang the thillana in the same raga! The audience were thrilled to be treated to such a fare with two thillanas to boot. The concert was a wonderful and fulfilling feast of the morning.
In the evening in the music academy it was a different feast altogether. TNS started with Begada varnam and it was followed by 'Evvare Ramayya ' in Gangeyabhooshani. Next was ' Namoralakimpave ' in Yadukulakamboji. TNS started Thodi keeping the rasikas guessing as to which kriti will follow and it was 'Emanimadaladi.' The Thodi was beautiful as ever but the Hameerkalyani Ragam Thanam Pallavi was the show-stealer. TNS sang the raga as he alone could and it deserved to be called 'Amir' kalyani being rich in nuances well displayed and the Pallavi ' Maamaayan Vaikundhan sreemannarayananan ' was brilliant and the svaras that followed were gems, really rich in their splendour.
The end part was the rasika's delight, the sloka 'Sayamkale ' the beauty of which should be heard to be understood. The audience went out with joy and contentment and the general comment from all and sundry was 'what a mastery of music,' barring perhaps some critics, not all, who cannot be a critic and a rasika a the same time, which makes one wonder whether the terms rasika and critic are mutually exclusive.



24-12-2005 at Krishna Gana Sabha - veena concert
It was refreshing to hear TNS playing veena after a long time.The concert started with 'Vandanamu raghunanadana' in Sahana followed by Jagadanandakaraka. The special feature in his playing pancharatna kriti is that you can distinguish the svara and sahitya because of the gayaka style.in veena. Next came the rasikas' favourite,' Meenakshi me mudham ' in Gamanasrama played absolutely without srama and full of nuances of gamaka. After a racy 'Sarasa sama dana,' in Kapinarayani ' Marivere ' in Anandabhairavi was a precedent to even more melodious ' Ksheerasagara ' in Devagandhari, after which the rasikas were treated to a wonderful Subhapanthuvarali Ragam Thanam, the latter being ragamalika which was exquisite. TNS played the Thyagarajakriti ' Ennaallu oorage ' in Subhapanthuvarali and the tailpieces were ' Chinnanchirukiliye' and Harigunagavatha in Marubehag.

23-12-2005 at Krishna Gana Sabha
It was a fabulous concert TNS was flanked by Tiruchi Sankaran on Mridangam, Karthik on ghatam and Mysore Manjunath on violin. It was a great teamwork by a grand team and the concert was a glorious success. TNS started with the Yadukulakamboji kriti of Thyagaraja , 'Hechcharigagaarara' as if to welcome the royal visitor who followed , namely , 'Srirajagopala ' in Saveri. It was a regal Saveri and the Bhavapriya that came next was truly in the seshagopalanic style.
The topping piece was Kharaharapriya , the raga that took everyone through the royal path. Yes, the kriti was ' Sakkani rajamargamu' to the absolute delight of the rasikas. The kriti was embellished with the percussionic decoration by Sankaran and Karthik. 'Dunmargacharaadhamulanu' in ranjani was ranjaka , pleasing and the surprise that was in store for the rasikas was the Ragam, Thanam, Pallavi in Bhagesri with the famous Pallavi of TNS, ' somasekarapriyavaamabhagesri.' Words cannot describe the glory of the RTP .
The pallavis of TNS are always interesting as he somehow contrives to include the name of the raga in the words of the pallavi in a meaningful and charming manner. The Thani avarthanam was as to be expected with such stalwarts of percussion .The concert was on the whole a BhaRaTham, rich in bhava, raga and thala skilfully rendered as only TNS could. TNS Krishna gave able vocal support and Mysore Manjunath accompanied skilfully on the violin.

