THE HALF SAREE CONUNDRUM

The half saree is like the two braids in school. When it is a school rule and a necessarily strict one at that, most of us girls detest wearing it. I still remember how some of them would cut their hair so short or wear it in such original styles, just to make it look short and hence can get away with the excuse - "I can't plait my hair ma'am"!


But now, we all miss the two braids. It has become a part of a beautiful memory called school life. And the half saree joins that 'sweet memory' bandwagon, once the girl enters her mid twenties.


What started as a boring journey to wear this attire, made for that puzzling period called adoloscence (only because anything looks boring to a teenager!) continues into an exciting time of shopping for those 2 1/2 metres of colourful joy we drape over the humble skirt. In short, the half saree is a sign of adoloscence, when you are old enough to try out new things that  life has to offer but at the same time, still young enough to be free from carrying the burdens this life can place on you. Ah what a convenient stance!


Since, I am a professional Carnatic musician, the half saree or Davani, as it is called, is a staple in the wardrobe. In my household, this necessity was taken to the to the next level and became a passion! We would leave the house in the morning and walk the aisles of all those stores and return only by evening, with bags full of wonderful colors, textures, designs, and what not. The best part about these are, you could create endless contrasts, between the 'pavadai' - the skirt and the davani, the long cloth. Mix and match was the mantra. The search for that perfect Davani was an exciting one, walking between the Benares section and silk section, checking whether Mangalagiri cotton or jute silk matches, pick from the Davani section or play around with the cloths from a few hundred bales of what is called the running material.


It is also beautiful to see the myriad reactions you get when you walk into a place, wearing a Davani. The young ones stare at you in awe and rush into you to 'get friends with akka' and that is the moment you realise you have hit the right note with the kids, a task one can be proud of accomplishing! On the other side, you see the aunties and mamis reminisce about their early days and you can't but feel good about the warmth of their memories just as they feel.


The Saree is a mark of dignity and rsponsibility. To a girl, it is a matter of the mind and the heart, when she graduates to Saree. This 6 yards of elegance, is like a way of telling life; "Look, I am a grown up, a responsible person, ready to take on what you offer". It is a sign of arriving. I have experienced first hand the seriousness and self respect that come with draping the saree.


Sometimes I definitely wonder, why should boys have all the fun?! Do they ever face the day when they have to move over half pants? Trousers and veshtis keep featuring in their wardrobes and there really isn't anything they have to stop wearing. But us girls,we have to keep going from the pavadai - chattai to pavadai - davani and finally the Saree! (Not to forget the 9 yards wonder, Madisar after marriage!). Sigh! It is a man's world sometimes.
Just kidding!


So to those girls out there, go out and get yourself a Davani. Feel the dignity of an adult and the lightness of a child, and bask in the beauty of this enigma, as long as it lasts. 

The Nine Gems

Oottukkāḍu Vēṇkaṭa Kavi  was an illustrious composer, with many novel ideas and creativity to his credit. One such outstanding piece of work is the lesser known ‘Kāmākṣhi Navāvaraṇams’. Akin to the Kamalāmbā Navāraṇa krtis by Muttuswāmy Dikshitar, these nine gems are each a piece of art to be awed at.  A short study on each of these:

The first composition on Vināyaka:

Shree Gaṇēshwara

He hails Lord Vināyaka as the Upāsaka of the Shreevidya upāsana.

The Panchāyatana pooja is mentioned in the composition, which is the type of Pooja where one Iṣhṭha daivata is surrounded by 4 other Gods. In this case the Iṣhṭha daivata is Vināyaka.

Adorning the Vakuḷa mālikā.

Vēda pārāvāra vihāra- One who resides in the ocean of the Vēdās

Dhyāna Krti

Vānchasi yadi kushalam

Bindu Chakra nilaya- One who resides in the Bindu chakra

nija mōda sadā ramaneeya shivāmrta nāma japa – one who is constantly in the meditation of the sweet name of Shiva, with utter fervor

Māṇikya manōhara veeṇā dharaṇām- holding the gem studded Veeṇā

1^st Avaraṇa Krti

Santatam aham sēvē

Trailōkya Mōhana chakra

Bindu chakra nilayē- One who resides in the Bindu chakra

Brāhmi, Mahēshwari, Sankṣhōbhini, Vidrāviṇi, etc. mentioned in the composition, are the Dēvis surrounding the first Chakra.

