Thyagaraja Aradhana - DD Podhigai Live

[shankarank]

https://www.ddpodhigai.org.in/live.html

sAdhincanE in progress.

[Sundara Rajan]

Thank you for the information. I was able to catch the live broadcast at least for the last few minutes from here in Florida at 10:00p.m. , by chance.

[eesha]

Those who missed can watch the recording at :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkBkv-2r-zM

[Sivaramakrishnan]

*Podhigai TV retelecast the morning aradhana event again at 5 pm.
*Rendering of Naata pancharatna Jagadaanandakaaraka happened to be in vilambakala but I liked it.
* The rendering, balancing of male/female voices, instruments etc was very good.
* The crowd of devotees appeared to be low may be due to the ongoing transport bus strike in Tamilnadu.

[rajeshnat]

SRK
I heard in parts , overall it was better . I felt for the first song the percussion was not heard. It is one thing when that is on where my mother calls her sister and then even my spouse calls me and informs me that aradhana is in TV , there is still high word of mouth with aradhana telecast. I just love that shraddhai shown by not just performing musicians but the whole diaspora of many dropout musicians , many lovers of cm who only sing one one line in every song like samayAnikki in arabi and then keep themself in mute when varali is on.

I am told lot of houses in and around tiruvayaru just cook and feed lunch and breakfast to all the visitors. I have visited once tiruvayaru in non aradhana days but one of the years I would love to visit during pancharatna rendition. Perhaps SRK we have to plan one soon in coming years.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

rajesh,
Godwilling, we shall visit next year! The 'travels and travails' of the just concluded 'Chennai season' took a toll of me- a bad cold chained me home.

*I could attend the fest at Tiruvaiyaru a couple of years back but didn't come across any walk-in place that offers (free) food to the visitors. More of 'sandhu'-s and few 'rajamarga's in this little town. The municipality gears up with great difficulty to contain the flow of visitors for less than a week.

*The outlets of two eateries close to the 'pandal' usually caters to the rasikas. The Utsava committee serves free food to artists and a limited no of vistors in their building but you must obtain tokens.

*Visitors who stay in Tanjore (11 km away) go for lunch in the afternoon and come back in the evening. Performing artists are taken care of by the Committee.

*Biggest crowds normally would be for Yesudas and lowest for the concluding Aanjaneyotsavam (rendering of the kriti 'Geetharthamu' by staff and students of the local music college) It was true the year I visited!

* Kaveri is in full flow this year, I am told. That must be something special.

[harimau]

*I could attend the fest at Tiruvaiyaru a couple of years back but didn't come across any walk-in place that offers (free) food to the visitors.

*The outlets of two eateries close to the 'pandal' usually caters to the rasikas. The Utsava committee serves free food to artists and a limited no of vistors in their building but you must obtain tokens.

................

* Kaveri is in full flow this year, I am told. That must be something special.

Was there a couple of days earlier. I can report that Kaveri was indeed in full flow.

There are several outlets serving food for a price. I had excellent curd rice for Rs 30. My friend reported that the sambar rice was extremely good. Same price.

On the day of the Aradhana, in the years past, I have walked into the Kalyana Mantapam next to Sri Thyagaraja's house on Thirumanjana Veedhi and have been treated to a kalyana sappadu for free. Realizing that this was entirely a volunteer effort, I made a substantial donation as many people do. In fact I even had a light tiffin for dinner the previous evening there.

[kvchellappa]

Thanks for a pleasant post.

[harimau]

Thanks for a pleasant post.

I was off my medication.

It won't happen again, I assure you.

[girish_a]

Nirmala Sitharaman slams DD for abruptly ending the telecast.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/n ... hana-74289

[Govindaswamy]

Until Bangalore Nagarathnamma took the initiative Thyagaraja's Samadhi was in a neglected state. The chanting of Manthras and doing abhishekams etc appear to be on the increase every year. I feel that Thyagaraja is being placed in the queue behind Buddha and Saibaba to become full time God. The first two have not attained this stature till now. Probably a new puranam is going to be written about Thyagaraja. Already couple of miracles are narrated about his life. In my opinion all these rituals must be stopped. Otherwise we have to start building temples for Kalidasa, Thiruvalluvar, Kambar etc.

