Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

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Rishi Sharma
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Rishi Sharma »

Vasundhra Rajagopal: Live at Rasikalaya, London (2nd May 2010)
Vocal: Vasundhra Rajagopal
Violin: Balu Raguraman
Mridangam: Somasundara Desigar
Venue: Little Chalfont Village Hall, Amersham, London.
Time: Concert started at 5.30pm and lasted 3hrs 10mins.

01 Sri Vathapi Ganapathiye - Sahana - Adi - Papanasam Sivan (S @ Sri Vathapi)
02 Sitapathi Na Manasuna - Khamas - Adi - Thyagaraja (NS @ Prema Juchi Napai)
03 Charanam Charanam - Asaveri - Misrachapu - Arunachalakavi (R, S @ Dikku Veru Illai)
04 Karunya Kanda - Dhavalambari - Rupakam - Koteeswara Iyer (R, S @ Dhavalambari in Charanam line)
05 Himagiri Tanaye - Suddha Dhanyasi - Adi - Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar
06 Mamava Pattabhirama - Manirangu - Misrachapu - Muthuswamy Dikshitar (R)
07 Bhogindra Shayinam - Kuntalavarali - Khandachapu - Swathi Thirunal
08 Dorakuna Ituvanti Seva - Bilahari - Adi (2 kalai) - Thyagaraja (R, NS @ Rama Brahma Tanayudau Thyagaraju) – Tani avartanam -
09 Pasuram on Tiruvarangam followed by Rangapura Vihara - Brindavana Saranga - Rupakam - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
10 RTP - Ranjani - Khanda Jathi Triputa (2 kalai) (Eduppu on the small finger)
(Pallavi: Ranjani Niranjani Namami Rasikalaya Jana Mohini)
(Ragamalika Swaram in Pallavi: Kanada, Revathi, Vaasanthi)
11 Ugabhoga followed by Tamburi Meettidava - Sindhu Bhairavi - Adi - Purandaradasar
12 Mangalam

Vasundhra Rajagopal's concert for Rasikalaya, London was soaked in classicism. The post-concert feedback from the audience is that Smt. Vasundhra made a lasting impression with not only her sruti suddham and sahitya suddham but also bani suddham. She is the leading torch-bearer to her bani from Gana Ratna Vidwan Sri N Gopala Iyer, a descendant of the illustrious composer Koteeswara Iyer, Sangeeta Kala Acharya Vidwan Sri Calcutta Krishnamurthy, Sangeeta Choodamani Sri TR Subramaniam and Sangeeta Kala Acharya Sri PS Narayanaswamy.

She announced that she tried to accommodate as many requests as possible and if the audience heard a mix of strange combinations, it was due to this. It also helped that Rasikalaya is a sabha that promotes madi sampradaya sangeetham!! The regular checks made to see whether the mikes were OK also confirms the shraddha towards music.

I am an unabashed devotee of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. Just as there are the raga mudras in Dikshitar's compositions, I have tried to incorporate the names of the committee members of Rasikalaya in the review below ("naama mudra!!"). I will reveal their names at the end of the review.

A soothing Sahana was employed to begin the concert. It is refreshing to hear a different spin on praising Vathapi Ganapathi. Smt.Vasundhra knows how to bring the intricacies of this raga during the kriti, with incremental sangathis, and the swarakalpana. With Dhatu swaras such as rpmp, Sahana was further accentuated. The SS PP DD prayoga also is a beacon to this raga. I was under the impression that this is a kriti on the Lord of Tiruchenkattangudi (as is Vathapi Ganapathim), however this is in praise of the Ganapathi at Tiruvarur. The two towns are only 20kms apart in Tiruvarur district.

Up next was the evergreen classic in Khamas, where Tyagabrahmam re-affirms his beliefs in the words of the Lord. The niraval and swarakalpana at Prema Juchi Napai were excellently done.

Asaveri was a request from Jayaram who also requested a kriti in Misrachapu. Luckily for him, he got a 2-for-1 bargain with a composition from Rama Natakam. I have not heard an alapana in Asaveri and had to rely on the many renditions of Ra Ra Mayinti taka, Samayamu Telisi and the Dikshitar vara kriti on the Lord of 'indu sheetalam' to identify the raga. The delineation of Asaveri and the subsequent swarakalpana were superb given the ragam’s supposed relegated position to the majestic Saveri. (I recollect an anecdote in Tamil regarding the response of a vidwan when asked the difference between Saveri and Asaveri).