2^nd Avaraṇa Krti

Bhajasva shree

Sarva Āsha Paripooraka chakra

Specifically mentions Ṣhoḍasha daḷa sarvāsha paripooraka chakrēshwari – the goddess of the 16 petalled sarvāsha paripooraka chakra

shashadhara vadani – different way of expressing ‘moon- faced’, one whose face is like the wearer of the rabbit.

shishirita bhuvani – one who cools the earth

3^rd Avaraṇa Krti

Sarva jeeva

sarva samkṣhōbhaṇa chakra

sadānanda shiva beeja mantrēshvari – One who is constantly in the mantra of the ever blissful Shiva Bheeja.

The yōginee is Guptatara yogini

Anaṇga kusuma is one of the Shaktis

bhaṇḍāsura chhēdini – One who destroyed bhaṇḍāsura

veeṇā dhāriṇi – One who holds the veeṇā

4^th Āvaraṇa Krti

Yōga yōgēshwari

Sarva Sowbhāgya Dāyaka chakra

Chaturdasha Koṇēshwari – The goddess of Chaturdasha kona

nāgaratna tālapatra kanakābhē - palm leaf, kind of ear ornament, similar to Gold

hamsa toolikā talpa sārē – on a seat made of goose-cotton", the soft feathers or down of a goose. 

Ēkāmra taru moolē - One who is under the tree that bears a single mango.

5^th Avaraṇa Krti

Neela lōhita ramaṇi

Sarvārtha sādhaka chakra

neela lōhita ramaṇi – A woman of the color, Blue and Red.

the one among the Kulōtterṇa yoginis.

vashitva siddhi varadē - the Giver of the unusual skill of mastery over one’s self, self - command.

the one residing in the Bahirdasha chakra

Awakener of haim kḷeem sowm bheeja

6^th Avaraṇa Krti

Sadānanda mayi

sarva rakṣhākarāntardashāra chakra

In the midst of Nigarbha Yōgini

Prākāmya varadē - Giver of freedom of will

Worshipped by the suras, vāsava, pāvaka, shamana, nairta, yādasāmpati, pavana, dhanada, eeshāna, dishāmpati, nārada muni, etc.

Chintāmaṇi grha vāsini - Who resides in Chintāmaṇi (touchstone)

7^th Avaraṇa Krti

Sakala lōka nāyikē

sarva rōga hara chakra

a ka cha ṭa ta pa ya ra la va kṣhādi shānta akṣhara mayi – One who is the ḍorm oḍ the aksṣaras, a ka cha ṭa ta pa ya ra la va, from kṣha to sha

Gōvinda sōdari – the sister of Gōvinda

The Goddess of the chakra – Tripura Siddhā

One belonging to the family of rahasya yogini

shata dinakara sama dyuti mukha jālē – one whose face radiates the splendour of a hundred suns

8^th Avaraṇa Krti

Shankari

sarva siddhi pradāyaka chakra

mangaḷakara kunkuma dhara mandasmita mukha vilāsini – One, whose smiling face is adorned by the auspicious vermillion.

venkaṭa kavi hrdi sarasija vivaraṇā paṭutara bhāsini – One who has a detailed and keen understanding of Venkata Kavi’s lotus like heart (his own name is mentioned as mudra)

ati rahasya yōginee parivārē – One who belongs to the family of  ati rahasya yōginee

girirāja vara tanayē – The daughter of the King of Mountains

Nididhyāsana is the mental state of the Chakra

sadā chidambara nartana padayuga samakara naṭanādhipatē -  the queen of dance that always equals the two dancing feet of the Chidambara dance.

