Satya's Blog

(Happy) Independence Day

2011-08-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Image Courtesy: Here

Its a day of mixed feelings. It was much simpler when I was a kid. Back in the school days, 15th August was always associated with joy and celebrations. Neatly dressed in whites and wearing the immaculate white shoes polished diligently the previous night, we reached the school play ground earlier than the usual. One could feel the air of festivity as we were rushed to stand in line for the flag hoisting program. Ad mist the murmurs of the students with occasional hushes and teachers with a cane in the hand patrolling the ground, we used to watch the decoration of the dais unfolding.

A cloth banner with the map of India is neatly hung at the center of the dais, with the support of three vertically arranged school benches. The tri colors of Indian flag appear inside the map, with the wheel appearing at the center, contrasting sharply with the white color of the cloth banner. The flag pole located right next to the dais is neatly decorated with the three colors. And the flag is already mounted at the top, waiting to be hoisted by the chief guest of the function. The flag hoisting, the patriotic songs, speeches by teachers and students followed by snacks distribution formed the core of the event. We rushed back to home happily munching the snacks that usually consisted of some mixture and a sweet. It was such a simple life. What a joy that was!

As the years went by, my association with Independence day has been mixed. Thats why they say ignorance is bliss. Though I still get goosebumps whenever I hear a moving patriotic song, there are hundred questions swarming in my mind. What are we celebrating? Why are we celebrating in spite of the fact that millions of people in the country are undernourished while the food grains in Government godowns are left to rot and perish? Millions of people do not have access to clean water, proper housing, minimum medical facilities, basic education and many more. How did the liberation of India from the British freed the common man from these problems?

The dynasty that ruled this country for more than ninety percent of the time after independence spear headed by the mindless and useless ideologies of one man, sucked the blood out of every Indian only to satisfy his egoistic ecstasy. The unhealed wound inflicted by partition and its aftermath is only one of the nightmares manifested due to the zillion blunders committed by him and the party. Yet, they have no self respect and continue to feed on the corpses left behind after the catastrophic and systematic misgovernance of the country. While his daughter hurled us into a bigger misery with her tyrannical regime, the current queen controls the whole country through a puppet. As we enter the 65th anniversary of our independence, the prince is getting ready to get his share of this idiosyncrasy and we, as people, are thoughtless, shameless and spineless to allow it to happen. The opposition is in a bigger shamble in itself giving unquestioning liberty to the puppet and its masters to loot whatever is left in the country.

Our generation, including me, has no self respect. We always want to be in the safety net, have good careers and good pay cheque. It is 100% our fault that we are allowing the criminals to rule the country. We will continue to rot under the same system and we will continue to complain. Thats how we are and thats what we are.

Enough of my pessimistic outburst. Happy independence day! See this amazing video: The Silent Indian National Anthem (read about the video here).

Call for Donations to "Project Why"

2011-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

I recently stumbled upon the blog of Project Why Blog and started following it. I am deeply touched by the amount of work they are doing. I came across two blog posts: Why not sponsor a future and Let us together save a dream requesting for donations to help two of their former students continue their education through vocational courses. Please read the blog posts for more details.

So, please donate whatever you can, however small or big it might be, to Project Why so that the two boys can attend college. The details about how to donate can be found here. The deadline is around 20th July 2011, the date before which they need to be enrolled in the courses.

Reading Links

2011-06-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Reading Links

2011-06-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Reading Links

2011-06-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

Funny quote: Arindam Chaudhuri suing Google is like Harman Baweja suing Rajnikant because the latter makes hit films http://twitter.com/#!/jhunjhunwala :)

Reading Links

2011-06-09T12:34:00.000-07:00

Readings: On Jan Lok Pal Bill

2011-04-11T13:15:00.001-07:00

Carnatic Vocal Concert on 14th August, 2010

2010-08-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

Kalasagaram, Secunderabad proudly presents a grand carnatic vocal music concert on 14th August, 2010. All are invited.

Program: Carnatic vocal by Kum. Sri Ranjani Santhanagopalan (Daughter and Disciple of Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan).
Instrumental Support: Violin - Sri Rahul, Mridangal - Sri Burra Sriram.
Venue: Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad
Date: 14th August 2010
Time: 6:30 PM

About the Artist:
March, 1990, she started learning Kumari Sri Ranjani Santhanagoplan is the daughter and disciple of Isai Peroli Sri Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan. She has the distinction of being born in a family with music in the genes. Born on 14thCarnatic Music at a very young age. She has proven talent with several awards, prizes and scholarships to her credit from childhood. She has a consistent record of well received concerts at renowned Sabhas and Temples to a diverse audience.

Scholarship holder. She is the Sri Ranjani is versatile with proficiency in compering prime Carnatic music programmes and assisting in music teaching over the internt. She wont Anand Vikatan's 'Mazhalai Medaigal' Awaard at the age of 4. She is the winner of the All India Radio Competition (Vocal Carnatic) and there by a 'B' Grade Artiste of AIR. She is the recipient of ITC Sangeeth Research Academy Scholarship for the year 2009 and CCRTrecipient of the Bharath Kalachar scholarhsip for 9 years. She has won several awards such as 'Best Junior' award from Indian Fine Arts, 2008, adjudged 'Best Performer' in the Isai Velvi conducted by the International Society for Laya Awareness. She has won innumerable prizes at Inter-Collegiate Level and from various Sabhas.

Sri Ranjani has been featured in the TV by Jaya TV, SRGMP, Margazhi Mahotsavam,Thiruppavai Show, Navaratri Utsavam, Zee TV Margazhi Special Show and Thyagaraja Pancharatna Mahotsav. She has given music performances in all the leaving Music Sabhas at Chennai besides giving concerts at out stations such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Trivendrum, Trichy, Madurai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad etc. Her other interests are Dance, Arts (paintaing, Tanjore painting), mehendi designing, floral decoration, sloka recitation, essay writing, advertising etc. She is endowed with a rich and mellifluous voice and is bound to enthral the audience with her scintillating music.

Kuchipudi Dance Ballet on 18th July 2010

2010-07-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

South Indian Cultural Association (SICA), Hyderabad cordially invites you to a grand "Kuchipudi Dance Ballet" on 18th July 2010 by Guru Smt. Maddali Usha Gayathri and her disciple from Nrithya Kinnera. The venue of the program is Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad. The program starts at 6:30 PM. Donor passes will be availble before the program at the venue. The details of the program are given below.

Nrithya Kinnera presents "Rukmini Satya"

Smt. Maddali Usha Gayathri: She was introduced to the stage at the age of four as a child dance prodigy under the tutelage of Sri Dayal Saran, who was a disciple of world famous Dance Maestro, Uday Shankar and has ever since performed all dance forms and has finally settled down to master the skills of Kuchipudi Dance form with the inspiration of Padmasri Vedantam Satyanarayana Sarma.

She underwent training in Kathak dance under Sri Yadagiri, a disciple of the famous fold and Kathak exponent Sri Gopalraj Bhatt. She started takign basic training and formal introduction to the Kuchipudi Art form from Guri Sri Yeleswarapu Suryaprakasa Sarma.

She underwent specialized training in Nattuvangam from the well known Nattuvangam expert Smt. Kamal Rani of the famous dance institute Kalakshetra, Chennai. She was honoured for the best Nattuvangam by the college of Defence Manager in 2008. Presently she is a Research Scholar at the Hyderabad Central University working on 'Kalpas'.

As a well trained and talented artiste she has been presenting hundereds of performances of for the last three decades in different centeres in India and abroad. Many mythological themes like: Shivabhakta Markandeya, Rukmini Satya, Sri Alivelu Manga Charitham, Sir Goda Kalyanam, Yasoda Krishna, Alokaye Sri Balkrishnam are some of them.

"Rukmini Satya" is an absorbing and colourful Kuchipudi Dance Ballet on the comparitive charactereistics in the nature, emotion and devotion of Rukmini of Narayana Theertha and Satya of Siddendra Yogi. The concept, theme and choreography are by "Hamsa Awardee" Guri Smt. Maddali Usha Gayathri.

Though both Rukmini and Satya are true devotees of Lord Krishna, one's path is moulded by devotion while the other's is by desire. Though their parth is different, their goal is the same. This is the basic and main theme of the Dance Ballet "Rukmini Satya".

Carnatic Vocal Concert on 24th July, 2010

2010-07-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

Kalasagaram is organizing a grand Carnatic concert on 24th July 2010. The details are as follows. All are welcome.

Program : Carnatic Vocal Concert by Shri Kyvalya Kumar Chilla
Instrumental Support: Shri R. Dinakar on Violin and Shri Burra Sriram on Mridangam
Date : 24th July 2010
Venue : Keys High School for Girls, Secunderabad
Time : 6:30 PM

About the Artist:

Kyvalya Kumar had his initial training in Carnatic music from Smt. K. Annapurna at Parupalli Ramakrishnaiah Sangeetha Vidyalam, Vijayawada. Subsequently he came under the tutelage of 'Sangeeta Kala Tapaswi' Shri P.V.S. Seshaiah sastry, Retd. Pricipal of Govt. College of Music & Dance, Hyderabad. Presently he is taking advanced training under Smt. Lalitha Siva KUmar, Daughter-in-law of Smt. D.K. Pattammal, Chennai.

Kyvalya Kumar is a Diploma holder with distinction in Carnatic music, apart from Technical Teachers Certification given by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. He won gold medal in Annamacharya Sankeetana competitions conducted by T.T.D. in 2001. He was given scholarship from 2002-2004 by the Central Govt. He is a 'B' grade artiste of AIR, Hyderabad. Kyvala Kumar performed at various important sabhas at Vizag, Vijayawada, Warangal, Khammam, Kakinada and Hyderabad. He has given concerts at Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam and Brahmagana Sabha at Chennai. He has also sung for the TTD SVBC Channal, Hyderabad. Endowed with a vibrant voice, his music is steeped in pure classicism.

Ph.D. Gyaan

2010-05-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Q. What motivates you to continue doing Ph.D.?
Ans. Hope of graduation someday and coffee.

Q. What demotivates?
Ans. Fear of discontinuing due to frustration and mess food.

Carnatic Vocal Concerts by Smt. Ranjani Sivakumar

2010-03-11T22:10:00.000-08:00

Smt. Ranjani Sivakumar, an AIR artist, is performing the following Carnatic vocal concerts in Hyderabad. All are invited.

14th March 2010

Venue: Sri Lakshmi Ganapathi Devasthanam, Opp. Sudarshan 35mm theatre, RTC X Roads, Hyderabad
Time: 6:00 pm
Accompanists: Violin - Sri Pavan Singh, Mridangam - Sri Burra Sriram

17th March 2010

Venue: Sri Tyagaraja Gana Sabha, Chikkadpally, Hyderabad
Time: 6:30 pm
Accompanists: Violin - Smt Radhika, Mridangam - Sri Srinivasa Gopalan

23rd March 2010

Venue: Ramalayam, Near Shilparamam, opp Satyam bldg, Kondapur, Hyderabad
Time: 6:00 pm
Accompanists: Violin - Sri Oruganti Rajashekar, Mridangam - Sri Shyam Kumar

96th Jayanthi Celebrations of "Sangeetha Ksheera Sagara" Late Sri Uppalapati Ankaiah garu

2010-03-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

96th Jayanthi Celebrations of "Sangeetha Ksheera Sagara" Late Sri Uppalapati Ankaiah Garu will take place from 15th March to 18th March 2010 at Sri Kala Subba Rao Kala Vedika in Sri Thyagaraya Gana Sabha premises daily from 6:30 PM. All are cordially invited for the event. The program is as follows:

15th March 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Dr. Tadepalli Loka Nadha Sarma garu

Vocal Support: Sri "Nihal" (K.V.Srinivas) Garu (Noted Music Composer, Music Director.& Playback Artiste)
Violin: Sri Mangalampalli Surya Deepthi Garu ("A" Grade Staff Artist, Akashwani, Hyderabad)
Mridangam: Sri Nemani Somayajulu Garu ("A" Grade Staff Artist, Akashwani, Hyderabad)
Morsing: Sri P. Srinivasa Gopalan Garu ("A" Grade Artist, Akashwani)

16th March 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Kumari Kasturi Kamala Deepthi

Violin: Sri Bhatti Pawan Singh Garu (Graded Artist, Akashwani, Hyderabad)
Mridangam: Sri K. Srinivasa Rao Garu (Graded Artist, Akashwani, Hyderabad)

17th March, 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Smt. Ranjani Siva Kumar garu

Voilin: Smt. Radhika Srinivasan Garu
Mridangam: Sri P. Srinivasa Gopalan Garu ("A" Grade Artist, Akashwani, Hyderabad)

18th March 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Chi. Kumari Karthika Anagha

Violin: Sri Oruganti Rajasekhar Garu (Graded Artist, Akashwani, Hydeabad)
Mridangam: Sri T. P. Balasubrahmanyam Garu

A brief biography of "Sangeetha Ksheera Sagara" Late Sri Uppalapati Ankaiah garu in telugu can be read from here (will post a translation soon). Also found some rare pictures of Ankaiah garu here.

Kalasagaram Annual Youth Festival of Dance - 2010

2010-03-06T19:31:00.000-08:00

Kalasagaram is organizing a three-day annual youth festival of dance. Programs start everyday at 6:30 PM at Keys High School for Girls, Secunderabad. All are invited. Contact number: 2773175.

12th March 2010: Bharatanatyam by Kum. Jakkula Laxmi Pravalika (Disciple of Guru Sri V.S. Ramamoorthy & Guru Smt. Manjula Ramaswamy).
13th March 2010: Bharatanatyam by Kum. Srikari S. Rao (Disciple of Guru Smt. Geetha Ganesan).
14th March 2010: Bharatanatyam by Kum. Ashritha Vemuganti (Disciple of Guru Smt. Rajeswari Sainath).

I strongly urge everyone who can afford to take membership in Kalasagaram and patronage them. Membership can be obtained at the venue during the days of the program or from their office: Kalasagaram, A-4, Arsh Glory, 442, Street No. 10, East Nehru Nagar, Secunderabad - 500026. Phone: 27731775. Email: kalasagaram [at] gmail [dot] com.

Sadasiva Brahmendra Compositions

2010-02-24T05:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a collection of compositions of Sadasiva Brahmendra. The MP3 links are the directories where you can find the corresponding song.

SNo	Composition	Ragam	Talam	Lyrics	MP3
1.	Ananda Purna Bodhoham Sachchidananda	Shankarabharanam	Misra Chapu	Lyrics (Page 30)
2.	Ananda Purna Bodhoham Satatam	Madhyamavathi	Khanda Chapu	Lyrics
3.	Bhajare Gopalam	Hindolam	Adi	Lyrics	Hindolam1, Hindolam2
4.	Bhajare Raghuviram	Kalyani	Adi	Lyrics	Kalyani
5.	Bhajare Yadunatham	Peelu Ragamalika	Adi	Lyrics	Peelu1, Peelu2 Ragamalika
6.	Brahmaivaham	Nadanamakriya	Adi	Lyrics	Nadanamakriya
7.	Bruhi Mukundethi	Gowla Navaroju Kurinji Senchurutti	Adi	Lyrics	Gowla Navaroju Kurinji Senchurutti
8.	Chetah Sreeramam	Dwijavanthi Surathi	Adi	Lyrics	Dwijavanthi1, Dwijavanthi2
9.	Chinta Nasti Kila	Navroj	Adi	Lyrics
10.	Gayathi Vanamali	Gavathi Yamuna Kalyani Patdeep Hamsadwani Madhyamavathi Misra Kapi	Adi	Lyrics	Gavathi Yamuna Kalyani Patdeep Hamsadwani Madhyamavathi
11.	Khelathi Brahmande	Sindhubhairavi	Adi	Lyrics	Sindhubhairavi
12.	Khelathi Mama Hrudaye	Atana Sindhubhairavi	Adi	Lyrics	Atana Sindhubhairavi
13.	Kridathi Vanamali	Sindhubhairavi	Adi	Lyrics
14.	Krishna Paahi	Madhyamavathi	Adi	Lyrics
15.	Manasa Sanchara Re	Sama	Adi	Lyrics	Sama1, Sama2
16.	Nahi Re Nahi Re	Gavathi Bhimpalas Mohana	Adi	Lyrics	Gavathi Bhimpalas
17.	Pibare Rama Rasam	Ahi Bhairavi Yamuna Kalyani Revathi Peelu Chakravakam	Adi	Lyrics	Ahi Bhairavi Yamuna Kalyani Revathi Peelu Chakravakam
18.	Poorna Bodhoham	Kalyani	Adi	Lyrics
19.	Prativaram Varam	Thodi Kambhoji	Adi MisraChapu	Lyrics	Thodi
20.	Sarvam Brahmha Mayam	Mishra Sivaranjani Madhuvanthi Senchurutti	Adi	Lyrics	Mishra Sivaranjani Madhuvanthi
21.	Smaravaram	Jog Sindhubhairavi Bahudari Kapi	Adi	Lyrics	Jog Sindhubhairavi Bahudari
22.	Sthiratha Nahi Nahire	Amruthavarshini Punnagavarali	Adi	Lyrics	Amruthavarshini
23.	Tatvat Jeevitham	Kiravani	Adi	Lyrics
24.	Tunga Taranga	Hamsadwani	Adi	Lyrics	Hamsadwani

51st Annual Festival Of Music And Dance By SICA - 2010

2010-02-22T23:47:00.000-08:00

SICA, Hyderabad is organizing its 51st annual festival of music and dance at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad from 9th March to 17th March, 2010. Everyday the program starts at 6:30 PM. Season passes will be available for Rs. 400 and Rs. 300. Daily passes can also be purchased at the venue before the program for Rs. 100, Rs. 50 and Rs. 30. Contact numbers are 9849124675, 9246161420 and 27425374. I strongly urge everyone to become members of SICA and patronage them. Membership can be taken at the venue on any of the days of the programs. The program is given below.

