Carnatic Vocal Concert on 14th August, 2010

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

1. Nee Daya Raada Neerajakshi (Varnam) - Andolika - Adi - GNB (Lyrics)
2. Vinata Suta Vahana Shri Ramana - Jayantasena - Deshadi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
3. Makelara Vicharamu - Ravi Chandrika - Deshadi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
   Swaras
   
4. Manasa Etulorthune - Malayamarutham - Rupaka - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
   Alapana, Neravel and Swaras @ 'Kalilo Rajasa Taamasa Gunamulu Galavaari Chelimi'
5. Kancha Dalaayataakshi Kaamakshi - Kamala Manohari - Adi - Muthuswami Dikshitar (Lyrics)
6. Marakoti Sundari Manini - Bahudari - Adi - GNB (Lyrics)
7. Eppadi Padinaro - Devagandhari - Adi - Suddhananda Bharati (Lyrics)
   Short Alapana
   
8. Parvati Ninnu Ne Neranammithi - Kalgada - Adi - Shyama Shastri (Lyrics)
   
9. Nenarunchinanu - Malavi - Adi - Tyagaraja (Lyrics)
10. Innumum Sandhehappadalamo Isha - Keeravani - Chapu - Gopalakrishna Bharatiyaar (Lyrics)
    Alapana, Neravel and Swaras @ 'Ponnambalam Tanil Tandavamadiya', Taniavarthanam
    
11. Bharatha Samudayam Vazhgave - Adi - Subramania Bharatiyar (Lyrics*)
12. Aye Girdhar Dware Mere Gori - Subha Panthuvarali - Adi - Swathi Tirunal (Lyrics**)
13. Punkuyil Kuvum Punjcolaiyil Orunal - Todi - Adi - Kalki (Lyrics)
14. Thillana
15. Shanti Nilava Vendum - Tilang - Sethumadhava Rao - Adi (Lyrics)
16. Nine Anatha Bandhu Karunya Sindhu - NadanamakriyA - Chapu - Purandara Dasa (Lyrics***)
17. 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

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

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

[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