[harimau]

....The chanting of Manthras and doing abhishekams etc appear to be on the increase every year. I feel that Thyagaraja is being placed in the queue behind Buddha and Saibaba to become full time God. The first two have not attained this stature till now. Probably a new puranam is going to be written about Thyagaraja. Already couple of miracles are narrated about his life. In my opinion all these rituals must be stopped. Otherwise we have to start building temples for Kalidasa, Thiruvalluvar, Kambar etc.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Stop it right there.

If Tamilians can build a temple for Khushboo, there is nothing wrong with temples for Thyagaraja, Kalidasa, Tiruvalluvar, Kambar, etc.

It would be a step up.

[sureshvv]

Nirmala Sitharaman slams DD for abruptly ending the telecast.

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/n ... hana-74289

Don't think DD-Podhigai did this.

[kvchellappa]

Harimau,
Are you building a case for you?

[shankarank]

Until Bangalore Nagarathnamma took the initiative Thyagaraja's Samadhi was in a neglected state. The chanting of Manthras and doing abhishekams etc appear to be on the increase every year.

What is the normal prescribed procedure for observing the death anniversary of a sanyasin? Anybody can throw light?. I am asking this in the context of "Anyways Brahmins (Purohits) are performing it now".

Also as per a Sri G.S Mani @Arkay Lecdem, it should be called nAdabrahAnandA Aradhana, not Thyaragaja Aradhana, as the term Aradhana is meant only for yatis and nAdabrahAnandA is the assumed name as they renounce all of the pURvASrama including their name.

[Ponbhairavi]

[Running commentary of a Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana.

There is running commentary for all popular events: cricket matches,temple kumbabhishegam, etc. why not one for the great musical bonanza.? Here you go .. this is not an official one broadcast or telecast
But a private conversation between two unknown voices overheard at the pandal;
“ as usual,the open ground which was the haven of pigs till a fortnight back now appears “lookable “ thanks to a “face lift “ and heavy make up like many of the vidhushis participating in the event.Open air pandal has no foul smell this year thanks to Modi for his “ No open air defecation scheme”
Quite a good crowd of ardent rasikas, all of them looking away from the saint’s samadhi focussing their attention on the vidwans entering the pandal with religious pomp.
Hey … look she is coming shouted one rasika who has recognized his glamorous “idol”..( a word recently transferred from iconography to musicology)
Amman veedhi valam right from the refurbished teppakulam shouted someone else.
It is quite unusual for the Dharma samvardhini to come on procession this time of the year murmured an oldman.
Not the Goddess . He means the Vedette.
This year’s hallmark or water mark was the refurbishing of some public tanks “kuLam “around as a public service project.Many enjoy seeing the reflection of their own face on the placid water.
Look there the abhishegam has started.
So has the bhairavi Chetulara...some miss Ramani,
Who is miss Ramani? I see Ashok Ramani there.
I meant flute Ramani.
So many dignitaries near the samadhi . Their face with a abroad grin is turned in the opposite direction towards the T V Camera.they could have simply stood near the camera instead fighting their place close to the samadhi(as if it is their own ) and from there look outside.. Publicity conscious like the musicians,?
-- they want to show to the world how influential they are.
How do you know? No reply from the other voice.
Who is that person ? is he a tavil vidwan?. He is having plastic white “rings “ on all his fingers but there is no tavil in front .
Look carefully. Not plastic.He is wearing platinum gold silver rings in all his fingers. He is world famous for his masterpiece “ nidhi chala sukhama “
All the singers are so beautifully dressed as though for a fashion parade
One exception. Look at the girl humbly dressed sitting close behind that vidhushi,
Right , seems to be really poor. She must be really talented.
No look , she is not moving her lips even.
Quite a puzzle how she managed to get to the second row behind that illustrious vishushi.
That is because of the courtesy of that vidhushi herself who used her influence to get her behind.
May be she is her usual tambura artist.
No
Then why should she recommend her?
Just to ensure a contrast background which on camera would enhance her own beauty.
How do you knoW?
No reply from the other voice.it continued she is the girl who sells flowers to all the lady artistes. None would object to her presence.
I fail to understand why a person who has nothing to do with music should waste her time sitting here.
But for such people the place would be half empty
It appears that the crowd is less this year.
That is because of globalization. Thiruvaiyaru is everywhere at Chennai, Bombay POndicherry US , Paris etc…
Glad that for the C.M the spirit pervades everywhere.
A small correction, the smell of spirit pervades everwhere.
One thing is sure. Thanks to this festival C M music schools should have multiplied in this small dusty village.
Not music schools but beauty parlours.
You are so cynical about everything music but you know every thing here including how the secret mind of every one is working. Are you a musical psychologist?
“ No , I am The Thyagaraja. I cannot stand this annual farce and tamasha. So I came out ofmy samadhi last week and now I am a homeless wandering soul four five more days “ he said and vanished in thin air before the group pancha ratna could begin.

