Varsha-Ji,
Good morning. Sitting cozily in my huge, much-hated, addictive lazy-boy lounge sipping great coffee, I envy and respect these worthies! No matter that just y'day SSI was quoted here saying practising music neck-deep in water was not necessary.
I am a bit upset you beat me to it for today's brunch, as I was offering a delectable fare by Vid. Sethalapathi Balasubrahmaniam. He waxes eloquent at Shanmukhananda Hall for three hours about his gurunathar Papanasam Sivan.
Part 1.
Part 2 .
Part 3
Before listening to this, I did not know:
1. Papanasam Sivan was born Ramiah, a Malayalam-speaking Brahmin.
2. He was a Mahamahopadhyaya in Sanskrit.
3.He could compose a lovely lyric within minutes to a crooned film tune of those days.
4.He had ABSOLUTE mastery over the grammar of music, language and mood.
5. That he has composed over 1200 kritis!
6. His elder brother was the father in law of MGR!!!!
6. He had a fascination with Hindustani idiom.
7. He earned the sobriequet Papanasam Sivan because he devoutly travelled to many temples starting from Papanasam chanting Siva Siva.
8. He has composed a mangalam to Ganesha!!!!!!!!
After listening to Sri Sethalapathi's lec-dem, delivered in a most engaging style with words and songs that are to be savoured again and again, in the company of competent violin and mridangam, to a doting 'brunch' audience, I feel my life has been wasted thus far, not having heard Sivan's compositions for days and days from this master of a student.
Sri Balasubramaniam does a wonderful cameo of a full Sivan kriti sung by the one and only Madurai Mani Iyer, in exactly his way of articulating the music and lyrics. He says this nadabrahmam was such a supremo in presenting songs that GNB and SSI would stop singing those compositions as futile exercises in the face of MMI's stamp of genius.
Okay,let's make a deal. Your track today, and maybe mine for next Sunday
More scrumptious than croissant and more delicious than degree coffee.
