Ramabhirama of Tyagaraja - Dhanyasi

Continuing the Ramabhirama series, here is the second song.
Last week we have enjoyed the song in Raga Darbar.
Now, this second song is in Dhanyasi.

rAmAbhirAma manasu-dhanyAsi


In the kRti ‘rAmAbhirama manasu’ – rAga dhanyAsi, pleads with Lord to
command him to sing to Him.

P rAm(A)bhirAma manasu raలjilla balka rAdA
రామాభిరామా మనసు రంజిల్ల బల్కరాదా

A I mahini velasinad(E)mi sadA nAtO (rAma)
ఈ మహిని వెలసినదేమి సదా నాతో రామా

C mETi pAnpupai bhAmA maNi jAnaki
sringArincukoni celuvonda ninnu gani
pongucu malle virula pUjincu vELa srI hari
sangItamu pADum(a)ni svAmi tyAgarAjunitO (rAma)

మేటి పాన్పుపై భామామణి జానకి
శృంగారించుకొని చెలువొంద నిన్నుగని
పొంగుచు మల్లె విరుల పూజించు వేళ శ్రీహరి
సంగీతము పాడుమని స్వామి త్యాగరాజునితో

Tamil Version.
ப. ரா(மா)பி4ராம மனஸு ரஞ்ஜில்ல பல்க ராதா3

அ. ஈ மஹினி வெலஸின(தே3)மி ஸதா3 நாதோ (ரா)

ச. ப3ங்கா3ரு மேடி பான்புபை பா4மா மணி ஜானகி

ஸ்1ரு2ங்கா3ரிஞ்சுகொனி செலுவொந்த3 நின்னு கனி

பொங்கு3சு மல்லெ விருல பூஜிஞ்சு வேள ஸ்ரீ ஹரி

ஸங்கீ3தமு பாடு3(ம)னி ஸ்வாமி த்யாக3ராஜுனிதோ (ரா)

Meaning

இராமா! களிப்பூட்டுவோனே!
மனது மகிழ (ஒரு சொல்) பகரலாகாதா?
இப்புவியில் (நான்) விளங்கியென்ன?
என்னுடன், எப்பொழுதும்
மனது மகிழ பகரலாகாதா?
இராமா! களிப்பூட்டுவோனே!

உயர் பொன் மஞ்சத்தினில், மணியான இல்லாள், சானகி,
அலங்கரித்துக்கொண்டு, ஒயிலாக, உன்னை நோக்கி,
உளம் பொங்க, மல்லிகைப்பூக்களால் தொழும் வேளை,
அரியே! இறைவா! 'சங்கீதம் பாடு' எனத் தியாகராசனிடம்
மனது மகிழ (ஒரு சொல்) பகரலாகாதா?
இராமா! களிப்பூட்டுவோனே!

இப்புவியில் (நான்) விளங்கியென்ன? -
இப்புவியில் (தாங்கள்) அவதரித்தென்ன? என்றும்
பொருள் கொள்ளலாம்.

Gist

O Delightful Lord srI rAma! O Lord srI hari! Of what avail of my being appreciated in this World? Won’t You speak to me always so that my heart might be delighted.

At that time, when jAnaki - the jewel among women, having bedecked, looking at You lovingly, rapturously worships You with jasmine flowers on the Excellent golden bed, won’t You ask this tyAgarAja to sing a song so that my heart might be delighted?

Listen to this song in the voice of Sangeetakalanidhi Sri Nedunuri Krishna Murthy Garu.

 

 
This is a radio recording unshared till now.
I will upload the full concert soon.
If you cannot wait till then, download it from here.
 
The same song in the Voice of Smt Neela Ramgopal.
 


 
Download the song from Here.
 
Wait for "rAmAbhirAma raghurAma-sAvEri!"
 
Let us enjoy good music!
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Aruna Sayeeram - Vocal

I was sitting in the canteen of The Music academy one afternoon enjoying the excellent food which was as good as the music inside the auditorium. A lady came and sat next to me. She also asked for some food. The voice was very familiar to me. I looked at her and I perhaps asked if she was Aruna from Bombay. I really don't remember what and whether I spoke to her that day. Later she sang a concert in the academy. I still remember the two abhangs she sang that day. Ramachi Bhajana was one and the other was Arambhi, if I am right. A fat rich lady in grand silks sitting in the first row loudly proclaimed addressing Aruna that she deserved a concert of Abhangs. Sure she does, I thought, It was way back in 82. It is Aruna who brought the trend of singing Abhangs in CM concerts. She also popularised Oothukadu compositions.

Later, Sri Seshadri Rao of now defunct Rajarajeswari Gana Sabha asked me for the names of artists who could be invited to sing in their annual festival. I promptly suggested Aruna's name. She sang at their low key festival and Rao was very happy about my suggestion.

Aruna has grown in stature and has become an artist for whose concerts people stand in queue even before the dawn it looks!

Anyway, we are able to enjoy her music even without those queues.
Here is an old album of Aruna where she has rendered some soulful items.
Pillangoviya is my favourite one.

An interview based article on Smt Aruna (The second part of the name is spelt as Sairam and also Sayeeram)by Anil Srinivasan (from The Hindu)

We are seated in an office circumscribed by a flyover. There is a busy swell of traffic, a cacophony of autorickshaw engines peppered with the ubiquitous volley of horns and smog. This is certainly not the atmosphere for music, I think to myself. How can any classical musician survive this noise?


And yet, it has only served to strengthen Aruna Sairam's resolve to rage against the dying of the light. To her, the ability to fight against popular diktat and the collective voices of the “safe majority” has been the journey of a lifetime. She does not seem to mind the traffic and the unmelodious din of the world without. She welcomes it, engages in it and finds her inspiration from it. As she sings “Rama Rama Prana Sakhi” accompanying herself on the tanpura, I find myself transfixed at how she can focus amid this melee.

Much has been written about Aruna's journey from Mumbai, finding her calling under Sangeeta Kalanidhi T. Brinda and her stupendous rise to Carnatic stardom almost suddenly, despite a tenure that goes back by four decades. I focus this conversation on some aspects of her music and her beliefs, and as I look back, this is one interaction that continues to beguile me with its forthrightness and candid intelligence.

So how do you feel now? Do you enjoy being you at this time of the year?

(Laughs heartily) Of course I enjoy being me. I think I have engaged in several roles over this lifetime: as a student, as a young bride, as a mother, as a teacher and as a vocalist. To me, each has been a lifetime in itself. I have learnt to be patient, and to enjoy being complimented. There was a time when I was told not to enjoy the compliment but focus on where I went wrong. I have changed that. I count each day as a blessing and revel in the joy I see on every rasika's face when the curtains open. I have endured the pain of criticism and non-acceptance. Now I enjoy each performance and savour the happiness I bring my listeners.

What matters to you more: tradition or innovation?

You talk as though these were bipolar opposites. Tradition exists to show you who you are. Innovation should be encouraged to show you who you could be. When I sing a say, “Payyada” (composed by Kshetrayya, translates to “My Lord has forsaken me and gone away”), I am aware that I am allowing over 500 years of a certain encapsulated pathos to translate itself in my voice. But the music calls out to me to add to it. When I sing this padam, I am echoing Brindamma's training, my mother's expectations, each of my gurus and their exhortations and the composer and his passion. But I am stridently voicing my own take as well. Aruna, at that point, becomes a traditionalist innovator or an innovative traditionalist. The differences are blurred. Only the music speaks.

Innovation is an approach to an existing body of work that has not been thought of before. In that respect, each of us is innovating constantly. How I choose to interpret and add to a rendition is different from how even my guru Brindamma would have approached it. Only two things matter: be true to who you are, and be sincere in what you want to articulate. If this happens, the music will transcend categorisation and analysis.

What motivates you to ride the storms of criticism? Who inspires you?

I am sure you are tired of the cliché that criticism only helps build your character. But I am living it. Each passing year reminds me of the distance still waiting to be crossed. Rather than dwell on the past and constantly analyse or cross-analyse what people have said about me before or about music should be and should not be, I find it more productive to close my eyes, focus on the composition at hand, and use the composer's vision and guidance to help me cross the next few miles in the path I have in front of me. My family, my gurus and their faith in me and my fans motivate me all the time. Music itself is my biggest inspiration.

You enthralled listeners at the recently-concluded Brhaddvhani “Universe of Sound” festival with a lecture-demonstration on melody. What importance do you place on a musician's need to speak out?

