Tyagaraja Aradhana: Inaugural session 17 Jan 2014

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The 167th Aradhana of Saint Tyagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru was inaugurated by Dr C Rangarajan, Advisor to the PM on the evening of 17 January 2014. The Aradhana day is 21 Jan when the pancharatna kritis will be sung at 9 a.m.(as usual to be broadcast and telecast live by AIR/DD)

Dr Rangarajan (as already reported by the press) while feeling proud and privileged to be a part of the radhana celebrations, observed that knowing the nuances of music would enhance the level of appreciation. The Secretaries of the Tyaga brahma sabha Srimushnan Raja Rao and Haridwaramangalam Pazhanivel were appreciated by all for their committed service in organising the functions. In his vote of thanks, Raja Rao made a candid point that the humility of Tyagaraja never deterred him from his daily Unchavritti routine. Today the saint's name is the most revered among musicians and with the goodwill of such great composers they lead a comfortable life.

The opening music presentation was by Sikkil Gurucharan who began with Gaanamurthey and followed it up with Dinamanivamsa(H kambodhi) and Sallare (Aahiri). Chitraveena Ravikiran played 4 compositions including Koluvamarageda(Todi). Sriram Parasuram& anuradha sang Needaya rada(V bhairavi), Gayatri Venkatraghavan (Thulasi jagajjanani-saveri), Visakha hari(Lalithe sripravrddhe-Bhairavi), Papanasam Ashok ramani(Swara ragasudha sankarabharanam) among the 2-3 kritis during their slots. Neyveli Radhakrishnan(violin) and Mala Chandrasekhar(Flute) rendered solo recitals.

Nagaswaram recitals (apart from the pre-inaugural mangala isai session) followed the prime slots late into the night hours. It is altogether a different experience listening to music sitting inside the Aradhana pandal on the banks of Kaveri!

The 167th Aradhana is perhaps witnessing the 50th year of announcement of the programmes over the mike at the venue by Sri Mani who spares no efforts in taking care of any last minute changes in the sequence of slots or names of artists coming from far and wide. It's no easy job!

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Thanks Sivaramkrishnan for the brief but comprehensive coverage.My only regret in listening to CM so far is that I have never been able to witness the Aradhana @ Thiruvaiyaru even once--despite the fact that my College days of almost 6 years were spent within 56 miles of Thiruvaiyaru--that too during the golden days in late fifties when all the Giants used to religiously participate and the "factions" had made relative peace with each other!!

This year being in Chennai has not helped me either!! I get the feeling that the SAINT does not want me to tarnish his Samadhi!! If I were him I would feel the same!!!

[priyaram78]

Every year I used to worship Saint Tyagaraja on this auspicious day and enjoy the rendering of Pancharatna Kritis in Podhigai channel. This year even this is not possible hoping to get updates here in rasikas. thanks for the coverage. wish some other channels too broadcast Tyagaraja Aradhana for devotees overseas ! its a dream come true.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

AIR (Chennai/trichy) have started broadcasting excerpts from 8.45-9.45 a.m.on working days(!)

DD(Podhigai) is also recording the sessions and will telecast in instalments (But the schedule may not be readily available).

Today night prorammes ( I think Priya sisters &a flute recital -45 mnt each )9.30 -11. p.m.being broadcast live by AIR in the Sunday (ravivaasariy)national programme. You could catch up.

[vs_manjunath]

AIR,Bangalore-Amrithavahini Chnl broadcasted TMK's rendering Thyagaraja's krithis.
Bhairavi-lalithe(r,s);Raju vedala(thodi);shiva shiva(panthuvarali) were some of the songs. It was quite enjoyable.
It must be a commercial CD.

[vasanthakokilam]

Sivaramakrishnan, thanks for the coverage of the Aradhana. Are you planning to be there for the 21st?

[arasi]

Sivaramakrishnan,
Thank you for covering the series of mini concerts and the evening ones at TiruvaiyARu. This is the kind of musical fare which appeals to many rasikAs than the ArAdhanA itself I guess where the glitz and discordant singing (not the singing itself but the sounding of it as we hear it) isn't that appealing. I will have the TV on for a while of course, but I'm afraid I'm not going to feel one with the event.

How many musicians in the mini programs! I was impressed. I did go through the program. Very nice list of both young and established musicians.

