Rasikalaya - a new group of rasikas in London

[jayaram]

Dear friends and fellow rasikas,

A few months ago, a few serious rasikas in London got together and formed a new group called Rasikalaya. Rasikalaya's aim is to encourage the propagation of sampradaya music in London and neighbouring areas. We strive to bring to the UK musicians with deep vidwat, and organise 'madi' kutcheris.
Hopefully one day we will reach a stage when we would be able to conduct week-long aradhanas on the lines of Cleveland...but for now we are starting small. We are also working with like-minded groups in the UK, Europe, India and around the world to realise our goals.

We seek the blessings and best wishes of our rasika friends from this forum. Any ideas you can share with us about organising concerts and related topics would be very welcome. Please write to us at: [email protected]

Our inaugural concert is being held on Sunday May 2nd. The featured artiste is Smt Vasundhra Rajagopal.
Concert details:
Date & Time: Sunday 2nd May 2010, 5:30pm
Venue: Little Chalfont Hall, Coke's Lane, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Bucks HP8 4UD

More details can be found here: http://www.rasikalaya.org.uk
We look forward to seeing some of you at the concert.

[VK RAMAN]

Congratulations for taking the first step.

What do you mean by these expressions; deep vidwat, 'madi' kutcheris, serious rasikas, & sampradaya music; what are your objectives. Are you going to encourage local talents and younger generation in the pursuit of Carnatic music.

[semmu86]

Great going Jayaram . My best wishes..

[rajeshnat]

Jayaram
Great initiative , I am assuming this is the same that you mentioned to me when you were at madras last year.

[Nick H]

Good luck --- and I hope you will have success in bringing a wider of circle of people to experience carnatic music, as well as the community that already does.

[S.NAGESWARAN]

Dear Jayaram,

Best wishes. I hope Mr.Harikrishnan is also a member of your Rasikalaya.

I would suggest that you visit Artists' blogs to know their concert itineiry and contact them if they are visiting
U.K and arrange their programme in Rasikalaya also.

S.NAGESWARAN.
14.04.2010

[arasi]

Jayaram,
All the very best to Rasikalaya!
Hope it caters to more rasikAs in the UK and brings in moreof them into the fold too.
Way to go!
Since Nick did not mention it here I will bring it up. Hope you keep speeches to a minimum and make the artistes give more of their music in concerts!

[cmlover]

Jayaram
Is DRS connected with this endeavour?
There is none better than him for sampradaya...

[Nick H]

Laughed at your comment, arasi

[vasanthakokilam]

Good luck and all the best, Jayaram.

[jayaram]

Many thanks for all your best wishes.

We are also on Facebook now: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rasikalay ... 2438490925

Do link up with us online.

[bilahari]

Best wishes, Jayaram and company!

[jayaram]

Dear fellow rasikas,

Rasikalaya's inaugural concert featuring Smt Vasundhra Rajagopal went off very well yesterday.

Below are excerpts of feedback received from a respected rasika, Dr Hari Krishnan (member KMH on this forum, also a good friend of S.Nageswaran). His comments speak for themselves.

Rishi will be posting a detailed review in the kutcheri reviews section soon.

Dr Hari Krishnan's comments:
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What makes for a satisfying concert experience?

If you are a serious rasika, you want to listen to an artiste who is able to establish their vidwat in unequivocal terms. But all round concert experience goes beyond just that. You would like the concert to begin as announced. You’d want the audience to be attentive, and respond to and encourage the artiste and their accompanists appropriately. You would like the entire concert to proceed without any significant disturbances - people walking in and out, a malfunctioning mike, screaching kids, verbose organisers, and so on. And finally, (although this is the least important), in these days of hectic lifestyles we all lead, one would like to be able to get home in reasonable time, especially when a concert is held in a humungous city like London.

Rasikalaya's inaugural concert scored a perfect 10 in each and every one of these expectations. The concert was scheduled to start at 5-30, and it did - a first in my mind, in a long time of attending concerts!

Smt Vasundara Rajagopal endeared herself to the casual listener and the connoisseur alike with her selection of kritis and ragas (that she was able to accommodate so many requests in doing this only showcases her talent additionally). Davalambary was an indication of her ability to handle a rarely heard pratimadyama melakarta with vivadi swaras. Kritis Sitapati, Himagiri Tanaye and Bhogeendra Sayeenam, spaced at the right places along the concert, endeared her to the audience during her very first visit. Her intellectual class was evident in the pallavi she chose for the RTP, so cleverly incorporating "rasikalaya" in the text. Years later, when Rasikalaya is a well established and sought after platform for other artistes, I think we will still talk about this stroke of genius! 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! And the purity of vasanti in the ragamalika was another instance of her expert handling of ragas - I was reminded of the joy of listening to MLV handling such little known ragas.

The audience conducted themselves in an admirable manner, reflected by Balu's sentiments in his email. The organisers spoke just the right amount at the beginning and end of the concert, taking up very little of the concert time. To have timed the concert so conveniently for everyone was excellent. But to provide a sumptuous dinner to go with it - simply nonpareil!

An amazing, extremely promising start! Well done rasikalaya! You have captured many a long time rasika with this inaugural concert!

Hari
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Smt Vasundhra Rajagopal (vocal) / Sri Balu Raguraman (violin) / Sri Somasundara Desigar (mridangam)
Song list:
1. srI vAtApi gaNapatiyE - Sahana - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
2. sItApati nA manasuna - Khamas - Adi - Tyagaraja
3. charaNam charaNam - Asaveri - Misra chapu - Arunachala kavi
4. kAruNya kanda - Dhavalambari - Rupakam - Kotiswara Iyer
5. himagiri tanayE - shuddhadhanyasi - Adi - Muthiah Bhagavatar
6. mAmava paTTabhirAma - Manirangu - Misra chapu - Muthuswami Dikshitar
7. BhogIndra shAyinam - Kuntalavarali - Khanda chapu - Swati Tirunal
8. dorakuNa iTuvanTi sEva - Bilahari - Adi - Tyagaraja
Tani
9. Pasuram followed by Rangapura vihAra - Brindavana saranga - Rupakam - Muthuswami Dikshitar
10. RTP - Ranjani - Khanda triputa (2 kalai)
"ranjani ni ranjani namAmi
rasikAlaya janamOhini (ranjani)"
- swaras in Kanada, Revati, Vasanti
11. Ugabhoga followed by tambUri mITTidava - Sindhu Bhairavi - Adi - Purandara Dasa
12. Mangalam

[jayaram]

A detailed review of the concert can be found here:
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=13156