Unnikrishnan concert on 1 May, 2010 for CAIFA, Chicago

sarang · Post by **sarang** » 03 May 2010, 21:59

Sri P. Unnikrishnan presented a carnatic vocal recital for Chicago Academy of Indian Fine Arts (CAIFA) on May 1 2010.

Sri P. Unnikrishnan(Vocal)
Sri Embar Kannan (Violin)
Sri Arjun Kumar (Mridangam)

1) Varnam - Pantuvarali
2) Jaya Jaya - Naatai - Adi- N Theerthar (S)
3) Sugunamule - Chakravakam - Rupakam - Thyagraja (S)
4) Ka vaa va - Varali - Adi - P Sivan (R S)
5) Ksheera Saagara - Adi -Devgandhari (R)
6) Bantureethi Kolu - Hamsanadham - Adi -Thyagraja (RNS)
7) RTP - KalyanaVasantham -Adi - I think the lyrics were 'Vasantha Dala Nethra Rama Hare, Kalyana Pada' Ragamalika @ Neelambari, Madhukauns (Sumaneesha Ranjani) ,Begada, Bahudari, Ranjani, Hamsanandi, Suruti. (Thani)
Post thani session included
Villinai - Kavadi chindu
Alaipayuthe - Kaanada -Adi OVK
Brahmam Okate - Bowli- Adi- Annamaya
Guruvayoor Appa - Dwijavanthi - Adi - (a Malayalam song)
and a few more songs before the Mangalam.

Over all it was a fabulous concert. Hamsanatham and K Vasantham stole the show. KVasantham was an apt choice. Unni contoured the raga with both Jaaru and brigha phrases over the entire range of 2 1/2 octaves. Embar Kannan provided excellent support. With a few novel frills here and there he did a great job as an accompanist. Arjun Kumar's thani session was truly mind boggling. He really brought on stage Sri UKS sir ; almost everyone was glued to their seat during the Thani avarthanam. Really awesome.

The concert was held at the Hoffman Estates High school with a seating capacity of 550 people. The concert had a full house and in fact was sold out. Those in Chicago who did not attend, really missed a magical evening cast by Sri Unni and party.

Ticket Price: $10 (General), $20 (VIP), Youth (above 10yrs) $5 and children free. [Really unimaginable and affordable price]
Carry out food provided for $4.00 (Chappathi Channa, dokla, banana bread and curd rice) [Very nominal]

The event was very well organized and a lot of planning must have gone into arranging this concert. CAIFA truly kept up their power statement 'Affordable Arts for All' ; un-exaggerated ticket prices, excellent sound systems with the right choice of venue . CAIFA, we look upon to you for more such events. Hats off!

bhavarasa · Post by **bhavarasa** » 03 May 2010, 23:30

It was OK. Nothing to rave about. The choice of kritis could have been better. Syama Shastri and Mutthuswami Dikshitar kritis were glaring omissions. 3 Thyagaraja songs, that too very common kritis like Ksheera Sagara and Bantu Reethi were overkill.

RTP in Kalyana Vasantham was very well executed. Embar Kannan's training in Western Classifical violin shows in his playing of Carnatic music, especially his bowing technique and more use of the little finger.

Unni's voice was stifled to begin with but opened up nicely by the time he got into the Hamsanadam aalaapanai. His pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired though. IMHO, he does not say the words clearly and that takes away from the lyrical beauty of the kritis.

The tukkadas were nothing great to speak about. Some members of the audience were clapping along for "Brahmam Okate" and for a minute I wasn't sure if this was a Carnatic Music Concert or some "dappAnkutthu" song (or maybe an Aruna Sairam concert).

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 03 May 2010, 23:34

sreecons · Post by **sreecons** » 04 May 2010, 03:13

bhavarasa wrote:IMHO, he does not say the words clearly and that takes away from the lyrical beauty of the kritis.

This is not the first time - very noticeable in several of his performances. Maybe some one should put in a quiet word.