A musician lends a very important voice to the process of social interaction. A musician connects to a different vibration and delves deeply into who he or she is on a daily basis through his/her sadhana. Sharing that process is as important as performance. In a world characterised by a babel of thoughts and perceptions, sometimes we need to find these spaces where we can talk, express our views and in turn, be informed of what the audience feels and is affected by.

Music is and will continue to be shaped by the mood of our times. This is why I choose to place myself in the middle of things, among the throngs that you see on the flyover outside my window. You must engage in life, and you must delight in that engagement. You cannot treat music as a voice that is lone and separated from reality. This will shape you as a person and, in turn, your music. Fight your fights and say what you want to say. But when all that is done, return to your music. You will find that the world without and the world within become one and the same and your music will coax you to become the best that you can be.

The writer is the Executive Director, Brhaddhvani (Centre for Research and Training in Music), Chennai.

This is the link to the folder where the music is waiting for you.

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca3e3e4917db194add

Items:

01 Sree Vighnarajam - Gambheera Nata.mp3
02 Bagayenayya - Chandra Jyoti.mp3
03 Subrahmanyena - Suddha Dhanyasi.mp3
04 Saundara Rajam - Brindavana Saranga.mp3
05 Kalyana Rama - Hamsanadam.mp3
06 Aarambhi - Abhang.mp3
07a Kambhoji Ragam.mp3
07b Tiruvadi Charanam - Kambhoji.mp3
08 Nannu Vidachi - Reetigaula.mp3
09 Pillangovia - Mohanakalyani.mp3
10 Teertha Vithala - Abhang.mp3
11 Kantamam - Sindhu Bhairavi.mp3

Let us enjoy good music!
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A Facial Expression Is Worth a Thousand Words

Although my training is in sciences, I took to teaching soft skills.
People said, I do it well!
Even today there was a call asking for a class.
I teach communication and interpersonal relations with all the passion I can put in!
Communication is a wonderful subject.
Just by the way someone is sitting in the class, you can tell about the mental status of heerson.
I do it often and people get shocked sometimes!
It is also true for daily life situations.
To understand people, you should be seeing them!
It goes to show that, usually we do not observe people.
We only listen to them.
This new piece of research goes much further and a picture cannot convey the feeling as well as a video perhaps!

Communication is a central aspect of everyday life, a fact that is reflected in the wide variety of ways that people exchange information, not only with words, but also using their face and body. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, Germany, found out that we are able to recognize facial expressions in motion -- for example, in a movie -- far better than in a static photograph. The video sequence needs to be at least as long as one tenth of a second to gain this dynamic advantage.

A facial expression can state a lot. A nod indicates understanding, a frown may say: "Please explain that again!" Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics discovered that we are able to classify an expression much better when it moves naturally rather than when it is "frozen" in a photograph. In order to gain the advantage of dynamic information, we need to see the expression moving for at least 100 milliseconds. If the video sequence is shorter, our brain is less capable of interpreting the facial motion. Some expressions rely on changes in head orientation, for example, a nod or a shake of the head, others on the complex deformation of facial parts, such as wrinkling our nose to signalize disgust or a frown.

In order to examine to what extent we are able to recognize -- based on facial expressions -- the mood of a person with whom we are interacting, the scientists showed participants pictures of humans with various different expressions. Among them were simple, emotional expressions, such as "happy" and "sad," but also more complex ones such as agreement, confusion, or surprise, which are usually used to emphasize or modify statements in a conversation. In order to investigate whether these expressions are recognized more easily in motion or in static pictures, a short video sequence was shown to the participants. The video recordings began at a neutral expression, showed an emotion, and ended at the last frame before the face started to head back to a neutral expression. The frame used in the static conditions was the last, so-called 'peak' frame of each dynamic sequence. The participants were then asked to identify the expressions based on the shown sequence or single frame.

In further experiments, the video sequences were converted to a series of photographs that was shown to the participants. Nevertheless, the expressions were still recognized more accurately in the video sequence. This showed that the dynamic advantage is not due to the presence of multiple images, but that some form of dynamic information is being used. In order to figure the degree to which facial expression recognition relies on natural movement, the frames were presented as a movie, but in a random order. Comparisons of the performance in this scrambled condition to the original video sequence shows that the recognition rates were still higher in the original than in the scrambled version.

The chronological direction is of importance as well. If the video sequences are temporally reversed, they are again identified less accurately. Finally, the more temporal information we receive, the better we are able to recognize expressions -- at least up to 100 milliseconds. The results show that neither pictures, nor motion alone are of importance, but that we need a combination of the correct temporal sequence and the correct facial motion to reliably interpret facial expressions.

"Facial expressions, like gestures and body motion, are a dynamic phenomenon and need to be investigated with the help of video sequences in order to get a better understanding of the dynamic information that is being processed," says Dr. Christian Wallraven, co-author of the study. "Our results also have implications for the area of computer animation, since its goal is to create artificial avatars and facial animations that are able to communicate realistically and believably," says the physicist and perception scientist.

Better watch when you are listening.
They may be saying one thing and meaning another!!

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What is a Marathon?

మారథాన్ పరుగుపోటీ ప్రత్యేకత ఏమిటి

పరుగు పందాలు రకరకాలుగా ఉంటాయి. వందమీటర్ల నుంచి మొదలయి, కిలోమీటర్ల దాకా పరుగెత్తడం, అడ్డంకుల మీదుగా ఎగురుతూ పరుగెత్తడం మామూలుగా ఉండేవే. అంతటితో తృప్తి చెందక ఊరిమీదపడి దారులంట, అడవులంట పరుగెత్తే క్రాస్ కంట్రీ పరుగులు మొదలు పెట్టారు. మనిషి, శ్రమకు తట్టుకునే శక్తికి నిజమయిన పరీక్షలు ఈ పరుగులు. ఇవి ఎక్కువ దూరం ఉంటాయి. అందులో మారథాన్ అనేది 26 మైళ్ల పైన ఉంటుంది.

1896లో ఏథెన్స్ లో జరిగిన ఒలింపిక్స్ లోనే మారథాన్ మొదలయింది. అప్పట్లో ఆ పోటీ అందరికీ నచ్చింది. ఆ పోటీలో పాల్గొని ఆనందంతో తిరిగి వచ్చిన బోస్టన్ క్రీడాకారులు 1897లో బోస్టన్ మారథాన్ ను నిర్వహించారు. అప్పటినుంచి ఆ పోటీలు ప్రతి సంవత్సరం ఏప్రిల్ నెలలో నడుస్తూనే ఉన్నాయి. ఒలింపిక్స్ వచ్చేది నాలుగు సంవత్సరాలకు ఒకసారి మాత్రమే. అది అనువయిన ప్రదేశంలో లేకపోతే ఈ పోటీ చాలా కష్టమవుతుంది. బోస్టన్ మాత్రం చల్లనైన ప్రదేశం. అక్కడ పరుగు పెట్టడం సరదాగా ఉంటుంది.


మారథాన్ పరుగు 26 మైళ్ల 385 గజాలుగా 1908లో నిర్ణయమయింది. అందుకు కారణం మాత్రం చాలా విచిత్రమయింది. పోటీ ఎక్కడో ఒకచోట మొదలు పెట్టాలి. అందరూ చూడడానికి అనువుగానూ, గౌరవకరంగానూ ఉండేచోట అది ముగియ గలగాలి. 1908లో ఒలింపిక్స్ లండన్ నగరంలో జరిగాయి. అక్కడ మారథాన్ విండ్సర్ కాసిల్ దగ్గర మొదలయింది. తిరిగి వచ్చి, స్టేడియంలో రాణీ, రాజూ ఉండే రాయల్ బాక్స్ ముందు ముగించాలని నిర్ణయించారు. ఆ రెండు స్థలాల మధ్యన ఎంపిక చేసిన దారి 26 మైళ్ల 385 గజాలు ఉంది. అయితే 1921 తర్వాతే ఆ దూరాన్ని పోటీకి స్థిరంగా నిర్ణయించారు. ప్రతిచోటా సరిగ్గా అంతే దూరం దారి వెతకడం కష్టం.

1896లో జి గ్రిగరే అనే అతను మారథాన్ పోటీ గెలిచాడు. అతను ఆ దూరాన్ని 3 గంటల 45 నిమిషాల్లో పరుగెత్తి చేరుకున్నాడు. నిజానికది చాలా ఎక్కువ సమయం. అదే సంవత్సరం ఒలింపిక్స్ లో స్పిరిడాన్ లూయీ 2 గంటల 58 నిమిషాల రికార్డుతో పోటీ గెలిచాడు.

