Rotary Club of Chennai Galaxy- Charter Day- 18/2/12

This was held at Marina Towers, Egmore on 18th February, 2012.






























I received the "Performing artist award" on this happy occasion.

Other awardees were:

DR.A.V.Srinivasan - Distinguished Physician Award
Dr.Sekar Raghavan - Resource Conservationist Award
Deepa Sathiaram - Vocational Excellence Award
Aditya Maheswaran - Young Achiever Award

































PDG Rtn. Raja Ramakrishnan was the chief guest and His Excellency Shaun Wedick, Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner for Canada in Chennai was the guest of honour on this occasion.

Sree Ramakrishna Bhajana Sabha Trust-17/2/12

This concert was held at Odukathur Mutt, Bangalore, as part of their Maha Shivarathri Celebrations.













Accompanists:

Mysore Srikanth - Violin
H.S.Sudhindra - Mridangam
Sukanya Ramgopal- Ghatam













Song List: (R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1. sri gaNapathi - saurAshtram - Adi - tyAgarAja
2. giripriyam gangAdharam - katanakuthuhalam - Adi- Muthiah bhAgavatar
3. ardhanAreeswaram - kumudakriyA - rUpakam- muttuswAmi dIkshitar (R,S)
4. vEdapurIshwaram - dhanyAsi - muttuswAmi dIkshitar (R)
5. ambA neelAyathAakshi - neelAmbari - Adi- muttuswAmi dIkshitar
6. innamum sandEha - keeravAni - misracApu - gOpAlakrishna bhArati (R,N,S,T)
7. nambikettavar - hindOlam - Adi-pApanAsam sivan
8. RTP- AbhOgi-"oru taram sivachidambaram endruraithAl pOdumA anudinam orE"
9. rAmakrishnaru - tilang - Adi- purandaradAsa
10.jagajjanani - ratipatipriyA - Adi- ghanam Krishna iyer
11. Mangalam

Rathnagirishwarar Temple-12/2/12

This is one of my favourite concert venues.

Shivarathri celebrations are very grand at this temple.







Accompanists:

B.U.Ganeshprasad - Violin
Poongulam Subramanian - Mridangam
Sreesundarkumar - Kanjira



















Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1. vara vallabha- hamsadhwani - Adi -G.N.Balasubramaniam (S)
2. chintayE mahAlinga - paras - Adi - muttuswAmi dIkshitar
3. karpagAmbikE - bilahari - rUpakam - pApanasam sivan (R,S)
4. I vasudhA - sahAnA - Adi - tyAgarAja
5. utrumai sErvadu - shankarAbharaNam - Adi - tirugnAnasambandar tEvAram
6. sakala lOka nAyikE- Arabhi - Adi - UthukAdu vEnkatasubbier
7. saravana bhavA - pasupatipriyA - Adi - harikEsanallur muthiah bhAgavatar
8. bhajarE rE - kalyANi- misracApu - muttuswAmi dIkshitar (R,N,S,T)
9. muddukrishnA - senjurutti - Adi - UthukAdu vEnkatasubbier
10. sri mAdhavA - behAg - Adi - pApanAsam sivan
11. virutham, enakkum unakkum- bhairavi - rUpakam - rAmalinga swAmigal arutpA
12.nAgendra hArAya - rAgamAlikA - kantacApu - AdishankarA
13. mangaLam- pantuvarALi - kantacApu - harikEsanallur muthiah bhAgavatar

Sharada Cultural Trust, Hyderabad - 10/2/12

Venue: Keyes High School. Open Air Auditorium. Great ambience.





Accompanists:
Akkarai Subhalakshmi - Violin
J.Vaidyanathan- Mridangam








Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1. varNam- srirAgam - Adi
2. vallabhA nAyakasya - bEgadA- rUpakam - muttuswAmi dIkshitar (S)
3. badalika deera - reethigowLa - Adi - tyAgarajA (R,S)
4. EkAmranAtheshwarENa - caturaNgiNi - Adi - muttuswAmi dIkshitar(R)
5. sarasa sAmadAna - kApi nArAyaNi - Adi - tyAgarajA
6. tanayuni brOva - bhairavi - Adi - tyAgarAjA (R,N,S,T)
7. tuNai purindaruL - varamu - Adi - pApanAsam Sivan
8. RTP - poorvikalyANi - kanta triputa (R,N,S)
"dAsarathE mAm pAlaya dayAnidhe inakula tilaka"
Ragamalika swarams:NAta,kAnadA,mOhanam,KeeravANi,hamsAnandi,hindOLam,kalyANi, valaji,shanmukhapriyA,shankarAbharaNam,vasantA,mOhanakalyANi,bEgadA,surutti.
9. irakkam varAmal - behAg - rUpakam - gOpAlakrishna bhArati
10.jagajjanani - ratipatipriyA - Adi - Ghanam krishna iyer
11. virutham (pAsuram):surutti,neelAmbari,vasantA,sAma,kApi followed by
kannA vA - rAgamAlikA - Adi - ambujam KrishnA
12. ArAr AsaippadAr - nAdanAmakriyA - muthuthAndavar
13. mangaLam

Sri Ram Samaj - 5/2/12

This concert was held at Ayodhya Mantapam, West Mambalam as part of the Tyagaraja Aradhana series. Concerts on all days had artists singing Tyagaraja Kritis from start to finish.