As for:

The tukkadas were nothing great to speak about. Some members of the audience were clapping along for "Brahmam Okate" and for a minute I wasn't sure if this was a Carnatic Music Concert or some "dappAnkutthu" song (or maybe an Aruna Sairam concert).

hmm. . . rasikas do get carried away with a song and get a bit euphoric at times. . . it happens.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 04 May 2010, 03:33

>> His pronunciation leaves a lot to be desired though. IMHO, he does not say the words clearly and that takes away from the lyrical beauty of the kritis.<<

This was true in his recent Cary, NC concert too. He garbles words and sometimes butchers them.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 04 May 2010, 06:47

Mangling of the Telugu kritis have been taking place for ages though the Telugus a very tolerant group have stopped complaining. But the Tamils are more vocal about killing the Tamil kritis. Hence most of the performers opt to sing Telugu to escape from the atrocity they commit to the lyrics which will go unnoticed. Of course the music is in the notes and not in the lyrics, just as the soul is inside and the body is just a package. But then if the package is ugly then however lovely the soul be one cannot appreciate its inner beauty. Killing the lyrics is an unpardonable offence! Rasikas should start complaining...

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 04 May 2010, 07:42

Of course the music is in the notes and not in the lyrics, just as the soul is inside and the body is just a package - I cannot agree more with this statement. We have among us who walk with a dictionary and pronouciation machine for concerts, all they do is to analyze and I do not know if those people enjoy the music in the notes. That does not absolve the artists from learning to pronouce correctly.

musicapriya · Post by **musicapriya** » 04 May 2010, 08:17

I think bhavarasa was making a point where the words were not being pronounced clearly not incorrectly. There is a difference - bhavarasa - please elucidate. The butchering of lyrics is a separate issue as it can be done even with clear pronunciation. About putting in a quiet word, I am sure that he is not unaware of this aspect of his offering. The typical command from any music teacher - vaayai thirandhu paadu - comes to mind.

Music is in the notes and not in the lyrics is not a great argument for appreciating vocal music though most of us enjoy the overall experience regardless.

My 2c

Cheers

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 04 May 2010, 09:10

If music is in the notes and not in the lyrics how about the following?

Pallavi: sabha lakkaDi giri giri *saidApETTa* vaDagiri
paDugaiyila kAvEri pATTu pADa sAvEri

Anupallavi: eTTu reNDum pattu saTTu puTTunu suttu
kOzhikkunju ODudu vAttu muTTa ADudu

CaraNam: ENi vachchu ERu kONi pOTTu mUDu
gItam oNNu pADu nAdam oNNu kELu
nIyum nAnum jODi mUnji mEla dADi
vAngivA jADi rAgattilE tODi

* * --to accommodate a fellow rasika's suggestion.

bhavarasa · Post by **bhavarasa** » 04 May 2010, 19:35

@cmlover & @VK Raman,

I respectfully disagree with your contention that music is in the notes and not in the lyrics. CM stands on 3 legs, ragam, talam and bhavam. Ragam and Talam are 33% each but bhavam is 34%. Bhavam is derived from the Sahityam and the ragam and talam are all in support of the Sahityam. If music was in the notes and not in the lyrics, then one might as well just sing AlApanai & kalpanAswaram and call it a night. Mutthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Shastri, Thyagaraja and all other composers composed songs with sahityam - not symphonies like Strauss or Beethoven. I refer you to MD's first kriti - "Shri nAthAdi guruguhO" to counter your argument.

@cmlover - Unni was not mangling just the Telugu words. I felt that at times he was singing as if he had marbles in his mouth. My guru's words echo in my mind, "nannA vAyathirandu spashtamA pAdEndA!"

@mahAkavi - That was hilarious! I'd substitute SaidApettai for rOyapettA, though

From the sAhityam, I can decipher that this is a rAgamAlika in Saveri, Bhoopalam and Thodi - set to Adi tAlam. Nice selection of rAgAs. One couldn't have made the point in a more funny and direct way than how you did!!

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 04 May 2010, 20:09

bhavarasa:
The importance of sAhityam in CM has been made time and again but there is a group of diehard fans of "musicality" who insist sAhityam does not matter. As you remarked why don't CM musicians (who cannot adhere to sAhitya suddham) then go the HM way--sing AlAp only? As I mentioned elsewhere even instrumental CM musicians (the doyen flutist Ramani, the clarionet exponent A K C Natarajan, among others) insist on learning the sAhityam properly in order to deliver the right music even in the instrumental mode. I think elitism is behind the declaration that sAhityam does not matter as though sAhityam is a step-child of CM ('holier than thou' attitude.)

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 04 May 2010, 20:19

HM way sing - what is wrong with that!

bhavarasa · Post by **bhavarasa** » 04 May 2010, 21:25

VK RAMAN wrote:HM way sing - what is wrong with that!