9th March, 2010: Vocal Concert By T M Krishna
10th March 2010: Vocal Concert By P Unnikrishnan
11th March 2010: Chitra Veena By Ravi Kiran
12th March 2010: Vocal Concert By Sankaran Namboodiri
13th March 2010: Carnatic Vocal Duet By Priya Sisters
14th March 2010: Srinivasa Vybhavam - Dance Ballet By Anitha Guha
17th March 2010: Violin Recital By M Chandrasekaran

Carnatic Vocal Concert by Lavanya Sundararaman

2010-02-13T22:09:00.000-08:00

As a part of Kalasagaram Annual Youth Festival of Music, Kum. Lavanya Sundararaman presented an excellent carnatic vocal concert on 13th Feburary 2010. Sri R. Dinakar gave support on violin, Sri Burra Sriram on Mridangam, Smt. K. Radha Padmaja on morsing and Shri Ramakrishna on shruthi.

Photo Courtesy: ivrcl2 Picasa Album

About the artist:

Lavanya hails from a family of musicians. Great grand daughter of Mridangam Maestro Late Palghat SriIyer T.S. Mani and also Gana Saraswathi Padma Vibhushan Late Smt. D.K. Pattammal. Grandfather Sri I. Sivakumar is a renowned musician; mother Smt. Gayathri Sundararaman is a well established vocalist. She is the niece of the famous Kalaimamani Dr. Nithyasree Mahadevan. She is very fortunate to have started carnatic vocal music from a very tender age from her illustrious great grand mother Smt. D.K. Pattammal. Her grandmother Smt. Lalitha Sivakumar is her mentor and is undergoing rigorous training under her in the nuances of carnatic music. Dr. Nithyasree Mahadevan is helping her in voice culture and her mother Smt. Gayathri Sundararaman is her driving force and also trains her. She took her initial bala padam from Sri Poorna Pragya Rao.

Kum. Lavanya won carnatic vocal music scholarship given by Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan Group of Schools from 2000 to 2006. She has won several prizes in music competitions conducted by many prestigious institutions such as Narada Gana Sabha , Mylapore Fine Arts, Music Academy, Chennai etc.,. She has given concerts not only in India but also abroad in countries like Sri Lanka, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia. She has presented thematic programmes such as Muthuswami Dikshitar Kritis, Subramanya Bharathirar Kritis, Oothukkadu Venkatasubbier Kritis, Papanasam Sivan Kritis, Muthaiah Bhagavathar Kritis etc. She was awarded the Title of 'Tamil Isai Kuyil' by Toronto Tamil Sangam. She has also sung in a few albums with Nithyasree Mahadevan and also in solo programmes. At present, she is doing her B. Music course in Queen Maris College, Chennai. A chip off the old block, Lavanya possesses a sweet voice and holds great promise for the future in the carnatic music realm.

The Concert:

My personal favorites from the concert are 'Manasa Etulorthune', 'Bharatha Samudayam Vazhgave' and the Krishna bhajan of Swathi Thirunal.

Nee Daya Raada Neerajakshi (Varnam) - Andolika - Adi - GNB (Lyrics)
Vinata Suta Vahana Shri Ramana - Jayantasena - Deshadi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
Makelara Vicharamu - Ravi Chandrika - Deshadi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
Swaras
Manasa Etulorthune - Malayamarutham - Rupaka - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
Alapana, Neravel and Swaras @ 'Kalilo Rajasa Taamasa Gunamulu Galavaari Chelimi'
Kancha Dalaayataakshi Kaamakshi - Kamala Manohari - Adi - Muthuswami Dikshitar (Lyrics)
Marakoti Sundari Manini - Bahudari - Adi - GNB (Lyrics)
Eppadi Padinaro - Devagandhari - Adi - Suddhananda Bharati (Lyrics)
Short Alapana
Parvati Ninnu Ne Neranammithi - Kalgada - Adi - Shyama Shastri (Lyrics)
Nenarunchinanu - Malavi - Adi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
Innumum Sandhehappadalamo Isha - Keeravani - Chapu - Gopalakrishna Bharatiyaar (Lyrics)
Alapana, Neravel and Swaras @ 'Ponnambalam Tanil Tandavamadiya', Taniavarthanam
Bharatha Samudayam Vazhgave - Adi - Subramania Bharatiyar (Lyrics*)
Aye Girdhar Dware Mere Gori - Subha Panthuvarali - Adi - Swathi Tirunal (Lyrics**)
Punkuyil Kuvum Punjcolaiyil Orunal - Todi - Adi - Kalki (Lyrics)
Thillana
Shanti Nilava Vendum - Tilang - Sethumadhava Rao - Adi (Lyrics)
Nine Anatha Bandhu Karunya Sindhu - NadanamakriyA - Chapu - Purandara Dasa (Lyrics***)
Bhavamana - Mangalam - Sourashtra - Adi - Thyagaraja

* Lyrics from the cache copy of this page which is not accessible anymore.
P: bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE vAzhga vAzhga
bhArata samudAyam vAzhgavE jaya jaya jaya
A: muppadu kOTi janangaLin sanga muzhumaikkumpOdu uDamai
oppilAda samudAyam ulagattirkk-oru pudumai vAzhga
C1: manidar uNavai manidar parikkum vazhakkam ini uNDO
manidar nOha manidar pArkkum vAzhkkai iniyuNDO (nalmilanda)
2: iniya mozhigaL neDiya vayangaL eNNarum peru nADu
kaniyum kizhangum dhAnyangaLum kaNakkinrit-taru nADu idu
kaNakkinrit-taru nADu nitta nittam kanakkinrittaru nADu vAzhga
3: ini oru vidhi sheivOm adai enda nALum kAppOm
taniyoruvanukk-uNavillaiyenil jagattinai azhittiDuvOm vAzhga
4: ellA uyirgaLilum tAnE irukkirEn enruraittAn kaNNa perumAn
ellArum amara nilaiyeidu nan muraiyai indiyA ulagirkk-kaLikkum Am
indiA ulagairk-kaLikkum Am Am indiA ulagirk-kaLikkum vAzhga
5: ellArumOr kulam ellArumOr inam ellArum indiA makkaL
ellArumOr nirai ellArumOr vilai ellArum innATTu mannar nAm
ellArum innATTu mannar Am ellArum innATTu mannar vAzhga

** Lyrics from the cache copy of this page which is not accessible anymore.
P: AyE girdhar dvArE mErE gOrI
C1: amjan adhar lalAT mahAbar nayan unInde cal AyE
rayan samay prabhu chal bal karikE kaun tiyA ku birmAyE
2: bin guN mAl virAjat hiya mem drDha gal baiyA sukh pAyE
brajA nArI ku bancan karkE kaisE prItam sukh pAyE
3: sOlA singAr kari phUlan kE hAr liyE vividh sugandh sE man bhAyE
baiThI thI mO man kE sAthI kumud sarOvar kumhAlayE
4: sukh kE kAran dukh kE nivAran madhuvan murali dhun gAyE
padmanAbh prabhu phaNi parashAyI kOTi mAyan tan chavi chAvE

*** Lyrics from the cache copy of this page which is not accessible anymore.
P: nInE anAtha bandhu kAruNya sindhu
1: patigaiLiddarEnu satiya bhangakodagalilla
gati nInE mukundanendareativEgadi akSayavitte krSNa
2: matagajavella kUDidarEnu adara samayakodagalilla
madanayya madhusUdananendare mundindali bandodagide krSNa
3: shileya meTTi kulake tande baliya bEDi satpadaviyanitte
sulabadhi bhajisuva bhaktara salahuva celuva purandara viTTalarAya

Kalasagaram Annual Youth Festival of Music

2010-02-13T21:54:00.000-08:00

Kalasagaram and Sharada Cultural Trust presents G.N.B. Centenary Celebrations Concerts in Annual Youth Festival of Music (Talent Promotion Concerts). Venue is Keys High School, Secbad and time is 6:30 PM. Entry is free.

12th Feb 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Master D.L. Prachotan (Disciple of Sri D. Raghava Chary of Hyderabad Brothers).
13th Feb 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Kum. Lavanya Sundararaman (Disciple and Great Grand-Daughter of Smt. D.K. Pattammal)
14th Feb 2010: Carnatic Vocal by Sri Sandeep Narayan (Disciple of Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyam)

Sorry for posting this really late. I came to know about the programs just yesterday.

India's Report Card: ASER 2009

2010-01-22T03:36:00.000-08:00

Assessment Survey Education Research Center, New Delhi in association with Pratham released its fifth annual survey report, ASER 2009 that studies the state of education in India. In 2009, ASER (Annual Status of Education Report) was conducted in 575 districts, over 16,000 villages and 300,000 households, 14560 schools, and surveyed almost 700,000 children. 568 partners at district level were involved in this mammoth effort. ASER yearly reports have drawn the attention of the concerned authorities. ASER is quoted in the Approach Paper to the 11th 5-year Plan (link). ASER model has been adopted in three East African countries - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania - under the initiative called "UWEZO". ASER team is also helping Pakistan in replicating its model (links: here and here).

The survey has been conducted scientifically by taking into consideration a lot of factors that affect the learning ability of children. In each of the 575 districts, 30 villages were randomly sampled and children in the age group of 3-16 in each village were surveyed. A volunteer visits randomly selected houses in the village and collects information not only about the children but also about their parents' education and household characteristics. Village information like whether they have a bank, STD booth etc are also collected in addition to the school visits and information about the school. The statistics of Govt. and Private schools have been separated for analysis. Children are tested in reading abilities in mother tongue, English and arithmetic tasks. Reading ability in mother tongue includes identifying set of common letters, common familiar words with 2 letters, reading simple sentences and reading a short story with 7-10 sentences in increasing order of difficulty. English is tested by making the children read capital letters, small letters, simple 3 letter words and simple sentences. Arithmetic task includes number recognition, 2 digit subtraction with borrowing and dividing a 3 digit number by a 1 digit number. Each child is marked with the highest level he/she can read/perform. By collecting information about the parents' education, village, household environment, the survey data enables us to deduce their influence on children's education.

The summary of the report can be roughly put in one sentence: more schools, more enrollment, less learning. Though 96% of the children in the age group of 6-14 are enrolled in schools, only 50% of the students in Std V can read Std II level text, a trend which is more or less consistent since 2005 (page 68, Table 3). More than 30% of the students in Std VI cannot read Std II level text in their own language(page 71, Table 4). About 33% of the students in Std II cannot identify capital letters (page 71, Table 5). Out of the students in Std II and III who can read simple 3 letter English words like cat, cup, red, only 66% know their meaning (page 71, Table 5). Roughly 30% of the students in Std V and VI can do subtraction of 2 digit numbers with borrowing and only 38% of the students in Std V and 50% in Std VI can divide a 3 digit number by a single digit (page 72, Table 7).

The percentage of the students who attend extra paid tuitions has increased slightly from 2007 to 2009 (page 72, Table 8). While the percentages of private school students in Std I to IV who attend tuitions are higher than those study in Govt. school, the trend reverses for Stds V to VIII. While the percentage of Govt. school students of Std III who can read Std I level text is around 40-50%, the corresponding percentage for private school students is around 60% (page 73, Chart 8). Similarly, the percentage of Govt. school students of Std V who can do a division is just below 40%, it is around 50% for private school students (page 73, chart 9). Although the results seem to be better in private schools, the article "Are private schools really performing better than goverment schools?" by Dr. Wilima Wadhwa (page 17) shows that factors other than school type like parents' education, additional tuition, number of siblings, household characteristics contribute for the difference (significantly in some cases). To quote the article:

"All the variables are significant in the model and have the expected impact. Learning increases with age, but then levels off.(This is to be expected as the learning measure is a very basic and “floor” level indicator for reading.) A larger number of siblings, presumably, reduces time spent on learning and reduces learning outcomes. Education of both parents is positively correlated with their children’s learning level. Further, the impact of parents’ education rises monotonically with their education level. Tuition has a large impact on learning – almost as large as the impact of mother’s education. Finally, all household characteristics signifying greater affluence are positively correlated with learning outcomes."

Another concern expressed by the report is the level of attendance of the students. While the national average of enrollment is 96%, the average attendance percentage in primary schools is only 74.2% and in upper primary school it is 76.6% (page 13). While Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh have above 90% attendance, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar has less 68% attendance. Multigrade grouping, students of different classes sitting together, is widespread. Close to 50% of the students in Std II sit with students in Std IV (national average).

Coming to infrastructure, about 15% of the Primary Schools (PS) and 11% of the Primary+Upper Primary Schools (UPS) does not have water facility (page 74, Table 14). About 10% of the PS and 8% of the UPS have water facility but water is not available. Though the percentage of schools that have toilet facility has increased since 2005, still 16% of the PS and 10% of the UPS does not have toilet facility. About 32-34% of the PS and UPS have toilets but are not usable. 39% of the PS and 26% of the UPS does not have separate girls toilet facility (page 74, Table 16). About 79% of the PS and 72% of the UPS does not have a boundary wall (page 74, Table 15). Not all schools have received the annual school grants of last year (the percentage of visited schools receiving their grants in the 2008-2009 school year was 60% or below in Jharkhand, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh).

On the positive note, the percentage of the children (age 6-14) who are out of school has dropped from 4.3% in 2008 to 4% in 2009. The percentage of school girls in the age group 11 to 14 who dropped from school has decreased from 7.2% in 2008 to 6.8% in 2009 (though Andhra Pradesh and Punjab record increase in dropouts, 4.2% and 1.4% respectively). The percentage of students in Std I who can recognize letter or more has increased from 65.1% in 2008 to 68.8% in 2009. Similarly, the percentage of children who can recognize numbers has increased from 65.3% in 2008 to 69.3% in 2009. By Std 8, 60.2% of all children can read simple sentences. In all the north-eastern states (except Tripura), Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala more than 80% of children in Std 8 can not only read simple sentences fluently but also understand the meaning (page 65).

The herculean task by ASER team that provides a benchmark for assessing the education system is laudable. It is a wake up call for all of us - Government, parents, teachers - to realize the need for improving the quality of education, not just the quantity. There is a need for similar effort to assess the success and impact of projects in other areas like health, governance, roads, water development, etc where the tax payers money is involved.

Music Programs in Jan-Feb 2010 in Hyderabad

2010-01-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

[Updated 24th Jan 2010: Added new programs from 30th Jan 2010 to 7th Feb 2010]
I will update this page as and when I am aware of some new programs. Please write in the comments section any information that I might have missed or any other concerts I failed to enter here.