ఈ మధ్యన మారథాన్ రెంటు గంటల కొన్ని నిమిషాలలో పూర్తి చేస్తున్నారు.

అది సమావేశం కానీ, చర్చలు గానీ తెగకుండా గంటలపాటు సాగితే మారథాన్ అనడం అలవాటు. అంటే, నిడివి ఎక్కువని అర్థం.

Madurai Mani Iyer Collection

I am happy to bring some vintage music of  Sri Madurai Mani Iyer.
Alas, I never had teh chance to see him!
Sri TVS has filled that void in my musical quest.

Before we go the songs, here is an article from the Website dedicated to great Sri  Madurai Mani Iyer.
You may like to visit the site, listen to MMI's muisc and read about him.
Here is the link.

http://maduraimani.tripod.com/index.html

An inspiring article by Saty Seshan


His music grows on you. Like the glorious sun that appears slowly over the horizon, inches its way up past the heads of tall trees, reaches its midday splendor and blazes forth in all its regal majesty; like the great river that springs forth from tentative rivulets, grows bigger and broader as it travels on its way to the ocean, spreading wealth wherever it goes. From the first golden sounds of the humming of the alaapana, you were in for an exhilarating experience -- a joyous journey along the traditional as well as uncharted waters of Carnatic music, a journey that truly exemplified the purpose of music: to broaden, enrich, help transcend the listener to another plane. With a perfect blend of the accompanying strains of the violin and the rhythmic cadence of the mridangam, with the singing always on key, with the pouring out of the kalpana swaras, with clear enunciation and complete knowledge of the sahitya, with all his heart in his singing, you would indeed feel his music, be drawn to its every nuance, respond to its every crescendo and flow, truly lose yourself in it and enjoy yourself. His music captivates you, mesmerizes you.

Madurai Mani Iyer ( 1966)

C.Lakshminarayana, T.V.Gopalakrishnan and Alangudi Ramachandran

To be on key(shruthi) was important to him, and being on key was certainly his forte. In every concert, he always sang one composition of his guru, Muthiah Bhagavathar. Thought his fame and stature in the field of Carnatic music grew, he remained the man of music, one who accepted engagements for singing at temple festivals, "sabha" concerts, weddings, and for charity, and one who sang with his heart, all his genius, all his musical prowess for his audience's enjoyment. Indeed, the most telling characteristic of his talent was that he could hold his listener's attention.


The singer brings a composition to life, and many songs, become recognized by a singer. This was certainly the case with Madurai Mani Iyer. Songs that he sang often have come to be known as "his" songs, not Tyagaraja's or Dikshithar's -- he not only sang them often, he sang them extremely well, in his own inimitable style, and with every rendition, found new facets, other nuances that made each song different and more enjoyable each time. Songs like "Maa Janaki", "Nijamarmamulanu", "Sarasasaamadhana", "Eppo Varuvaro", "Thaye Yashoda" all have the Madurai Mani stamp on them.

I know, you want to listen to some of the amsterpieces mentioned in teh article.

Here is the list of songs I am offering you here.

01-Tatvamariya_Tarama-Reetigaula

02-Nija_Marmamulanu-Umabharanam
03-Ma_Janakini-Kambhoji
04-Sarasa_Sama_Dana-Kapi_Narayani
05-Sarasa_Mukhi-Gauda_Malhar
06-Eppo_Varuvaro-Jaunpuri
07-Western-Note
08-Parimala_Rangapate-Kambhoji
09-Sukhi_Evvaro-Kanada
10-Maye_Twam_Yahi-Tarangini
11-Taye_Yashoda-Todi
12-Kapali-Mohanam
13-Orajupu-Kannada_Gaula
14-Durmarga-Ranjani

For the first seven items accompaniments are
Sri TNKrishnan - Violin
Sri Vellore Ramabhadran - Mridangam

For the other songs details not known.

Here is the link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335cae15ae7eaa1b42ebd

Let us enjoy good music!!
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Ramabhirama of Tyagaraja - 1

It is interesting that Tyaga Brahmam composed three songs with the same beginning words.
I remember there was a discussion about these works in our music group.
I found the three items in three different Ragas and by three different singers.

First of them is the Kriti in Darbar Ragam.
I am sure this is the most popular of the three works.

Here is the text and the meaning of the song from the well known source on the net.

(Click on the picture to see it bigger)

rAmAbhirAma ramaNIya-darbAru


In the kRti ‘rAmAbhirAma ramaNIya’ – raga darbAru, srI tyAgarAja
pleads with Lord to have compassion on him.

Pallavi: rAm(A)bhirAma ramaNIya nAma
sAmaja ripu bhIma sAkEta dhAma (rA)

రామాభిరామ రమణీయ నామా
సామజ రిపు భీమ సాకేతధామ

C1 vanaja lOcana nI valana(y)alasitini
manasuna daya lEdu(y)allADi phalam(E)mi (rA)

వనజలోచన నీవలన యలసితిని
మనసున దయలేదు అల్లాడి ఫలమేమి

C2 manasu celi nIkE marulukonnadi gAni
canuvuna ceyi paTTi mamula rakSimpavu (rA)

మనసు చెలి నీకే మరులుకొన్నదిగాని
చనువున చెయిపట్టి మముల రక్షింపవు

C3 kOri kOri ninnu koluvaga nI
dAri vEr(ai)nadi dhAta vrAl(E)mO (rA)

కోరికోరి నిన్ను కొలువగ నీ
దారి వేరైనది ధాత వ్రాలేమో

C4 kamanIyamagu pAnpu gAviJcitin(a)ndu
ramiyimpaka nannu racca jEsedavu (rA)

కమనీయమగు పాన్పు గావించితినందు
రమియింపక నన్ను రచ్చజేసెదవు

C5 dikku nIv(a)ni nEnu dina dinamunu namma-
(y)ekkuva takkuval(a)ndu(y)enaseDu guNam(E)mO (rA)

దిక్కు నీవని నేను దినదినమును నమ్మ
యెక్కువ తక్కువలందు ఎనసెడు గుణమేమో

C6 nIkE daya puTTi nIvu brOvavale
rAk(E)ndu mukha tyAgarAja varada zrI(rA)

నీకే దయబుట్టి నీవే బ్రోవవలె
రాకేందు ముఖ త్యాగరాజవరదశ్రీ

Listen to the song in the inimitable voices of Alattur Brothers.
This is a Radio recording not shared earlier.



You can also download the song from here

Gist

O Lord rAma, the delightful One! O Lord with a sweet name! O Terror of the enemy of gajEndra!

O Lord residing in ayOdhyA! O Lotus Eyed! O Full-moon Faced Lord! O bestower of boons to this tyAgarAja!

I became weary because of you; there is no compassion in Your heart! what is the use of wandering?

The maid of my mind has been enamored by You alone; but, You wouldn’t protect me by holding my hand with love.

In spite of my serving You with great desire, I do not know whether it is as ordained by brahmA for Your path becoming different.

I made a beautiful bed for You; but, instead of enjoying therein, You troubled me.

While I believe everyday that You are my refuge, what mentality is this of finding shortcomings in it?

You should protect me by having mercy on Your own accord.

ப. ரா(மா)பி4ராம ரமணீய நாம
ஸாமஜ ரிபு பீ4ம ஸாகேத தா4ம (ரா)

ச1. வனஜ லோசன நீ வலன(ய)லஸிதினி
மனஸுன த3ய லேது3 அல்லாடி3 ப2ல(மே)மி (ரா)

ச2. மனஸு செலி நீகே மருலுகொன்னதி3 கானி
சனுவுன செயி பட்டி மமுல ரக்ஷிம்பவு (ரா)

ச3. கோரி கோரி நின்னு கொலுவக3 நீ
தா3ரி வே(ரை)னதி3 தா4த வ்ரா(லே)மோ (ரா)

ச4. கமனீயமகு3 பான்பு காவிஞ்சிதி(ன)ந்து3
ரமியிம்பக நன்னு ரச்ச ஜேஸெத3வு (ரா)

ச5. தி3க்கு நீ(வ)னி நேனு தி3ன தி3னமுனு நம்ம
எக்குவ தக்குவ(ல)ந்து3 எனஸெடு3 கு3ண(மே)மோ (ரா)

ச6. நீகே த3ய புட்டி நீவு ப்3ரோவவலெ
ரா(கே)ந்து3 முக2 த்யாக3ராஜ வரத3 ஸ்ரீ (ரா)

Purport.