Accompanists:

V.Sanjeev - Violin
Thanjavur Subramaniam - Mridangam
Sree Sundarkumar -Kanjira

Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1.munduvenuga - darbAr - Adi
2.sItApati - kamAs - Adi (S)
3.sAdinchanE - Arabhi - Adi (R)
4.sandEhamunu - rAmapriyA - Adi (R,S)
5.tanavAri- bEgadA - Adi
6.Ehi trijagadeesa - sArangA - misra cApu (S)
7.enduku peddala - shankarAbharaNam - Adi (R,N,S,T)
8.rAma pAhi - kApi - misra cApu
9.rAmuni maravakavE - kEdAragowLa
10.ennaga manasuku - neelAmbari - Adi
11.vadanadhyuti - pantuvarALi - rUpakam
12. mangaLam

NSTSS, Nanganallur - 30/1/12

Concerts at Nanganallur always draw huge crowds.
This was conducted at Ranjani Hall, Nanganallur.






Accompanists:

R.Hemalatha - Violin
Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar - Mridangam
Sreesundarkumar - Kanjira







Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1. Varnam - pantuvarALi - Adi (S)
2. swAminAtha paripAlaya - nAtai - Adi - muttuswAmi dIkshitar
3. seethamma mAyamma - vasantA - rUpakam - tyAgarAjar (R,S)
4. sri suganti - kuntalam - rUpakam - muttuswAmi dIkshitar (R)
5. entanuchu - yadukulakAmbhOji- Adi - tyAgarAjar
6. AdAdhu asangAdhu - madhyamAvati - Adi - UthukAdu vEnkatakavi (R)
7. srikanta - bhavapriya - Adi - tyAgarAjar (S)
8. sarasa sAma dAna - kApinArAyaNi - Adi - tyAgarAjar
9. ninne nammiti- simhendramadhyamam - misra cApu - mysore vAsudevAchAr (R,N,S,T)
10. sri mAdhava - behAg - Adi - pApanAsam sivan
11. shanmugapriya nAyakan - rAgamAlika- Adi - N.S.Chidambaram
12. ponnArmEniyanE -TevAram
13. vadanadhyuti - pantuvarALi- rUpakam - tyAgarAjar
14. mangaLam

Sathguru Rasaanubhava - 27/1/12

Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai, has been conducting the 'Sathguru Rasaanubhava' series for about 6 months now. This thematic concert is a monthly one, featuring exclusively Saint Tyagaraja's compositions.






Accompanists:

V.V.Ravi - Violin
Poongulam Subramanyan - Mridangam
Madipakkam Murali - Ghatam






The theme that I took up for this concert was "Moods and emotions of a devotee(Naadopasaka) during the spiritual journey towards the Supreme".

Saint Tyagaraja has expressed these sentiments very beautifully in many of his compositions. Any devotee experiences emotions like a deep longing to see the Lord, longing to converse with Him, self-depreciation, pleading with the Lord, doubt,disappointment, anger, introspection of his own disqualification,steadfast faith in Him, taking playful liberties with Him, gratitude and finally sharaNAgati.
I took one example for each such emotion and briefly explained the composer's outpouring of Bhakti before rendering each of the kritis.


Song List:(R-Raga Alapana,N-Neraval,S-Kalpanaswaram,T-Tani Avarthanam)

1. entarAni - harikAmbOji - Adi (longing for His company)
2. rA rA mA inti - asAveri - Adi (longing for His Darshan)
3. suguNamulE - chakravAham - rUpakam(S)(Keertana)
4. sArvabhowma sAkEtarAmA - rAgapancharam- Adi (longing for a conversation with Him)
5. nEnendu - karnAtaka behAg- Adi (self-depreciation)
6. E rAmuni nammithinO - vakuLAbharaNam- misra cApu (R) (doubt)
7. mAmava satatam - jaganmOhini- Adi (faith in the Lord)
8. enthanuchu - yadukulakambOji - Adi (R) (pleading)
9. ennaLu oorakE - subhapantuvaraLi- misra cApu (R) (anger,grievance)
10.calamElarA- mArgahindOLam - Adi (dejection)
11.dAsarathE - tOdi - Adi (R,N,S,T)(gratitude)
12.badalika dIrA - rItigowLa - Adi (humor, playful liberty)
13.etulaina bhakthi - sAmA - misra cApu (encourage the Mind)
14.tava dAsOham - punnAgavarALi - Adi (sharaNAgati)
15.mangaLam - rAgamAlikA slOkam - wAlajApet venkataramaNa bhAgavatar


Here is a review of the concert that appeared in the HINDU dated 3/2/2012: