Marghazhiyil Rhapsody

 

Marghazhiyil Rhapsody

I couldn’t ask for a better way to begin a Marghazhi Sunday(after all the psychological games Corona played on most of us)......... sitting in the open air, with gentle sun rays filtering in through the green trees with hot filter coffee in my hand, while listening to the most melodious live piano performance, followed by a delicious ‘all’ South Indian breakfast, chatting with friends after a long time. All this was possible because of the ever warm & hospitable Anita Ratnam, who is always eager to open her house to friends, art, artists and beautiful things, no wonder she remains beautiful herself !

Year after year Anita invites a few like minded people on a December Sunday morning, to enjoy Anil Srinivasan’s beautiful music as they both join hands to celebrate Marghazhi season and this city, they both love ! Having been long-time neighbours, their relationship doesn’t just stop with sharing a compound wall but also sharing their love for art. Last year, she had organised this event at Spaces and now at her own home.

Anil is one of the most gifted musicians who is versatile as well as strong in his fundamentals. He runs a school called ‘Rhapsody’ which endeavours to help children enjoy music through other disciplines. It was absolutely delightful to sit there, listening to Anil take us on a trip through the nostalgic lanes. Speaking for myself, I found it very refreshing & soothing to hear him play a medley of familiar tunes. Both his Tulsidas’s composition ‘Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhajamana’ and Vyasatirtha’s‘ composition ‘Krishna Nee Begane Baaro’ in Ragam Yamunakalyani were like a balm to the soul. We have heard these songs sung by so many famous singers but this experience is completely different, where Anil made the piano transcend words! Having attended several kutcheris both online & in person(despite the pandemic)during this December season, hearing many different voices however good they maybe, it was a kind of relief to listen to pure music without any voice distracting me from the musical element. Be it his rendering of Sadashiva Brahmendra’s ‘Pibare Rama Rasam’ in Ahir Bhairav or a thillana in Ragams Madhuvanti & Nalinakanti, all were mesmerising. I remembered my college singing days, as he played ‘Naam Ghoom Jayega ’ from the film ‘Kinara’ starring Hemamalini & Jeetendra. The lyrics for this song were by Gulzar and music was composed by the one and only Pancham Da (R.D.Burman), it was sung by Lata Mangeshkar & Bhupinder. What a lovely combination and it used to be one of our first choices to sing during inter-college competitions and always brought us prizes. I must thank Anil for bringing back those memories. It was when he played SPB’s ‘Kamban Yemardhaan’ from the Kamalahasan starrer ‘Nizhal Nijamagiradhu’, I saw almost everyone slip into nostalgia.

He ended with Rajaji’s ‘Kurai Ondrum Illai’ and for me the only ‘kurai’ was that the concert ended.

About the Author:
Sandhya Shankar belongs to a well respected business family in Chennai. She is a Life Skills & Corporate Trainer by profession. She is an avid reader and a natural writer, who has written several poems and articles. She even presented her poems as a reading at the British council. She has keen interest in all art forms  and has explored many different forms of painting like stained glass and Tanjore being among them. 

Music being her first passion, she had her formal training under Terakotti Chandrasekharaiah at Bangalore and later briefly under Mrs Champa Kumar. She is a regular visitor of concerts, theatre and other live performances. Her witty reviews have gained a loyal and interactive readership for their sound technical commentary and relevance for every kind of melophile, from the casual-goer to the ragam expert, frequenting Chennai’s rich music scene.

(*The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and not necessarily those of Music of Madras.)