இராமா! களிப்பூட்டுவோனே! இனிய பெயரோனே!
கரியின் பகைக்கு அச்சமூட்டுவோனே! சாகேத நகருறையே!

1. கமலக்கண்ணா! உன்னால் சோர்வுற்றேன்;
(உனது) மனதில் தயையில்லை; திரிந்து பயனென்ன?

2. (எனது) மனப் பெண்ணாள் உன்னையே விழைந்தனள்;
ஆயினும், கனிவுடன் கைப்பற்றி யெம்மைக் காவாயேனோ;

3. மிக்கு வேண்டியுன்னை சேவிக்க, உனது
பாதை வேறானது, பிரமனின் எழுத்தோ என்னவோ;

4. இனிய படுக்கை யமைத்தேன்; அதனில்
இன்புறா தென்னை வருத்தினாய்;

5. புகல் நீயேயென நான் அனுதினமும் நம்ப,
ஏற்றத்தாழ்வினில் நுழையும் பண்பென்னவோ?

6. உனக்கே தயை பிறந்து நீ காக்க வேணும்;
முழுமதி முகத்தோனே! தியாகராசனுக்கருள்வோனே!

இராமா! களிப்பூட்டுவோனே! இனிய பெயரோனே!
கரியின் பகைக்கு அச்சமூட்டுவோனே! சாகேத நகருறையே!

கரியின் பகை - முதலை அல்லது சிங்கம்
கரியின் பகைக்கு அச்சமூட்டுவோனே -
'சிங்கம் நிகர் அச்சமூட்டுவோனே' என்றும் கொள்ளலாம்.

The next song in Dhanyasi by Sri Nedunuri will follow shortly.

Let us enjoy good music!
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Kaloji narayana Rao - Autobiography Contd...

Writing about the book of a person of the calibre of Kaloji calls for some guts.
However, since Kalanna was a friend of almost every writer and was ready with a comment on their works, I ventured on this effort.
I am not making any qualitative assaying here.
I am only introducing the book.

Before I write anything about Kalanna, I would quote him from the book under introduction.
After giving material for a 200 and odd page book, he says the following words.

మన ధోరణి ప్రకారం మనం చెప్తంగాని, 'జీవిత చరిత్రని ఈ విధంగ రాయాలె అని టెక్నిక్ లేదుగద.'
 నేను నాగొడవలో చెప్పుకున్నా అంతే, కథలు రాసినా అంతె. మంచికథ రాయాలె, టెక్నికల్ గా పర్ఫెక్ట్ గ వుండాలె, కళాత్మకంగా చిత్రించాలె అనుకుని కథ రాయలేదు. ఉపన్యాసకేసరి అవుదమని చెప్పి ఉపన్యాసాలుఎన్నడూ ఇవ్వలేదు. అట్నే నాగొడవ చెప్పుకున్నప్పుడు కూడా కవిత్వానికి సంబంధించిన రహస్యాలు, తపస్సు, సరస్వతీ పూజలు, సరస్వతీ ఉపాసనలు దృష్టిలో పెట్టుకుంటే నాగొడవ చెప్పకపోదు. ఇప్పుడు జీవిత చరిత్ర కూడ విప్పకపోదు.

అయ్యా దయచేసి ఒక్క సంగతి గుర్తుంచుకోండి. ఈ భావాలు మాత్రమే గాని భాష కాళన్నది గాదు. ఆ సంగతి పుస్తకం ఏసిన వాండ్లే ఒప్పుకున్నరు, ఎడిటింగు చేసిన వాండ్లలో కొందరికి ఆయన ధోరణి పట్టుబడలేదన్నరు.
 So, when you write, you do it as per your style and not on the standards set by others.
Only then what you write will stand apart from the other works.
Kaloji's autobiography is a piece of honesty just like his personality.
I wish someone takes steps to bring it out in English and Hindi, so that the world would come to know about the great personality that he was.

Now a little about kaloji and me!

ఎవరైనా హనుమకొండకు పోతే అక్కడ ముఖ్యంగా చూడనల్సినవి రెండు.
1. వెయ్యి స్తంభాలగుడి – అణగారిన శ్రమజీవులు సృష్టించిన కళాఖండం
2. కాళోజీ – అణగారిన శ్రమజీవులు నిర్మిస్తున్న పోరాట చరిత్రతోపాటు నడుస్తున్న బతుకంతా దేశానిదైన మనిషి
అంటరు వరవరరావుగారు.

నేను హనుమకొండలో చదువుకుంటున్న రోజులలో వెయ్యిస్తెభాల గుడిని పట్టించుకున్ననో లేదో గుర్తులేదు గాని, కాళోజీని చూచిన.
పార్కులో దోస్తులతో కలిసి ఆయన ముచ్చట్టలు చోప్పుకుంటుంటే చూచిన గుర్తు.ఎవరో గొప్పమనిషి అనిపించింది గాని ఆయనగురించి తెలియదు.

తర్వాత మాత్రం ఆయన నన్ను గోపయ్యా అని ప్రేమగా పిలిచేంత దగ్గరగ పొయ్యిన.
అయ్యా రాండి అని పిలిస్తే, ఏ ఊరు నాయినా అన్నరు.
ఆ తర్వాత దోస్తీ అయింది.

నాకు స్నేహితులూ, స్ట్రేంజర్సే గాని పరిచయస్తులు ఉండరని కాళన్న అనేవారట.
వరవరరావు గారు దాని మీద పెద్ద వ్యాఖ్యనే చేసినరు.
నేనూ అంతేనా అనిపించింది.
కాదనీ అనిపించింది.

ఒకసారి ఏదో సాహిత్య సభ. నేనూ ప్రసంగించినట్లే గుర్తుంది.
మంత్రి రఘువీరారెడ్డి ఉన్నరు.
నేను వేదికి మీద కూచోలేదు.

ప్రసంగం తర్వాత వచ్చి ఏ రెండో వరుసలోనో నా చోట్లో కూచున్న.
మంత్రి ప్రసంగం మొదలు పెట్టి ఏదో సందర్భంలో పక్కు చూచి కాళోజీగారు వెళ్లిపొయినట్లున్నరు అన్నడు.
అవును, అయన వేదిక మీద కూచున్న కుర్చీ ఖాళీగ ఉంది.
కానీ అయన నా పక్కన కూచోని నాతోటి ముచ్చట్లాడుతున్నడు.

గొంతెత్తి, పోలే ఇక్కడ గోపయ్య దగ్గరున్న అన్నడు.
అందరూ ఆశ్చర్యంగ ఇటు చూచినట్టు గుర్తు.

మంచి సంగతులు చెప్పి అంత సులభంగ కంటనీరు పెట్టుకో గలిగిన మనుషులను నేను ఇద్దరిని చూచిన.
ఒకరు మా మామ(ఆయనే మేనమామ కూడ)
రెండు కాళన్న.

ఎన్నెన్నిసార్లు ఎన్నెన్ని సంగతులు మాట్లాడుకున్నమో
కొనకు ఒకసారి వరంగలుకు పొయ్యిన.
పెద్ద సభ. కాళన్న నడువలేని స్థితిలో ఉన్నడు.

మనుషుల సాయంతోటి వచ్చినడు.

ఉపన్యాసము  గూడ లేదు.
దగ్గరికి చేరి నమస్కారం చేసిన. ఆయన గుర్తుపట్టలేదు.
నేనెవరో చెప్పిన. వణుకుతున్న గొతుతోటి, ఎవ్వరు గుర్తుకొస్తలేరు నాయినా అన్నడు కాళన్న.

నాకు కండ్లల్లో నీళ్లు తిరిగినయి.
తరువాత కొన్ని దినాలకే కాళన్న ఎళ్లిపొయినడు.

నన్ను గోపన్నా అని పిలిచే వాండ్లే తక్కువ.
అందులో శానమంది ఇట్లనే ఎళ్లిపొయినరు.
తలుచుకుంటే ఒంటరితనమనిపిస్తది.

ఇంతకొంచెము పరిచయానికి, దోస్తీకి నేను ఇంత కదిలిపోతే, ఆయన్నతోని మరింత దగ్గరతనం గలిగినవాండ్లు మరెంత కుములుతున్నరో

మంచితనము మాటమాటలో కనిపించే మనుషులు తక్కువ ఉంటరు.