Date	Program	Time/Venue	Contact
22nd Jan 2010	Aman Ki Asha - Concert By Baul Singers & Arif Lohar	7:00 PM, Chowmahalla Palace	24522032
23rd Jan 2010	Music Concert By Sri K R Chidambaram	6:30 PM, TTD Balaji Bhavan, Near Liberty X Roads, Himayathnagar	23220852
24th Jan 2010	Annamacharya Sankeertanas By Artistes Of TTD Annamacharya Project	6:30 PM, TTD Balaji Bhavan, Near Liberty X Roads, Himayathnagar	23220852
26th Jan 2010	Concert By Pt Shivkumar Sharma (Santoor) With Ustad Zakir Hussain (Tabla)	6:30 PM, Convention Center (Hyderabad Marriott), Opposite Hussain Sagar Lake Facing Buddha Statue, Tank Bund Road	Banyan Tree @ 9324143598/02232972584
30th Jan 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Sri O.S. Tyagarajan	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
30th Jan 2010	Music Concert By Smt. C R Lakshmi	6:30 PM, TTD Balaji Bhavan, Near Liberty X Roads, Himayathnagar	23220852
31st Jan 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Dr. Ganesh	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
31st Jan 2010	Annamacharya Sankeertanas By Artistes Of TTD Annamacharya Project	6:30 PM, TTD Balaji Bhavan, Near Liberty X Roads, Himayathnagar	23220852
1st Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Smt. Sudha Raghunathan	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
2nd Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Sri Sanjay Subramanian	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
3rd Feb 2010	Carnatic Violin duet by Sri G.J.R. Krishnan and Smt. Vijay Lakshmi	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
4th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Dr. Nityasri Mahadevan	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
5th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Hyderabad Sisters Kum. Lalitha and Smt. Haripriya	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
6th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Sri T.V. Shankaranayanan	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
7th Feb 2010	Unchavrithi by Lakshmi Narasimha Utsava Kainkarya Committee and twin city bhagavathars, Sathguru Sri Thayagaraja Swamy Pancharatna Goshti Ganam, Samaradhana and poor feeding	7:00 AM to 12:00 noon, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad	Free Entry. Org. by Kalasagaram & Sharadha Cultural Trust. Contact: 9246154482/9849802891.
17th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal By Carnatica Brothers Sri Sashikiran & Sri Ganesh	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
18th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal By Sri O.S. Arun	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
19th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal By Bombay Sisters Smt. C Saroja & Smt. C Lalitha	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
20th Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal By R Sri K Srikantan	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
21st Feb 2010	Pancharatna Goshti	9:30 AM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
21st Feb 2010	Devi Keertanas By Smt. Sundari Janakiraman	11:00 AM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161
21st Feb 2010	Carnatic Vocal by Sri T.M. Krishna	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Chandrasekhar @ 9866187955/9391011704/27805161

Carnatic Vocal Concert by Smt. Gayatri Girish

2009-06-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

I had the good fortune of attending the Carnatic vocal concert by Smt. Gayatri Girish at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad on 25th June 2009. The program was organized by SICA, Hyderabad. It was a brilliant concert which presented the Carnatic music in its purest form. Violin support was given by Sri Mysore Srikanth, mridangam by Sri Neyveli Skandasubhramanyum and morsing by Sri Srinivasa Gopalan. Here is the entry of the concert on Gayatri Girish's blog.

Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

I am very thankful to Smt. Gayatri Girish for graciously gaving permission to host the MP3s of the concert on this blog. Please note the disclaimer below.

Please note that the MP3s hosted here are only for personal and learning purposes. Please do not use them for commercial purpose. Please respect the artist by not violating the disclaimer.

Introduction (MP3)
Sami Ninne Koriyunnanu - Varnam - Sri - Adi - Garbhapuri (Lyrics, MP3)
Siddhi Vinayakam - Shanmukhapriya - Rupaka - Muththuswamy Dikshithar (S) (Lyrics, MP3)
Marivere Gati Evaramma - Anandabhairavi - Misra Chapu - Shyama Sastry (R, S) (Lyrics, MP3)
Lokavana Chatura Pahimaam - Begada - Adi - Thyagaraja (Lyrics, MP3)
Navaratna Vilasa Vaibhava - Navaratna Vilasam - Adi - Muththuswamy Dikshithar (MP3)
Idathu Padham Thookki - Khamas - Adi - Papanasam Sivan (Lyrics, MP3)
Kamalambam Bhajare - Kalyani - Adi - Dikshitar (R, N, S, T) (Lyrics, MP3)
Irakkam Varamal - Behag - Rupaka - Gopalakrishna Bharathi (Lyrics, MP3)
Indhira Naamamu - Kalyana Vasantham - Adi - Annamacharya (Lyrics, MP3)
Gopigopala - Gamanasrama - Adi - Surdas (MP3)
Anjanavannani - Kapi - Adi - Pasuram (MP3)
"Shantakarma Bhujagashayanam" Slokam - Saveri, Jog, Dhanyasi, Surati
Sri Venkata Girisham - Surati - Adi - Dikshitar (Lyrics, MP3)
Thillana - Sindubhairavi - Adi - Oothukkadu Venkata Subbaier (MP3)
Bhavamana - Mangalam - Sourashtra - Adi - Thyagaraja (MP3)

You can download the entire concert into two zip files: File 1, File 2.

[Update: 3rd July 2009] Article about the concert in Hindu Friday Review.

SICA Programs: 25th and 26th June

2009-06-23T23:02:00.000-07:00

Organized by: SICA, Hyderabad
Venue: Ravindra Bharathi
Time: 6:30 PM

25th June: Carnatic vocal concert by Gayatri Girish.
26th June: Mandolin concert by Arvind Bhargav

Entry is free for SICA members. Tickets will be available for the non-members at the venue before the concert.

Saving Energy Starts at Home: NGM Article

2009-03-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

I strongly recommend the article "Saving Energy Starts at Home" in the March 2009 edition of National Geographic Magazine to anyone who is interested in energy conservation and related issues.

Carnatic Concert by Sri Vijay Siva

2009-02-18T23:19:00.000-08:00

As part of 19th Annual Cultural Festival and 162nd Aradhana of Satguru Sri Thyagaraja Swamy, Sharada Cultural Trust organized a week long music festival from 24th January 2009 to 1st February 2009 at Keys High School, Secunderabad. On 25th January, Sri N. Vijay Siva rendered an excellent carnatic vocal concert. He was accompanied by Sri R.K. Srirama Kumar on violin, Sri N. Manoj Siva on mridangam and Trichy Sri K. Murali on ghatam.

Courtesy: Link

Introduction
Sarasuda Ninne Kori - Varnam - Saveri - Adi - Kothavaasal Venkataraamaiyyar (Lyrics)
Innum Paramukham Eno - Begada - Rupakam - Doraisami Iyer
Neraval and Swarams @ 'Vanna Thogai Mayil'
Marakatha Mani Varna Rama - Varali - Adi - Thyagaraja (Lyrics)
Neraval and Swarams @ 'Dharani Tanayakunna Prema Rasamu'
O Jagadamba Nannu Amba - AnandhaBhairavi - Adi - Shyama Sastry (Lyrics)
Sri Balasubramanya - Bilahari - Misrachapu - Muththuswamy Dikshithar
Neraval and Swarams @ 'Abala Gopa Viditha Deena Sharanya'
Ramabhi Rama Manasu - Dhanyasi - Adi - Thyagaraja
Nadachi Nadachi Chuchera - Kharaharapriya - Adi - Thyagaraja (Lyrics)
Swaramas @ 'Nadachi Nadachi Chuchera'
Taniavarthanam
Enganum Vara Varakanisangal Illamal - Kalyani - Adi - Kavi Kunjara Bharathi
Tridaksha Vardhaki - Ragamalika - Narayana Bhattadri (Link)
Thiruvazhat Thiruvazhi Sankham Vaazhat - Ragamalika - Adi - Sri Koneri Appanaiyengar (Lyrics)
Harivasaradha Upavasa - Sindhubhairavi - Purandara Dasu
Bhagyatha Lakshmi Baramma - Madhyamavathi - Adi - Purandara Dasu (Lyrics)
Tirruppugazh - Mohana - Adi - Arunagirinadha
Bhavamana - Mangalam - Sourashtra - Adi - Thyagaraja

[12th March 2009 - Update: The MP3 files have been removed at the request of the artist.]

Qawwali Program by Iqbal Hussain

2009-02-13T08:41:00.000-08:00

Iqbal Hussain Khan Bande Nawaz and party's Qawwali program at IIIT, Hyderabad on 6th February 2009 presented Sufi music in its purest form. Iqbal Hussian, who hails from Gwalior gharana, impressed the audience with his powerful voice and authentic rendition. The percussion artists provided excellent support to the vocals.

Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Man Kunto Maula - Amir Khusro (MP3, Lyrics)
Allah Hu - Mohammad Iqbal Naqibi (MP3, Lyrics)
Man Ke Meeth Jagat Ke Mohan Sundar Mukh Dikhlaona (MP3)
Chhap Tilak Sab Cheeni Ray Mosay Naina Milaikay - Amir Khusro (MP3, Lyrics)
Mera Piya Ghar Aaya Oo Laalni - Bulleh Shah (MP3, Lyrics)
Dama Dam Mast Kalandar (Lyrics)

The entire concert can be downloaded in one zip file.

Concert by Sri O.S. Thyagarajan

2009-02-13T04:32:00.000-08:00

A grand carnatic vocal concert by Sri O.S. Thyagarajan took place at Keys High School, Secunderabad on 7th February 2009. The violin support was given by Delhi Sri P. Sundara Rajan, mrudangam by Chidambaram Sri S. Balashankar and ghatam by Sri Nemani Somayajulu. It was organized by Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeetha Educational Society as a part of their 10th annual music festival.

Photo Courtesy: The HinduIf there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Introduction (MP3)
Sami Daya Jooda (Varnam) - Kedara Gowla - Adi - Tiruvottiyur Thyagayya (MP3, Lyrics)
Evarani Nirnayinchirira - Devamruthavarshini - Adi - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Ilalo Pranatarti Harudanucu - Atana - Adi - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Nemamu Tho - Lathangi - Adi - Tiruvottiyur Thyagayya (MP3)
- Ragalapana, Neraval @ 'Samaja Varadayani Ninnepudu'
Enrikku Shiva Krupai Varumo - Mukhari - Misra Chapu - Neelakaanta Shivan (MP3, Lyrics, Lyrics)
Karanam Kettu Vaadi - Purvi Kalyani - Adi - Gopalakrishna Bharathi (MP3, Lyrics)
Shridhara Pahi Dayakara - Jayantashri - Rupaka - Mysore Vasudevacharya (MP3)
Ninne Nammi Nanu - Thodi - Misra Chapu - Shyama Sastry (MP3)
- Ragalapana, Neraval @ 'Kamakshi Kanchadalayathakshi', Taniavarthanam
Eppovaruvaro - Jonpuri - Adi - Gopalakrishna Bharathi (MP3, Lyrics)
Momu Joopara - Behag - Rupaka - Annamacharya (MP3)
Nadupai - Madhyamavathi - Khandachapu - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Mangalam

The entire concert can be downloaded in two zip files: file1 and file2.

SICA Hyderabad - Kalyani Balakrishna Iyer Memorial Concert on 11th Feb 2009

2009-02-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

SICA Hyderabad is organizing Grand Carnatic Vocal Concert (Kalyani Balakrishna Iyer Memorial Concert) by "Carnatica Brothers" Sri K.N. Sashikiran & P. Ganesh (Vocal Duet) on 11th Feb 2009 at 6:30 PM at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad. Violin support by Sri V.L. Kumar, Mridangam by Sri M.L.N. Raju and Morsing by Sri P. Srinivasagopalan.

Carnatica Brothers: Grandsons of legendary Gottuvadhyam Narayana Iyengar, Sashikiran and Ganesh are cousins who sing as the vocal duo "Carnatic Brothers". The duo have stormed the carnatic music world at the age of two as child prodigies and have since emerged as front-ranking musicians. They had their advanced training under "Sangita Kalanidhi" Brida and also from T. Viswanathan and Calcutta K. S. Krishna Murthy. They have performed extensively in India and in USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia & UAE. They now have a vast experience of over 3500 concerts, lecture demonstrations, jugal bandis and fusion concerts. They have garnered critical acclaim and popularity with their emotive style of singing and their strict adherence to classicism.

In Sept. 2006, Shashikiran and Ganesh performed a marathon 24 hours concerts - a stupendous task considering the fact that they did not take a single break during the entire 24 hours. The concert was dedicated to all those who lost their lives in various natural calamities and terrorist strikes and to mark the World Peace Day.

The brothers have been accompanied by senior stalwards like "Sangita Kalanidhis" Umayalpuram Sivaraman, T.K. Murthy, Vellore Ramabadran and others. They are the Asthana Vidwans of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Recipients of numerous awards and titles: 'Best Vocalist" from CMANA, USA (1998), Bharath Nirman Excellence Award for meritorious achievements in diverse fields, "Outstanding Young Indian" by Jaycees Special Millennium Honour Award, Music Adacemy's "Best Ragam Tanam Pallavi" Award 2004, "Isai Chudar" from Sri Ragam Fine Arts, Barath Kalachar's Yuva Kala Bharathi Award (2002) etc.

South Indian Cultural Association Golden Jubilee Year Music & Dance Festival

2009-02-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

SICA, Hyderabad is organizing its "Golden Jubilee Year Music & Dance Festival" from 2nd March 2009 to 6th March 2009, daily at 6:30 PM at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad. Season donor passes for members of SICA at Rs. 200 per member (admit two); for non-members at higher rates. Tickets available at the venue before the concert. Schedule for concert:

2nd March 2009: Sri Nedunuri Krishna Murthy (Carnatic Vocal)
3rd March 2009: Smt Ranjani & Smt Gayatri (Carnatic Vocal Duet)
4th March 2009: Sri GJR Krishnan & Sri Karthik Seshadri (Violin and Sitar; Carnatic - Hindustani Jugal Bandi)
5th March 2009: Smt. Vani Jayaram (Multilingual Devotional Music)
6th March 2009: Kum. Yamini Reddy (Kuchipudi Dance)

Lessons from life - II

2009-01-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

Another priceless gem from the "perspicacious wisdom" (pun intended!) of yours truly: "The real sense of humor lies in the ability to laugh at one's own miseries and tragedies".
By the way, this post commemorates the 25th post of this blog. Yo Yo Yo!!!

Sri Mambalam Siva and Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia

2009-01-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity of listening to Sri Mambalam Siva and Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia at the inaugural function of Virasat 2009, organized by SPICMACAY, Hyderabad. The open-air program was conducted in the grounds of Hyderabad Public School, Begumpet with a beautiful backdrop of artistically lit school buildings. Lot of children from various schools of the twin cities attended the program.

The program started with the Nadaswaram program of Sri Mambalam. In his brief one-hour concert, he played standard carnatic ragas like 'Bangala' and concluded the program with 'Vandemataram' and 'Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram'. The concert by Pandit Hari Prasad was very interactive. He posed lot of questions to the school children and conversed with them. He played 'Yaman' alaap and asked the students to identify the raag. He then played the popular bhajan 'Vaishnav Janato'. He promised chocolates to any student who can sing the bhajan. He concluded the program with the 'Pahadi' raag. Panditji was accompanied by Anuradha Pal on tabla.

Courtesy: Times of India

Panditji made the youngsters laugh with his witty remarks. And at the same time, he drew their attention towards the richness of Indian culture. When very few students could identify the bhajan 'Vaishnav Janato', he played 'Jingle Bells' on the flute which made everyone clap. Then he remarked that everyone knows about this rhyme but very few know our known traditional bhajans. The program concluded with a question-answer session of the students with Panditji.
I recorded some of the songs which you can find below. You can download all the songs in a single zip file.
If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Links: Article about the program in Times of India

The First Ever Carnatic Movie - Margazhi Raagam

2009-01-15T03:21:00.000-08:00

Courtesy: http://margazhiraagam.com/

Wow! That was my expression when I looked at this mind-blowing idea of a carnatic concert as a movie. Margazhi Raagam is a 110 minute movie, featuring the carnatic concert of T.M. Krishna and Bombay Jayashree. The teaser on the website says: Now, you won’t close your eyes to listen to music - you will open your eyes to a new musical experience! It is released very selectively I think. Cannot wait to get hold of the DVD!

Upcoming Music Programs in Hyderabad (Jan-Feb 2009)

2009-01-15T00:54:00.000-08:00

[Update: K. J. Yesudas program on 24th Jan at Lalitha Kala Toranam]
As the new year begins, Hyderabad is geared up to have a great music season ahead. The music lovers of Hyderabad will be treated with the music of eminent artists in the form of Thyagaraja Aaradhana festivals and annual festivals of many organizations.

