VEENAANJALI to Veena Vidhushi Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan

[bhuvanakannan]

VEENAANJALI
A Musical Tribute By Vainikas To VEENA VIDHUSHI Smt. KALPAGAM SWAMINATHAN

Participants: Smt. Kamala Natarajan, Dr. Amrutha Viswanath,Dr. Bhavani Prakash, Smt. Bhuvana Kannan, Dr. Gopal Kumar, Smt. Kalyani Josyula, Smt. Kalyani Ramani, Smt. Manjula Ramachandran, Smt. Nirupa Kumarasamy, Shri. Prasanna Venkatesh, Ms. Raji Natarajan, Shri. Rajesh Srinivasa, Shri. Swaminathan Natarajan, Smt. Saraswathi Chandrashekar, Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan, Shri. Prakash Rao (Mridangam), Shri. Sri Narendran(Mridangam).

Main Concert by Smt. Nirmala Rajasekhar (Disciple of Kalpagam Swaminathan)
Accompanied by Smt. Gowri Ramakrishnan on the Violin, Shri. Kumar Kanthan on the Mridangam, Shri. Prakash Rao on the Morsing.

On Saturday June 18, 2011 , from 2.00 p.m
Chinmaya Mission, Vrindavan
95, Cranbury Neck Road, Cranbury, NJ -08512, Phone: 609-655-0404

All Are Welcome

For more information, please contact:
Bhuvana: 6097166409, Harinee: 6092790633, Saras: 7323296603, Amrutha: 9736693828

[tkb]

A perfect tribute to a great Artiste!

[sureshrtuticorin]

This is what Veena Gayathri has said about her guru:
http://egayathri.blogspot.com/2011/04/q ... veena.html

http://egayathri.blogspot.com/2011/04/q ... veena.html

[sreecons]

So pleasing to know such a memorial concert is being held. As tkb said, a perfect tribute.

[bhuvanakannan]

VEENAANJALI Pays Tribute to Veena Vidushi Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan

Although it was sweltering outside, it was a musical monsoon – a veritable gaana pozhyal – inside at Chinmaya Mission, in Cranbury (New Jersey), June 18, 2011 as more than a dozen vainikas paid homage to Veena Vidhushi Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan. The beloved veena artiste, affectionately known as ‘Kalpagam Mami,” passed away on April 6 in Chennai.

The event was spearheaded by Smt. Bhuvana Kannan of Plainsboro(New Jersey), herself a veena player, who initially proposed the idea to local vainikas in mid-April. More than 12 veena players in and around the tristate (NY-NJ-CT) area were invited to perform individually or in groups for no more than 20 minutes each.

The program started at 2 p.m. with an offering of flowers to a portrait of “Kalpagam Mami” after which performers played items representing a variety of composers. The performers included: Smt. Nirupa Kumaraswamy; Dr. Amrutha Viswanath; Shri. Swaminathan Natarajan; Smt. Kalyani Josyula; Smt. Kamala Natarajan; Shri. Prasanna Venkatesh; Dr. Bhavani Prakash; Smt. Vijayam Ranganathan; Sow. Raji Natarajan; Dr. Gopal Kumar; Smt. Kalyani Ramani; Smt. Manjula Ramachandran; and Smt. Bhuvana Kannan and Sow. Aparna Kannan. Taking turns providing mridangam accompaniment to all the vainikas were Shri. Prakash Rao and Shri. Sri Narendran. Smt. Saraswathi Chandrashekar served as the master of ceremonies for the event.

The event culminated with a veena concert by Smt. Nimala Rajasekhar, a disciple of Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan, accompanied by Smt. Gowri Ramakrishnan on the violin, Shri. Kumar Kanthan on the mridangam and Shri. Prakash Rao on the moorsing. Before her concert, Smt. Rajasekhar said she was moved to tears at seeing the enlarged photo of her guru at the entrance to the hall and expressed gratitude to “Kalpagam Mami” for teaching her not only how to play the veena but also for the sage advice and life lessons given throughout her formative years. Smt. Rajasekhar also thanked the organizers and participants of VeenAnjali for the tribute to her guru.

The event, which ended around 10 p.m., was well attended by rasikas from near and far.

Smt. Bhuvana Kannan said the event exceeded all her expectations. “VeenAnjali was a wonderful experience for me,” she said. “With everyone’s support…and Kalpagam Mami’s blessing’s, my dream came true. “

Photo Album link:
https://skydrive.live.com/P.mvc#!/?cid= ... &sc=photos

[Sreeni Rajarao]

Thank you for taking the initiative to organize the event and bring together so many performers (especially veena performers) together.

You and your team members must have worked very hard to make this happen.

I am not surprised that Kalpagam Mami has inspired so many people.

Thanks for the report and pictures also!