I heard the first few notes of the next ragam and my intial thoughts were that the traditional Pantuvarali will be rendered as the first pratimadhyama sub-main. Then came a googly in the form of the vivadi Nishada then it was a case of using Ka-Ta-Pa-Ya adi sankhya to find the ragam. The vivadi nishada was emphasised and the reply given by the violinist evoked praise both from the artiste and the rasikas. This is the first that I heard Dhavalambari being elaborated and a composition from Kotiswara Iyer's Kanda Ganamudam was rendered. Here I quote Dr.Harikrishnan: "Davalambary was an indication of her ability to handle a rarely heard pratimadyama melakarta with vivadi swaras". The swarakalpana was at the raga name in the charanam. The fidelity to tala was a testament to her laya prowess.

Himagiri Tanaye served as a good filler between two heavyweight pieces. Personally, I would have loved a ‘subrahmanyena rakshitoham’ but as it is GNB's centenary year, this kriti was very apt. Interspersing Maharaja Swati Tirunal's Bhogindra Sayinam also kept the rasikas’ attention rapt.

The absence of both varnam and tillana was not felt and was definitely over-compensated by the presence of many gems ("maNis") sprinkled throughout the concert especially the Manirangu alapana. I think Dr. Harikrishnan says it best: "Her alapana of manirangu was the hallmark of the concert in my opinion - such a beautiful delineation, steering clear of the usual pitfalls of letting in madhyamavati or sri ragas to disturb the listener's mind. Balu Raghuraman's reply was equally ecstatic!". I definitely agree with his statement, there was ecstacy of the musical kind as shown by the regular "ahaa's" from the floor. Jayaram's request came through twice! A beautiful exposition of Mamava Pattabhirama was a good tribute to the late D. K. Pattamal who recorded an RTP in Manirangu (AIR) with the same pallavi line.

Then a wondrous Bilahari! Here, I have to quote Mr. ER Balaji who sent his appreciation on how good the Bilahari was: "she was able to bring to supreme heights even the generally plain ragaas like Bilahari which until her exposition I never thought had so many sangatis." Prayogas involving the madhyama and nishada ensured that this emotionally rich raga made its parent ragas proud!! The main piece was a shade under 40mins but it was pure gold.
The tani in Adi 2 kalai, lasted about 6mins, showcased the talents of the percussionist who enjoyed the concert as much as the rasikas did.

The pasuram was "Araadana amudam podhinda koil" and detailed the importance of the koil, and that koil was Tiruvarangam. Another example of Smt.Vasundhra's vidwat was the way she emphasised Tiruvarangam using the same octave and notes as "ranga" in Rangapura Vihara, heavily hinting on the kriti to follow. A devout vaishnavite rasika compared Smt.Vasundhra's rendition to the original MSS version and said that Smt.Vasundhra's version was overflowing with bhakti rasa. They also said the preceding pasuram is an able substitute for the slokam sung by MSS "shri ranga mangala nidhim karuna nivasam..... shri shamnamami shirasa yadu shailadipam".
As Smt. Vasundhra has been collaborating with Sri UV Velukkudi Krishnan and Sri UV Ananthapadmanabhachariar, we can expect Pasurams and many kritis from Rama Natakam.

It was about 2hrs 20mins into the concert and we were in for another treat. The RTP in Ranjani was simply amazing. Jayaram is fond of raga Lathangi and would have wanted a heavy piece in it but I could say that he was equally pleased with Ranjani as he seemed to go into a trance-like state during the ragam.
The raga was beautifully sculpted by the vocalist and an able reply was delivered by the violinist. The tanam had a steady gait that possessed sowkhyam.
The pallavi in Khanda Jathi Triputa (2 kalai) started on the little finger. The sahitya was "Ranjani Niranjani Namami Rasikalaya Jana Mohini". The arudi was after Namami. The sahitya of the pallavi was a demonstration of the ingenuity of the artiste paraphrasing GN sir's immortal Ranjani kriti twining the lyrics with the name of the Sabha. As soon as the uttaranga containing the sabha name was sung, you could hear the appreciation of the rasikas. It is still ringing in my ears! What followed was a raga mala that comprised commonly heard and rare Ragas: Kanada, Revati and Vasanti. These ragas were elaborately expanded upon to show their full swarupam.
The violinist's reply added more beauty to the ragas. Vasundhra’s Kanada swarams reminded me of those of Madurai Mani Iyer for his Kambhoji RTP accompanied by Lalgudi Jayaraman and Vellore Ramabhadran. The Revati was haunting indeed. Some rasikas got VAsanti confused with Bhupalam and Smt.Vasundhra later clarified the grammar of the raga to a few inquisitive rasikas.

