A brilliant play of Manodharma

Posted on by chithramurthyy

A/N: If you have read the Harry Potter books, you will understand when I say that my posts will mostly be a mix of Lee Jordan and Luna Lovegood when they were commentators of the Hogwarts Qudditch matches.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get on with the blog. 

Of course my first entry is of Ashwath Anna’s concert(If you ever meet my mother, ask her to do an impression of how excited I get when I attend his concert;it’s spot on). 

He started with Sarasiruhasana priye in Naatai, the  glorious speed of Akaram in the raga alapana reminding me of Bugs Bunny’s speeding legs(I’m a mature adult, I swear).  The song had a brisk pace to it which was beautifully handled by the mridangist and the violinist, Karaikal Venkatasubramaniam and M S Venkatasubramaniam. 

He then proceeded to sing Mamavasadhajanani in Kanada, the ragam still lingering on my mind an hour after the kutcheri was finished. 

The raga of the hour was Lathangi. It was spun into a beautiful of weave of Bhava, Sruthi and Laya. The swarakalpana was brilliant, the artists turning it into a fast volley and finishing the piece with a short, but sweet Thani. 

Needless to say, Ashwath Narayanan rendered me starstruck yet again, as he has been doing since he auditioned for Tanishq’s Swarna Sangeetham. 

Hi!

Posted on by chithramurthyy

If you haven’t met me already(virtually or IRL), HI! My name is Preethi. Yes, I know my domain says my name is Chithra, and so does Facebook, but I’ve never really liked that name very much(No offense to you Oh Periyappa o’mine who named me;I still love you).

I am your typical Tambrahm girl, born into a family where Carnatic music dates back to (at least) four generations.  So, it comes as no surprise that I started learning Sa Ri Ga Ma at a very young age(not that I’m a Mylapore Mami now, mind you). I am saying that I’m not someone who just has “Kezhvi Gnanam” and starts making random remarks about people’s singing(usually in the middle of a concert!).

That being said, (DISCLAIMER!!)I’m also in, no way, a squint-eyed, tight-lipped critic waiting for musicians to make a mistake and immediately talk to people about it. I’m just going to give you my honest thoughts on the concerts that I go to.

I’m starting this blog for the following reasons:

1. It’s fun! (MAIN REASON!)

2. There just aren’t enough Carnatic blogs around.

3.There’s so much more to Carnatic Music than your usual Shri Chakraraja Simhasaneshwari that every Mami asks you to sing during Navratri(I STILL LOVE THAT SONG, DON’T KILL ME!)

4. It feels good to give a genuine compliment!

5. It gives me an excuse to attend more concerts.

6. While I did not have the luck to live in the era of the great musicians like Madurai Mani Iyer or Voleti Venkateswarulu, I do live in a period where young aspirants(including myself, though I have a long, long way to go to even stand in the same arena as the others) are striving hard to continue the legacies of their Gurus and role models, in their own style. They have to be appreciated.

7. Lastly, I love to talk! xD

See you soon!