Sikkil Gurucharan at Astika Samajam on 11.12.2010

[grsastrigal]

Sikkil Gurucharan
Mysore Srikanath
Guruvayur durai
Purushotaman-Ganjira

at Astika Samajam on 11th Dec 2010.

Valaji-Navrahamalika
Gananayakam-Rudrapriya-MD
Varali Raga Alapana followed by
Seshachala Nayakam-MD
Neraval in "Arvinda Padra Nayanam"
Giripriyam-Kadanakudukalam-HMB
Main-Keeravani followed by
"VaaNanai Madhi Soodiya"-Tevaram
Neraval in "Veeranai vidamundanai viNNavar Dhheranai"
Bruhi muhundedi- Senjurutti-Sadasiva Brahmedral
Tillana-Sindubharavi
Eru Mayil-Baheshri-Tiruppugazh Mangala stotram.
Pavamana-Mangalam.

The concert started at 7 instead of 6.30 PM because the "Jeeyar" who gave "Bhashan"
took some time to finish and moved slowly with his "Astika Team". Then namaskarams
followed with all the "atchatais" scattered in the podium had to be removed and
carpet was laid to make the artists sit and sruti... etc. But, the concert
ended at 9 PM.

SG's Keeravani had a lot of beauty and very soulful. I expected a better kriti than
vaNanai. I expect a main with lot of sangathis, U turns and breathtaking pudis. It
was a plain kriti.

Gananayakam, I thought was, Poornashadjam but the Kriti book referred as Rudrapriya.
To my knowledge R.priya and Poornashadjam has lot of differences !!!. Fellow raskias
can clarify this.

The most shocking was the missing of "Thyagaraja" kriti. I raised this, in this forum,
when MASTER's last year Music Academy concert. I never expected this from SGC.
Ironically, 4 days back, in HINDU, he explained the importance of maintaining tradition
with innovation !!!!

I met Sri.Karaikkudi MaNi the founder chamber of this sabha, (conducting concerts in
Astika samajam) and asked him what he says on this ? He also equally disturbed
and explained his inability to explain the artists and added only rasikas need
to tell the artists.

Already Shyama Sastri kriti has become extinct. Ganapati kriti has been placed
anywhere in the concert. VarNam has been taken as main and now Thyagaraja is
also disappearing..

[srikant1987]

Ironically, 4 days back, in HINDU, he explained the importance of maintaining tradition
with innovation !!!!

Indeed, how ironical! By "maintaining tradition with innovation", one generally thinks of sticking to vital traditions like beginning with varNam, then a gaNapati kriti, followed by a ... etc., with minor innovations like including ni in mohanam, playing a d1 in kAnaDa, etc.

[MaheshS]

Pavamana is a composition by the Saint, the one missing in the list is Shyama Shastri.

And who is the "MASTER"?

[Lakshman]

grsastrigal wrote:
The most shocking was the missing of "Thyagaraja" kriti. I raised this, in this forum,
when MASTER's last year Music Academy concert. I never expected this from SGC.
Ironically, 4 days back, in HINDU, he explained the importance of maintaining tradition
with innovation !!!!

Is it a rule that there should be a Tyagaraja kriti in every concert?
SKG, when talking about tradition, may have been referring to the Kacheri format and the technical aspects of music.

[ksrimech]

The concert started at 7 instead of 6.30 PM because the "Jeeyar" who gave "Bhashan"
took some time to finish and moved slowly with his "Astika Team". Then namaskarams
followed with all the "atchatais" scattered in the podium had to be removed and
carpet was laid to make the artists sit and sruti... etc. But, the concert
ended at 9 PM.

If you have an issue, you should raise it with Astika Samajam, instead of taking a dig at the Jeeyar.

[Enna_Solven]

And who is the "MASTER"?

Looks like Sanjay Subrahmanyan, as another poster has also referred him such. Frankly, they have their right to call him so. But to refer him in such an absolute term is not justified. He may be the best today, but he is just one among many in the pantheon of carnatic music, past and present.

Perhaps he himself may dislike being called so. I have not seen him in a concert in other than simple white shirt and dhoti.

[ajsriram]

Correction : It was Sri.Prushothaman on the Khanjeera and not the name you have mentioned.

[mankuthimma]

And who is the "MASTER"?

On a philosophical Note ....