Date	Program	Artist/Group	Time/Venue	OrganizedBy
15th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Vocal: G. Lakshmi Surya Teja (Vizag)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
15th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:00 PM - Vocal: D. Vardhani (Vijayanagaram)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
16th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Veena: Ayyagari Syamasunder & Jayalakshmi	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
16th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:00 PM - Vocal: Saraswathi Vidyardhi (Vizag)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
17th Jan 2009	Ruhaniyat, the Sufi and Mystic Music festival	Shabad singers, Mystic musicians, folk musicians, Bauls, Qawwals and the likes from across India	Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad	Banyan Tree Events, Mumbai
17th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Vocal: Smt. Jayamangala Krishnamani	6:30 PM, Keyes High School for Girls, Secunderabad.	Kalasagaram, Secunderabad
17th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Flute: Jayaprada Ramamoorthy	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
17th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:00 PM - Vocal: Tulasi Viswanath (Rajahmundry)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
18th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Kum. Marty Vasantha Subbalakshmi	Sri T. Viswanathan Memorial Hall, Plot No. 59, Krishnapuri Colony, West Marredpally, Secunderabad.	Kalasagaram, Secunderabad
18th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	9:30 AM - Vocal: Mallela Krishnaveni (Australia)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
		10:30 AM - Lecture Demo: T.R. Subrahmanyam (Chennai)
		7:30 PM - Vocal: S.K.N. Renganathan Sarma (Madurai)
19th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Jalatarang: Nemani Somayajulu	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
19th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:30 PM - Vocal: Vamanan Nambudri (Trichur)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
20th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Vocal: M. Durga Seshu	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi,Hyderabad
20th Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:00 PM - Vocal: Sreyas Narayanan (Chennai)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi,Hyderabad
21st Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	6:00 PM - Vocal: N.C. Rajalakshmi	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
21st Jan, 2009	Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival	7:00 PM - Vocal: Modumudi Sudhakar (Vijayawada)	Anand Nagar Community Hall, Khairatabad	Vignana Samithi, Hyderabad
22nd Jan 2009	Tamil Drama: Jeshtakumara	Veteran Stage Actor, Sri Koothapiran and his troupe	Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad	SICA, Hyderabad
23rd Jan 2009	Tamil Drama: Abadhbandhavan	Veteran Stage Actor, Sri Koothapiran and his troupe	Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad	SICA, Hyderabad
24th Jan 2009	Vocal Concert	"Padmabhushan" Dr. K.J. Yesudas	Lalitha Kala Thoranam, Public Gardens, Nampally	Sangam Academy. Donor passes available at Lalitha Kala Thoranam & Ravindra Bharathi.
24th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Sri T.M. Krishna	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
25th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Sri N. Vijayasiva	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
26th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Sri P. Unni Krishnan	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
27th Jan 2009	Carnatic Violin Duet	Akkarai Sisters	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
28th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Kum. Nisha Rajagopalan	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
29th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Maharajapuram Sri S. Srinivasan	5:30 PM. Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
30th Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal Duet	Malladi Brothers	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
31st Jan 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Smt. S. Sowmya	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sharada Cultural Trust, Secunderabad
4th Feb, 2009	Carnatic Flute	Dr. N. Ramani	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeeta Educational Society, Secunderabad
5th Feb, 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Sri Sanjay Subramanyam	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeeta Educational Society, Secunderabad
6th Feb, 2009	Vocal Jugalbandi	Sri Ram Parasuram and Smt. Anuradha Parasuram	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeeta Educational Society, Secunderabad
7th Feb, 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Sri O.S. Thyagarajan	5:30 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeeta Educational Society, Secunderabad
8th Feb, 2009	Carnatic Vocal	Smt. Sudha Raghunathan	6:45 PM, Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad	Sri Chandrasekharendra Sangeeta Educational Society, Secunderabad

Rajasthani Folk Music

2009-01-10T08:17:00.000-08:00

Today I attended a Rajasthani folk music and dance program oraganized by SPICMACAY. They presented nine compositions and for two of them traditional Rajasthani dance was performed. It was a team of about ten people. There were two lead singers, one dancer and accompanists to play traditional instruments that included Dhol, Kamayacha, Algoza, Poongi, Morchang and Khartal.

Dhol	Kamayacha
Algoza	Poongi
Morchang	Khartal

Though I could not understand the lyrics of the songs that were sung, the music and the vocals were amazingly beautiful. The compositions had a natural innocence and joy, qualities which are difficult to find in this age of commercial music. The voice of the lead singers was deep and haunting. The person who was playing Khartal was an absolute joy to watch. The way he was moving his hands, his head and his entire body was in resonance with the beats he was playing. Morchang was played exceptionally well by a kid who may not be more than 10-12 years old. The two dances presented were good. The second dance was particularly good where in the dancer did some very difficult things like picking a money note with her mouth and two rings with her two eye brows simultaneously. Overall it was a nice evening. Only thing which I found missing in the performance was an introduction about the instruments and may be a bit more about the meaning of the songs that were being sung.

The audio of the evening is recorded and you can find it below. Due to the poor acoustics of the venue, the recording is not too good. There is some noise. The entire concert can be downloaded as one zip file.
If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Introduction

Kesariya

Composition 2

Composition 3

Morchang

Algoza

Nimbooda Nimbooda

Jugalbandi

Poongi

Dum a Dum Must Qalandar

A Memorable Concert by Hyderabad Brothers

2009-01-09T06:52:00.000-08:00

The familiar voices of Sri D. Raghavachary and D. Seshachary filled me with a feeling of sanctity and holiness as I was listening to them at Ravindra Bharathi. The carnatic concert by the duo popularly known as Hyderabad Brothers was organized by SICA on 2nd January 2009 as part of their Golden Jubilee celebrations. While their concert included popular krithis like 'Tarunam Idamma' (Gowli Panthu), 'Bagayennayya' (Chandrajyothi), 'Ennadu Joothuno' (Kalavathi), they also presented rare numbers like 'Neekela Dayaradu' (Sarasangi) and 'Ethanai Sonnalum' (Saveri). The main piece of the evening was in Thodi with Shyama Sastry's 'Ninne Namminanu'. The rendition of the raga was elaborate with a perfect neraval and swaram. Another noteworthy presentation was Dikshitar's 'Parandhamavathi Jayati' in 'Dharmavathi'. The neraval 'Paramjyothi Vikasini Paramatma Prakashini' was executed excellently. The concert ended with Papanasam Sivan's 'Ennatavam Seydanai Yasoda' in 'Kapi' and 'Krishna Nee Begane Baaro' in 'Yamuna Kalyani'. The violin support by Surya Deepthi was melodious and his response to the vocals was commendable. Kaliprasad on mridangam and Shyamkumar on kanjira provided perfect percussion support that got reflected especially in the Taniavarthanam. Sri Seshachary was very active and enthusiastic throughout the concert cheering the accompanists with an occasional encouraging remark.

Photo Courtesy: The Hindu

You can listen to the recording of the concert by following the links below. The entire concert can also be downloaded from file1 and file2.
If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Valachi Vachchi - Navaragamalika Varnam - Adi - Patnam Subramanya Iyer (MP3, Lyrics)
Tarunam Idamma - Gowli Panthu - Adi - Shyama Shastri (MP3, Lyrics)
Sabapathikku Veru Devam Samanamaguma - Rupaka - Abhogi - Gopalakrishna Bharathi (MP3, Lyrics)
Bagayanayya Nee Maya Lentho - Adi - Chandrajyothi - Tyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Nee Kela Dayaradu - Khanda Chapu - Sarasangi - Ramaswamy Sivan (MP3)
Ennadu Joothuno - Adi - Kalavathi - Tyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Parandhamavathi Jayati - Rupaka - Dharmavathi - Muthuswami Dikshitar (MP3)
Neraval & Swaras at "Paramjyothi Vikasini Paramatma Prakashini"
Ninne Nammi Nanu - Misra Chapu - Thodi - Shyama Shastri (MP3)
Neraval & Swaras at "Kamakshi Kanjadalayatakshi"
Thaniavartanam
Ethanai Sonnalum - Adi - Saveri - Vaidkeeswaram Koil Subbarayar (MP3)
Muttavaddu Ra Nannipudu (Javali) - Adi - Saveri - Chinniah (Tanjavur Quartette)* (MP3)
Ennatavam Seydanai Yasoda - Adi - Kapi - Papanasam Sivan (MP3, Lyrics)
Krishna Nee Begane Baaro - Chapu - Yamuna Kalyani - Vyasaraya (MP3, Lyrics)
Bhavamana (Mangalam) - Adi - Sourashtra - Tyagaraja

* Courtesy : Meena (See comments)
Links: The review about the concert in 'The Hindu'.

Concert by Hyderabad Brothers

2008-12-28T09:15:00.000-08:00

SICA Hyderabad is organizing carnatic concert by Hyderabad Brothers on 2nd January 2009 at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad. The concert starts at 6:30 PM. Tickets for non-members can be obtained at the venue.

Nanduri Subbarao and his 'Enki Paatalu'

2008-11-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

The set of romantic poems 'Enti Paatalu' written by Nanduri Subbarao is well known to telugu-speaking people. Nanduri Venkata Subba Rao (1895-1957) conceptualized the idea of 'Enki Paatalu' during his student days of BA at Madras Christian College, around 1917-18. Though the writings of Gurajada Apparao in spoken language were well known to people at that time, using such language in literature was still considered unusual. He used the dialects of Godavari and Visakha areas in his poems and received mixed criticism among his peers and friends. The first edition of 'Enki Paatalu' was released in 1925. After a long gap of 27 years, the second edition was released with some new songs added. The poems left an indelible mark on the Telugu language and literature.

'Enki' and 'Naidu Bava' are the main characters of the poems. 'Enki' is a washer-woman who is in deep love with 'Naidu Bava'. The central theme of poems is the love and romance between them. Eminent writers and thinkers like Adavi Bapiraju, Sri Sri, Chalam, Devulapalli Krishna Sastry adored 'Enki Paatalu' and wrote about the songs. But the work gained real popularity due to the radio and music concerts. 'Nanduri Enki pata laga' (just like Nanduri Enki song) has become a common expression to depict something pleasant and beautiful.

You can access the songs as a pdf here. I got the recordings of about 31 songs ( 32 kbps - the audio quality is not that good) sung by none other than Sri M. Balamurali Krishna and Sri Srirangam Gopalarathnam. It is a real pleasure to listen to these songs sung by the stalwarts of the music, which inspired me to write this article.

The rest of the post contains two wonderful songs from the work. Though it is beyond my capabilities and knowledge to write about these songs, this is a humble attempt to bring these songs closer to the people of my generation who almost forgot the existence of such master pieces. The first song is 'Intenate Sandra Mentho Yanukonti' (MP3).

Intenate Sandra Mentho Yanukonti
Manku Sooridukoo Maddenundena!
Naa Neethi Naa Jaathi
Naavaare Poonada
Marigi Manasu Sa
garamaaye Nannaru Inthe...
Naa Raaje Naa Kaasi
Veru Soopulu Sooda
Kadalivale Naa Gunde
Kalathabade Nannaru Inthe...
Saththemerigina Paapa
Poththillalo Daagi
Kanneeru Munneru
Karagisthi Mannaru Inthe...
Anchudari Ledante
Amruthamuntadante
Demudanthuntaado
Emo Yanukunnanu Inthe...

Fortunately, I found a translation of this song in the book 'Hibiscus on the Lake' written by Valcheru Narayana Rao.

The ocean is so small.
It only fills the little space between us and the sun, that's all!
When my own people talked of me and my morals, my pain,
you said, was huge like the ocean. Is this all! The ocean is so small!
When my man looked at me as if I was not his woman, my heart,
you said, moaned like the ocean. Is this all! The ocean is so small!
When I held my baby, who knows the truth, I cried,
you said, an ocean of tears. Is this all! The ocean is so small!
When you said it has no end, no shore, and it holds eternal life,
I thought it was big, big like God. Is this all! The ocean is so small!

The second song is 'Enki Tho Theerthanikellali' (MP3) and is titled 'Pillodu' (The child). Click on the image for the telugu lyrics to be visible clearly.

Enkitho Theerthanikellali,
Sankalo Pillodu Sambralupaduthunte!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali,
Neththi Mootalaneththukovali!
Koththa Madathala Deesikattali!
Adavi Daarula Yenta Nadavali!
Baruvu Maarusukonta Phakkunna Navvali!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Sankalo Pillodu Sambralupaduthunte!
Thathanaati Voosu Talavali!
Daaripoduguna Keesuladali!
'Tappuneede' Yanta Deppali!
Daivamunnadaani Dhadipinchukovali!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Sankalo Pillodu Sambralupaduthunte!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Kathakaada Koosintha Nilavali!
Kathagaadu Maavoose Seppali!
Nanu Soosi Pillodu Navvali!
Maalona Maameto Mathulirusukovali!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Sankalo Pillodu Sambralupaduthunte!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Konetilo Tanamaadali!
Gudisuttu Mummaru Tiragali!
Kopaalu Taapalu Manaali!
Iddaramu Pillonni Eesudiki Soopali!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!
Sankalo Pillodu Sambralupaduthunte!
Enkitho Theerthanikellali!

Since I could not find a translation of the above song, I dared to provide a very approximate translation of the above. Please excuse me for any mistakes. I am sure this is not the best and feel free to let me know the if any changes required.

I should go to the holy place with Enki!
While the boy in my lap is rejoicing!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
We should put the luggage on our heads!
We should wear new clothes!
We should walk through the forests!
While changing the weight from one hand to another, we should laugh!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
While the boy in my lap is rejoicing!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
We should talk about the old times!
We should fight all along the way!
We should scorn at each other, 'its your fault'!
We should warn each other that the God is watching!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
While the boy in my lap is rejoicing!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
We should stop at the story teller!
The story teller should tell our story!
The boy should look at me and laugh!
We should forget ourselves and rejoice!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
While the boy in my lap is rejoicing!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
We should take a bath in the holy water!
We should walk around the temple!
We should control our anger!
We should show our boy to the God!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!
While the boy in my lap is rejoicing!
I should go to the holy place with Enki!

References:

Encyclopaedia of Indian literature vol. 2, Pages 1173-1174

Sri Mysore V. Ramarathnam is no more

2008-11-17T01:15:00.000-08:00

Mysore V. Ramarathnam breathed his last on the night of November 15, 2008. He is an eminent Carnatic vocalist and composer. He performed extensively both in India and abroad, and in several AIR centers. He trained a large number of students. He composed over 25 compositions in Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada under the mudra “Rama”. He has published over 15 books dealing with theory and practical aspects of carnatic music. He was a disciple of Sangeetha Rathna Mysore T. Chowdiah and was a contemporary Mysore Vasudevachar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai, Alathoor Srinivasa Iyer and Musiri Subramanya Iyer.

Some of the live concerts of Prof. Ramarathnam recorded between 1970 - 2004 are available here. His biography 'Reminiscence of a Musician' is released as part of Prof. Ramarathnam's 90^th Birthday Celebration in December 2006. The PDF version of the book is available here. Some of his books are available here.

Prof. Ramarathnam's death marks the end of a Carnatic legend who left behind for us a great treasure of music and literature. His official website cites: "Prof. Ramarathnam's mortal remains will be on display at his residence at Saraswathi Puram, Mysore on Tuesday, November 18, 2008, around noon".

Lessons from life

2008-11-11T22:35:00.000-08:00

Based on the 'gyan' accumulated over a period of years, yours truly suddenly got the following insight about life. Looks like stating the obvious, but still the analogy is fitting.

"Struggle is like a lamp, that flickers due to the winds of hardships. Only hope, like a hand protecting the lamp, can keep it going."

Carnatic Vocal Concert by Maharajapuram Srinivasan

2008-11-02T04:54:00.000-08:00

The carnatic vocal concert by Sri Maharajapuram Srinivasan on the second day of Vinjamuri Memorial Concerts at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad had the trademark of the legendary Maharajapuram music family. Sri Srinivasan was accompanied by his son Maharajapuram Ganesh Viswanathan on vocal. Voilin support was provided by Sri Parur M.A.Krishnaswamy and support on mridangam was provided by Sri Tanjore Kumar.

The concert started with varnam in kaanada. The next two were compositions by Muthuswamy Dikshitar in Malahari and Naata. After the Tyagararaja's composition 'Vinayakuni Valenu', a brief sketch of Sudhdha Dhanyasi was rendered followed by 'Narayana Ninna Namada' composition by Purandara Dasa. Annamacharya's composition 'Gummani Yedi' in Poorvi Kalyani was executed beautifully with the neravel 'Venkatapathi Yani Vedanilayudani Pankajanabhuni Padero' being the highlight. Dr. Vinjamuri's composition 'Narasimha Nannu Brovara' was rendered next in Bilahari.
The fast paced 'Raghuvamsa Sudha' in Kadanakuthoohala was rendered before the main piece of evening Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi with pallavi 'Thenpazhani Vadivelane Deivanai Manalane'. Tani avarthanam in the next composition 'Ksheenamai Tiruga' in Mukhari was perfect with Ganesh's vocals. The last part of the concert had brief compositions of Purandara Dasa, 'Neerajadala Nayana Krishna' in Mand and the tamil composition 'Vilaiyada Idhu Nerama Muruga'. The concert ended on a electrifying note with the composition 'Bho Shambho Siva Shambho Swayambho' in Revathi. It was a perfect concert for both Rasikas and casual carnatic music listeners.

Photo Courtesy: IndiansArts.com

You can find the recording of the entire concert below. You can download the entire concert in three zip files: Zip File-1, Zip File-2 and Zip File-3.
If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Introduction (MP3-1,MP3-2,MP3-3)
Nera Nammithi - Varnam (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Kanada. Talam: Ata. Composer: Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar.
Pancha Maathanga Mukha (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Malahari. Talam: Rupaka. Composer: Muthuswamy Dikshithar.
Swaminatha Paripalayasumam (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Naata. Talam: Adi. Composer: Muthuswamy Dikshithar.
Vinayakuni Valenu (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Madhyamavathi. Talam: Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja.
Narayana Ninna Namada (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Sudhdha Dhanyasi. Talam: Adi. Composer: Purandara Dasa.
Raghuvira Ranadhira Rara Rajakumara (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Huseni. Talam: Rupaka. Composer: Tyagaraja.
Gummani Yedi (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Poorvi Kalyani. Talam: Adi. Composer: Annamacharya
Neraval : Venkatapathi Yani Vedanilayudani Pankajanabhuni Padero.
Narasimha Nannu Brovara (MP3)
Ragam: Bilahari. Talam: Misra Chapu. Composer: Dr. Vinjamuri.
Raghuvamsa Sudha (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Kadanakuthoohala. Talam: Adi. Composer: Patnam Subramanya Iyer.
RTP (MP3)
Pallavi: Thenpazhani Vadivelane Deivanai Manalane.
Ksheenamai Tiruga (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Mukhari. Talam: Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja.
Tani Avarthanam.
Neerajadala Nayana Krishna (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Mand. Talam: Adi. Composer: Mannargudi Sambasiva Bagavathar Iyer.
Govinda Ninna Namave Chanda (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Janasammodhini. Talam: Adi. Composer: Purandara Dasa.
Kelo Sachcharitha (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Ragamalika. Talam: Adi. Composer: Purandara Dasa.
Ragi Thandira (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Kalyanavasantham. Talam: Adi. Composer: Purandara Dasa.
Vilaiyada Idhu Nerama Muruga (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Shanmukhapriya. Talam: Adi. Composer: T.N. Bala.
Bho Shambho Siva Shambho Swayambho (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Revathi. Talam: Adi. Composer: Swami Dayananda Saraswati.
Bhavamana (Mangalam) (MP3)
Ragam: Saurashram. Talam: Adi. Composer: Thyagaraja.