ఆయన మాటకు రచనకు పెద్ద తేడా ఉండదు.
కాయిదం ముందరికి రాంగనే బిగిసిపొయ్యే మనిషి గాదు కాళన్న.
మాట్లాడినంత సులభంగ రాసినడు.
అందుకే అందరికీ దగ్గరయ్యినడు.

తన సంగతులు చెప్పి వాటిని ఇదీ నా గొడవ అన గలిగిన మనిషి ఆయన.
ఆ పుస్తకాలను ఎన్న సార్లు చదివినా మళ్ల చదవాలనిపిస్తుంది.
1995లో అచ్చేసిన ఈ పుస్తకం ఇంకా దొరుకుతున్నదో లేదో తెలియదు.
ప్రయత్నించి చూడండి. సంపాయించి చదవండి.

ఒక సంగతి చెప్పాల్నో లేదో తెలియదు.
హిందూ అనే జాతీయ దినపత్రిక వారు ఫోలియో అని ఒక ప్రత్యేక సంచికలు అచ్చేసేవారు.
అందులో ఒకసారి డ్రగ్స్ గురించి వచ్చింది.
ఒక ఫొటోగ్రాఫరు తను తీసిన ఫొటోలను అమ్ముకున్నడు. అవి హిందూ వాండ్ల దగ్గర ఉన్నయి.
అందులో ఒకదాన్ని డ్రగ్స్ అలవాటయి మనిషిలాగున్నడనేమో ఒక వ్యాసంతోటి అచ్చు వేసినరు.
ఆ బొమ్మలో ఉన్నది కాళన్న. దానితోబాటే తీసిన ఇంకొక ఫొటో ఈ పుస్తకంలో ఉన్నది.

నేను పత్రిక వారికి మెయిలు పంపిన. క్షమాపణలు చెప్పమని.
ఏమయిందో తెలువదు.
ఈ పుస్తకం చేతుల్లోకి వచ్చినప్పుడల్ల నాకు ఆ పొటో కండ్లల్ల తిరుగుతది.

మంచి మనుషులు రాసిన మాటలు చదివితే మనసు తేలికవుతది.

Kaloji Narayana Rao - Autobiography

Not many people write an autobiography.
When written, most of the times, they sound self congratulatory.
There are exceptions though!
I found a few such in Telugu language itself.
They are kind of benchmarks for an autobiography.

I was struck by the way Sri Tirumala Ramachandra Garu wrote his Hampi nundi....
Same was the reaction after reading Sri G Krishna's work.

I realised that I missed readimg Sri Kaloji Narayana Rao's autobigraphy for long.
I had the chance to read it long after it was published.
long after Kalanna has left us like he said in one of his poems.
The same poem is printed on the back cover of the book.
The title of the bookis Idi Naa Godava. ఇదీ నా గొడవ.

It is an interesting title.
Any unwanted noise is Godava.
This noise he created is more than welcome and is almost a history book.
It is a 'must read' for all.

The book is an exhaustive tale of people and times in which the writer lived.
He narrated it to friends.
They have drafted the whole thing into text and printed the book.
Sri Varavara rao wrote the intro.
Kaloji was a very interesting person more than a wonderful poet and all teh other things he was.

This is what he was!

Like a guest, he says, he would leave the earth and go away!

He shows the contradictions in his life as if in a painting!

He says he has walked by foot among thorns.

and also stayed home without stirring out for long!

Did he?

If he stayed home, there must have been a stream of visitors in their place.

This is described enough by writers and friends.

Interestingly Kaloji, looks like said, I have only friends and strangers. No acquaintances!!

You should read about the hospitality at their place!

I'll continue this in the next post tomorrow.

I have a lot to tell!

Ravuri Bharadwaja - 2

Dr Bharadwaja is an exceptionally good story teller.
His popular novel "Pakudurallu" is available now also in the market.
His short stories are very moving.
He writes about the human feelings with an unparalelled intensity.

However, pleasantly, the work that I brought to you in an earlier post is different.
These are perhaps poems.
To me, they are not!
They are thoughts expressed in a simple way!
Bharadwaja called them "Veluturu Chinukulu", "Drops of Light"
This idea itself is good!

Here are more of the drops for you to enjoy!

This time I will desist from translating him.

You should not try to translate everything.

Certain things are good only in their original form.

I know people hav etried and translated even Kanyasulkam.

I dare not even to think of reading some works in another language.

That is the beauty of languages.

In any language there would be certain works that would not yield to translation.

I really do not classify Bharadwaja's works in that category.

But, somehow, I felt, they are good as they are!

Let us enjoy good works of words!

$$$$$$$$$$

Sketches by Sudhakar

People don't become great and then do great things.
They keep doing things according to their own style.
Some of these works will be recognised for their class.
Such people will continue to work on their skills.
Ultimately someday they will be recognised as great people.

Till now, in my blog we have seen the art work of a great artist who came from humble beginnings.
He is still as humble as he could be.

Now, I bring you a few simple pencil sketches by one Sri Sudhakar.
I never met this gentleman.
My wife has shown me these drawings.
I was struck by their quality.
These papers were with me for a long time.
Now, the time has come when I could share them with the world.

Deccan area has some wonderful rock formations.
There is a rock society in Hyderabad, to admire these formations.
Most of the rocks nearer to the city are falling victims to the construction activity in the city.

Artists have frozen the formations in their art works.
The following simple sketches are made during a journey in Nalgonda District, I am told.
These will add to such works, I am sure.

(Click on the images to see them bigger)

Let us enjoy good art work.

%%%%%%%%

Everest - A question and the answer

ఎవరెస్ట్ శిఖరం అనే పేరుకు అర్థం ఏమిటి?


ప్రపంచంలో అన్నిటికన్న ఎత్తయినది అంటున్న, అనుకుంటున్న ఈ శిఖరం మనదేశం ఉత్తరాన ఉండే హిమాలయ పర్వతాల్లో ఉంది. పర్వతశ్రేణికి అంత అందమయిన పేరుంటే, అందులో ఒక శిఖరానికి, ఎవరికీ అర్థంకాని ఈ పేరు ఎందుకని అనుమానం ఎవరికయినా కలుగుతుంది.

ఖగోళశాస్త్రంలో ఒక తోకచుక్కను, నక్షత్రాన్ని ఎవరు కనుక్కుంటే, దానికి వాళ్ల పేరే పెడతారు. ఈ శిఖరం అలా ఆకాశంలో అంతుపట్టని ఆకారం కాదు. అయినా దాన్ని పట్టించుకుని 1829 నుంచి 1834 దాకా రకరకాల కొలతలు వేయించి, సర్వే చేయించిన పెద్దమనిషి ఒకాయన ఉండేవాడు. ఆయన పేరు సర్ జార్జ్ ఎవరెస్ట్. సంవత్సరాలనుబట్టి ఆతను బ్రిటిష్ అధికారి అన్న విషయం అర్థమయే ఉంటుంది. అతను స్వయంగా మిలిటరీ ఇంజనీరు. భారతదేశానికి సర్వేయర్ జనరల్ గా పనిచేస్తున్న కాలంలోనే ఈ కొలతలు వేయించాడు. అప్పటి వరకు ఈ శిఖరానికి పీక్XV అనే పేరు ఉండేదట. అది ఉన్న స్థలాన్ని, ఎత్తునూ సరిగ్గా గుర్తించినందుకు ఎవరెస్ట్ గారి పేరే శిఖరానికి పెట్టారు. నేపాల్ వాళ్లు మాత్రం నాటికీ నేటికీ ఆ కొండను ‘సాగర్ మథా’ అని పిలుస్తారు. (అది మాతా కాదు. థా అక్షరం అచ్చుతప్పు అంతకన్నా కాదు. ఆకాశమనే సాగరానికి ఈ కొండ నుదురు వంటిది అని భావం. హిందీలో మాథా అంటే నుదురు.) నేపాల్ ఉత్తర ప్రాతంలోని షేర్పాలు, మిగతా టిబెట్ భాషలో మాట్లాడే వాళ్లంతా ఇవాళటికీ ఈ కొండను ‘చోమో లుంగ్మా’ అంటారు. అంటే ప్రపంచానికే తల్లి అయిన దేవత అని అర్థం,

ఎవరెస్ట్ గురించి చెప్పుకుంటున్నప్పుడు, 1953లో తొలిసారిగా ఆ శిఖరాన్ని ఎక్కిన టెల్జింగ్ నార్గే, ఎడ్మండ్ హిల్లరీలు గుర్తుకురాక మానరు. ఆ తర్వాత వేరువేరు దారుల్లో కనీసం 1200 మంది ఆ శిఖరం మీదకు ఎక్కారు. కానీ, మొదటి అధిరోహణ తర్వాత 50 సంవత్సరాలు ముగిసిన సందర్భంగా అప్పటి హీరోలు ఇద్దరి కొడుకులు జామ్లింగ్ నార్గే, పీటర్ హిల్లరీలు మరో కొందరితోబాటు, 2003లో మరోసారి ఆ షిఖరం మీదకు ఎక్కారు. ఈసారి వారి కృషిని ఐమాక్స్ కెమెరాతో చిత్రీకరించారు. చిత్రం చాలా అద్భుంతగా ఉంది. (హైదరాబాద్ లోని ఐమాక్స్ లో ప్రదర్శింపబడిన మొదటి చిత్రాల్లో ఎవరెస్ట్ ఉండడం గమనించదగిన అంశం.)