One suggestion to the organizers, though. Next year, please get the material printed in Chennai. I'm guessing it was done locally. I have seen a few from there about other programs before. It's not only difficult to read (with scant attention being paid for spacing), it also is full of typos--artistes' names coming under the hatchet mainly

Ravisri,
I missed out again this year on a tranquil trip to TiruvaiyARu during quieter days (with you as the guide) due to my circumstances.

No harm in hoping and waiting another year, I suppose!

[mahavishnu]

Sivaramakrishnan, Thank you for your excellent report.

[thanjavooran]

Shri Sivaramakrishnan,
many thanx for sharing.
Thanjavooran
21 01 2013

[priyaram78]

I am watching live streaming of Tyagaraja Aradhanai thanks to podhigai.hope to watch it till the end. there are some problems though. no continuous transmission. yet good effort by Podhigai. Pranams to Sri Tyagaraja.

[thanjavooran]

Excellent gathering of vidwans and vidushis. Good coverage. The only known old face I could identify was Sattanur [?] T.S. Sankaran the flute vidwan.
Thanjavooran
21 01 2014

[Sivaramakrishnan]

I attended a few programmes also on the penultimate day of the 167th Aradhana.

K J Yesudas was easily the biggest draw on the Tyagaraja Aradhana that concluded on 21 Jan last. He sang on the penultimate day ( 20th evening) to the largest audience comparable to the gathering for Pancharatna keertana on the following day (which could be the biggest conglomeration for carnatic music).

Just before he entered the stage, the laptop (for kriti lyrics) and other paraphernalia were set right by his men for Yesudas to start the recital in time. A well groomed and pious 'Dasettan' began with sangita jnanamu(dhanyasi) in his mellifluous voice. But the Pallavi varnamettu was different (as against the standard notation for sangitajnanamu (roughly PPMMGMP;ND;P) he sang S;SNNDDPMGRS starting with upper shadja). I wondered why!

He requested the audience not to 'clap hands' after each kriti as it would go against he solemn ambiance. This announcement received the 'thunderest' applause ever heard at the venue!! He also sang another 2-3 songs including Bantureeti(Hamsanadam), Raama Paahi(Kaapi)etc. all to spirited applause!

Sudha Raghunathan sang just before Das's turn. Her voice seemed to be a bit tired (probably due to a demanding Chennai season and all that glitter of the Sangita kalanidhi award and felicitations thereafter at various venues). She started with Sogasuga(sriranjani) but here again the opening pallavi phrase was 'slightly different' from the time tested mettu.

'Leaders don't do different things, they do things differently', quipped a NRI - may be a HR man- sitting near me uncomfortably on the sandy ground. Whether it was relevant or not, the remarks amused me like anything. He complained to me that there was no help desk either at Trichy airport or Tanjore railway station on the Thiruvaiyaru Aradhana! He suggested a ban on the blasting of Tamil film songs in the town buses plying between Tanjore &Thiruvaiyaru at least during the festive days!

The pandal was two third empty after Yesudas's recital. He found it difficult to find his way out of the venue because of media men and admirers some of them falling at his feet. A young man was seen carrying an enviable pencil sketch of the 'Gaanagandharvan' which he wanted to gift to him. Lensmen of almost all newspapers vied to 'click' the singer and the dailies carried his concert photo the next day.

The biggest hit on the evening of the concluding day was Rajesh Vaidya's supersonic Veena!

[RaviSri]

But the Pallavi varnamettu was different (as against the standard notation for sangitajnanamu (roughly PPMMGMP;ND;P) he sang S;SNNDDPMGRS starting with upper shadja). I wondered why!

If Yesudas had sung SNNDDPMGRS for 'sangIta jnAnamu', and employed 2 kaLai Adi tala then he is correct, for that is how it has been originally composed by Thyagaraja. The above was how MDR and Balamurali sang this song and how it is notated in K.V.Srinivasa Iyengar's 'Thygaraja Hridayam'.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks RaviSri for the information.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Doordarshan (Podhigai TV) incidentally telecast today (09 Feb 2014) between 9.10-9.30 p.m the recording of Yesudas's rendering at Tiruvaiyaru.
Ravisri, did you see?

[RaviSri]

No, I didn't see. Don't have a cable connection, deliberately. Allergic of TV.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Fine.
A new movement has set in asking people to do away with mobile phones!

[Aditto]

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL ... iEs77gnwin

Here is KJY's

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Thanks Aditto for the prompt upload!