Nothing wrong with that. Though, I didn't realize that Unnikrishnan is a HM singer or that the concert was advertised as one.

In any case, the point is not which is better, HM or CM.

The point is that to take away Sahityam and contend that music is just the notes - is flawed.

saianamika · Post by **saianamika** » 05 May 2010, 00:44

I truly enjoyed the concert. The music was divine, the ambience was great and the auditorium was very good for a carnatic concert.
Unnikrishnan's voice seemed a little strained at the beginning, but after that it was just superb. The hamsanadam and kalyanavasantham alapanais made one wish there would be more artistes who could sing as pure as this.
Embar Kannan excelled in the violin and no words are adequate for Arjun Kumar.
I have lived in the Chicago area for four decades now and it is not often we get to hear a kutcheri this pristine.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 May 2010, 02:37

Granting the importance of lyrics in CM I wish to know how the vast majority of folks in TN barring the lucky multilingual chennaites could enjoy CM otherwise? For them who do not understand the lyrics does it make any difference if the lyrics are replaced by akaara or any other syllables. How could they even enjoy the bhava even without knowing the meaning of what is being sung? The tragedy is that even the artiste him/herself in most cases do not know the meaning of what they are singing. Of course they will maintain shruti shuddham fidelity of the raga and taala which alone can be enjoyed unfortunately. The example cited by Subramanian if sung outside TN as a lovely ragamalika may even get popular

For example you may recall the hilarious story of the RTP on 'sAmUdri thaviDu thinnu'

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 05 May 2010, 05:16

>>For them who do not understand the lyrics does it make any difference if the lyrics are replaced by akaara or any other syllables. How could they even enjoy the bhava even without knowing the meaning of what is being sung?<<

Good question! But that does not mean one can take liberty with the lyrics. Even if one does not know the meaning, the words if butchered, might sound jarring. It is somewhat similar to a math teacher giving you the final answer to a problem without going through the proper steps. If one is given the AAAAAAAAAAAAAA, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe, and OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO then why bother with T, MD, and SS kiritis? Can't you sing a nATTai or tODi or cArukEsi without the lyrics? If the lyrics give substance to the abstract, then pay attention to it. Last but not least, if there is one individual in the audience who understands the lyrics the musician is honor-bound to cater to that individual. In any remote corner of the world there is always bound to be one discriminating rasika at least and he/she should not be shortchanged.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 May 2010, 06:05

...in other words short change a million folks to please that one individual. On the otherhand why not sing kritis with the same level of musical excellence and bhava in the language those millions will understand and thus elevate them to the level of that one? The question of mangling the lyrics will not arise since the singer and listener know perfectly well the language of the kriti! Even there will not be problems in pronunciations (except for regional variations

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 May 2010, 08:22

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 05 May 2010, 08:49

>>...in other words short change a million folks to please that one individual. <<
non sequitur
If the musician cannot simultaneously cater to the one discriminating rasika AND a few other non-discriminating rasikas, he/she is not fit to be on the stage. He/she is not a total musician. However, this musician can announce beforehand at the beginning of the concert that he will "kollufy" (that is my crude term for butchering) the lyrics. That single discriminating rasika will have a chance to walk out.

Pronouncing the words in the lyrics with "spashTam" and singing with full-throated ease are not mutually exclusive.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 05 May 2010, 08:54

this musician can announce beforehand at the beginning of the concert that he will "kollufy" - wishful thinking! TN will fail in its efforts to get majority multilinguals who can understand malayalam, telugu and kannada and sing to satisfy rasikas interested in baavam and lyrics

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 May 2010, 11:14

That is my point VKR though Subramanian is beating around the bush!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 05 May 2010, 14:15

cmlover wrote:Mangling of the Telugu kritis have been taking place for ages though the Telugus a very tolerant group have stopped complaining.

Well, just about all musicians (including the great MS) have been mangling Malayalam kritis of Swati Tirunal, Irayimman Thampi et al, but Keralites have not been complaining either.
As for mangling of Sanskrit krits by Tamilnadu based artistes (including greats like DKJ), the less said the better.

On a related note, if people want 100% purity in lyrics/pronunciation perhaps they should go to a poetry reading, not a music concert.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 05 May 2010, 18:10

>>Well, just about all musicians (including the great MS) have been mangling Malayalam kritis of Swati Tirunal, Irayimman Thampi et al, but Keralites have not been complaining either.
As for mangling of Sanskrit krits by Tamilnadu based artistes (including greats like DKJ), the less said the better.<<

So, all the worms are crawling out of the can now, right?