A Pure Carnatic Evening by Smt. R. Vedavalli

2008-10-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

The carnatic concert by Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli on 21st October 2008 at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad offered classical music in its purest form to the audience. The concert was organized by SICA, Hyderabad in the memory of Dr. Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar. Smt. Vedavalli, known for presenting the carnatic music in its pure and holy form, rendered the compositions of the trinity of carnatic music along with compositions of Patnam Subramanya Iyer, Mysore Vasudevacharya and Purandara Dasa. Smt. Charulatha Ramanujam provided support on violin and Sri K. Sivakumar on mridangam. Smt. Sumathi, Smt. Vedavalli's disciple, provided vocal support.

The concert started with the Ghanaragamalika Varnam composed by Dr. Vinjamuri, in whose honor this concert was organized by SICA, Hyderabad. The next few compositions in Rudrapriya, Vachaspathi and Marga Hindolam set the mood for a perfect evening. After the ragalapana of Panthuvarali and a short krithi of Shyama Sastri in Manji, the main highlight of the evening 'Ekamresa Nayaki' composed by Dikshitar set to raga Shanmukhapriya was rendered. The ragalapana was in great detail and the rendering of the words reflected the bhavam of the composition. The concert ended with short compositions in Suruthi, Abheri and Kaanada. Overall, it was a wonderful and memorable concert.

Photo Courtesy: Google Pages

The entire concert is recorded. You can download the full concert in the form of two zip files: file 1 and file 2. You can find the individual MP3s below.

If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.

Introduction (MP3)
Ghanaragamalika Varnam - Adi- Nata,Gowla,Arabhi,Sri,Varali - Dr.Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar (MP3)
Gananayakam - Adi - Rudrapriya - MuthuswamiDikshitar (MP3, Lyrics)
Yennadu Nee Krupa - Adi - Vachaspati - Patnam Subramanya Iyer (MP3, Lyrics)
Chalamelara Saketa Rama - Adi - Marga Hindolam - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Ninnu Nera Namminanura - Rupaka - Panthuvarali - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Brovavamma Tamasa - Misra Chapu - Manji - Shyama Sastri (MP3, Lyrics)
Ekamresa Nayaki - Adi - Shanmukhapriya - Muthuswami Dikshitar (MP3)
Neravel : 'kAnchi nagara nivAsini'
Thani Avarthanam
Slokam - Pathiki Harathire - Adi - Suruthi - Thyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Gokulanilaya Krupaalaya Paalaya - Adi - Abheri - Mysore Vasudevacharya (MP3, Lyrics)
Sreekantha Enagistu Daya Mado Than De - Misra Chapu - Kaanada - Purandara Dasa (MP3, Lyrics)
Thillana (MP3)
Bhavamana (Mangalam) - Adi - Saurashram - Thyagaraja (MP3)

The Hindu gave the following review about the concert:

South Indian Cultural Association (SICA) has been religiously holding memorial concerts of Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar, since his demise in 1999, with the assistance of the musician’s family. Most of the vocalists who are invited are senior musicians, who either know Iyengar directly or have full knowledge of the late musician’s contribution. Invariably, they include one or two compositions of this late veteran composer-vocalist, in their repertoire.

R.Vedavalli of Chennai who gave concert on the opening day of this year’s two-day memorial festival held at Ravindra Bharathi, opened with Varadaraja Iyengar’s Ghanaraga malika varnam with swarakalpana in each of the respective Ghana ragas. Vedavalli, as many would know, is a Sangeetha Kalanidhi of Madras Music Academy and is on various expert committees too. No wonder, she took time to set her aging voice in order and once she did it, the concert gained momentum.

Vinjamuri Memorial Concerts at Hyderabad

2008-10-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

SICA, Hyderabad is organizing two day Vinjamuri Memorial Concerts at Hyderabad on 21s and 22nd October. On 21st October, it is carnatic vocal by Smt. R. Vedavalli and on 22nd October, carnatic vocal by Maharajapuram Srinivasan. The programs take place at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad and everyday it starts at 6:30 PM.
Vinjamuri Memorial Concerts are held every year in the honor of Dr. Vinjamuri Varadaja Iyengar (July 15, 1915 - August 16, 1991). He is a very renowned musican and composer. He has been awarded the titles Gana Kalanidhi, Gayaka Ratna, Sangeetha Jyothi, Sangeetha Ratnaakara, and Gana Vidya Visarada to mention a few. SICA, Hyderabad is organizing his memorial concerts to pay homage to him since 1992.

SICA, Hyderabad invitation gives the following excerpt about Dr. Vinjamuri:

Hailing from Guntur district in A.P. Sri Varadaraja Iyengar was a unique personality. He was a Musician, Musicologist and a composer. He belonged to the Sishyaparampara of Saint Thyagaraja.
His first Guru Sri Piratla Sankara Sastry belonged to Veena Kuppaier School, while his late Guru Sri Tiger Varadachary, belonged to Manambuchavadi Venkata Subramanya Iyer School. Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyenger imbibed the best of these traditions. He considered late Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar as another guru and in fact he was often called 'Kutti Ariyakkudi of A.P.'
Sri Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar was with AIR, Chennai and Hydeabad for a long time and was mainly instrumental in propagating Bhakthi Music over AIR.
Among the numerous awards received by him 'Ganakalanidhi' conferred on him in 1958 is the most prestigious one. He was closely associated with the South Indian Cultural Association (SICA), Hyderabad and was its Vice President for some time.
Even since his demise in 1991, SICA has been organising the 'Vinjamuri Memorial Concerts' every year as a tribute to and in memory of this great Musician, Musicologist and Composer, jointly with the Vinjamuri Trust.

Carnatic Classical Week

2008-09-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

I am really looking forward for the week ahead. SICA, Hyderabad is organizing five day event of carnatic music. The programs take place at Ravindra Bharathi, Hyderabad and everyday it starts at 6:30 PM. The program is:

September 15th: Carnatic Violin by A. Kanyakumari
September 16th: Carnatic Vocal by TV Shankaranarayan
September 17th: Carnatic Vocal by Neyveli Santanagopalan
September 18th: Veena Fusion by Rajhesh Vaidhya
September 19th: Carnatic Vocal by Bombay Jayashri

Hoping to have lot of fun!

A Trip to Kanyakumari

2008-07-02T04:04:00.000-07:00

[Lengthy article with lot of pictures. If you just want to see the pictures, use the following links: Nagaraj Temple, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Thiruparrapu Water Falls, Mathur Hanging Bridge, Kanyakumari Temple & Beach Evening View, Sunrise at Kanyakumari, Gandhi Memorial, Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Vattakottai Fort, Government Museum and Kanyakumari and Nagercoil Town.]

We started from Hyderabad to Chennai on Charminar Express on 25th June, 2008. Though it was supposed to reach chennai at 8:15 AM, due to derailment of some other train near Warangal, we were stranded in Warangal station the whole night and we finally reached Chennai Central at 4:30 PM on 26th. We just managed to run to Chennai Egmore and take our next train Kanyakumari Express that left Egmore at 5:25 PM.
We reached Nagercoil station around 7:00 AM on 27th. We reached our hotel and we started our siteseeing activity around 10:30 AM. Actually, we could have stayed at Kanyakumari (KK) itself. Nagercoil is about 20 KM from KK and about 30-40 minutes journey on bus. Frequent bus services are available from Nagercoil to KK.

Nagaraj Temple:


Entrance of the temple

We first visited the Nagaraj Temple in Nagercoil which was at a walkable distance from our hotel. In fact, the town Nagercoil derived its name from this temple. Nagar Kovil (temple of Nagaraj) became Nagercoil. The temple has lot of images and idols of snakes. The main deity is five-headed serpent God. The entrance of the temple is designed in the Chinese architecture of Buddha Vihara. The idols that you see outside the temple just after the entrance are very colorful and beautiful. There is a small pond outside the main temple that has serpent idols around it.


Entrance to the main temple	Pond outside the main temple

About the date of construction of the temple, wiki says: It is difficult indeed to ascertain the exact age of the temple. There is no authentic epigraph to aid this historian under the topic of Chronology. The Mountain Mahendragiri in the district of Kanyakumari is referred to as the abode of Nagas in the Ramayana of Valmiki. From this fact it can be presumed that the origin of Naga influence in the area goes back to legendary times.

Click here to see rest of the Nagaraj Temple Photos

On 27th, we wanted to see all the places that are in and around Nagercoil and dedicate 28th to places in KK. As you can see in the map on the side, we travelled towards north west from Nagercoil, to see Padamanabhapuram Palace, Thiruparrapu Water Falls and Mathur Hanging Bridge. We took a bus from Nagercoil to a place called Thuckalay and from there Padmanabhapuram Palace is very close.

Padmanabhapuram Palace:

Padmanabhapuram was the old capital of state of Travancore which was later shifted to Thiruvananthapuram in 1795 by Rama Varma. Before the capital was shifted, the ruling used to be done from this palace which lost its glory once the capital was shifted. It is located about 20 km from Nagercoil and 60 km from Thiruvananthapuram, at the foot of Veli Hills, which form part of Western Ghats and the river Valli flows near by. It is in fact a palace complex containing 14 palaces spread over an area of 6.5 acers.

More information about the palace from here: The palace complex is inside an old granite fortress around four kilometers long. The palace was constructed around 1601 A.D by Iravipillai Iravivarma Kulasekhara Perumal who ruled Travancore between 1592 A.D. and 1609 A.D. In the late 18th century, the capital of Travancore was shifted from here to Trivandrum, and the place lost its former glory. However, the palace complex continue to be the best examples of traditional Kerala architecture, and some portions of the sprawling complex are also the hall mark of traditional Kerala style building art.

In the construction of the place, wood, latorite, burnt bricks, granite and lime were used widely. You find artistically carved engravings used as ceilings in many parts of the palace and is enriched by murals of 17th and 18th century. A special combination of charcoal from burnt coconutshells, lime, white part of eggs and various vegetable exacts were used for the shining black floors.

Mantrasala is the place where the king used to meet his subordinates for administration. There is a bed that was made using 64 kinds of medicinal wood. Navaratri mandap inside the palace is a big temple like hall where the king used to perform Devi puja during Durgasthami. On the southwest cornor of the palace, there is a museum where many stone inscriptions, wooden and stone sculptures, weapons of the royal family are on display.

Click here to see rest of the Padmanabhapuram Palace pictures

From the palace, we reached the Thiruparrapu water falls which was located about 10 km from the palace.

Thiruparrapu Water Falls:

This place is about 70 km from KK and 10 km from Thiruvattar. There is a small water fall near the entrace. River Kodayar makes its descent here. As we walk inside, we find an ancient Shiva temple on to our right. There is a small bridge that is constructed on that water. There is a boating facility also available. We didn't find any interesting things to see except the waterfall since the temple was closed by the time we reached. The water fall is not a very big one. The greenery around the waterfall and the view from the bridge is good.

But we were not disappointed when we saw three elephants being brought to near the water. They looked like well-trained elephants. In fact, the mahot has put one stick on one leg of an elephant which means that it is not supposed to move that leg until he comes back and takes that out. The elephant patiently stood there moving all its other legs except this one till he came back.

Click here to see rest of the Thiruparappu Water Falls pictures

From the water falls, our next destination was Mathur bridge

Mathur Hanging Bridge:

It is located about 3 km from Thiruvattar and 60 km from KK. It is built over the Pahrali River (also called Parazhiyar) and is one of the longest and highest aqueducts in South Asia. It carries water of the Pattanamkal canal for irrigation over the Pahrali river, from one hill to another, for a distance of close to one km. We can walk on the bridge and see the water trough and the surroundings. It is about 375 meters long, 35 meters high. There is a vast stretch of greenary that can be seen from the middle of the bridge on either side. We can also see the Western Ghats in the background with Pahrali river flowing.

Click here for rest of the pictures of Mathur Hanging Bridge

It was already 5:00 PM by the time we finished all these and we decided to go to KK for sunset. But unfortunately sunset can only be seen between October 15 to March 15 though sunrise can be seen round the year. We still decided to go to KK in the evening.

Kanyakumari Beach - Evening View:

We spent about 30 minutes in the KK beach. It was little crowded. The water was fierce with powerful tides. We took few snaps and left for the day.

Click here for rest of the pictures of the beach Sunrise at Kanyakumari Beach:

On 28th morning we started very early at Nagercoil and reached KK by 5:30 AM by taking bus. The sunrise time was 6:00 AM. Not too many people were there at the beach though we expected lot of crowd. The sunrise view was spectacular and once the sun started rising within a span of 1-2 minutes the full blown bright sun embarked into the sky. The change in the colors of the horizon during the entire process was marvellous.

Click here for rest of the sunrise pictures

We then went to the Kanyakumari temple which is located very close to the sunrise point.

Kanyakumari Temple:

This temple which is situation on the seashore, is dedicated to the virgin Goddess Devi Kanyakumari. The Devi stands as a charming young girl in Her penance, with a rosary in her right hand. A sparking nose jewel sheds lustrous radiance. The image, made of blue stone, is believed to have been installed by sage Parasurama.

The story of Kanyakumari which I found in one of the local tourist guides ( Kanyakumari: A Tourist Guide, V. Meena, Hari Kumar Arts) is as follows: Kanyakumari and its surroundings are believed to be part of the land which was created by Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Folktales and mythological stories speak volumes about Kanyakumari.

Banasura, the king of demons, propitiated Brahma. When Banasura asked for a boon of immortality, Brahma expressed his inability to grant such a boon, but gave an option to choose his own manner of death. The asura wished that if at all he had to die, let his death be at the hands of a virgin. Brahma agreed. Armed with this boon, Banasura started harassing the devas and torturing the saints and rishis, causing them endless misery. Unable to bear this agony, the devas, rishis and saints appealed to Mother Earth who in turn sought the help of her consort Lord Vishnu who is the Protector of the Universe. On the Lord's command, the devas propitiated Prasakshi who alone is capable of destroying Banasura. The devas performed a yagna which was so powerful that the Goddess was much pleased. She promised to annihilate Banasura. As ordained, Parasakthi in Her reincarnation came down to earth as a virgin. It is a very common mythological fact that whichever reincarnation she took, she would do penance to rejoin Her husband Lord Shiva through marriage.

Hence Kumari did penance so that she would be married to Shiva. Shiva, pleased and happy expressed His willingness to marry her. This was made known to Kumari. Narada who undertook this task arranged a proper time for the marriage before dawn and insisted that the auspicious time should not be missed. Elobarate arrangements were made at Kumari's place to celebrate the marriage.

The Lord was staying at Suchindrum. The bridegroom's party started from there well in advance with pomp and pageantry. Meanwhile Narada was prompted by the devas to do something to stop the marriage, because once the marriage is over, Kumari could not be a virgin and Banasura could not be killed. Narada hit upon a plan, and assumed the form of a cock and waited at a place called Vazhukkamparai. When the marriage party reached there on its way to Kanyakumari, Narada crowed aloud. Shiva's party on hearing this thought that it was dawn and the auspicious hour has passed. The wedding party decided to return to Suchindrum, greatly disappointed.

As the bridegroom's party didn't turn up, the disappointed bride vowed to remain a virgin. All the items collected for the marriage turned into sand and pebbles resembling rice. The multi colored sand found abundantly on the sea shore at Kanyakumari is attributed to this incident.

Banasura heard about the beauty of Kumari and wanted to marry her. She blunty declined his proposal. The demon decided to win her by force. A fierce battle ensued and in the end the Goddess used Her Chakrayuda and slained Banasura.

We then visited Gandhi Memorial that is also located on the beach.

Gandhi Memorial Mandapam:

It is built in memorial to Mahatma Gandhiji who has visited Kanyakumari in 1925 and 1937. It is constructed at a place on the seashore where his ashes were kept on 12th February 1949. His ashes were recently immersed on his 60th death anniversary. The Mandapam is built in Orissa style of architecture and designed in such a way that on his birthday, 2nd October, the rays of the sun, through a hole on the roof, falls exactly on the place where the urn was kept. Many photographs of Gandhiji were put for display.