ఎవరెస్ట్ శిఖరం ఎత్తు ఇంకా పెరుగుతున్నదని మీకు తెలుసా?

I have written such question answers meant to be read by children.
They are yet to be published.
I have not tried seriously to bring them out as a book.
This evening while I was walking home back from the market, I met Mr Chakradhar, a senior journalist friend.
During conversation, he asked me to restart my writing activity.
I mean, writing for the press and in Telugu.
I asked him what should I write?
He said "Better write for children!"
My feeling is that anything written for children will always be useful for people who do not know that particular subject.
I have followed this principle for my science writing.
If some person does not know what I am writing about, he will follow it better, if it is simple and easy to follow.
Many experts and seniors have accepted my idea and style.
It is high time I return to what I could do best.
Writing!

Vuppala Narasimham - Mudra

Vuppala Narasimham, when writes a story or an article, is very forceful.
As a person, he is very mild.
He is very passionate about his roots.

This book under question is an exceptional work of folklore style.
There is a style of narration of village events and other things.
I have not seen something like this, in my village.
In our area, during marriage processions, there used to be a ritual of singing the praise of the families involved.
Here, there is nothing like that, but, the stories, incidents and personalities are narrated in an unparalleled style.
This is quintessential Telangana literature.

Veteran Sri Madhurantakam Rajaram, writing the foreword, paid rich encomiums to the narrator.
So has another veteran of words, Sri Munipalle Raju.

Am I right when I say that this kind of narration must be the hereditary profession of the writer?
He sounds very authentic.

There is no place where the wordings sound alien.
I envy Sri Narasimham for the falicity he has with his words!
The name of the book is "MUDRA"
The stamp that is!
Indeed it has the stamp of the rural Telangana life.
The lives, styles and the details are almost painted in words.
You need a little patience to understand certain things.
Since you are not exactly aware of what happens in those villages.

I have already put out enough of my fascination for the work!
I will stop now!

See the cover with Vaikuntham's art work.
Read the first bit for yourself!

The book is published long back.

It is a long time I met my friend Narasimham.

Let us enjoy good works of words!

########

M L Vasanta Kumari - Ragam Tanam Pallavi in Kalyani

We Continue our tributes to the Maestro Sri G N Balasubraniam.

Since we do not have permission to share his music,we thought it is best to listen to his prime disciples.
Now, it is time we listen to MLV!

Before that we read a few lines about her!

(This is a picture from a well known site. Click on it see it bigger)

MLV imbibed some of GNB's style in her renditions. She was a fast paced singer with a brigha laden voice,but in the later years, she slowed down. She had the natural flair for rendering ragams. She would handle ragams like Kalyani, Todi, Bhairavi, Kharaharapriya, Latangi, Harikambodi, Kambodi, Keeravani, Purvikalyani, Shanmukhapriya, Shankarabharanam, Madhyamavati, Shuddasaveri effortlessly and render them with full of raga bhavam. She was adept in grahabhedam or modal shift. She used to glide through easily from the main ragam to the derived ragam. Unless, a musician had strong grasp of the basics and was quick thinker, it is difficult to do grahabhedam in a concert setting. In a lec-dem situation, grahabhedam can be handled at leisure. At the same time, she was at ease in rendering uncommon ragas like Bhavani, Hamsa vinodini, Urmika, Sumanesha ranjani etc. A senior violinist once remarked 'MLV is a genius and her raga delineations are so original that from one day to the next, she would render ragas with totally new sancharas.' I have heard her render many ragas like Rishabhapriya, Nathabhairavi, Natakapriya with uncommon ease.


Many music organizations all over the globe had honored MLV with titles and awards. In recognition of her scholarship, service to Carnatic music. She was honored with a Doctorate degree, a Padma bhushan from the Govt. of India, a title of Sangita Kalanidhi from the Madras Music Academy, just to name a few.

MLV popularised Purandara Dasa and other Dasa kritis just like her mother did a generation before. She had a wide repertoire of songs and sang compositions of many modern day composers. She was a popular play-back singer in many movies. She trained several students, many of them are the front-ranking musicians today. Some of the notable musicians who have studied under MLV include Trichur Ramachandran, Charumathi Ramachandran, A. Kanyakumari, Sudha Ragunathan, Vanaja Narayanan, T.M Prabhavathi, Meena Subramaniam and Jayanthi Mohan. MLV also helped young percussion vidwans like Mannargudi Easwaran, Srimushnam Raja Rao, Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam, R.Ramesh, Karaikudi Krishnamurthy, G. Harishankar (kanjira) and others establish themselves by encouraging them and giving them opportunities to accompany her in concerts.

Here is a Ragam Tanam and pallavi by Smt. M L Vasanta Kumari

Accompaniment details not known.

Smt M L Vasanta Kumari
Ragam Tanam pallavi in Kalyani

Items:

01 Ragam Kalyani.mp3
02 Tanam Kalyani.mp3
03 Pallavi Kalyani.mp3
04 Baro Krishnayya.mp3

Duration: 55 Mts

Size: 50.5 MB

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335cab95e3752e5b0007f

Let us enjoy good music.
**********************

Paintings with Autographs

Dear Freinds!
You must have noticed that the rating of my blog is revised and now it is 75!
It was 73 and they say rating is like score in cricket!
Higher the better!!

In the recent posts on Paintings we have seen the works of Sri Kapu Rajaiah.

We will now get back to the paintings from the Souvenir of First World Telugu Conference.
You will remember that this set of paintings had a value addition.
I have collected the autographs of some poets and writers on the paintings included in the volume.

This time we shall see couple of paintings.

This is a work of painter M A Raheem.

The autograph is that of Saraswatiputra Sriman Puttaparti Narayanacharya

.

I had the good fortune of talking and keeping company with this great soul for only a few hours.
I am told that Sri Acharyaulu was learning another language at the age of 80 or beyond.
He was already an expert in many languages.
Someone asked him, why learn another language at this late age.
The poet and polyglot said "జీవుని వేదన!"
It meant "The struggle of the soul!"

Great people are beyond our simple imagination!

The next painting is here.

(Please click on the images to see them in their origunal size)

Painter M Rajaji

Autograph is of Bhagavatula Shankara Sastry @ Arudra

I never met are talked to sri Arudra.

But, I have almost adored him.

He was a real versatile person.

Apart being a literary joint, he also wrote songs and dialogues for films.

I always remember the line "నీవెక్కదలుచుకున్న రైలు ఒక్క జీవితకాలం లేటు!"

The train you want to take is late by a lifetime.

What a thought!

Let us enjoy good art works!

########

Silence also Speaks!

Yes, Silence also speaks.
It sometimes speaks louder than words.
It speaks stronger than words.
Silence in muisc makes music what it is!
Silence is music!!

However it is not about my ideas on silence.
Here is a collection of Telugu poetry which has this title in Telugu.

ఈ అమ్మగారి కవిత్వాన్నిమరికొంచెం జాగ్రత్తగ చదువ వల్సిన అవుసరమున్నది.
ఈయమ్మ వస్తువులో లోతున్నది.
ఆలోచనలో లోతున్నది.
అభివ్యక్తిలో లోతున్నది.

అందుకే ఈయమ్మ అంతమాట అనగలిగింది.
మౌనమూ మాట్లాడుతుందని!

The Title Poem

మౌనమూ మాట్లాడుతుంది

My humble trial of Translation

Silence also Speaks!

Quietness.

Does it just mean silence?

