Padmabushan Madurai TN Sesha gopalan on different role

[venkatakailasam]

Padmabushan Madurai TN Sesha gopalan is giving an Upantasam at this link:

http://www.vtap.com/video/Sri+Rathnagir ... STU5NzY0OA

He has Changed as a sivite !!

venkatakailasam

[ragam-talam]

What a find! This video is superb. TNS is in great form, talking at length about Mahaperiyaval.
Don't miss his rendition of Shree Subramanyaya at the end.

Mods - perhaps this can be moved to the TNS thread (in vidwans section).

[kssr]

Very strange how the minds of these geniuses work? TNS is such a great singer, I wonder why he should do this lengthy talk- an indisputable bore. Like Tendulkar trying a cycling race.

His singing Sri Subramanyaya is obviously out of form. Present day Dravid? I have heard TNS sing this song in all its grandeur in Kaarthigai utsavam in Basaveswaranagar in Bangalore, with hundreds of lamps lighted around the place. It was a full concert of Subramanya/ Murugan songs. Such a delight, it was. Sad to listen to him here.

The vibudhi/ kungumam is of course quite amusing A showman all the way, after the panchakachcham, full tirumaN,etc., for his harikathaas.

[srkris]

Neither the vibhooti nor the kumkumam is specific to Shaivism. Smearing a bit of the ash from a homa/havan one's forehead is an age old practice, followed even by zoroastrians, to say nothing of our people.

It is the smearing of the vibhooti in 3 horizontal parallel lines that is customary of Shaivites, but even there it is just a custom. It doesnt mean all those who smear it are shavites or those that dont are not.

It does look odd on TNS though but thats only because we havent seen him often doing it.

[arasi]

He even reminded me of his guru (Sankara Sivam), in his kumkum poTTu and humble attire.
I found his childhood recollections very interesting--Sethupathy school, mahA periyavAl's camp there and his collecting donations. subrahmanyAya namastE without a tambUra and accompaniments wasn't that great. He adds, while the organizer starts speaking: I forgot to say this...and the audio goes off. Wonder what he said.
Also, this isn't a recent video because the late B.Rajam Iyer is seated next to him ('ivA guru', TNS says, pointing to him when he rejoices in saying that he has heard Ari, sitting on the dais).

Yes, kssr. The switch from his dazzling harikathA attire with jewelry too (I saw him in Gayana Samaja when he presented Kamba Ramayanam) was missing here. Then again, this was a speech.

[venkatakailasam]

Neither the vibhooti nor the kumkumam is specific to Shaivism. Smearing a bit of the ash from a homa/havan one's forehead is an age old practice, followed even by zoroastrians, to say nothing of our people.

It is the smearing of the vibhooti in 3 horizontal parallel lines that is customary of Shaivites, but even there it is just a custom. It doesnt mean all those who smear it are shavites or those that dont are not.

It does look odd on TNS though but thats only because we havent seen him often doing it.

A word on the lighter side has evoked so much explanation !!

venkatakailasam

[ajit]

Thank you for providing this link. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[vasanthakokilam]

kssr, I do not know why you even felt a need to have an opinion on if he should give such talks. As TNS says, he was asked to talk and he did. Why mock him for that?

BTW, a top artist singing without any accompaniments is quite rare and here is an opportunity to experience it. Many times I find the violinist stepping on the vocalist's ideas ( though I like the violinists returns which are often better than the main artists ).
I need to listen to it in full.. It may be a bit rough in the initial 30 seconds but it is fun to see him getting into form with every repetition.

Thanks for the link venkatakailasam.

[ragam-talam]

vk - do watch it till the end. It's very very good. The anecdotes he relates are so special. I found his speech so musical and moving! In fact I have saved the entire clip in my 'gems' folder.
And with Rajam Iyer and TK Murthy on stage with TNS, this is truly a very rare gem indeed.

The 'other' vk - thank you so much for this!

[smala]

vk - do watch it till the end. It's very very good. The anecdotes he relates are so special. I found his speech so musical and moving! In fact I have saved the entire clip in my 'gems' folder.
And with Rajam Iyer and TK Murthy on stage with TNS, this is truly a very rare gem indeed.

The 'other' vk - thank you so much for this!

The other is VKM - Venkatakailasam.

[csmurthy]

There is nothing wrong in TNS trying new vistas of artistic forms. He has prepared and done it suitably. The great tutelage of the Mahavidwan Sankarasiva Bhagavathar has brought him in various dimensions, which is very appreciable.
We have to appreciate his new efforts on Kanchi Periyava. It doesnt matter whether it is Saivite or Vaishnavite philosophy as far as it is only the art form which is concerned, We see many saivites enjoying krithis on Rama and vaishnavites enjoying krithis on Siva in regular concerts. Let us enjoy the artistes freedom

[VK RAMAN]

steadfast vaishnavites vs liberal shivites should not force their convictions on this great legend, IMHO.

[harimau]

Padmabushan Madurai TN Sesha gopalan is giving an Upantasam at this link:

http://www.vtap.com/video/Sri+Rathnagir ... STU5NzY0OA

He has Changed as a sivite !!

venkatakailasam

You should listen to Sri T N Seshagopalan in concert on a Sivarathri evening.

He would sing for the entire 3 hours or more of the concert only songs on Siva. That too without any notes or notebooks in front of him. And sing virutthams and thevarams too.

His repertoire is seemingly unlimited.

An authentic genius of our time. As somebody said to me once, it is hard to comprehend how his kapalam is able to hold such a gigantic brain!

[kssr]

Very true. I have heard several of his Sivarathri concerts (of course still with his namam!) at Odakkathur Mutt and all songs on Siva every time. Also, I heard a Karthigai concert somewhere near west of chord road, where he gave a full Murugan concert with Sri Subramanyaya Namasthe (Kambodhi)in all its majesty and concluding with tiruppugazh, etc. I cannot forget it.