Click here to see rest of the Gandhi Memorial pictures

We then visited Vivekananda Rock Memorial.

Vivekananda Rock Memorial:

Vivekananda Rock Memorial is erected on a rock situated some 200 meters off shore. There are ferry services available to and fro from the beach. In the year 1892, Swamy Vivekananda came down to Kanyakumari and sat in meditation on one of the twin rocks before he set out abroad as India's leading religious crusader. He swam to this rock and meditated about the past, present and future of India. Inaugurated in 1970, the memorial is an Indian architecture masterpiece. The entire memorial mandapam is similar to that of Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Belur and the entrance is designed on the style of Ajanta and Ellora cave temples.

The rock on which the memorial stands, in puranic tradition, has been known as the 'Sripaada paarai', blessed by the holy feet of the Devi. On this rock there is a small projection resembling human foot which has been revered as Sripaadam. According to legends, it was on this rock that Goddess Kanyakumari did Her penance. This special significance and sanctity attached to this rock might have prompted Swamy Vivekananda, an ardent devotee of Kali, to venture across the sea for his long meditation.

In the main hall, there is a life-size bronze statue of Swamiji. Adjoining the main hall is the dhyana mandapam where devotees can sit and meditate in a serene atmosphere. Various book stalls are also located. There is also a sunrise calender and a sun dial.

Next to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, on another tiny island the grand statue of Saint Thiruvalluvar is erected. Some construction work was going on, so we were not allowed to go near the statue. Some information about the statue from here:The statue has a height of 95 feet (29 m) and stands upon a 38 foot (11.5 m) pedestal that represents the 38 chapters of "virtue" in the Thirukkural. The statue standing on the pedestal represents "wealth" and "pleasure", signifying that wealth and love be earned and enjoyed on the foundation of solid virtue. The combined height of the statue and pedestal is 133 feet (40.5 m), denoting the 133 chapters in the Thirukkural. It has a total weight of 7000 tons.

Click here to see the rest of Vivekananda Rock Memorial pictures

We again reached the Kanyakumari main land through ferry. We then travelled 6 km from there and reached Vattakottai fort.

Vattakottai Fort:

Vattakottai fort, also known as the circular fort. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defence-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom. It was constructed under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the VOC, who became commander of the Travancore army.

Today most of the fort is empty except for the cirucular wall surrounding. As we enter the fort we see a big pond of water. On two of its sides, we find small open rooms with their ceiling supported by a number of pillars. As we go walk inside, we find steps to go up on each of the diagonals. The fort offers a nice view of the sea especially as we stand at the back of the fort. We can also see the black sand beach from the fort. The view of the Western Ghats is also scenic. The greenery inside the fort is well maintained.

Click here to see rest of the Vattakottai Fort pictures

We then returned to KK beach and concluded our site seeing by visiting a Government museum that is situation right on the beach.

Government Museum:

The museum had various stone sculptures and inscriptions that belonged to 9th and 10th centuries. The museum also has a gallery where different kinds of soil samples, geographical information about Kanyakumari, the coins of the Travancore kingdom, some painting of the Raja Ravi Varma were put for display.

Click here to see rest of the Government Museum pictures

We then hit our way back by taking the Kanyakumari express at Nagercoil to reach Chennai on 29th. And we reached Hyderabad on 30th morning.



View of Kanyakumari and Nagercoil

Click here to see rest of the Kanyakumari and Nagarcoil Town pictures

Places which we could not see but definitely worth going are: Suchindram Thanumalayan temple, Udayagiri Fort, St. Xavier's Church, Marunthuvazh Malai. Other temples and tourist places which are little far from the town are: Chitharal Jain Monuments, Peer Mohammed Dargah, Swamithope pathi, Thirunadhikkara Cave Temple, Thiruppathisaram, Thirucharanathumalai, Sri Adikesavaperumal Temple, Mondaicaud Bhagavathi Temple, Pancha pathi, Kumara coil, Sivalayams, Olakaruvi, Pechiparai Reservoir, Kalikesam, Sothavilai Beach, Vattaparai Falls, Mukkadal, Muttom.

Concert by Smt. Vasundhara Rajagopalan

2008-06-06T03:20:00.000-07:00

Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha Swamy Seva Samathi, Hyderabad-Secunderabad organized a 5 day mega musical festival from 28th May to 1st June, 2008 at Keys Girls High School, Secunderabad. As a part of it, on 31st May 2008 carnatic vocal concert by Smt. Vasundhara Rajagopalan was organized. She was accompanied by Sri Dwaram Satyanarayana Rao on violin, Sri Nemani Somayajulu on ghatam, Sri K. Shyam Kumar on Kanjira and Sri Borra Sriram on Mridangam. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert which included the ragas Kambhoji, Vasanta Bhairavi, Kamala Manohari, Hamir Kalyani among others. Though I cannot comment on the technical aspect of the concert with my limited knowledge, I felt that the concert maintained a fine balance between the bhakthi and music.
The open air stage allowed us to enjoy the concert as the cool evening breeze added a soothing effect. Though it was partly cloudy when the concert started, it drizzled a bit only at the end of the concert. In fact, you can hear the drizzle in the background in the last but one MP3 when I was trying to run with my recorder as the rain started :).
File Photo - Courtesy: The Hindu I have recorded the concert and links to MP3 are given below. I am beginner and still learning elementary carnatic music. So please excuse me if there are any mistakes in identifying the raga or the tala or the composer. Please correct me if you find any mistakes.
Update 23rd June, 2008 - If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.
Update 29th October, 2008 - All the links are working fine.
You can download the entire concert in two zip files: file 1 and file 2.

Introduction (MP3)
Sarasija Nabha - Mayamalavagowla - Ata - Swathi Tirunal - Varnam (MP3)
Vishwak Senam Shreyamyaham - Kokila Priya Ragam (MP3)
Nee daya rada - Vasanta Bhairavi - Rupaka - Tyagaraja (MP3, Lyrics)
Tamil Krithi (MP3)
Sree RangaNathudein - Sourashtram - Rupaka - Ponniah Pillai (MP3, Lyrics)
Kanchadalayatakshi Kamakshi - Kamala Manohari - Adi - Mutthuswamy Dikshitar (MP3)
Venkata Saila Vihara - Hamir Kalyani - Adi - Subbaraya Sastri (MP3, Lyrics)
Antaryami Alasithi Solasithi - Kunthalavarali - Adi - Annamacharya (MP3)
Tamil Krithi written by Thirumangai Azhwar (MP3)
Maragatha Lingam - Vasantha - Muthuswamy Dikshitar (MP3)
Ragamalika, Thaniavarthanam (MP3)
Tamil Krithi (MP3)
Mangalam (MP3)

The Hindu gave the following review of the concert:
"Vasundhara Rajagopalan’s vocal concert ran as a routine exercise. Amiable in her manners and beautiful in structural form of music, she is an artiste of boundless curiosity, incessant diligence, of quick apprehension and tenacious memory, accurate without narrowness, and eager for novelty without inconstancy; her virtues and ability have raised her to distinction. She included in her concert ragas Mayamalavagowla, Sowrastra, Kamalamanohari, Kamboji, Vasantha and Dharmavathi, amongst which the RTP in Dharmavathi set to Khandajathi thriputa thalam displayed her scholarship."

An enthralling evening by Sanjay Subramanian

2008-05-28T23:20:00.000-07:00

On 26th May, I attended a charming and captivating concert by Sri Sanjay Subramanian at Ravindra Bharathi which was organized by SICA, Hyderabad as a part of their foundation day celebrations. The carnatic vocal rendered by Sanjay enchanted the audience. It was a rare feat to see the audience glued to their seats for more than three hours till the last item 'mangalam'. The main item of the evening was in Thodi. The violin support was rendered by Sri M.R. Gopinath, Mridangam by Sri Neyveli B. Venkatesh and Ghatam by Sri Trichy Murali. It will be incomplete if I dont mention that the instrumental support elevated the ambiance of the evening.

File Photo. Courtesy: The Hindu
The details of the songs performed are below. I recorded the entire concert and the links to MP3s are also given. You can also download the entire concert in three zip files: file 1, file 2 and file 3.
If there are any copyright issues for putting the MP3s for free download, please let me know. I will remove the access to files in that case. I am hoping that the MP3s downloaded from here are ONLY for personal use and will NOT be used for commercial purposes.
[Update 29th October 2008: All the links work now.]

Nera Nammithi - Varnam (MP3)
Ragam: Kanada. Talam: Ata. Composer: Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar
Bhavanutha Na Hridayamuna (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Mohana. Talam: Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja
Nannu Vidachi Kadalakuraa (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Reeti Gowla. Talam: Mishra Chapu. Composer: Tyagaraja
Shiva Chidambarame (MP3)
Ragam: Nagaswarali. Talam: Adi. Composer: Muththuthandavar
Santana Gopala Krishnam - (MP3, Lyrics)
Ragam: Khamas. Talam: Rupaka. Composer: Muthuswamy Dikshithar
Alapana: Todi
Chesinadella Marachithivo (MP3-1, MP3-2 [Thaniavarthanam], Lyrics)
Ragam: Thodi. Talam:Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja
Neravel: 'Rama sree thyagaraja premavatara seeta'
Swarakalpana: 'Bhama matalu telpu bheemanjaneyu brahma'
Thaniavarthanam
RTP in Ragam Bhageswari (MP3)
"Ka Va Va Vala Va Then Pazhani malai urayu Muruga"*
Swarakalpana: Valaji and Varali
Ka va va - Krithi
Ragam: Varali. Talam: Adi. Composer: Papanasam Shivan
Virutham in Ragam Behag (MP3)
Sri Madhava Vasudeva - Krithi
Ragam: Behag. Talam: Adi. Composer: Papanasam Shivan
Haridasulu vedale (MP3)
Ragam: Yamuna Kalyani. Talam: Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja.
Vetta veli tannai* (MP3, Lyrics**)
Ragam: Jonpuri, Anandabharavi*. Talam:?. Composer:?.
Virutham in Ragas Surati,Bhimpalas (MP3)
Maname kanamum (Lyrics)
Ragam: Bhimpalas. Talam: Adi. Composer: Papanasam Shivan.
Bhavamana - Mangalam
Ragam: Sourashtra. Talam: Adi. Composer: Tyagaraja.

* Hat Tip 1: Thanks to Revanth. I didn't know the lyrics of the tamil krithis.
** Hat Tip 2: Thanks to Lakshmanan for lyrics.

A Conversation with Shriram

2008-05-22T02:23:00.000-07:00

(Post from my old blog. Originally posted on October 03, 2006)

I met Shriram on the last weekend at his house. The day was quite cloudy and I reached Shriram's place around 12:30 in the afternoon. As soon as we entered the compound we were welcomed by a small and cute puppy. There was a beautiful front yard which had lot of plants and trees. It was a nice change for me to hear the sounds of chirpings of the birds, the gentle breeze and the swaying trees.

The small little puppy was joined by another one as we reached the front door. It seems Shriram picked both from a dustbin when they were dying of cold and hunger. He also recollected an interesting story that his father hated dogs but the two puppies simply melted his heart!

I had a nice talk with Shriram about various things. I learnt a lot from the conversation. As the days proceed after the Jeevan Vidya shivir, the effect of shivir in terms of analyzing and thinking slowly fades away. And after the conversation I felt rejuvenated about the whole thing as if I have taken a "mini"-shivir. I am very grateful to him for taking his time out on a weekend and telling me so many things inspite of the fact that I spoiled his weekend. I should also thank Shriram for the wonderful lunch!

Below is the summary of the points we discussed. Although I added my comments here and there, most of it is told by Shriram. I really really thank him for painstakingly going through the draft I wrote and adding to, correcting and improvising it.

1. Serving others:
Many a times when we are involved in serving others two things are likely to happen:

Superiority Complex: We start with the notion of superiority complex - the other is disadvantaged, he doesn't have/possess something which I have. So we end up becoming dominating, we pose the role of giver while we put the other person at the receiving end. This might be happening consciously or even without realizing that this is happening. This could also lead to blaming others who are not doing the same thing as us.
Self-righteous: Whatever we are doing for the "good" of the others, we think that we are doing it right. If we don't think that we are right, we won't be doing it in the first place. And we never question whether it is the right thing to do or give. And when things don't workout, we try to find something else to blame but we never look back and think of the possibility that what we are doing may not be the correct thing to do.

Many a times we think/"decide" that the problem is at a place X. This Is based on the current level of information available to us and our analysis of the same. But in reality the problem could be else where. What Jeevan Vidya proposes is that the problem is not only with the physical facilities. But all these years we have been thinking or told to think that if we solve the problem of physical facilities, all the problems will be solved. But is that the case? For instance, the central Government released crores of rupees to give loans to the farmers where suicides happened in the recent past. And it has been found that the number of suicides did not decline but the sales of hero honda motorcycles in these villages increased. So if people are buying hero hondas and committing suicide, do you think the problem is just absence/lack of physical facilities? The problem of physical facilities/ access to the same does exist but it is more a problem of distribution than one of production. We see today that:

People want to hoard wealth. They want as much as they can.
They are not happy/complete even after they achieve all this.

Human society has not progressed much in terms of happiness, prosperity and well-being of the human species. The more we try to solve problems, new ones seem to crop up ... there is a need to think beyond the current nation, state, politics, economic growth, social work, activism paradigm and study the human being at his root. After all, since we are trying to do all this for human good, should not we first understand the human being and what he wants? We can then compare what we are currently trying to do with this ... otherwise, our current efforts will end up being localized patch work and might not be of any real, lasting use.

But it could take a lot of time for us to really understand that the problem is elsewhere and the solution is something else. Even if we dont realize it now, after putting 15 years of effort in solving what we believe the problems are, when nothing comes up out of that, we will automatically realize that problem is not only with the physical facilities - it is elsewhere too.

Also, ‘serving others’ should be seen as us fulfilling our relationship at various levels, - these relationships exist in reality. It is not a case of sacrificing something to do something else. The notion of selflessness is often steeped in this.

2. Self-introspection:
The process of doing something for others should first start with ourselves. Unless we are content with our life, how can we do something for others and make them content with their life? Unless we are at peace with ourselves, how can we talk about community peace? Are we truly having something to give people?

Shriram recollected a small incident that happened with his friend in Pune. Shortly after he came into contact with Jeevan Vidya, Shriram told his friend that now he wants to focus on his self and understand himself better before he can do something for others. Then he friend retaliated back saying that "Now you want to focus on yourself! Selfish! You dont want to do something for others? How mean!".

We always start with the premise that we are alright and the other is not. So we try to do something so that the other is set right. But we don't realize that we ourselves are not in the right state. When we ourselves don't know what we are, why we are and what we want how can we do something really useful/lasting something for others? in some sense, we start thriving on problems. Our existence becomes based on the fact that there are problems to solve.

3. Spreading Vidya:
This is about how to spread Jeevan Vidya. When we start having the right understanding, the spirit of Jeevan Vidya will get communicated to our immediate contacts by means of our actions and behavior. Although we may not put in any extra effort in telling them about Vidya explicitly, our behavior draws their attention towards it philosophy. What about spreading Vidya to people other than our immediate contacts? Now two questions arise: 1) should we do it? and 2) how to do it?

Should we do it? Yeah, we should spread Vidya to bigger audience definitely. In fact there is a need to share this knowledge of Vidya with others in order to fulfill our relationship with them.
How to do it? I asked Shriram: Should I have the complete understanding and then tell others about Vidya or can I start spreading the message even when I myself am in the process of learning. Shriram suggested the latter. When we understood something, it may not be complete, but if we are convinced that this is something important, we will automatically try to tell it to everyone we encounter. We can tell them that this is what I learnt, it changed my life so far in these ways and this is something important and should be looked at. But we have to remember that we can at most bring that person to our level of understanding, not any further. So when the person gets convinced that Vidya is important, we should direct him/her to the right sources when he/she can continue his/her exploration. In this way, by his/her experiences thereafter you too will benefit and he/she might help you to go a little further. It becomes a process of mutual benefit.

But all the while, the focus should be on improving our understanding. Unless we reach complete understanding, we will fall short in what we can truly give people. One pitfall to watch out for in this process is that we might end up assuming we have completely understood because we can reason and convince people. The sincere internal check of where we only have the word and where we truly have its meaning, what we are ourselves able to live, should be always present. In any case, within us we know whether we have understood or not. The check is that we are feeling tripth (satisfied), we have answers to all our questions (why and what of everything) and able to live the understanding in human conduct, at all times.

4. Definite human conduct:

Vidya tells us that with the right understanding we can have definite human conduct. So the question is: is this definiteness of human conduct possible when only you have the understanding or should everyone around you should also have the right understanding? The question arises because even if you have the right understanding when something wrong is going on before your eyes, how can you be still happy until you change the other person? The answer is when you have the right understanding, irrespective of other factors, your conduct will be definite. You cannot base your conduct based on the understanding/ignorance of others. You can never be happy if you do so.