Instead of the purists going to a poetry-reading function, why can't the "erring" musicians just do only AlAp and swaras with all the embellishments instead of manhandling the lyrics. I am sure there are quite a few musicians who do full justice to the diction and proper delivery of the lyrics, besides adhering to the music grammar. So the purists still have choices to listen to good music with adherence to lyrical fidelity.

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 05 May 2010, 18:14

cmlover wrote:That is my point VKR though Subramanian is beating around the bush!

Keep such compliments coming!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 May 2010, 20:44

'True' enthusiasts of the very 'Classical' CM care only for the RTP which is considered the quintessence of the Art by them. Herein the lyric plays no role at all and it can be mangled as much as one desires. In fact in the garb of neravel and trikaalam the lyrics get twisted out of shape till it dies a pathetic death. Moreover any line (even nonsense) can form the basis of an RTP and the more elastic (defying Hooke's law) the better it will be appreciated!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 May 2010, 20:48

R-T
where have you heard any artiste singing Malayalam lyrics! Does it exist in CM at all?
Even our Prince in one of our communications mentioned that Malayalam is totally immaterial in any discussions in the realm of CM where only Telugu and Sanskrit can rule the roost!

Does Unni care

bhavarasa · Post by **bhavarasa** » 05 May 2010, 23:51

I think the point that I was trying to make about Unni has been missed in the heat of the debate. There is a clear distinction between "mispronunciation or using the incorrect word" and singing with a half-open mouth (as if with marbles in the mouth).

I will try and explain. A couple of years ago, I heard a leading female artist sing MD's Shree Saraswati NamOstutE. In the Charanam, she sang, "dharahAsayuthamukhAm buruhE, adbhuta charanAm buruhE, samsAra VidhyApahE, sakala mantrAkshara guhE".

So instead of singing, "samsAra bheetyApahE", she sang "samsAra VidhyApahE". So the meaning changed from removing fear of the World/wordly life, "samsAra bheeti" to "removing the knowledge of the world".

Now, that is diametrically opposite to what we worship Goddess Saraswathi for. This is "mispronunciation OR now knowing the correct word/pronunciation".

What Unni did was not mispronounce but sing with a half-closed mouth. He kept his mouth small & narrow while singing. I also think that it was a symptom of a larger problem - breath control wherein he was unable to hold his breath over long sangathis and gamakams. The songs that he sang are so common that I find it hard to believe that he would not know the words or their correct pronunciation.

I mean, c'mon - bantureeti kOlu isn't rocket science exactly to memorize and sing. For most CM students, it's one of the first kritis they learn anyhow.

As regards the on-going debate, I agree that very few if any artists pronounce each and every word in each and every song from each and every language accurately. But does that mean that one has the liberty to mangle at will?

@cmlover - You say that "true" enthusiasts (whatever that means), only care for the RTP. I beg to differ. We celebrate DKP, MMI, SSI, DKJ, ARI, MDR and other greats by their kriti rendering. How often have you heard someone say - I remember DKJ for his RTP in Bhairavi - but then how often do we hear them say, I remember DKJ for his rendering of Kamalamba Navavarna kritis?

I dare to say that your characterization of "true enthusiasts" leads me to believe that you are deliberately attempting to be elitist - which only serves to highlight deficiencies in taste.

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 06 May 2010, 00:04

I think Unnikrishnan uses this style deliberately since he sings semi-classical and film songs with near perfect enunciation. Makes me think that he considers this trade-off worthwhile while presenting heavy duty classical fare.

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 06 May 2010, 00:07

I know of a number of rasikas, who only listen to RTP and they have a big collection of them. Let us concentrate on the subject rather than name calling

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 06 May 2010, 00:37

So, the RTP group is just a sub-class of CM rasikas---granted.
As for "true" I will pass.
One swallow (may be even 2, or 3) does not a summer make!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 May 2010, 03:23

