Carnatic music composers from the pre-trinity period to the current times have very often made their literary outpourings out of their devotion to God and passion towards music. Among the women composers, Andal, Karaikkal Ammaiyar, contemporary composers like D. Pattammal, Ambujam Krishna, Kalyani Varadarajan, Suguna Purushothaman and a few others have made significant contributions to the wealth of Carnatic music.
Many years ago, when I was asked to write an article on ragas, I was unsure of what I was going to write about the topic. I did not want to deal with the technical aspects since I am not trained in music.
It was a Vijayadasami day in 1983. My Sanskrit Professor C.S. Sundaram took me to the home of vidwan B. Krishnamoorthy—fondly addressed as BK Sir — (hereafter BK) as he wished me to learn Dikshitar kritis from BK. I am grateful to Professor Sundaram, who was my well-wisher and supportive of my music career.
This is the concluding segment of the exposition on dance and music in Vaishnavite Tamil literature. The three-part article is based on information culled from various Tamil discourses of Kidambi Narayanan.
On the occasion of the first death anniversary of violin maestro T.N. Krishnan who passed away on 2 November 2020, his disciple C. Seethapathy shares his memories of his guru.
Veteran Carnatic musician Nirmala Sundararajan is in the eighth decade of her life dedicated to the pursuit of music. She had the good fortune of learning from some of the best gurus and blossomed into a mature musician, having had a long stint in the field.
Jaya Mami Bhakti Padalgal is a serene offering of three volumes containing nearly 600 compositions, mostly in Tamil, on Lord Anjaneya (Hanuman). This assumes special significance as there is a virtual dearth of kritis on one of the most worshipped deities of our land associated with the epic—Ramayana.
Veteran violinist Sikkil R. Bhaskaran passed away on 20 July 2021. Dedicated exclusively to accompaniment, the artists he shared the stage with straddle generations and read like a who’s who of Carnatic music – from Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, K.B. Sundarambal and M.M. Dandapani Desigar to Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar, N. Vijay Siva and Palghat Ramprasad.
Sikkil Mala, the daughter of Sikkil Neela, is the torchbearer of the bani of the famed flautist duo – the Sikkil Sisters, Sangita Kalanidhis Kunjumani and Neela. Mala’s journey with the flute, did not begin purposefully as the heir apparent of the flute lineage of her family, but in a very casual manner.
The symbolism of rivers has been used abundantly in poetry, music and storytelling. Rivers depict the entire circle of life and are revered as nature’s wonders. In the Indian context, they are worshipped and humanised to tell moving stories of civilizations. However, through the generations, excessive use of these water bodies has led to their erosion and contamination.
The 59th annual guru puja of the legendary mridangam maestro, Palani Subramania Pillai was conducted virtually by the Palani Sri M. Subramania Pillai Trust. The programme premiered on 2 June 2021 on the Trust’s YouTube page.