And the second question that arises is that many a times we end up being in conflict with ourselves because we are forced to do things due to our circumstances which we know are wrong. For example, giving dowry is wrong and I am completely aware of it. But if I dont give dowry, I cannot get my sister married. What do we do in this case? The answer to this is that if we see that there is a conflict then it means there is lack of understanding on our part somewhere. When we have the right understanding, giving dowry for instance will not cause conflict in you. Just like, if we don't have the right understanding and don't give dowry, it doesn't mean anything as far as the understanding is concerned. Similarly, if we have the right understanding, giving dowry because of other pressures is ok. If we have the right understanding, then as a long term goal in future we will definitely work on this problem. The bottom line is: only the lack of understanding on our part is the cause of all problems we see. Once we have the right understanding, we have a definite programme of action for the problems and go about completing them.

5. Catch-22:

A slightly related topic to the above is the catch-22 situation that arises between you and others. As stated earlier, we always start with the premise that we are ok and we need to set the other person right. And we will not be ok until we set the other person right. But we fail to realize that the other person will be ok only when you are ok. There is a recursive relationship, deadlock. Only when we start the process of self-introspection, we can see this.

6. Levels to operate:

There are 10 levels at which humans operate:

ACTION	STATE
Praman (Expression)	Anubhav (Realization)
Sankalp (Will)	Bodh (Understanding)
Chitran (Desire/Imaging)	Chintan (Imaging)
Visshleshan (Analysis)	Tulan (Comparing)- Priy, Hith, Laabh,	Nyay, Dharm and Saty
Chayan (Selecting)	Asvadan Taste)

Whatever is in state, gets expressed in its action. We interact with the body at the lowest level - chayan.

Anubhav is of existence. It is direct experience of units and space.
Bodh is understanding of the basic nature of all entities in existence – physical, pranic, animal and human.
Chintan - is understanding the meaning of entities in existence.
Tulan - is weighing/ or comparing.
Asvadan - is taste that is stored in us. We can taste either values (mulya) or ruchi (taste).

There are 10 components to it and the human being wants to operate at all these 10 levels, otherwise he/she feels a void inside him. The exact meaning of the 6 sub-components of Vichar (thought) are:

Priy: Related to our senses. Which satisfy our senses.
Hith: Related to our health. Which help us in our being healthy.
Laabh: Related to things (vasthu)/possessing.
Nyay: Relationship between a human I and another human I.
Dharm: Relationship between a human I and the rest of the beings (another I, animals and plans).
Saty: Relationship between entities in space and the space around them.

Currently, most of us operate at only 4.5 levels (shown by the shaded region). We get some input from the body and based on the 4.5 levels we react to the input received. Our desire, thought and selection is either based on the sensory inputs we receive from the body or based on our pre-conditioning which we have already gathered over time in chitran and other places. In operating at the shaded region, we are primarily trying to satisfy the senses. But our needs are continuous, our activities are continuous and hence we are not satisfied with the discontinuous nature of senses. Materialism means ability to repeat this experience in as much variety as possible! But still, this leaves a void within. And leaves many facets of our lives untouched. Hence, just ensuring physical facilities is not enough. We need to understand what physical facilities can give us, and what they can’t.

We currently have many contradictions within in chitran, visleshan and chayan and hence keep oscillating within which leads to ‘shram’ or ‘effort’/tension. This is because chitran, vishleshan and asvadan are misaligned. They will be correctly aligned (from the top) when the 5.5 levels operate.

We currently ignore 5.5 levels and operate on these just 4.5 levels. In this case, we feel void, which is the constant clawing within. Only when all the 10 levels are operative, it leads to completeness and definiteness of human conduct.

We can now see why people seem to have different preconditioning - manyata. Depending on my input, I have a different assumption in chitran. Which I may believe is right. But it may not be true in existence. I can access the reality in existence only if I operate in all 10 levels.

When human's thought process operates only at the following three levels:

Priy (kaam unmaad)
Hith (bhog unmaad)
Laabh (laabh unmaad)

it is said to be animal level of operating. Unmaad is madness. The animal seems organized (niyantrit) since it does not have needs beyond this. But humans have a need beyond this, which they try to fulfill ONLY through this, which becomes a problem.

When Nyay is also ensured, it leads to Akhand Samaaj. When Dharm is also ensured, it leads to Saarvabhowm vyavastha. And when Saty is also ensured, it leads to Swatantratha. When everything is ensured, then it leads to completeness of Jaagruthi. Right understanding is at all 6 levels:

Within the self: Knowing who I am, what I am, how I am, what my needs are and how to fulfill them.
With the body: My relationship with the body and how to fulfill it. Physical facilities - The purpose of physical facilities is primarily to ensure this.
With family: Understand human relationships and fulfill them. Physical facilities - Few physical facilities might be needed here.
With society: Know what human target is, what role I have to play in it and fulfill the same. Physical facilities - Things like machines, communication, etc are needed here.
, 6. With nature/existence: Understand all other entities I am related to and fulfill my relationship with all of them.

Human understanding thus becomes ALIGNED with the way existence is. And existence itself is in harmony, as co-existence. Thus, the basic thing to work on is right understanding. The rest will automatically fall into place. If point 1 above is incorrect, the rest will go wrong. No matter how much we try to ‘fix’ them. All our current efforts are to try and do this.

Qing Tian - Sunny Day

2008-05-22T02:22:00.001-07:00

(Post from my previous blog. Originally posted on October 06, 2006)

Don't ask me how I accidentally stumbled into to a Taiwanese song by Jay Chou whose title was Qing Tian meaning sunny day or cloudless day. There was a website I visited and this song was playing in the background. After some googling, I got hold of the mp3. You can find it here - Qing Tian MP3 [Updated]. What is interesting about this song is that although I don't have a clue about the lyrics, I found the song is very melodious and soothing. It has been playing endlessly in my playlist from the last 3-4 days. Probably it is the music or the way the lyrics are sung. You should listen to the song and try following the lyrics below. Its very interesting.

Gu shi de xiao huang hua
Cong chu sheng na nian jiu piao zhe
Tong nian de dang qiu qian
Sui ji yi yi zhi huang dao xian zai

Ruay sou sou si dou si
La sou la si si si si la si la sou

Chui zhe qian zou wang zhe tian kong wo xiang qi hua ban shi zhe diao luo

* Wei ni qiao ke de na yi tian
Hua luo de na yi tian
Jiao shi de na yi jian
Wo zen me kan bu jian
Xiao shi de xia yu tian
Wo hao xiang zai lin yi bian
Mei xiang dao shi qu de yong qi wo hai liu zhe
Hao xiang zai wen yi bian
Ni hui deng dai hai shi li kai

# Gua feng zhe tian
Wo shi guo wo zhe ni shou
Dan pian pian
Yu jian jian
Da dao wo kan ni bu jian
Hai yao duo jiu
Wo cai neng zai ni shen bian
Deng dai fang qing de na tian
Ye xu wo hui bi jiao hao yi dian

Cong qian cong qian
You ge ren ai ni hen jiu
Dan pian pian
Feng jian jian
Ba ju li chui de hao yuan
Hao bu rong yi
You neng zai duo ai yi tian
Dan gu shi de zui hou ni hao xiang hai shi shuo liao bai bai
(Source)

I found the translation of the above lyrics here.

The small yellow flower of the story has been flowing since the year I was born
The swings of my childhood is still swinging inside my memory
(Singing along with the melody)
re so so si do si la so la si si si si la si la so
I’m blowing the prelude and watching the sky, I’m thinking of flower petals that try to fall.

* The day I wagged the class for you, the day the flower falls
That classroom of yours; how can I never see it?
The disappeared rainy days, I wish to get wet by the rain again
Every time I thought of the supposed to be lost courage are still there,
I really want to ask you again, will you stay or leave?

# The day the wind started blowing, I tried to hold your hand.
But, the rain gradually, has gotten so heavy that I can no longer see you.
How long will it be until I can be with you?
Waiting to the day the sun shines, maybe I will start to feel better.

Long long ago, there’s a person who have loved you for a long time.
But, however, the wind gradually, blew the distance so far apart
Finally I can love you for one more day
But at the end of the story, you seemed to still said (good bye)#
(Source)

I found something else also: it seems the word Qian Tian is a popular chinese metaphor to justice. That is because of a very popular ancient judge Bao Qingtian. The wiki page writes:

His name became synonymous with justice, with the clear blue sky (qing tian) became a popular metaphor to justice in the Chinese-speaking world.

If you have managed to read till here, thank you for reading this useless article! :)

I am going slightly mad!

2008-05-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

(Post from my previous blog. Originally posted on September 29, 2006)

I was browsing the web and found a link to the video of "I am going slightly mad" by Queen.

The video is quite funny and humorous and is played by Freddie Mercury. But the wikepedia link on the song wrote that:

Although the song appears to be very humorous and light-hearted, many people believe the song has darker undertones and is inspired by AIDS-induced dementia and that it tells how he felt in his fight against the disease.

I found more facts about Freddie which I didn't know before. His parents were Indian Parsis. He attended his schooling in Mumbai. He is the first Indian and Persian rock star. He later moved to England and stayed there for the rest of his life. Guns and Roses singer Axl Rose was a devoted fan of Freddie and Kurt Cobain of Nirvana referred to Freddie in his suicide note.

Freddie died in November 1991 at the age of 45 due to bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS. There is a statue of him in Montreux, Switzerland and the British Government a stamp in his honor. Freddie is still popular in Britain it seems and he was ranked at No. 58 in the 2002 list of "100 Greatest Britons", sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.

Report on Mid-day Meals Program

2008-05-22T02:20:00.000-07:00

(An old post on my previous blog: posted on August 30th, 2006)

(This is a news article published in ‘Eenaadu’, a telugu news paper on 28-6-2006. The article depicts the pathetic situation of the mid-day meals program that is being implemented in the Government schools).

Middle-men mismanaging the rice
Agencies which did not receive the bills
Unclean cooking and serving environment

‘Newstoday’ conducted a survey on mid-day meals scheme in 115 schools in AP. The numbers at glance:

Total number of students: 19,657
Number of students present: 13,876
Number of students who ate food in mid-day meals: 9592
Number of students who didn’t eat food: 4,284
Number of schools with clean cooking and serving environment: 26
Number of schools with unclean cooking and serving environment: 89
Number of schools in which rice served is good: 19
Number of schools in which rice served is of poor quality: 96
Number of schools with no kitchen: 94
Number of schools with kitchens that are unusable: 12
Number of schools with kitchens that are in ruins: 4
Number of schools with proper kitchens: 3
Number of schools with kitchens under constructions: 2
Number of schools giving egg twice a week: 4
Number of schools giving egg once a week: 95
Number of schools giving egg once in 15 days: 3
Number of schools giving egg once a month: 13
Number of schools which did not pay bills to agency from last 4 months: 68
Number of schools which did not pay bills to agency from last 2 months: 32
Number of schools which did not pay bills to agency from last 1 month: 15

“The mid-day meals program is being implemented very well in the state. The students are receiving nutritious food. Due to this, the students’ attendance also increased. Dwakra and self-help groups are getting their livelihood. There is no shortage of funds for this program.”

- This is the statement of Govt. on mid-day meals

To find out how far this is true, ‘Newstoday’ did this survey. From each of the 23 districts, it selected 5 government schools and on 18^th of August it conducted a survey in 115 primary and upper-primary schools state-wide. Of these, in 3 schools on that day the meals were not served, the reason being that rice is not received and the Dwakra and the self-help groups which are running the scheme did not receive the funds from the Government. In almost all the places, the situation is the same. The agencies are taking the raw materials for loan from the shops and cooking the meals for namesake. As a result, the food served is not sufficient and is tasteless

The rice that is given by the central Government for the mid-day meals for free is being mismanaged by the middle-men involved in the process. The 50 kilo rice bag that was supplied to the Hayathnagar Madal Parishath Central Primary school, Rangareddy district weighed only 45 kilos. The situation is the same in Ranganayakula colony, Kotthaguda, Bandaravi Upper Primary school, Batasingaram Central Primary school of the same district. The authorities themselves are agreeing with the fact that similar fraud is taking place state-wide.

And the nutrition aspect of the food is beyond discussion. As such the Government alloted Rs. 1.50 per student (from this month this is being increased to Rs. 2 but the bills are not yet paid) and it is not paying the bills to the agencies. Hence the agencies are executing the scheme according to their whims and fancies. Poor quality rice which is like a paste and watery sambar, this is the grand food served to the kids in the Government schools. On the days when there is no sambar, they serve dal and watery rasam. This the ‘menu’ that is being implemented in all the places state-wide. The vegetables are put in the sambar for namesake. The same is the case with dal and the leafy vegetables that are supposed to be present in dal. Each bag of rice contains at least one kilo of insects, stones etc. For the women groups who prepare the rice, the process of cleaning and washing the rice is of lot of effort. It is a joke to state that this kind of food supplies nutrition values to the kids.

Although the ministers and the Government officials announce now and then that “We issued orders to supply egg twice a week compulsorily to all the kids. And the authorities have told us that they are implementing it”, it is being not followed. And the number of schools which give egg once a week is also less. Only once or twice a month, the students are getting eggs.

Many schools do not have compound walls and as a result pigs are roaming freely in the premises of many schools. There is also the nuisance of dogs near the cooking place. Students have no choice but to eat food with dogs around them. In many schools, the cooking utensils and the surroundings used for cooking are highly unclean and unhygienic. About 20 percent of the kids attending school, go home and have their lunch. About 10 percent of the kids bring food from home. Many students told that they get stomach pain after eating the poor quality rice served at school. Even the parents are warning the kids not to eat lunch served at the school. There are many examples which contradict the statements made by the officials that the mid-days meals program helped in bringing down the number of absentees. The teachers tried to cover up the issue saying that since there were many holidays from 11^th of this month, the attendance was poor. But the villagers told ‘Newstoday’ that even in regular days on an average only 30 percent of the kids attend the school. In many places, kids leave the school immediately after the lunch is served. Even the teachers are not making any efforts to stop them from doing so. The main reasons for this being the lack of sufficient number of teachers in the schools and the absence of the teachers from their duties. Although there are many problems with the mid-day meal scheme, still the kids belonging to agricultural and industrial labor families depend on the school completely for their lunch. They eat the food offered irrespective of its quality and cleanliness. Only when the Government and the officials work towards the goal of providing tasty and nutritious food to them, the mid-day meals scheme can be successful.

Other hard facts:

The mid-day meal scheme was not implemented in Bollapalli mandal Hanumapuram school, Guntur Dist. because the Government did not pay bills to the self-help groups since last four months. The shopkeeper from whom the agencies were bringing the raw material for loan refused to give anymore. Every month the Government has to give one quintal of rice per month to the school but the officials gave one quintal for three months. Even in the last month, the mid-day lunch was not served due to insufficient rice.

The mid-day scheme was not being implemented in the Keshapur primary school, Nizamabad Dist. since last four months. The attendance of the students was low and the Dwakra group here decided not to cook since the margins they make will not be profitable.

The officials stopped supplying rice to the school in Baisa mandal Ilegam, Adilabad Dist. since August 3^rd and the mid-day scheme came to a halt. Even in the month of July, the scheme was not implemented on four days.

There is no water for the students to clean hands, wash the plates after the lunch in the school in Madakasira mandal N.R. Roppam, Ananthapur Dist. The students go home to clean their hands and wash the plates.

In the school of Baheerabad mandal Navalga, Rangareddy Dist., with just 1 kilo of the dal, rasam was prepared that was to be served to 78 kids.

Mismanagement of rice by the middle-men:

The value of the rice that is being mismanaged by the middle-men is estimated to be 9 crores per year. The rice bags that will be supplied from the Indian Food Corporation will be stocked up in the Fair price shops (Ration shops). In the inspection of the MROs, the rice bags will be transferred to the schools. Once the rice bags reach the schools, it is found many times that the bag which should weigh 50 Kilos weigh only 45 Kilos. The headmasters and the women groups reported to the authorities this issue of less weighed rice bags being supplied but no action is being taken. There are accusations that there is involvement of people at all levels of administrative hierarchy in this scam. The central Government is supplying about 1.14 lakh tons of rice for the mid-day meal scheme. It is estimated that at least 10 percent of this quantity is going into the hands of these middle-men. The rice is supplied in gunny bags and without opening the bags, by means of the equipment used to check the quality of the rice, these middle-men are robbing the rice very cleverly. The Dwakra and the self-help groups are proposing that if the rice is supplied in plastic bags, these kinds of fraud can be decreased.

The mid-day meal scheme numbers:

Following the order by Supreme court, the mid-day meal program started state-wide on 2^nd January 2003. All over the state, the scheme is being implemented in 72,829 schools which caters to about 73 lakh students. In many schools, there are no basic facilities to conduct the mid-day meals. In 58,333 schools, kitchens were not constructed. In 26,354 schools, there is no drinking water facility. For 31,351 schools, there is no gas connection sanctioned. For the year 2006-07, about one thousand kitchens are proposed for construction. Central Government alloted 11.40 lakh quintals of rice for the mid-day meal scheme. The state Government bears Rs. 240 crores while the central Government gives Rs 131 crores towards this rice expense. In cities like Hyderabad, Vishakapatnam and Tirupathi, the implementation of scheme is alloted to social service organizations. Only in these places, the scheme is being implemented properly. In rest of the places, its implementation is totally improper. Except for the namesake checks done, there is no in-depth study of the scheme at the level of higher officials.