Of course a host of swallows will resemble a pestilence!
Just observe the comments by serious reviewers when they lament the absence of RTP in a concert!
Olden days when the Trinity ruled the roost Kritis were more important than RTPs or thukkadas. No one can dare sing a concert without a Thyagaraja kriti as main (some exceptions for MD and SS). Unfortunately you see these days SS fading away and it is a serious loss on the technical side of CM! There is no point in discussing the old stalwarts. Some of us know the hits they had to take when they were young. MS was even shunned and banned since she started singing Tamil kritis. GNB was ridiculed for hhis imitation of the nadaswaram. MDR played to empty seats! MMI used to fill the lyrics with 'la la la' s. I can go on and on. There never was a 'golden era' of CM!
IMHO it is yet to come! I see a lot of promise in the up-and-coming youngsters.God grant me the 'life' to watch it happen.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 06 May 2010, 08:29

Dear cmlover,
your statement about golden era is WRONG simply put. I pray you live at least two hundred years so your wish about promising youngsters come true. VKV

shanks · Post by **shanks** » 06 May 2010, 21:09

Interesting take from a performer on the diction/pronunciation - T K Rangachari; actually very valid and justified.

http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/

Listen to what he says while singing 'jagadodarana' about 3 minutes into the piece. Very elegantly said - in tamil of course.

Shankar

koyaliya · Post by **koyaliya** » 06 May 2010, 21:40

to be very honest, hearing people complain about unni's diction is beginning to be as annoying as his diction itself.
evidently his keeping his mouth the way he does is a part of his music. you are going into it with the knowledge that he is going to sing that way. expecting it to be any different this time is like hoping that *this* time you read the book, romeo and juliet will get married and live happily ever after.

perhaps i am more tolerant, or perhaps my ears and brain are not hearing the way those who are critical of unni's music do. but seriously... people who are critical... i can't help wonder if you are unable to hear the mazhalai voice of a child lisp a thiruppugazh or sing it with an overly american accent and appreciate it for what it is. or if you would listen to higgins' krishna nee begane and say his accent makes it impossible for you to listen?

if you cannot listen to unni because of his diction, i do not agree that it makes you better than those who can listen.
if you cannot listen to unni because his audience base requests songs that are tiresome to listen to again and again, i am more sympathetic.
if you can get past all of that and find something in his music that resonates inside you, i will call you a kindred spirit.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 May 2010, 22:38

Shanks
Thanks! Nice confession by TKR

Lots of vidvaans today can use the same!

VKV
I don't mind living for 200 years though much shorter than the 800 that Adam lived!
By the by my dad claimed that he lived during the golden era as did his father who lived during Maha vaidhyanatha Iyer Patnam's time who claimed the golden era was when the Trinity lived...
Thus to claim that we lived during the 'Golden ers' is a great disservice to the youngsters who sincerely are trying to do their best!

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 06 May 2010, 22:44

We steadfast hold on to memory lane and "old is only gold" belief

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 06 May 2010, 22:54

"cmlover"
VKV
I don't mind living for 200 years though much shorter than the 800 that Adam lived!.............
I would love to check back with you after 200 years but doubt if I can because
I do not know if people who end up in Hell are allowed to even make collect calls!....
By the by my dad claimed that he lived during the golden era as did his father who lived during Maha vaidhyanatha Iyer Patnam's time who claimed the golde
n era was when the Trinity lived...........
It is generally agreed that 1940-'60s is considered Golden Era by MANY including LGJ & others who have said so. TMK appears to have extended it to '20 to '60. tho' I do not know on what basis he did so,. The reason for '40 is because of the Ariyakudi formulation of concert format being accepted by then roughly. Just the use of the words Golden Era seems to trigger irrational reactions. EVERY ONE CAN define the way they consider it provided they define it. It has to be based on EVIDENCE based on listening or records etc.

Thus to claim that we lived during the 'Golden era' is a great disservice to the youngsters who sincerely are trying to do their best!.......What is your definition of youngsters? What do you mean by disservice? VKV

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 May 2010, 23:45

You have put your finger on the lack of definition for 'Golden Era'. But generally we oldies always claim that CM was at its peak during our younger days, which is a myth!