It is the arrow called dejection,

aimed at heart,

after seperating sound from words

and soaking them in deep emotions.

Quietness is thus

sharper than words.

Quietness, that

halted the torrent of words

with one sharp look, and

hid the blood sodden ideas

under the eyelids,

is the personification of mercy.

There would be small little voids,

full in the heart,

like the empty nests

hanging from the barren dry tree.

Quietness is the comment

on those voids.

Don't make it talk.

If quietness explodes, it would be dangerous.

***

మరో కవిత.

శీర్షిక అడుగులు

My Translation

Steps

When you go up,

with each step

you will go away from the earth

but can never reach the sky.

It is not important which way you proceed,

rather it is for what!

It is not about

ambulations around a temple

or, getting into the field.

The sincerity and the concentration

are your companions.

Mind may become stable.

The stable lives will not go anywhere.

If you stay put like a post in the porch

what about the travel?

However all the steps in life can never be

progressive.

As you sow the row in teh field,

you move backwards.

But, when you proceed with asickle

for harvesting, it is progress.

That is why, I say,

determination is important for the step.

This lady read that the sparrows have become scarce and wrote a piece.

In that she says,

పిచ్చుకా! పిచ్చుకా!
ఇంత పిట్టవు!
ఇంత పెద్ద ప్రపంచంలో నువ్వు పట్టవు.

Sparrow! O! Sparrow!
You are a little bird.
You would not fit in this world.
(Or it could mean no one is worried about you!)

Hats off to you madam!

By the way, Smt. Aruna's husband Prof.N Gopi is a well known poet and academician!

Let us enjoy good works!
&&&&&&&

Tyagaraja Aradhana - Giripai Nelakonna

Today happens to be Pushya Bahula Panchami, the 163rd Aradhana day of Sadguru Sri Tyagaraja Swamy.
On this occassion let me bring you some good images and a song of Tyagaraja.

First here are the pictures.

This one is from the cover page of the book of Pancharatnams as you can see.
Sri E N Purushottaman, a retired police officer, wrote commentary in English for the Tyagaraja Ghanaraga Pancharatnams.

This is a popular painting of Tyagayya with Hanuman as a listener.
I am fascinated by the feelings depicted on Hanuman's face.

(Click on the pictures to see them in original size)

One more interesting picture from daily, The Hindu.
I have not noted the date and year.
This picture is of Utsava Murthy's of Lord Rama and Saint Tyagaraja in Tirupati.

Giripai Nelakonna

Now for the song that haunted me like a few other.
It is Giripai Nelakonna sung by the inimitable Sri M D Ramanathan.

Please listen to the recording from here.



Now, for a little commentary on the song.
This is from the famous Tyagaraja Vaibhavam.
I salute Sri V Govindan for the yeoman services to the cause of carnatic muisc.

giripai nelakonna-SahAna


In the kRti ‘giripai nelakonna’ – rAga SahAna, SrI tyAgarAja states that he beheld the Lord.

P 1giripai nelakonna rAmuni
guri tappaka kaNTi

A parivArulu viri suraTulacE
nilabaDi visarucu kosarucu sEvimpaga (giri)

C pulak(A)nkituDai Anand-
(A)Sruvula nimpucu mATal(A)Da valen(a)ni

2kaluvarinca kani 3padi pUTalapai
kAcedan(a)nu tyAgarAja vinutuni (giri)

Gist

I unerringly beheld Lord Sri rAma – praised by this tyAgarAja – established on the hill as His retinue were worshipping Him standing with fans made of flowers, fanning and praying.

Finding me in a state of horripilation, eyes brimming with tears of joy and babbling ‘I wanted to talk (to You)’, He said ‘I shall take care of You after ten days (or day and nights)’.

1 – giripai nelakonna – “In ‘Skanda Puraana’ it is said that one who meditates on ‘Suvela Parvatha Rama’ (Rama on Mount Suvela) in his last days will be blessed with a place in the Vaikunta. Since the Swami was aware of this, he meditated upon this Suvela Parvatha Rama and sang this kirtan of ‘Giripai nelakonna Ramuni’” – Source - suvEla mountain

SrI rAma climbs suvEla mountain and surveys the city of lankA from that vantage point – vAlmIki rAmAyaNa, yuddha kANDa, Chapter 38 refers.

Comments -

3 – padi pUTa – generally 'pUTa' means 'a part of the day'; it may also mean 'a day'. Therefore ‘padi pUTa’ may mean five days (as given in one of the books) if each daytime or night time is taken as one pUTa; it may mean ten days also. However, in the absence of any other suggestive information, it has been translated as ‘ten days’.

General – This kRti seems to precede what is stated in the kRti ‘paritApamu kani’; in that kRti, SrI tyAgarAja asks the Lord whether He has forgotten about His promise to protect him after 10 days. However, there is a contradiction in the scenery described in the kRtis; while the current kRti refers to 'suvEla mountain', in the 'paritApamu kani', the scenery referred is a 'boat ride along with sIta in sarayu river'. In both cases, the period referred is 'padi pUTalu' - ten (or five) days.

Tamil

ப. கி3ரிபை நெலகொன்ன ராமுனி
கு3ரி தப்பக கண்டி

அ. பரிவாருலு விரி ஸுரடுலசே
நிலப3டி3 விஸருசு கொஸருசு ஸேவிம்பக3 (கி3ரி)

ச. புல(கா)ங்கிதுடை3 ஆனந்(தா3)ஸ்1ருவுல
நிம்புசு மாட(லா)ட3 வலெ(ன)னி
கலுவரிஞ்ச கனி பதி3 பூடலபை
காசெத3(ன)னு த்யாக3ராஜ வினுதுனி (கி3ரி)

மலை மீது நிலைபெற்ற இராமனை
குறி தவறாது கண்டேன்

பரிவாரத்தினர் மலர் விசிறிகளுடன்
நின்று, விசிறிக்கொண்டும், வேண்டிக்கொண்டும், சேவிக்க,
மலை மீது நிலைபெற்ற இராமனை
குறி தவறாது கண்டேன்

புல்லரிப்புற்று, ஆனந்தக் கண்ணீர்
பெருக்கி, உரையாட வேணுமெனப்
பிதற்றக் கண்டு, பத்து வேளைக்குப் பின்
காப்பேனெனும், தியாகராசனால் போற்றப் பெற்றோனை,
மலை மீது நிலைபெற்ற இராமனை
குறி தவறாது கண்டேன்

மலை - இலங்கையில் வானர சேனை தங்கிய சுவேல மலை.

Telugu

ప. గిరిపై నెలకొన్న రాముని
గురి తప్పక కంటి

అ. పరివారులు విరి సురటులచే
నిలబడి విసరుచు కొసరుచు సేవింపగ (గిరి)

చ. పులకాంకితుడై ఆనందాశ్రువుల
నింపుచు మాటలాడ వలెనని
కలువరించ కని పది పూటలపై
కాచెదనను త్యాగరాజ వినుతుని (గిరి)

Kannada

ಪ. ಗಿರಿಪೈ ನೆಲಕೊನ್ನ ರಾಮುನಿ
ಗುರಿ ತಪ್ಪಕ ಕಂಟಿ

ಅ. ಪರಿವಾರುಲು ವಿರಿ ಸುರಟುಲಚೇ
ನಿಲಬಡಿ ವಿಸರುಚು ಕೊಸರುಚು ಸೇವಿಂಪಗ (ಗಿರಿ)

ಚ. ಪುಲಕಾಂಕಿತುಡೈ ಆನಂದಾಶ್ರುವುಲ
ನಿಂಪುಚು ಮಾಟಲಾಡ ವಲೆನನಿ
ಕಲುವರಿಂಚ ಕನಿ ಪದಿ ಪೂಟಲಪೈ
ಕಾಚೆದನನು ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ವಿನುತುನಿ (ಗಿರಿ)

Malayalam

പ. ഗിരിപൈ നെലകൊന്ന രാമുനി
ഗുരി തപ്പക കണ്ടി

അ. പരിവാരുലു വിരി സുരടുലചേ
നിലബഡി വിസരുചു കൊസരുചു സേവിമ്പഗ (ഗിരി)

ച. പുലകാങ്കിതുഡൈ ആനന്ദാശ്രുവുല
നിമ്പുചു മാടലാഡ വലെനനി
കലുവരിഞ്ച കനി പദി പൂടലപൈ
കാചെദനനു ത്യാഗരാജ വിനുതുനി (ഗിരി)

The song by all means is a soul stirring one.
particularly when you are told that it was composed in the evening of the bards life, when he had visions of God Sri Ramachandra.
Let us enjoy good music.
***********

Valayappatti - Sangeethakalanidhi

I have mentioned many times that my interest in Carnatic music started with Nadaswaram.
Naturally I have a liking towards the sounds of Tavil or Dolu as we call it in Telugu.
There is one artist who deals with the Tavil as if it is his child. He is Valayappatti.