The ugabhoga went along the lines "dhyanamu krita yuga dalli, yajana yagnamu threta yuga dalli, dhana vaantaka devata archana dvapara yuga dalli, kali yuga dalli ganamu" recommending the way to attain Godhead in the various yugas. It is said that in Kali yuga, the way to moksha is through nama smaranam. Smt.Vasundhra's ugabhoga reflected these sentiments. A beautiful and soulful Sindubhairavi to conclude a masterpiece of a concert.

I would fail in my duty if I do not mention the accompanists, who not only supported the main artiste well but also shone in their own right.
Balu Raguraman's violin was inspired on the day as he demonstrated versatility and a brilliance that was not only appreciated by the rasikas, but also by the vocalist throughout the concert but especially during the alapana of Dhavalambari, Manirangu and Bilahari and also during the RTP providing appropriate answers for the vocalists' questions. Balu had his initial training under Vidwan S. Chandrashekar and Vidushi Neela Ramgopal.

Somasundara Desigar is a product of the Guru Karaikkudi Mani School and this stamp can be seen throughout the concert. He was very supportive, playing for the kriti. Although, his tani was a crisp 6mins, only the necessary strokes were used and he played with control and understanding.

Given that it was our first concert, although we were nervous, there was an absence of a jittery start to proceedings. The hard work and effort of all the volunteers ensured it was a great success.

As promised, the committee members of Rasikalaya are Indu (“Indu sheetalam”), Latha ("Lathangi") and ("raga mala that"), Jayaram, Ajit ("a jittery start"), Subrahmanyan Akella (“subrahmanyena rakshitoham”). Without their dedication and devotion, we will not have enjoyed the concert to the extent that we did.

The rasikas and most importantly, the artistes wholeheartedly enjoyed the concert.

The feedback from the audience was that:
1. The concert was scheduled to start at 5.30pm sharp and it did.
2. The introductory speech by Ajit and vote of thanks by Latha lasted about 2-3 minutes and was just about right.
3. The artistes were seated on the floor and a few rugs were laid for about 20 rasikas to seat just before the performers which made the concert that more intimate.
4. The sound system cooperated well with the wishes of the artistes, under the care of Jayaram.
5. The committee distributed food packets (puliyohara and curd rice) which were cooked at home by the committee and well-wishers.

I complete this passage paraphrasing a write-up from karnatik.com about Kotiswara Iyer. He served as a Dwi-bhashiyar (translator) for the Madras High Court whilst learning music from Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar and Patnam Subramanya Iyer. Sri NM Narayanan, a popular carnatic music critic, described the parallel line of activity in his life as "one for livelihood and the other for life's ruling passion". Indeed, carnatic music is life's ruling passion.....
Last edited by Rishi Sharma on 07 May 2010, 03:07, edited 4 times in total.

Rishi Sharma
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Rishi Sharma »

Photos from the concert..
Image

Image

Image
People in the photo (L to R): Vijay (husband of Latha), Deepa Ajit, Rishi, Latha, Balu Raguraman, Vasundhra Rajagopal, Somasundara Desigar, Jayaram, Ajit, Indu Rajasekar and Kamala Vedanarayanan.
Last edited by Rishi Sharma on 07 May 2010, 11:52, edited 1 time in total.

mahakavi
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Joined: 29 Dec 2009, 22:16

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by mahakavi »

Rishi Sharma:
Nice write-up without excesses but giving specifics. Smooth flow too like an easy story. Kriti selection by the musician is also noteworthy. Best wishes for rasikalaya's future.
I believe "vAtApi gaNapathim" by MD was on ThiruchchengATTAnguDi piLLaiyAr (brought by Narasimha varman's commander-in-chief to his native village). But I have also heard that MD sang that on Tiruvarur Ganapathi which was probably a copy of the one at TiruchchenkATTAnguDi. Can you shed more light on this?

KMH
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Joined: 07 Nov 2009, 19:31

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by KMH »

An amazingly erudite review, Rishi! I was occasionally glancing at you during the concert - especially during the RTP pallavi (honestly, I thought you were the brain behind the text of the pallavi!) - and was impressed to see you totally immersed in the music. And yet you managed to make exhaustive notes in your mind? Truly amazing! Thanks for all the tidbits.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by rshankar »

Nice review! Great list. I think 'dorakunA iTuvaNTi sEvA' was probably the musicians' appreciation of your (Rasikalaya's) sEva to CM...