9^th Avaraṇa Krti

Natajana kalpavalli

sarvānandamaya chakra

shreepura bindu madhyē – One who resides in the Bindu in Shripura

sharadindu mukhē – One whose face resembles that of the autumn moon

navāvaraṇa gāna dhyāna yōga japa tapa rasikē – One who relishes the singing, meditating and the penance of the Navāvaraṇam-s

Phala Sthuthi

Haladharānujam

o Akhilāṇḍeshwari! Please grant us the boon of attaining Haladharānuja, the younger brother of Balarama who is the wielder of the plough.

poorvam rāmāvtāram – The one who took the Rāmāvatāram earlier.

kāḷeeya phaṇa pada nyāsam – Who dances on the hood of Kāḷeeya (is considered his mudra)

Seven Years: A Never-Ending Journey

Saptaratna-s. Or Saptavarsha-s. Call them either ways, my sister Apoorva’s and my life for last seven years have been seven precious gems.  On this day, seven years back in 2006, we met THE most influential person of our lives, our revered guru, Chitravina Ravikiran Sir. To us he was guru, family, friend, guide, mentor, inspiration and God.  And he still is. All seven in one.

 I vividly remember the first day of our class. He taught us a short Tyagaraja composition in Ragam Maruvadhanyashi, Mrdu bhashana. The composer has described Lord Rama in this song as ‘satguṇa bhooṣhaṇa’, one who is adorned by virtues.  The virtues are popularly identified as Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Patience, Kindness and Humility. Seven in number.

Be it the music and life he taught us, the words of advice he has given us, the recounts of a globetrotter, the wise words of a humorist of impeccable class, the ease with which he spoke any tongue, the depths of his knowledge in any field or the inspiring way he lead a whole generation, there is no end to the youthful zest for perfection and success he sought through sheer hard work and learning. I can keep adding a lot more to the cap that already adorns the above seven feathers.

Our S-I-R, as I reverentially and dearly address him, can never be anything but the most magnificent person we have ever met in life. We owe our biggest thanks to our parents and family for having brought us into the closest circle of such a genius. It is something that can never be explained in words. It has only to be felt. And felt deeply, every living moment. To be his disciple has been one of the biggest blessings, a student as I could ever earn. We are always grateful to those that gave me this wonderful experience.  To the two sisters with seven letters in each of their names, this is a humble “Thank you” to the one who means the seven worlds of the universe. Talking of two and seven, here is an interesting piece of trivia. Seven is one of two single-digit numbers that has two syllables, the other being Zero!

To sum up his life would be best done in Mahatma Gandhi’s words. Mahatma’s list of the destructive Seven Blunders of the World that cause violence- Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice and politics without principle. My Guru stood against each of the seven. And we are so proud to be under him.  

These seven years mean so many things to us, from each of the year being the seven swaras that our music is made of to the seven wonders that Earth has. Ravikiran S-I-R might just be one individual person. But his personality is multi-faceted, like that of the rainbow, with seven colors.

If there is one expression that fits this feeling like a glove, it is in the Reetigowla composition of Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi in Tamil, Enna punniyam sheideno-

‘vāḍiya payirukku peiyyum mazhaiyai pōlē

vaḷar mullaikkoḍikkoru kozhukkiḍaittār pōlē

tēḍiyum kāṇāda dravyamē satguru

dēva! un aruḷ peṛavē nān

enna puṇṇiyam sheidēnō…

ettanai tavam sheidēnō…’

‘THRILL’ANAS!!! -Part 2

Here is the continuation of my account on ‘Thrill’anas! Enjoy reading!

A small peak at what finally was presented in my concert!  Beginning with, in line with convention, was my guru’s tillana in Behag, composed on Lord Vinayaka, specially for his ballet,’ Vinayaka Vaibhavam’, full of patterns in a pleasing tune. The Charanam has some lovely rhyme on the syllable ‘zha’.

azhaikkum bhaktarukku teeyavar,

izhaikkum innal kaḷaindē, naṇgu

uzhaikka balam tandiḍum, tanga nool

ezhaitta āḍai aṇiyōnē!

pizhaikka vazhi koorum avvai aruḷ

mazhaiyē! nandi kubēran mudal vāzhvu

tazhaikka udaviya sumukhanē! gnyāna

pazhamaḍainda shankari shiva sutanē!