22-12-2005 - at Lakshmansruti - Kamaraj memorial
TNS started the concert with a krithi in Begada 'abhimanamunu ' which was followed by Anandabhairavi raga alapana. Anandabhairavi was true to its name, creating ananda in the rasika. He sang the Shyamasastri krithi 'Marivere ' with all its usual charm. This was followed by an exaustive alapa of Hemavathi. The raga and the kriti 'Sri Kanthimatheem ' were shining with golden hue (hemakanthI). The viruththam 'pullinvai pilandhittai ' was a ragamalika ending in Hamsanandi which preceded the thillana in the same raga. The concert in Lakshmanasruti was lakshmisampannasruti, gold to be treasured.
21-12-2005 at Parthasarathiswami sabha
The concert was announced as Tiruppavai gana manjari and it was just that. A manjari in Sanskrit means a bunch or a bouquet and the concert was indeed a bunch of many coloured (raga ranjitha) flowers of Tiruppavai Pasurams of Sri Andal. What Andal gave the Lord a garland, ‘pannu thiruppavai palpadhiyam innisaiyal padi kkodutthal narpaamalai’ was made into a bouquet by TNS. He gave the pasurams all together , in quick succession with amazing alacrity, notwithstanding the insertion of svara-jugglery, which was actually alankrithy ,decoration, with delightful and sparkling svaras set in velvety bed of ragas. Umayalpuram Sivaraman’s accompaniment served as a casket to display the jewelled flowerbunch offered by TNS. It was a breathtaking performance for the rasikas!

18-12-2005 MFA.
How much punya we have done to listen to three gorgeous concerts in a row. A hat trick indeed! As M. Chandrasekar who accompanied TNS rightly remarked it was a torrent both outside and inside .But the latter was a welcoming shower while the former was not. Svaras of 'marugelara ' was a Niagara
The Hamirkalyani was a 'amir' kalyani (rich) In kedaragoula, 'Saragunapalimpa,' TNS has ploughed the 'kedara' (field ) and harvested a bountiful crop. He did svaraprasthara in ' varguna seshadri varadavenkateswara' when he brought the whole Brahmothsava of the Lord of Tirumala before the eyes of rasikas. All the gaits of the Lord, Simhagati, Rishabhagati, Gajagati and Vyagragati were displayed in the svaragati.We could visualise Seshavahana (pun intended), Garudavahna,Hanumanta vahana and other alankaras in the svaraprasthara.
And, there are no words to describe the Shanmukhapriya RTP where TNSKrishna also contributed his share for its splendour and it was not shanmukhapriya but a ‘rasikapriya’ and sarvajanapriya. Witnessing the torrent inside even the rain accepted defeat and stopped

17-12-2005.Sruthilaya at Astikasamajam- venus colony.
All the pieces sung being well known drew much appreciation. Gangeyabhooshani was exquisite and the ‘Bantureethikolu’ was matching the mood outside with its thick shower of svaras in which TNSKrishna competed with his father for excellence. The Kalyani transported the rasikas into the realm of divine bliss. We had an added bonus in 'Sayankale ' which was full of rasa , an evergreen (nava) favourite of his rasikas.

16-12-2005- Bharatkalachar at Padmaseshadri balabhavan
Today being the first day of Margazi TNS started his concert with ‘Margazi thingal’, Thiruppavai.It was followed by ‘Srivaralakshmi in Sriraga.. Next came Kamboji which was a treat to the rasikas with the composition of Muthiah Bhagavathar, ‘Ratnakanchukadhaarini’ in which Kamboji was decked with the ratnas in the form of svaras TNS sang the varali Pancharathna of Thyagaraja, the clarity of which was later praised by Mrs. YGP.
The main raga was however Kiravani, with his famous pallavi ‘gambeeravani.’
If the Kamboji was majestic in its regal attire and royal gait, the Kiravani was divine, gambiravani like akasavani. Mrs. YGP who spoke after the pallavi said. that TNS is standing like a collossus over the sea of music which was an apt description. The song that followed 'vandhuketpar illaiyo' which TNS sang on being requested by Mrs. YGP described the stealing of the hearts by Krishna. It depicted accurately the effect the music created on the rasikas. This Uthukadu composition was rendered beautifully by TNS as he alone could.


8-12-2005 - Kartik finearts at Narada gana sabha
TNS started the concert with 'Sadhinchane' in Arabhi. followed by ' Etulabrothuvo in Chakravakam. The alapana was of usual standard and the kalpna swara was at 'ekantharamayya which was quaint and interesting. Next came 'yojana' in Durbar which was cyclonic. The main peace was 'Meenakshi me mudam' in Poorvi kalyani , the alapana which precededthe krithi was simply superb and the swaraprasthara had all its usual splendour, with Krishna joining in. After the thani avarthanam TNS sang 'Ivnaaro' in Kamboji which was expressive of the ardour contained in the sahithya, followed by the ashtapadi 'Sancharadhadhara' in syamkalyan, which was sweet as usual. Surprisingly the concert came to a close with that.