Who is a Master ?
A Master is someone who started before you did.
He begins from the center and not the fringe.
He teaches the essence. When the essence is perceived, he teaches what is necessary to expand the perception.
Whatever he does, he does with the enthusiasm of doing it for the first time. This is the source of his unlimited energy…….
Opening lines of the book “The dancing Wu Li masters “by Gary Zukav

[grsastrigal]

Srikris in his review of two of Sanjay's concerts referred him as "Master". I just took
from him. His review looks like seeing "Jackie Chan" movie

Coming back to Master. I too don't agree calling him as Master. He is a great Vidwan.
Even if we tell this to Sanjay, he will take it casually and crack a joke on this.

ajsriram- Thanks for correcting me.

ksrimech- I did not offend "Swamigal" as I have the highest respect for Him and
other seers of Kanchi and Sringeri. As it happened in Sanjay's concert in NGS,
Sabhas do not stick to time. That irked me and becuase of this the concert
ended in 2 hours. Otherwise it would have 2.30 hours and sikkil must have rendered
Thyagaraja Kriti !!


MahesS- Good one. I liked your sense of humour. if you tell this to TMK, he will take
this as main and sing this "kriti" for 1 hour.

srikant1987- You are opponent team and I respect your views too. Let me tell you and
Sri.Lakshman the following:

There is no need written SOP for singing Thyagaraja kriti. But if we proudly say
Ariyakkudi bani, Semmangdui mama Bani, MMI bani and other banis, Thyagaraja kriti
"unfortunately" appeared in all their concerts. As we all know MMI did not sing more
Shyama sastri kritis but made T compulsory ...

After last year Music Academy concert by Sanjay, this is the second one without
Thyagaraja kriti.

I talked to Sikil Guruchanran about this after the concert and asked his opinon, he
agreed by saying it got missed out and added he will compenssate this in remaining
concerts...

So, as an artist he did not reply by saying there is no need... Iam happay and thankful
to him for this.

[MaheshS]

Srikris in his review of two of Sanjay's concerts referred him as "Master". I just took
from him. His review looks like seeing "Jackie Chan" movie

MahesS- Good one. I liked your sense of humour. if you tell this to TMK, he will take
this as main and sing this "kriti" for 1 hour.

There is no need written SOP for singing Thyagaraja kriti. But if we proudly say
Ariyakkudi bani, Semmangdui mama Bani, MMI bani and other banis, Thyagaraja kriti
"unfortunately" appeared in all their concerts. As we all know MMI did not sing more
Shyama sastri kritis but made T compulsory ...

After last year Music Academy concert by Sanjay, this is the second one without
Thyagaraja kriti.

But he *DID* sing a Thyagaraja krithi, albeit in the end. You keep saying he did not sing *ANY*. And, I am very surprised at your sense of humour, whether you like it or not, Ninama is a krithi in Sowrashtram by the Bard. Your quotation of the word krithi is bizarre, maybe is because of "tradition" that you keep harping on about, this beautiful composition has been reduced to less than 30 seconds at the end of the concert.

There is a legend which says, that once MDR took up this krithi with alapana, neraval and swarams. If you do look at MDR's concert's, he is probably the ONE only I can think of, who has sung the krithi in the way the composer intended.

[arasi]

Going to GV's concert review, one can see that she sang three stanzas of the mangalam (song, kruti) of T!

srkris does not have the time at the moment to write a review Not sure if he has written any reviews at all.Sriram the photographer is the reviewer of Sanjay's concert.
To please all rasikAs in all concerts is impossible. I am one of those who feels that there should at least be one tamizh song in a concert which takes place in tamizh nADu, telugu one in Andhra (which is easy as pie), one in kannaDa in KArnataka, malayalam or maNipravAlam in Kerala or a St kruti in sanskrit. Is this an unreasonable expectation?
Very nice of Gurucharan to apologize for not including a T song. However, if whatever one presents is of quality, I wouldn't be picky about it. A PaTnam's song can be as pleasing to hear as one of T's on occasion. I have heard Sanjay sing song after song of T's too, in a few concerts!

[ksrimech]

ksrimech- I did not offend "Swamigal" as I have the highest respect for Him and
other seers of Kanchi and Sringeri. As it happened in Sanjay's concert in NGS,
Sabhas do not stick to time. That irked me and becuase of this the concert
ended in 2 hours. Otherwise it would have 2.30 hours and sikkil must have rendered
Thyagaraja Kriti !!

I felt the tone wasn't right particularly putting them with in quotes. But since you had clarified, it clears the air. I accept with what you say about the timing. I did have the same feeling when Sri Ravikiran's concert at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha ended early back in 2007.

[sureshvv]

Already Shyama Sastri kriti has become extinct. Ganapati kriti has been placed
anywhere in the concert. VarNam has been taken as main and now Thyagaraja is
also disappearing..

I think your grief in this matter is premature. Also evaluating a concert's musical tradition by whether a Thyagaraja kriti is included is dubious. May be you should rethink some of your criteria and their relevance to good music.