This was followed by Tanjavur Shankar Iyer’s Anandabhairavi, which is an absolutely lilting piece in a slow pace Khanda Chapu.

Then was the filler in Mandari, in the Tanjore Quartret’s inimitable lightning style, full of Bhrka laden sangatis and tongue twisting jatis. Shurutti tillana by Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi provided the relief, based on a rakti raga, but interesting with gati bhedams happening between sections and his trademark Madhyama Kalams.

The ‘Pancha jati-Pancha tala-Pancha raga’ tillana by my guru is a very rare gem, full of scholarly patterns and interesting transitions, easily merging together the shifts in the jati,raga and tala, especially in the climatic Madhyama Kalam. It is a part of yet another ballet of his, Lakshmi Prabhavam.

 

A very unusual but a precious find was the Vasanta tillana by Veena Seshanna in chowka kala or a slow tempo. This came as a refreshing surprise since, to me, Tillanas were synonymous with medium and fast tempos. It gave a lot of scope for Ragam, Niraval, Swaram and a Tani Avarttanm too!

Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar is a well-known Tillana composer. His 21 Akshara Lakshmeesha tala tillana set in Kapi raga, that was featured next,  is the epitome of showcasing a tala’s beauty through a barely 2 minute composition!

The Kuntalavarali Tillana by Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, Revati Tillana by Lalgudi Shri G. Jayaraman, the lesser known but a very elegant Bilahari Tillana by Ariyakudi Shri Ramanuja Iyengar are some of the other shining stars in the well-lit sky of Tillanas. It is as impossible to measure the vastness of these compositions as it is of the sky. It looks so approachable and limited to our eyes, but when we look beyond the horizon, there is a totally new dimension added! As noted by a senior musician, ‘Tukkada’ is a very inappropriate name given to the compositions that feature in the latter half of a concert.  As he noted, literally translated as ‘insignificant small pieces’, these compositions are no small in genius and nowhere insignificant!

This concert will be etched in my memory for inducing a lot of thirst and interest, the topic being based on an off-beaten track and the immense knowledge I gained about the seemingly humble Tillanas. I am immensely grateful to my family and my revered gurus for their unfailing inputs throughout this thrilling journey. Looking forward to more such exciting projects!

Greatest of All Times

Lalgudi was just any other town in Tamilnadu, before September 17, 1930. G. Jayaraman was born and this scenario totally changed. Lalgudi became synonymous with his name. And his name, synonymous with the Violin.

Lalgudi G Jayaraman was a multi-faceted personality. He was a violinist par excellence, a teacher whose renown is no less than one of the greatest, an intellectual, a fun loving human and above all, a dedicated student of music. I had the good fortune of learning about Lalgudi mama from my guru Chitravina N Ravikiran Sir. If Lalgudi mama received feedback about my guru’s concert anywhere, there would be a phone call next moment from him to my Sir, analysing about a korvai that he would have played, a raga alapana that Lalgudi mama would fondly reminisce of his days, etc. My guru would tell me, “It was so refreshing to talk to mama. His child like enthusiasm even at this age and stage is just unbelievable.” Such was the greatness of Lalgudi mama.

Chowdiah remarked: "All of us must stop playing now that this boy has appeared." Irrespective of seniority or achievements, Vidwans were all praise for his music and most importantly, the presence of mind he applied when accompanying artistes.  Arrogance or ego had no place in his life. In an interview he has said, “My eyes are set on a star not easily reached. Besides I am quite self-critical. I see my flaws all the time. Even minor faults frustrate me, and when I was younger, they would even make me weep all night. Sometimes I have even asked myself: "Why was I ever born?" Worry and sleeplessness would induce fever. At such times my father used to encourage me.”