BTW, in the sahAna composition, Sri Sivan says "dEvAdi dEvan tyAgESan tiruviLaiyADal Sei tiruvArUr vaLar SrI vAtApi gaNapatiyE", and else where, it is 'Sambhu uDan kamalAmbikai magizhum tanayanE' that gives it away...

KMH
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Joined: 07 Nov 2009, 19:31

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by KMH »

mahakavi:
In his incomparable book on Dikshitar, Dr V Raghavan has hinted (page 20 of the first edition, 1975) that the deity referred to in Vatapi ganapatim is the one at Tiruvarur.

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by cmlover »

Glad to note that vasudhArA rained and drenched the rasikAlaya.
Somebody should have requested amritavarShiNi which is her forte as well
Congratulations Jayaram and to all the members of Rasikalaya!
uttarottara abhiv^Riddhirastu |

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by rajeshnat »

Rishi Sharma wrote:
As promised, the committee members of Rasikalaya are Indu (“Indu sheetalam”), Latha ("Lathangi") and ("raga mala that"), Jayaram, Ajit ("a jittery start"), Subrahmanyan Akella (“subrahmanyena rakshitoham”). Without their dedication and devotion, we will not have enjoyed the concert to the extent that we did.
That is really creative and well done. Did you also notice there is one more intelligently crafted in the below bolded letters that the first reviewer wrote , you solve it by taking the bolded letters and within that there is another committee member or friend to the main organizer . ;)

shri ranga mangala nidhim karuna nivasam

Rishi Sharma
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Rishi Sharma »

cmlover sir, Vasundhra madam sang a beautiful Amrithavarshini (Anandamrutha with ragam and swaram) the day before (Saturday) at Lewisham Sivan Koil, London... since then, I can tell you, it has been raining heavily!

Rajesh, it took some time to decipher the code but that was unintentional!!
Much thanks. It was a team effort where Latha, Indu organised the hall and background admin, Ajit & Subbu were in charge of selling tickets and Jayaram & I were setting up the sound system.

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by cmlover »

I am sure she sang amRitavarshini expecting your delightful comment and the heavens were pleased :D

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by arasi »

Happy to hear about all the music varsha at Rasikalaya.

Rishi,
Such a good review! Lalgudi certainly means music, writing and more.

semmu86
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:39

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by semmu86 »

Thanks for the pics. I presume that the person standing fourth from the right in the group photo is our forumite Jayaram? Sorry am very poor at remembering faces even though we met @ Nageshwaran sir's residence in december.

Rishi Sharma
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Rishi Sharma »

Semmu, it is Jayaram standing fourth from the right.. I have updated my photo to include who the people are.

Nick H
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 02:03

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Nick H »

In UK, rain is default: when a raga makes the sun shine... then I will be amazed! :lol:

Very nice to see the pictures.

mahakavi
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by mahakavi »

I think there is a rAgam called sUryakAnti to bring out sunshine. If not it is time to invent one--especially to lift the infamous London fog.

cmlover
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by cmlover »

Nick
...that could be a concern for the Tories now after the Iceland disaster! As for you the Sun is 'burning' bright at Chennai and you may even appreeciate the visitation of the famous 'London Smog' :D

Rishi Sharma
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by Rishi Sharma »

I am attaching a photo of Vathapi Ganapathi at Tirucchenkatangudi taken by my father.

Image

Vathapi Ganapathim Bhajeham by MD is in praise of the Ganesha at Tiruvarur as stated in the kriti "mUladhAra kshEtra stitam".

I am also copy+pasting a write-up about the Vathapi Ganapathi from viswacomplex.com..

It is generally assumed that Ganesa was brought to Tamilnadu by Siruththondar.
The rock-cut Ganesa - the Karpaga Vinaayagar of PiLLaiyaarpatti fame is earlier than the period of Siruththondar. Furthermore, Appar's 3rd Thevaaram hymn staring with, "CuNNa veN chandhana sAndhum sudarth thinggaL sULAmaniyum..." is one his earliest hymns.

Appar was born a Saivite. But he became converted to Jainism. Among the Jains, he was great scholar and weilded a lot of influence. Due to the prayers of his sister, Thilakavadhiyar, intervention of Siva took place. Appar became a Saivite again.

