"Sandhya Ragam" - Concert Reviews by Sandhya Shankar

Nen Je Nandini Gone are the days, when we were able to identify the singer, lyricist, music director when we heard a song. I would easily recognise if the voice was Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhonsle, Mukesh or Kishore Kumar, Mann Dey or Mohammed Rafi. Same was the case, when we could recognise Ilayaraja’s music or M.S.Vishwanathan and likewise being able to distinguish between Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar from Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna from Maharajapuram Santhanam or M.S.Subbalakshmi from everyone else !  What I am trying to imply is that everyone sounds similar especially in the field of playback singing for films. Probably it’s because there is too much happening with very hardworking, focussed young artistes, who are MORE hardworking and MORE focussed and have MORE ambitious parents and most important definitely MORE opportunities !  There are so many immensely talented artistes that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other and maybe it’s even unfair to rank them. Being i...

Garga Sudha Rasa The nice thing about watching concerts online is that I have managed to listen to a few artistes whose name I have been hearing but have been unable to go for their kutcheris.  One such person is a youngster Sunil Gargyan, who has learnt music from Nagai S. Bashyam and P. B. Shrirangachari initially and later from none other than P.S. Narayanaswamy. I listened to him recently during the online kutchery series by Mani Krishnaswamy Academy and what I saw a young lad with a sweet disposition & a sweeter voice !  He started the concert with a shlokam which was a thaniyan about 46th Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt. Thaniyan is an invocatory verse of glorification to an Acharya which is usually composed or submitted by a sishya. Having made an auspicious beginning he commenced the concert with a Thyagaraja krithi in Ragam Mayamalavagowla ‘Tulsi Dalamulache’ set to Rupaka Thalam. I had first heard this sung by the legendary M. S. Subbulakshmi.  B...

Classical PR I don’t want to be one more person to whine about the impact of Corona, or profess some knowledge about when the scientists across the globe are going to find the cure or vaccine whichever comes first ! Nor am I sure how this economic crisis the world is going through will play out. I can’t claim that I have discovered any hidden talent within me or that all my relationships are improving and blossoming ! One thing I can state confidently is that, this is the first time in my life, I have seen the entire world come to a standstill. It’s brought the world to its knees and for several people it’s been not just a career changing but life changing experience. Everybody is exhibiting their talent and skills on the social media.... it certainly proved one thing and that is Man is very quick to adapt to any given circumstance !  Here, when I use the term ‘Man’, it’s not a gender bias, it’s universal (need to clarify this before all the women activists shout hoar...

Sakhiye Snehithiye All dance occurs in the three dimensions of space and the fourth of time — but it can be a beautiful experience to feel the invigorating intensity with which Bharatnatyam brings all those dimensions to life. On Friday evening at 5.30pm, in R.K. Swamy Auditorium, it was Janani Narayanan, presenting her own ‘Sakhiye’ to an eager audience.   Sakhiye the confidante ! we all as women, have that one special friend who knows all about you and your deepest secrets, intimate desires. Who would do anything for you, or sometimes wouldn't do keeping your welfare in mind, a friend who guides you, teaches you a thing or two about life and friendship. She is who you would call a ‘Sakhi’. She would be ever available to listen to you, who is anguished when you cry, joining in when you laugh or understanding when your mind is troubled and confused, often sometimes being a source of clarity. In today’s language ... she is your go-to person, your Confidante! It can be a di...

Abhangamala During the 2019 - 2020 Margazhi month, there was one particular video which was going viral on WhatsApp. It was not anything remotely like the ‘Kolaveri’ or ‘Jhimki Kammal’ songs. It was of a young girl called Sivasri, among a group of people going around Mada Veedhi of Kapaleeshwar Temple in Mylapore, singing Namasankeertanam!  Instantly, she became a rage among the Kutchery going crowd. It was evident that the girl had immense talent and was trained in Carnatic Music. Obviously, the sensation was limited to a certain segment of people, for it's meant for those who are interested in this genre. Well, I being one of them, when I heard that she is performing at a private residence, on Feb 8th, I rushed straight from Bangalore into the host’s house, looking tired with disheveled hair and crumpled clothes. My entry, of course got the unintended attention, momentarily distracting everyone from Sivasri.  She started with a Namavalli ‘Narayana Naraya...

Trinity by Madras Players Remember Aamir Khan's film 'Lagaan' which was a big hit ? While we can attribute it to good film making, one of the reasons was that it had all the right ingredients like 'Cricket' and the 'Freedom Movement' ! Now these two as a combo with the right treatment is bound to be appealing. Likewise, the English play 'Trinity' by Madras Players had the right mixture in right proportion of Carnatic music & good storytelling. I had first seen it in 2018 at Museum Theatre and recently I saw their ‘extended’ version of the play, during the rehearsals before their US tour. I was particularly curious about the fact that the original 90 minute play had been extended by another 30 minutes at the behest of the US organisers. In an era where everything is becoming smaller and having a shorter life span, this is surprising. Like 5 day Test Cricket became ODI and then came T20 and there is some talk about 100 ball cricke...