He was one artiste who could easily blend with any style he was accompanying, be it Madurai Shri Mani Iyer’s Sarva Laghu patterns, GNB Sir’s sprightly Bhrkas or Alattur Brother’s wizardry over Laya. This was because he evolved a style in the violin, so close to the vocal style. His style is best described in his own words-“In my style you cannot distinguish between deflected and straight movements in bowing. The same richness of tone, the same continuity is maintained in both. Also one will not realise that the bow is moving over the different strings in turn because of the evenness of the sound produced. Jumps and breaks are completely avoided. And changes in fingering are so imperceptible as to go unnoticed.”

Who can beat the happiness one derives by just listening to his Naa Jeevadhara in Bilahari or Ora joopu joocheti in Kannadagowla ? Do I enjoy the crystal clear tone of his touch? Or the perfect shruti alignment? Or the impeccable Bhrkas, the graceful Gamakams, the lyrical quality of the instrument that he was the pioneer in bringing about, or the Bhava that would move me to tears? What aspect of his music cannot surpass anything else? Each is as best as the other. And this can be attributed to nothing but single minded saadhaka, that, as my guru says, Lalgudi mama did like a tapas, a penance. Be it the attractive swarams in Ide Bhagyamu of Kannada or the Bhairavi Ragam Tanam Pallavi, his music stood true to the statement, ‘Greatest of all times’. 

He lived for music and his music shall live for all of us, generations and generations to come. I still remember the day of his 80^th Birthday celebrations in the Music Academy, when I first ever played my Chitravina on stage as part of an instrumental tribute to his greatness.  It was something that I will never forget, for the grand manner in which it was organized or the most cherished blessings that he gave me that day.  He had beautifully sewed a violin into his signature and I would cherish his personally autographed memento as a treasure close to my heart forever.
 

‘THRILL’ANAS!!! -Part 1

Tillanas are a very integral part of our classical arts. Primarily from a dance origin, these mostly short and crispy compositions made their foray into music also, and have been enjoying a glorious position in the post main section of innumerable concerts.

 But how is it to take up these miniature pieces of stupendous brilliance as a theme for a full-fledged concert?! The research behind is the first installment of this two-part write up.

Recently, I faced this interesting challenge when I was asked to perform a thematic concert on ‘Tillanas across 300 years’. It was an exhilarating task for me, from collecting these thrilling pieces of various composers to presenting them in a conventional kutcheri format. This inspired my Guru to even call them ‘Thrillanas’ on a light note, to who I owe the title courtesy here!!

I first made a list of composers who have made their mark in these compositions, from Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi and Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar to Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna and my own guru Chitravina Shri N. Ravikiran. Once I shortlisted around 15 tillanas, it came to choosing the appropriate ones, showcasing the varied styles of composing and my own comfort levels that I could gain only through constant practice.

A little research into the beginnings of this unassuming musical form showed that the ‘Kaivara Prabandhams’, prevalent in the medieval era are the fore-runners of present day Tillanas. The first composer as recorded is Melattur Veerebhadrayya (1739-1763) followed very closely by Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi (1700-1765). A small note of interest here is, both Melattur and Oottukkadu are towns of close proximity. They, along with couple of other small towns, were rich in the Bhagavata Mela tradition, an art which is a mix of dance, music and story-telling. So the Tillanas could have been an important aspect of this art form and hence the pioneers of Tillanas. Of the two, the Venkata Kavi seems to have explored a lot, foraying into dance based jatis, North-Indian Taraana styled Tillanas, his immensely scholarly and popular ‘Kalinga Narttana Natangam, in Gambheera Nattai whose capture of Lord Kishna’s Kalinga Narttanam is absolutely unparalleled in its sheer imagery, beauty, skills, etc. It took all of few minutes to note the evolution of Tillanas from being highly dance oriented in the first, full of interesting and deceivingly simple kanakku or mathemeatics, filled with shollus and jatis.  Then came the time where composers started making it more “paattu kutchery friendly”! Thought the former were not impossible to perform, this set of composers set their sights on simple and alluring tunes and ragas, less complicated jatis, etc. Recent trends lean towards interesting pattern based mathematics or korvais, from the obvious tishrams and khandams to the brain-racking chaturashra tishrams and dove-tailing patterns. All this weaved in both light classical and heavy weight ragas.