Among the three thousand odd Thiruppadhigams of Appar which are extant at present, the first hymn to be sung was 'kURRaayinavaaRu'.
The conversion of Appar angered the Jains who instigated the Emperor Mahendravarma Pallavar.

Appar antagonised the Jains and the Pallava emperor, Mahendra Varman I. He called forth Appar to present himself before the emperor. But Appar refused and sang the hymn, 'nAmArkkum kudiyallOm, namanai ancOm'.
This angered the emperor further, who at the instigation of his Jain advisors, made Appar eat poisoned milk rice. But Appar escaped death. Then the emperor had a mad elephant driven to a high-pitch of frenzy and made to run amok at Appar and thus trample him.

It was at that instance that Appar sang a padhikam hymn- ‘CuNNa veN chandhana sAndhum sudar thinggat sULAmaNiyum……’
It was sung within a few days after he became a full-fledged Saivite. As such, it is one of the earliest hymns which was sung by Appar.
The hymn, 'CuNNa veN santhana chaandhum' has the refrain, 'ancuvadhu yAdhonRum illai; ini anca varuvadhum illai'.

At which, the mad elephant became tame and subservient and kneeled at the feet of Appar and lifted its trunk in humble obeisance and salutation.
This hymn is recited by Saivites who are in a state of fear to allay, alleviate, and dispel their fears.
The 3rd verse of this hymn has the lines.... "kalamalakkittuth thiriyum Ganapathiyennum kaLiRum".

Mahendravarman, he was succeeded by his son Narasimhavarman. In the thirteenth year of Narasimha's reign, he sent an invasion army to VAtApi, the capital city. The army went under the command of his commander-in-chief ParanjOthi. The successful ParanjOthi ransacked VAtApi and set fire to it..
Among the loots taken from VAtApi, he brought a statue of Vinayaka. This statue, he placed in the Siva temple of his home town - Thiruchenggaattangudi.
The 'ancuvadhu yAdhonRum illai' hymn predates Siruththondar's invasion of VAtApi by at least 30 years.
The rock-cut PiLLaiyaar of MahipAlanpatti is also very ancient and is quite unique. There is no other statue like it, in Tamilnadu.

MahipAlanpatti is the PUngunRam of Sangam Age - the home-town of KaNiyan PUnggunRanAr of 'yAdhum UrE, vAyarum kELir' fame. It is now in the PudukOttai District.

The VAtApi theory got strengthened only lately, mainly because of two factors.
One was the "SivagAmiyin Sabadham" novel by Kalki.

The other is the practice of starting every Karnatic Music session with Dikshithar's "VAtApi Ganapathim bajE".

The VAtApi Ganapathi that Muthusami Dikshithar sang of, is in ThiruvAruur. He is also known as the MUlAdhAra Ganapathi.

The second one is in ThiruchengAttangudi. This was placed there by Siruththondar himself.

It is true that Siruththondar brought a Ganesa from VAtApi. But that does not necessarily mean that he brought it here first. People bring all sorts of trophies. Some get famous. Some don't -just like the Durga statue which was also brought from the Chalukyan country by an invasion of the Cholas.
Incidentally, RAjEndra ChOlza himself did bring a statue of Ganesa from the shores of the Ganges River. It is in Gangai Konda ChOlzaPuram and the Ganesa is appropriately called "Gangai VinAyagar". (Actually his C-in-C did it. Rajendra was in Chidhambaram building a new capital city).
ParancOthi alias SiRuththoNdar had brought a statue of Vinayagar from VAtApi.

But before that Ganesa worship was already present in Tamilnaadu. There were certain communities who were having Ganesa as a their primary deity.

kssr
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by kssr »

[quote="Rishi Sharma"]

At which, the mad elephant became tame and subservient and kneeled at the feet of Appar and lifted its trunk in humble obeisance and salutation.
quote]

If you want to have a visual treat of this scene see " Saraswathi Sabadam" movie in which the elephant (Ganesha) does the same to Sivaji Ganesan (Pulavar).

Also, same story exists in connection with Hiranyakasibu/ Prahlada. Also in a movie- I forgot which one. Kambaramayanam gives this in Iraniyan vadhai padalam- (6280-6282), wherein Prahlada reminds the elephant that its ancestor (Ganjendra) was saved by Lord Narayana. Then the elephant " Thozhuthu anji ahandrathu" - worshipped Prahlada, was scared of hurting him, moved away.