My definition of the young is 5 to 17 years give or take a couple of years. I see great sincerity and commitment among them (though occasionally due to parental pressures) in a genuine desire to learn and master CM. Many are not looking at it as career goals. But they seem to derive immense personal satisfaction in learning CM. It is necessary to make available good facilities/teachers to quench their thirst for learning CM. CAC is doing a great job in encouraging the youngsters, as you know by your direct contacts. Let us not throw cold water in their enthusiasm by claiming that the 'Golden Era' was behind them!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 07 May 2010, 01:25

cmlover wrote:You have put your finger on the lack of definition for 'Golden Era'. But generally we oldies always claim that CM was at its peak during our younger days, which is a myth!........IT IS PLAIN WRONG & DOES NOT DESERVE a place even in the MYTH category because in every generation there is the equivalent of a Ravi Kiran & Mandolin U.Srinivas DISPROVING it practically everyday

My definition of the young is 5 to 17 years give or take a couple of years. I see great sincerity and commitment among them (though occasionally due to parental pressures) in a genuine desire to learn and master CM. Many are not looking at it as career goals. But they seem to derive immense personal satisfaction in learning CM. It is necessary to make available good facilities/teachers to quench their thirst for learning CM. CAC is doing a great job in encouraging the youngsters, as you know by your direct contacts. Let us not throw cold water in their enthusiasm by claiming that the 'Golden Era' was behind them!

..............I agree with most of what you have written above; ESP CAC has been trying to unearth talent at an extra-ordinary level& can actually claim some success in this area.
IT IS VERY SIMILAR to late Prof. Alladi Ramakrishnan who started MATSCIENCE to unearth another RAMANUJAN. It is given to very few to have the vision & foresight. VVS certainly has it as far as our music& arts are concerned.
WE have to put up with envy, ignorance and other undesireable characteristics that are part of Charles Darwin's Evolution theory & march ahead with little successes & celebrate them. How else do you explain roughly fifty percent of irrelevent& wrong "JUNK"that appears under the guise of free opinion etc? VKV

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 07 May 2010, 01:30

cmlover wrote: VKV
I don't mind living for 200 years though much shorter than the 800 that Adam lived!

Adam lived for 930 years. He would have lived longer but he was tormented by Eve and hence he committed suicide.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 07 May 2010, 02:15

VKV
I don't mind living for 200 years though much shorter than the 800 that Adam lived!

Adam lived for 930 years. He would have lived longer but he was tormented by Eve and hence he committed suicide.[/quote]

WONDER what Freud & Jung would say about Mahakavi's revelation? Are you telling me now at age 76 there are more mundane explanations than all the dream stuff, repressed emotions etc.....M.K. YOU are cruel! VKV

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 07 May 2010, 02:50

VKV:
Dreams are transient, nightmares are more lasting. They last even after you wake up. Have you had very many sweet dreams--if at all? Why do you think people wish others, especially children "sweet dreams"? It is because they are rare. Haven't you woken up in sweat after bad dreams? Most dreams are expressions of the tormented mind which goes berserk in all directions. Mostly they describe problematic situations from which you struggle to get out but could not. The only solution is to wake up, if you are fortunate, before it gets worse. Maybe I am at odds with Freud or Jung. Am I cruel? Perhaps. Am I realistic? I think so.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 07 May 2010, 03:10

mahakavi wrote:VKV:
Dreams are transient, nightmares are more lasting. They last even after you wake up. Have you had very many sweet dreams--if at all? Why do you think people wish others, especially children "sweet dreams"? It is because they are rare. Haven't you woken up in sweat after bad dreams? Most dreams are expressions of the tormented mind which goes berserk in all directions. Mostly they describe problematic situations from which you struggle to get out but could not. The only solution is to wake up, if you are fortunate, before it gets worse. Maybe I am at odds with Freud or Jung. Am I cruel? Perhaps. Am I realistic? I think so.

I MUST BE DUMB OR INSENSITIVE! Mostly I dream about MMI or EINSTEIN or FEYNMAN & THE EXCIEMENT IN MEETING THEM AT LEAST IN DREAMS! IT IS PROBABLY BETTER NOT TO BE TOO SMART! REGS, VKV

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 07 May 2010, 03:49

VKV:
You are neither dumb nor insensitive. You are lucky if you can dream about MMI or Einstein (if it happens all the time). Perhaps you can note the incidents and write them down. We may have revelations as to when the world will end for sure!
I dreamed only once about Robert Boyle while wandering in the streets of London/Oxford (both in the dream and in reality several years ago when I visited all the landmarks of famous British scientists). I then wrote an article based on that dream titled, "The defiance of inanimate objects". It was Robert Boyle who said that inanimate objects too have feelings of amity and enmity. That is similar in concept to Bharathi's declaration "kaDavuL engE irukkirAr" in his autobiographical poetry where he said "mahAsakthi illAda vastuvillai ..... anaittumE deyvamenRAl allaluNDO?". Poor Bharathi, did he experience anything other than "allal" in his life?

