K J Yesudas - Vocal

Yesudas was the passeneger who tarvelled most number of times in an year on Air India, we were told at one point.
He is really popular singer in many languages.
There were times when he was a rage in Hindi films.
Best of it is, he is a performing Carnatic musician.
Even today he attracts full houses for his concerts.

Here is what Yesudas tells about Carnatic music.

Carnatic music is an ocean. The ocean contains everything - lots of good and bad. To dive deep and scoop the pearls we want is difficult. We have to strive anyway for that. You may take any number of births. Yet, if you don't do it with the dedication it commands, you won't get the pears you want.



Music - any music for that matter - is soothing. What role can Carnatic music play in a plural society and a diverse land like India?


We will go to the basics. Who are we? We are Indians. We are born as a human being. You become a Christian after conversion. When I was born, I was nothing. I did not have any title. I was just a baby. I am neither denying nor criticizing. Due to circumstances, my father and my mother took me to the Church and got blessed me by a priest. I am a Christian now. Look at what happened later on.

There are good and bad priests in Christianity. There are good and bad priests in Hindu. There are good and bad mullahs in Muslim community. When I was around 6 years, Catholic classes were important for Christianity. This particular priest said one day that only Christians would go to heaven. It was very important. It changed the course of my life. I knew nothing about vedam and the stuffs like that. When the priest said that, a thought crossed my mind. What will happen to my friends? I got Chandran, Tilakan, Paul and another Muslim guy as friends. I went to my father and asked his explanation for what the priest had said. What will happen to my friends? My worry was that I needed friends to play in case I go to heaven. That was my concern. My father did not get angry. He only said ``you keep this in your mind and you will get the answer sometime.'' I just forgot it after that. That was the seed for me. After that, God has helped me to take lessons from all problems I have encountered in my life.

Those days, Madurai Mani's kutcheri used to be held frequently at Thirupunithura. I was very eager to get into the temple and listen to his kutcheri one day. My friend tried to get me into the temple and raise problem. However, another friend of mine got wind of it and advised me not to go into the temple. I was crestfallen. I listened to the kutcheri standing outside the temple.

That was the time every body was going to the Sabri temple. I wrote to the temple authorities asking if I could also go to the temple. They said anybody could go there if he had done the fasting and followed the laid-out procedures.

HE is an Advaitha Murthi. HE does not distinguish against a Muslim. HE had a Muslim friend in fact. I kept that in mind. I became very famous when I visited the temple. By then, my father had died. I was not married. I did not ask my mother before hand when I visited Sabari. Only after I went to the temple, I told her. The visit had attracted a lot of publicity. But till date, none had questioned before my face. Not the Church authority. Not the church priest. None came forward. I did not do any wrong. I only went to a Devalayam. Later on, I realized that HE does not have any difference between religions.


Not only that. My father moulded me on several things. He is the reason for me. He told me not to get affiliated to any political party. ``You need all people. You are an artiste. They may hear you. If you join them, you will get struck only there,'' he told me. This had helped me. I am a free bird. If they allow me, I will sing in that tree. If someone calls me elsewhere, I will go there also and sing. That is my small knowledge.

Here is a collection of songs by Yesudas

01-VARNAM-Sarasangi
02-SAHANA-dehitavaPada
03-Pantuvarali-SivaSivaYanaRaada
04-RTP-KALYANI
05-Kurinji-AbhimanaMennadu
06-Hindolam-Mansuloni
 
Link:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=10f3f26dc390f408ab1eab3e9fa335ca43a91eebfe44dd6f

Let us enjoy good music!!
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