Just a thought- why not lion or tiger in different stories? why always elephant :$ Sorry for the impiety!!

mahakavi
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by mahakavi »

>>Just a thought- why not lion or tiger in different stories? why always elephant Sorry for the impiety!!<<
That is because the lion/tiger would be causing the assembled audience to scatter and run for their lives. No spectators!
Seriously, the elephant is easier to handle by the mahout and it can do heavy duty jobs with alacrity. If a person is chained and laid on the ground it is like a walk in the park for the elephant to trample him. That was the age-old practice for punishment meted out by the kings

kssr
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May 2010

Post by kssr »

Now I remember that in olden Rome, prisoners were made to fight lions in the collosium- a game for the other to watch!

But in India it is mostly elephant- Ganesha- Gajendra, etc., Probably the cobra comes a close second. Recall "Nadhar Mudi Meedirukkum Nalla Panbe" by Tirunavukkarasar (of course it is Sivaji- incidentally brilliant acting) in Tiruvarutchelvar of AP Nagarajan? I realise it is one more of the Appar episodes.

Peacock and Cobra related stories in connection with Murugan are also not uncommon.

ragam-talam
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by ragam-talam »

Rishi Sharma wrote:(I recollect an anecdote in Tamil regarding the response of a vidwan when asked the difference between Saveri and Asaveri).
Please share this story with us.
An excellent review. Thank you.

ksrimech
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Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by ksrimech »

Rishi Sharma wrote:"Araadana amudam podhinda koil"
This beautiful pAsuram is from svAmi vEdAnta dEsikan's adikArasangaraham. In SrIvaiSNavA pArlance, the term kOyil itself means SrIrangam. We refer to the four divya kSEtrams - SrIrangam, tiruvEnkaTam, tirukkacchi and mElkOTTai as kOyil, tirumalai, perumAL kOyil and tirunArAyaNapuram respectively.

#42
ArAdavaruLamudham podindha kOyil
ambuyattOn ayOddimannarkku aLitta kOyil
tOlAda tanivIran tozhuda kOyil
tuNaiyAna vIDaNarkku tuNaiyAm kOyil
sErAda payanEllAm sErkkum kOyil
sezhumaRaiyin mudal ezuttu sErnda kOyil
tIrAdavinaiyEllAm tIrkkum kOyil
tiruvarangamEna tigazhum kOyil tAnE.

Meaning:
The Koyil is embedded with the insatiable nectar, SrIranganAthan (SrIparamapadanAthan himself)
The Koyil was presentated by chaturmukha brahma to ikSvAku
The Koyil was worshipped by the one and only undefeated personality, SrIrAman
The Koyil is the refuge for vibhiSaNan who stayed alongside SrIrAman during the war
The Koyil bestows benefits which don't come easily otherwise
The Koyil is adorned with the praNavAkara divya vimAnam
The Koyil destroys all the karma (good and bad) which cannot otherwise be easily destroyed
SrIrangam is verily the Koyil, i.e., SrIvaikuNTam on this earth.

Rishi Sharma
Posts: 42
Joined: 21 Apr 2009, 15:05

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by Rishi Sharma »

ragam-talam wrote:(I recollect an anecdote in Tamil regarding the response of a vidwan when asked the difference between Saveri and Asaveri).Please share this story with us. An excellent review. Thank you.
To summarise the story: A vidwan was singing at a concert which was attended by a wealthy zamindar, who had minimal knowledge of carnatic music. The vidwan was elaborating Saveri that evening.
After the concert, the zamindar approached the vidwan and enquired whether Saveri and Asaveri are similar, as he could hear shades of Asaveri during his exposition. The vidwan responded by saying the relationship between Asaveri and Saveri is the same as that of a 'kadai' (shop) and a 'sAkkadai' (sewer) i.e. there is no relationship between the two!!

mahakavi
Posts: 1269
Joined: 29 Dec 2009, 22:16

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by mahakavi »

Along the same lines, what is the difference between bhairavi and Anandabhairavi?
Same as the difference between karaNDi and pAtALa karaNDi :grin:

cmlover
Posts: 11498
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by cmlover »

..if the zamindar was from Kerala he would have claimed 'SA kaDai' (tea shop) is much better than a plain kaDai :D

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Smt.Vasundhra Rajagopal - Rasikalaya, London, Sun 2 May

Post by arasi »

Super, CML!
In spite of singing a beautiful sAvEr (I presume), the bhAgavatar calling either of such beautiful rAgAs a sewer was obviously not a nAdOpAsakar! Also biting the hand which fed him!

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