[kvchellappa]

deleted

[Sundara Rajan]

Some fifty-sixty years ago, before the advent of DD and Pothigai TVs, All India Radio used to give a very beautiful introduction in excellent Tamil, from early morning until the start of the of group singing of the Panchratna krities. I do not know if there is any such introduction in the TV channels now. I still have a voice recording of 1959 or 1960 program, which I occasionally listen to simply to enjoy the narration. Women artists were allowed to participate in the group singing only in the mid sixties, I believe.

[shankarank]

AAvadum peNNaLE (refering to Bangalore N Ammal), azhivatum peNNALE ( no reference needed!) .

Ponbhairavi - excellent - you forgot to add , Thyagaraja was left wandering due to the bus strike - which is now the old pagan harvest/solstice festival, instead of pongal - for the drivers to get their ponga-paDi! Otherwise as per an old vibe - he supposed to be the lone man taking the otherwise empty bus away from Thiruvaiyaru

cEtulara - per SRJ critique - ponnAna bhairaviyai urukki ceppiliTTU

[thanjavooran]

Phonbhairavi avl,
Thanks for the commentary. Excellent narration. No mention regarding Unjavruthi Bajan. In late fifties Ariyakudi, Maharajapuram, semmangudi and few others along with Palghat on mirudangam used to pay homage by singing kritis on street. Was there any such thing this year? The same way all these vidwans jointly sing sututti kriti at the close of the function.
Thanjavooran
08 01 2018

[harimau]

Harimau,
Are you building a case for you?

Nope.

However, if you decide to build a temple for me, I won't get a restraining order from a court!

[Ponbhairavi]

thanks KVC and rshankar.
Sundara rajan you are right. The narrator of those days was shri K.C Thyagarajan, music producer of TRichy A I R and a relative of our Vikku Vinayakaram.
Thanks shankarank
Thanks Thanjavooran. In principle wherever there is an Aradhana, there must be Unchavrithi and there must free public feeding from the rice collected in the Unchavrithi . I think that years back there was free food even at Cleveland, but now in most places the word aradhana has been removed and thereby the commitment also. nowadays people involved in public function are allergic to the word " surutti " musicians are no exception though they are glad to deal very elaborately with surutti in private concerts till the last "jamakkaalam " is " suruttIED by the organising sabha.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The Unchavritti does happen.
But if you participate in it (and if not a known figure), you wont get to sit inside the Pandal for the Pancharatna aalapana.

All said and done, the Aradhana is an Utsava every Carnatic musician / rasika should attend at least once in a life time.
Alongside,
Take a dip in the Kaveri.
Have Darshan at the Panchanadeeswarar-Dharmasamvardhani temple where Saint Tyagaraja worshipped.
If time permits, visit the nearby Eachangudi village - the birthplace of Kanchi Paramacharya.

[bhakthim dehi]

Also saptha sthanam temples nearby are worth a visit.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

bhakthim dehi,
Would you pl throw some light on the saptha sthanam temples?

[sankark]

http://www.shaivam.org/siddhanta/sptsaptastanam.htm

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks

[thanjavooran]

Thanks for the link. I recollect my memories.
In my student days [early fifties] I have visited all the seven kshetrams by foot during this festival. Deities decorated in Mirror palanquins from the seven temples carried by villagers with utmost devotion will converge at Thillasthanam where the fire works will take place on the banks of river Kaveri at midnight. The seven villages are within the radius of 10 miles. The local people will invite to their houses and feed all the devotees visiting the festival. The next day one by one will leave to their respective temples. Think this system still continues.
Thanjavooran
09 01 2018

[RaviSri]

This year there was water in the Cauvery for the simple reason that the Aradhana was on the 6th Jan. When the Aradhana occurs after the 15th Jan, water is reduced and on 28th Jan the Mettur dam is closed, so is the Grand Anaicut. So, when Aradhana falls after the 28th, there will be no water. That is all.