The hardships of the Dwakra groups:

In just Rs. 1.50, the entire meal needs to be provided.

The Government is boasting proudly that the mid-day meal program is implemented very well. But the reality is far from it. The Government thinks that its job is done once it releases the funds and the rice. The entire work of implementation of scheme came into the hands of Dwakra and the self-help groups. They are bearing with all the hardships and the losses incurred in the scheme. But the officials are not even co-operating with them to pay the bills in time. The funds released from the education department main office reach the DEOs first and then the MROs. But there is a lot of delay in releasing the funds at all levels. About 50 percent of the women groups told us that they need to get money of the bills from last four months. About 25 percent should get money for the last two months.

Do you know what is the salary of the women groups who are running the scheme? ... Whatever they can save on the Rs. 1.50 alloted to each student. This is main reason for the poor quality of the scheme. Another reason being the untimely payment of the bills. If the number of students is less than 50, the Government is paying Rs. 2 per student. If the number is between 51 and 100, it will be Rs. 1.75 and above hundred it will be Rs. 1.50 per student. If the number of students is more than 100, the women groups should prepare the meals with just Rs. 1.50 per student. With the increasing prices of raw materials and the vegetables, it is practically impossible for the women groups to deliver quality food and also save money for their salaries. In many schools, they are using wood for cooking as they cannot afford the cooking gas. Though the Government increased the amount from Rs. 1.50 to Rs. 2 from the month of August, even this is not sufficient compared to the increasing prices. The price of dal which was between Rs. 18 and Rs. 20 per kilo at one time, now increased to Rs. 30 to Rs. 35. The price of tamarind is between Rs. 50 and Rs. 60 per kilo. The price of cooking oil is about Rs. 50 per kilo. They cannot afford to give egg twice a week as their prices increased. And the vegetables are getting expensive day by day. Therefore, the funds released by the Government are utterly insufficient.

The Government hoped that, in addition to providing nutritious food to the students, the mid-day meals program also helps in spreading communal harmony among students as they eat food together. But in the villages where the caste and creed differences are rooted from ages, this scheme is being ridiculed. Even now some of the families belonging to higher classes are not allowing their kids to eat the lunch provided in the scheme. Some of the students are going home for lunch under some pretext or the other and the rest are openly admitting that their parents asked them not to eat there. Some more students are brining the plates and also the water from home.

In Perapalla, Kurmiddha schools, Mahaboobnagar Dist. the students are eating lunch by sitting in different rows according to their caste. If the women cooking the food are from lower class, the students belonging to higher classes are eating lunch at home. In Khamman district, students are going home for eating saying that the agency women are cooking the food. In Sullupet mandal Peddapadava school, Nellore District, the students belonging to some sections of society are staying away from the mid-day meals program.

Encourage craftsmen

2008-05-22T02:19:00.000-07:00

(An old post from my previous blog: posted on May 11th, 2006)

I recently visited Shilparamam where there was a crafts mela going on. I was delighted to see various art forms from all over the country. It was not the first time I have seen such artistic things but somehow I was moved by the expertise and workmanship hidden in each item that is kept for sale.

As I was shopping, I spoke to few people in the stalls. There was a man who makes khadi and cotton clothes in U.P. He described the entire process of making a khadi kurtha right from collecting the material to make the cloth to the last phase of stitching the kurtha. I saw Madhubani paintings and found them very expensive. I later learned that it is because of the amount of hardwork involved in extracting the colors. The material on which the painting is made and the colors they use are all natural. The colors are extracted from vegetables and plants. I read here that:

Cotton wrapped around a bamboo stick forms the brush. The colours applied are prepared by the artists. Black colour is obtained by mixing soot with cow dung; yellow from turmeric or pollen or lime and the milk of banyan leaves; blue from indigo; red from the kusam flower juice or red sandalwood; green from the leaves of the wood apple tree; white from rice powder; orange from palasha flowers.

I did some googling and you can find some sample paintings here. It is amazing that they could extract such beautiful colors from nature without any artificial chemicals.

There was stall with beautiful Kondapalli dolls. I saw a Gadwal saree which is done on a hand-driven machine and some extra work is done by sewing on that which takes 2 days for one person.

All these people who are experts in their own art forms earn very meagre amounts of money. I really felt sympathetic towards them. I decided that from now on I will do everything I can to encourage such people and thereby their art. I will speard the word among my friends and create awareness among them about these.

Next time you have to buy a gift, instead of going to shopping malls, try to find avenues to accommodate articles made by these craftsmen. Encourage these craftsmen and save the artforms.

Comments:
Renjini Says:
May 25th, 2006 at 12:36 pm

Satya, Yes. Excellent idea to encourage our skilled craftsmen. I almost fell in love with the kind of objects they make in Shilparamam (Hyderabad). The very shape and nature of those objects can instill so much of enthusiasm in people who look at it (Indian Feng-Shui ??). I mean, for example, in the Madhubani they make some objects with papier-mache too. Then color it in the Madhubani style. Massive appeal .. I couldnt stop but buy them. Did you by the way see the wooden toys from Channapatnam? The links you have provided on the paintings are cool too. Good thoughts man. Keep it up. — Renjini

Primary school education in India

2008-05-22T02:18:00.000-07:00

(An old post from my previous blog: posted on February 16th, 2006)

In this post, I would like to explain what I would like to do in near future based on my experience with Muskaan.

Keeping other things apart, the basic take away from Muskaan is that the basic primary school education is terribly poor. In some schools, there are no teachers for some subjects. In some schools, even if there are teachers, they do not teach at all. Its a government job and there is no one to monitor what the teachers teach. I also feel due to corruption many unqualified and untrained teachers get jobs.
The education standards of the kids in Muskaan is very bad and they all go to government schools. Kids who are in 4th class do not know how to read sentences while their textbooks are fairly complex with essays and poems. Last year we had a 7th standard student and if we give dictation from a 2nd class or 3rd class textbook he cannot write. What I am talking is about telugu which is their medium of teaching. The situation of english is horrible. Some students in 4th standard still dont know how to write small alphabets. These examples depict the plight of government school education.

I am not blaming the Government for the situation. I did some searching about this on the internet and I could collect some facts. The Government successfully increased the number of school and the number of kids attending school.

"From the first plan until the beginning of the sixth (1951-80), the percentage of the primary school-age population attending classes more than doubled. The number of schools and teachers increased dramatically. Middle schools and high schools registered the steepest rates of growth. The number of primary schools increased by more than 230 percent between 1951 and 1980. During the same period, however, the number of middle schools increased about tenfold. The numbers of teachers showed similar rates of increase. The proportion of trained teachers among those working in primary and middle schools, fewer than 60 percent in 1950, was more than 90 percent in 1987" (http://www.indianchild.com/primary_secondary_education_india.htm)

The Government is successful in increasing the numbers. But this needs to be taken to the next step to increase the quality of the education in these school.

I have only the question but not the answer. In fact, even if I motivate a group of people say 25 to work on this problem and lets us say we give it a time-line of 25 years, at the end of 25 years we should increase the standard of education in these schools, I still dont know how to approach this problem. Its because the government education system is highly coupled with politics and government policies and changing it would mean a change on all these spheres. Also the number of government schools is huge and the change should be properly propagated. But since the numbers of so huge, any change would mean tremendous impact.

Although I dont have a concrete solution, I have some crazy, impractical ideas about this.

- Pointing fingers: We can report to the government about the plight of the schools in terms of unqualified teachers, insufficient number of teachers and the irresponsibility of teachers. Here comes the crazy part. This can be done in a very dramatic way (taking inspiration from various news channels) with hidden cameras. These teachers should be exposed to public and thrown out of jobs. There are so many qualified unemployed youth who can fill these posts. A survey can be conducted by visiting these schools and taking opinions from the students. I know its crazy!
- Collective Responsibility: Instead of blaming the teachers or the system for the poor condition of the education standard, everyone of us can act on it and contribute our part towards the cause. Take a city like Hyderabad where there are so many software professionals (IT hub) and innumerable students (many engineering colleges and universities). If even 10-20% of these people can be influenced and motivated, each school can be adopted by a group and by taking turns they can teach in these schools. I know this approach is not scalable, but at least we can change the situation in the schools in and around Hyderabad. I know, I know its not practical!!

The problems I explained here are just a tip of the iceberg. I am not a pessimist but still there are many other problems like: lack of facilities in the hostels run by government for students, child labor, lack of sanitation, corruption, lack of monitoring for exams etc.
Bottom line: I am still looking for a proper approach and solution for the questions I raised above. Hopefully in this life, I will be able to provide my contribution of two cents towards this.

Comments:
saikrishna Says:
February 23rd, 2006 at 12:09 pm

“I will be able to provide my contribution of two cents towards this.”

You are doing a splendid job and the intiative is what that is required for this nation, sooner or later people will join.

I dont have a solution to the problem you have but i would like to add that the conditions are no better in private schools. The serious problem is that teacher which is the most respected job in the ancient indian society is now taken up by people who really don’t understand its significance. I have seen many teachers who hate teaching but still work as teachers. How good is learning if you can’t apply your knowlege?

We should aim at eliminating functional illiteracy and not just illiteracy from the nation for allround development. The main problem from my perspective is in our typical indian minds which are always insecure. When you are willing to work hard no profession is bad and money is not the only measure of success.

Finally, let me finish the comment with “I wish to contribute to the project”. I wish to replicate the same project in my village when i return.

My experiences with Muskaan -- Philosophy and Hardships

2008-05-22T02:16:00.000-07:00

(An old post on my previous blog: posted on February 16th, 2006)

In my previous post, I wrote a brief history of Muskaan. In this post I want to discuss more about what are the aim and philosophy of this initiative and the problems we faced (and still facing) in running an activity like Muskaan.

Recently, I was talking to an group of enthusiasts called Bharat Uday Mission and I wanted to share my experiences with them. Then the first question posed to me was "what is the mission and philosophy of Muskaan?". I was taken back by the question for a moment because when we started to work for Muskaan we never sat and thought about these things. We just wanted to help these kids to the best of our abilities and utilizing the resources which are in our reach. Even though we did not sit and frame the goal and philosophy of Muskaan, to me the following can be said as its motto.

The main motivation for Muskaan is that these the kids, who are disadvantaged due to their economic and social background, do not have suitable environment at home and school for their proper development. Most of the parents of these kids are daily laborers and workers who are not educated. These kids go to Government schools which have lot of problems like lack of proper teachers and lack of proper teaching. Through Muskaan we want to create the necessary environment which helps them both educationally and socially. We teach subjects like English, Telugu and Maths. In addition to it, we have G.K. classes, yearly annual day celebrations, competitions etc which add fun part to their studying.

Another goal of Muskaan is to tell kids the importance of going to school and if there are any school drop-outs, making sure that they go back to school. Initially, we used to insist on this and take kids who go to regular school because we strongly believe that Muskaan can never be a substitute for a regular school. However due to various things, we have some kids who are school drop-outs. We tried to convince their parents to put them back to school. But since they are basically migrant, its not possible. Things stopped at this.
As the tag line of Muskaan: "Muskaan in my life" aptly explains whatever I articulated, we just want to fill smiles in their life. Now comes the hard part, the problems we face while running Muskaan.

- Volunteers: Initially the main problem is to get volunteers to support this initiative. Volunteers form the core part of running Muskaan. During the initial days, most of the volunteers were my lab-mates or batch mates or friends on campus. As days went, more and more people got interested and it because a big group. Typically, a volunteers stays with Muskaan for about 6 months to 1 year depending on their workload and in which year of study they are.

The main problem is not get people signed up for Muskaan, but make them work for Muskaan. On paper, there might be 20-30 volunteers registered but of them about 7-8 people will do the whole work. Since its a collective activity by all the volunteers, co-operation and sincerity among the volunteers is very important. Even today, we have about 80 volunteers registered. But over last few weeks there were some days on which Muskaan classed did not happen because all the volunteers who are supposed to go on a particular day, abscond themselves and do not inform about it to others.

The bottom line is that quantity is not important but dedication and motivation of the volunteers is atmost important. Since they work for Muskaan on a volunteer basis, we cannot demand any such qualities from them and they should come from within themselves. I was part of Muskaan when there used to 7-8 volunteers and at that time things went very smoothly because all the volunteers are well-motivated and responsible towards Muskaan. Today although we have 80 volunteers, I should say things are not going as well as they should.

- Kids: Another major problem we face with Muskaan is the set of kids we deal with. Some of the kids' parents are migrant laborers who visit cities like Hyderabad for work when there is no harvest in the village. When harvest season arrives, they go back to their village. Hence its not possible for these kids to join a regular school in their village nor in the city. Therefore, the set of kids we deal with constantly changes. Of course, there are about 5-6 kids who are there with Muskaan right from its beginning but this is an exception.

- Substitute for regular school?: Initially, we used to enroll only those kids who are going to regular school during the day. This is because we strongly believe that Muskaan can never be a substitute for a regular school since the amount of time these kids spend in Muskaan is about 2-3 hours. We only try to help them with their regular school syllabus. This was our mind set when we got started. But to our surprise, the standards of these kids were very poor. A fourth class student who have poems and proses in his english textbook can hardly spell even simple words. So we had start from basics. We had to start teaching alphabets, simple words, basic arithmetic etc. It was not possible to follow any specific syllabus. We decided upon some basic syllabus for each subject and had been following it. One of the problem here is that the kids keep on forgetting what was taught before. Especially if there is a vacation of 1 or 2 weeks, the kids simply forget everything that has been done previously. As a result, most of the kids are still learning what they were learning a year back or so. Most of the time is spent in revising the old syllabus.

This problem is aggravated by the fact that everyday a different person teaches the kids and its not the same person. At least we have seen to that for each subject the volunteers are fixed and hence guaranteeing some continuity. Even then it becomes difficult to communicate to the next slot volunteers what is done in the previous slot. As of today, we dont know how to handle the syllabus and the continuity problems.

- Method and mode of teaching: Since the set of volunteers keeps changing, different volunteers might teach kid in a different way. For instance, if we were to each addition, one volunteer teaches kid to add using fingers. Another volunteers teaches by drawing vertical lines on the book and yet another using small stones. At the end of it, the kid who is learning addition for the first time, get confused. It might be possible for the volunteers to meet and decide upon how to teach a particular aspect. But doing it regularly for each and every topic would hamper the interest of the volunteers in Muskaan. Therefore, we need some guidelines in the form of printed material as to how to teach small kids things like basic maths, sentence structures etc.

Bottom line: I am still learning based on my past experiences and hopefully will be able to come up with a model to solve the above problems.

My experiences with Muskaan -- Intro

2008-05-21T21:49:00.000-07:00

(An old post from my previous blog: posted on February 15th, 2006)

I am part of a group called "Muskaan" which teaches kids of slums near IIIT in the evenings. This post gives an introduction and logistics of Muskaan.

About two years I joined a group called "Muskaan" which started just then. One of our professor Dr. Prosenjit Gupta took the initiative of teaching kids of near slums of IIIT in the evening. He called me and asked if any students in IIIT will be interested. I spoke to my fellow Ph.D. and MS students and was able to group about 9 people.

For a long time, I was very much interested in doing something for the poor and economically disadvantaged people. I was very happy to part of Muskaan and serve these kids. In the initial days, we used cow shed of a man who owns cattle. Kids used to reach there by 5:00 PM and we conduct classes till 8:00 PM. Initially, our biggest challenge was to make these kids come to Muskaan regularly. We used to give them intensives like chocolates, books etc and conduct fun classes like story telling etc to evoke interest towards Muskaan.

By the end of 2-3 months, we had about 25-30 kids in Muskaan. Then something went wrong: we were asked to vacate the cow shed we used to use. Then we shifted to another room which was across the street of the old place. Things went fine for about month or two and again due to some problems, we had to vacate even that room. We then approached a school in Indira Nagar to use their classrooms in the after hours of their school. The school people were more than happy to give us the place. This also didn't last for long. We were again thrown out for no reason.


Muskaan in the initial days	Muskaan's first annual day celebrations

At this, we thought we had to close down Muskaan. We even conducted classes under a tree on the side of the road. Then finally, Muskaan moved to IIIT which is its permanent location. IIIT's old canteen which is located very close the main gate was given by the institute to support this initiative.

Everyday kids collect at two pick-up points. Volunteers collect these kids at 4:45 PM and bring to IIIT for classes and again drop them back at the pick-up points at the end of the day. We have currently about 20 kids. Recently there was an overwhelming response from volunteers and we have about 80 volunteers who signed up for Muskaan. Muskaan is also part of IIIT standard curriculum where in UG students can join Muskaan for a semester and get one credit of extra curricular activities.


Excited kids during the function	Volunteers with kids	Volunteers with kids