Valayappatti A R Subramnyam is a percissionist par excellence.
I heard him live plenty of times.
I cannot forget the concert with Kunnakkudi at Raja Annamali Manram and the recent one with Jayashankar at Narada Gana Sabha Hall. Recent is in 80s here.
I particularly remember the concert of Tiruvizha Jayashankar at Ravindra Bharati, Hyderabad also in eighties.
I was on my way to the venue when I saw a Doctor relative of mine.
He later married my sister of course.
I asked him if he would come to the concert.
Reluctantly he said, he may sit for sometime.
The gentlean stayed on till the Mangalam and thanked me profusely for calling him to the concert.
The then CM of AP at that time Sri Anjaiah walked in unannounced into the venue much after the start.
He sat through and paid highest encomiums to the artists and particularly to Valyappatti.
I am more than happy that Vlayappati is the latest Sangeethakalanidhi.

To celebrate the occassion I present here two sets of recordings of valayappatti as accompanist.
In both of them there is an enjoyable Tani.

First Seven items are with Sri Kunnakkudi Vaidyanathan on Violin.
The latter or with Sri Tiruvizha R Jayashankar on Nadaswaram.

Kunnakkudi Items

01-Mallari
02-Amba_Nee_Irangayenil-Athana
03-Chakkani-Kharaharapriya
04-Taniavartanam
05-Manasa_Sancharare-Sama
06-Tunbam_Nergayil-Desh
07-Note_n_Mutthaitaruvana

Jayashankar Items:

01 Saraseehusana
02a Abheri Ragam
02b Bhajare re manasa
02c Tani Valayappatti
03 Eppo Varuvaro
04 Bajore Bhayya
05 Kavadichindu

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335cac0a54b6f8fc35cda


Following are the feelings of Veterans about Sri Valayappatti (Courtesy: The Hindu).
Veterans express their appreciation for the Music Academy's choice of Valayapatti Subramaniam for Sangita Kalanidhi, to be conferred at the Sadas on January 1, 2010.

Valayapatti A.R. Subramaniam, the Sangita Kalanidhi for 2009 at The Music Academy is the first thavil vidwan to be honoured with the much coveted title. A cross-section of vidwans, including Sangita Kalanidhis, have appreciated the Music Academy's gesture in choosing a renowned Thavil vidwan to preside over this year's conference. Excerpts:

Sangita Kalanidhi T.N. Krishnan: He is an outstanding maestro of thavil with hands that play melodiously too. I still remember those days when I went to listen to him with Palghat Mani Iyer and Alathur Brothers. His style is a combination of soft and heavy sollus.

Sangita Kalanidhi M. Balamuralikrishna: Well, Valayapatti and the Thavil can be likened to the epic pairs - Lord Muruga and his Vel (spear) and Lord Rama and his Vil (bow).

Violin maestro Lalgudi G. Jayaraman: Thavil is indispensable for a nagaswaram concert. Valayapatti Subramaniam represents the renaissance of the Thavil with his innovations. He has given it a special status.

Nagaswara Vidwans Sembonar Kovil Brothers S.R.G.Sambandam-S.R.G.Rajanna:
It is God's grace that he has been blessed with a good nadam in both the hands. His sounding on both the topi and valanthalai side is something unique. He has given the Thavil a universal recognition.

Sangita Kalanidhi T.K. Govinda Rao: I have known Valayapatti since his early days and been keenly observing his playing since then. Of the top ranking vidwans playing the Thavil, he has earned a reputation for his varied styles.

Sangita Kalanidhi T.V. Sankaranarayanan: Valayapatti has carved a niche for himself in the musical firmament. His perfect poise on stage, the erect posture, the supreme self-assurance born out of hard practice all through the years, the brilliant and effortless execution of ‘Nadai Bedhams,' astounding sound clarity have all made him a Thavil vidwan par excellence.

Sangita Kalanidhi Vellore G. Ramabhadran: I was first introduced to Valayapatti when he was a young man by (flute) T. Viswanathan. After listening to him I knew he would one day become a star in the field and it is now proved.

Sangita Kalanidhi A.K.C. Natarajan: There have been many Jambavans in the thavil field prior to Valayapatti such as Needamangalam Meenakshisundaram Pillai, Nachiar Koil Raghava Pillai and Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai to name a few. Following in their footsteps Valayapatti has innovated many modern sollus. It was he who gave the Thavil a special status by playing thani for more than an hour. His music pleased both learned and uninitiated.

Mridangam maestro Guru Karaikkudi Mani: Valayapatti made the public turn to him with his electrifying style. Many youngsters started following him. I still remember Valangaiman's compliment: “His art is entirely different with its unique nadam.” There were days when we wouldn't miss any of his concerts, mainly to analyse his innovations.

Let us enjoy good music!
**************

Radha & Jayalakshmi - Old Discs

We Continue our tributes to the Maestro Sri G N Balasubraniam.
Since we do not have permission to share his music, best is to listen to his prime disciples.
Here is a collection of items of Smt Radha and Smt Jayalakshmi.
These are songs from two old discs.

Smt Radha and Smt Jayalakshmi - Vocal

Team:
Details not known.

Items:

02-Mokshamu_galada-Saramati.mp3
03-Ksheerasagara-Devagandhari.mp3
04-Ramaneeamanamevaru-Kharaharapriya.mp3
05-Ninuvina-Navarasakannada.mp3
06-Ennallu-Subhapantuvarali.mp3
07-Meevalla-Kapi.mp3
08-Tavadasoham-Punnagavarali.mp3
09-Haridasulu-Yamunakalyani.mp3
10-Lavanya_Rama-Poornashadjam.mp3
11-Ardhanareeswaram-Kumudakriya.mp3
12-Meenalochana-Dhanyasi.mp3
13-Sri_Raghuvara-Kambhoji.mp3
14-Kanakamaya-Husseini.mp3
15-Saraswati-Hindolam.mp3
16-Ugabhoga_Tarakabindige-Tilang.mp3
17-Uruvai_Aruvai.mp3

Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca446d626ec7b2b657

Duration: 1:18:58 mts
Size: 72.3 MB

The following is a list of items uploaded to my folder in Sangeethamshare.
You are welcome to visit and download them.
I promise you more of vintage muisc in the coming days.
Please dont wait for my announcements and keep visitng my blog and my folder on Sangeethamshare.

List:

001-Namagiripettai_Krishnan-Nadaswaram
002-Nedunuri_Krishna_Murthy-Vocal
003-Vedaranyam_Vedamurthy-NadaswaramNPM
004-TNSeshagopalan_Bombay_84
005-Dwaram_Venkataswamy_Naidu-Violin_NPM
006-Mali_Ramani_Srinivasan-Flute
007-Mali_Srinivasan-Flute
008-Radha_Jayalakshmi-Radio_Concert
009-Sikkil_Sisters-Flute
010-Mudikondan_V_Iyer
011-Shobhana_Rangachary-Vocal
012-Dr_Semmangudi_Srinivasa_Iyer_1
013-Voleti_Venkateswarlu
014-N_S_Srinivasan-Flute
015-Balamurali-Swati_Tirunal
016-Dwaram_Narsinga_Rao-Violin
017-MVRamana_Murthy_(1933-90)-Vocal
018-Balamurali-Varalakshmi
019-Dr_S_Ramanathan_on_Radio
020-Mali_Shankarabharanam
021-DKPattammal-LSK_TVR_PMI
022-Balamurali-Sakalaganadhipa
023-Madurai_Somasundaram_Old_ LP
024-Dwaram_Venkataswamy_Naidu-Old_Discs
025-DKJayaraman_Badri_MC_CRamaswamy
026-Chittoor_Subramanyam
027-Violin_Trio-Shankar_Subramanyam_Vaidyanathan
028-Tiruvizha_R_Jayashankar_on_Radio
029-RKSrikanthan-NPM
030-MLVasanta_Kumari_Old_Discs
031-Radha_Jayalakshmi_Old_Discs

Link:

http://sangeethamshare.org/vijayagopal

Let us enjoy good music.
**********************