When the entire homework was done, it felt like I had just dived into a huge ocean and barely saw a fish there. That is how small I felt!

The last part will have what I finally got to present in the kutcheri and a few more tidbits on the topic. 

Stay thrilled till then!

BRILLIANCE

Brilliance. In dictionaries, it is defined as ‘very bright and vivid’, ‘extremely clever or talented’ and ‘excellent’. At one go, all three might sound similar, almost the same. It is a known fact, instilled in everyone from school days that a talented child is always bright and the vice versa. And hence he or she excels in the normal parameters used to describe brightness or talent.

But in deep introspection, I would paint a different dimension to it. They are not one and the same. These are various avatar-s, forms or incarnations of brilliance.

 In the recent December Music Season 2011, as any die hard rasika would, I attended quite a handful of concerts. The incarnations of brilliance, as I would call, were very evident in each concert and helped me in giving shape to this thought. To top all this, I should not forget the fellow rasikas and newspaper reviews, whose views in a purely conversational and leisure mode, contributed immensely to mold this primitive thought.

In the yester years, we have had stalwarts who have walked this Earth and created music of ‘sheer brilliance’. What can be spoken about Brindamma’s shruti, or Ariyakudi mama’s vibrancy, or MS amma’s devotion, etc.? Each of these artistes was brilliance personified, standing on his or her own strength, not stooping down to anything lower than that. It is a widely accepted fact that all these stars had a profound practical knowledge of music, yet each had his or her own way to bring out that knowledge on stage. So, if Brindamma chose to present Vilamba kala (slow paced) compositions in her performances, it was not because she was anywhere close to being inefficient in the faster speeds. It was her ‘path’, the one she created for herself to reach the supreme, the ultimate of any activity.  It is the same with that of stars on the other end of the spectrum, like Ariyakudi mama or GNB mama. They created magic with fast speeds and were equally adept in handling slower compositions. It was a different path that they chose. But the destination is one and the same.

Both were accepted as brilliance because they were nothing but that. Rasikas and critics knew just the right thing by which brilliance could be judged.

These days, brilliance is very wrongly interpreted as only ‘vibrancy’. A brilliant concert, in today’s terms can be described as one, full of high energy, superfast bhrka-s, not even having a moment of silence lest the energy should drop, even if that moment of silence could create more than what so many minutes of continuous music could. Why isn’t silence, at the right moment regarded as brilliance, when a lightning sangati, at the precise moment, is, evoking rapturous appreciation and applause? In which way is a gamaka laden raga alapana less vivid than bhrka laden exposition? It is like a painting. Give a brush to a worthy artiste; he can create magical brillliance with it, whatever color he uses. Are people who give importance to that silence or tranquility less talented or excellent than those who tag durita kalams and full energy and excitement, important? In some cases it can turn out to be the vice versa too.

A parallel can be drawn with the dashavatarm-s of Lord Vishnu. In the ‘Parashurama’’ avatar, He was described as a very aggressive, energetic ( for the purpose of slaying evil kshatriys-s, reason behind the incarnation)  and a powerful sage. But in the ‘Vamana’ avatar, He was characterized as a highly peaceful and soft spoken Brahmin boy.Would anyone say that Lord Vishnu was less brilliant in either of these avataram-s? They were just forms to show that brilliance is only subjective. It is not objective. One must ideally be like Lord Krshna, ninth of lord Vishnu’s ten incarnations. He knew how to be both mischievous and enthusiastic and when to be subtle and calm!

In the end, one must understand that brilliance has varied forms. Each form is beautiful in its own way, giving ample space to delve into the beauty and savor it endlessly. If this point is driven home, a whole new world is awaiting each person, a world he or she has never considered, due to its ‘lack of brilliance’. So let us all, as the new age listeners, know that brilliance can never be categorized. It is ‘a culmination of talent, cleverness to present the brightest form of art we consider to be vivid, in the most excellent manner!’