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 May 2010, 04:04

Of course he did! Otherwise, wouldn't all his verses be a lie??!!
sattiya vAkkAm kaviyin sollil 'allal' vandAlum, Saktiyin kUttininil kaLiyuTROril avanilum periyOn yArO?

mahakavi · Post by **mahakavi** » 07 May 2010, 07:22

Well, there is a Japanese proverb which means that the gods roast the best and the most noble souls in the crucible of misery to check how they withstand the test. Bharathi happened to be one such test object. He was a perennial optimist. That is the trouble with optimists in general. They can get disappointed. A pessimist never gets disappointed. At the worst he shrugs off the good result and if it does not pan out he exults in his belief. But Bharathi was an optimist, not for himself but for the children of bhAratha mAtA. To be sure, more than the gods, his own clan failed him besides the vengeful British government. He was defeated by the time 1920 arrived. Being confined to KaDayam was his Waterloo.

kssr · Post by **kssr** » 07 May 2010, 14:44

Some how I have missed this thread till it has already reached 46 posts. A single observation I have made about Unni's performances is that he has steadily improved over the years. The drawback (?) discussed here at length about his"pallai kadithu kondu paaduvadu" (pebbles in mouth?) has slowly reduced and it is now more open mouthed. Previously we could see a definite amount of insecurity which restrained him from splashy (veechchu)raga or swara. But now he is much more confident and goes for great elaborations of gana ragas. It is unmistakable that he is working very very hard on improving his music and I am sure that in the coming years, his performances would be more and more enjoyable even to the hardcore CM rasika, if or not there is an RTP every time! Of course- we cannot evaluate all vidwans with the same yardstick. Unni should and probably will retain his characteristic soft voice, etc., which is nice in its own way.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 07 May 2010, 22:55

cacm wrote: I MUST BE DUMB OR INSENSITIVE! Mostly I dream about MMI or EINSTEIN or FEYNMAN & THE EXCIEMENT IN MEETING THEM AT LEAST IN DREAMS! IT IS PROBABLY BETTER NOT TO BE TOO SMART! REGS, VKV

VKV
If your dreamlands are popuated by the aforementioned then you cannot invoke Freud for justification. If they had madhubala or even our own vyjayanthimala then atleast we can try justification of hidden repressions

thenpaanan · Post by **thenpaanan** » 09 May 2010, 00:05

I think too much is made of the slurring of words in CM vocal tradition. Consider the following:

There is a distinct interaction between lyrics and voice quality in singing. Consonant sounds are generally harder on the voice apparatus and some syllables are harder than others because of how the mouth has to be shaped while making some sounds. Indian languages, especially Sanskrit, appear to me to have a very high density of consonants to vowels and when a succession of hard consonants have to be articulated, proper voice technique will automatically take the back bench unless other measures are taken. One should naturally, as a professional singer, ask this question: what is the best way to sing a CM kriti while maximizing both the fidelity to the lyrics and the quality of the sound produced? In such a tradeoff, it is not unthinkable that one might have to slur some of the hard consonants. In WM, vocal performers try to find ways of gliding around such consonants to keep the quality of voice high (timbre, resonance etc). But such considerations seem largely unknown in CM circles, if open discussions are any evidence to go by. Unnikrishnan, having been a film singer, is perhaps aware of this dimension. Whatever his other flaws, his voice production has been and remains generally above average for CM. I have never heard him do atrocious things to his voice that I have heard the very best CM vidwans do, such as sing loudly, harshly, or with fast brigas, without having adequately warmed up the voice. I don't know that he is doing it deliberately but to automatically assume that Unnikrishnan is slurring words without thinking may be premature. After all, the one male CM singer who retained the glow and warmth in his voice to the very end was MMI -- would you say that Unnikrishnan is slurring more than MMI?

-Then Paanan

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 09 May 2010, 08:03

Then paanan,
Yes, it is a juggling act--singing is not as straight forward as reciting is. It is difficult to be faithful to all aspects of music at all times in a concert. As a result, we come across not-so-perfect pronunciation, lack of clarity in sAhityam, chopping of a word into two and so on. In a neraval, when complicated tALam patterns come to the fore, lyrics can suffer.
After saying all this, I would also say that vocalists should try to keep sAhityam in mind at all times so that they do justice to it in the best possible manner they can. Those with the brilliance of MMI can get away with it, I suppose. But then, even with MMI, there were only passages of indecipherable words. Rest of it was mostly crystal clear.