Sri. T.V. Gopalakrishnan - Sangita Kalanidhi 2014

[thanjavooran]

Meenakshi ji
Excellent ! Thanx for sharing.
Thanjavooran
28 07 2-14

[arasi]

Meenaakshi,
Your camera work is appreciated by many at Rasikas.org.

How we missed your gorgeous pictures from the Cleveland festival this year

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Meenakshi: Great pics as usual--we all missed you @ the Cleveland Festival!!!

[Sivaramakrishnan]

My memory goes back to the seventies and early eighties when the Trivandrum Puthen street Sri Ramanavami festival was a much awaited one. Two concerts were sure slots in the series: Chembai-MSG-TVG and Chitti Babu-TVG.

Chembai concerts were also highly entertaining for his meaningful and 'jokular' comments. But that was also educative to us - then young boys. The concerts extended well beyond late night and we used to walk back to our Karamanai agraharam 3 km. away with parents and friends or sometimes stayed back till morning with relatives or rasikas there.

Once the Tambura (no 'e boxes' then) was tuned and the sidemen aligned their instruments, Chembai would say: 'sruti serthaa ippadi irukkanam'! Obviously a compliment for MSG & TV.Vaataapi and Ksheerasaagara came out fresh every year. He would appreciate MSG and TVG then and there during the recital. Once when MSG was handling notes in the upper octave in an aalaapana, Chembai said: 'Innum mele pogalaam, engum idikkaathu' (Lot of meaning in it!?). When TVG played his scintillating tanis, Chembai would appreciate at every good point and often reamrk 'intha rendu Gopalakrishnangal mattum podhumey enakku' in his characteristic style!!

Chitti Babu-TVG concerts were fabulous. TVG's skill in handling Thakku kattai mridangam(for Chembai) as well as the 3 or 4 kattai vaadyam for Veena (Chitti babu used a comparatively higher pitch for Veena) was equally outstanding. Together they really entertained with good music.

TVG has the ultimate Gurubhakti for Chembai and he had a significant role in propagating the Chembai sangita utsavam at Guruvayur to the present stature. TVG is a regular at the Trivandrum navaratri mandapam concerts.

I still remember the audience ecstacy at a concert of Balamuralikrishna with TVG at Trichur Vadakke samoohamadam in 1964. I was 7.

I have been lucky to listen to his father Sri Tripunithura Viswanatha Bhagavathar's concerts from AIR Trichur during the late seventies/early eighties.

Pranams to TVG.

[rajeshnat]

Chitti Babu-TVG concerts were fabulous. TVG's skill in handling Thakku kattai mridangam(for Chembai) as well as the 3 or 4 kattai vaadyam for Veena (Chitti babu used a comparatively higher pitch for Veena) was equally outstanding.
...
TVG has the ultimate Gurubhakti for Chembai

SRK
When you say thakku kattai -what is that? . About an year or two back in podigai TVG spoke about his guru chembai and there is a lot of interesting anecdotes that TVG shared about chembai. THere was an anecdote where TVG mentioned in thamizh isai chembai was the first to sing few nandanar krithis of GKB as early as 1920 or 30's and many are not aware of that. When I tuned to that podigai program TVG guru bhakthi of chembai was evident.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Mridanga Vaadyams, say upto 1.5 kattai pitch(C sharp), come under thakku kattai. The thoppi has more 'bass' effect.

On the other hand, pitches of 4.5 and above (for women) need 'H' kattai vaadyams.

The former are of bigger size and the ability to produce perfect naadam from thakku kattai 'uruppadi' is rather a yardstick of one's proficiency in playing!

2 to 4 kattai pitch mridangams (for violin / flute (not Mali!)/ veena solo) do not belong to either.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Sivaramakrishnan: Nice anecdote/reminiscence. As a boy who grew up in TVM,your mention of Puthen Chandai(as it used to be called) and karamanai evoke fond memories(my grandfather lived in Valia Chalai near the Pilayar Kovil) in me. I have not been to TVM in almost 50 years and am curious to know how the neighborhoods like Thykad are now--especially the environment surrounding the Swati Tirunal Academy(in my anecdotes on SSI, I have refered to an incident that was to impact the relocation of the Academy almost 66 years ago). I wonder what is the status now? because it is prime real estate I am sure the politicians with local real estate interests would be still comping at it!!

ANYWAY AS IS MY WONT I HAVE DRIFTED AWAY FROM THE TOPIC OF TVG- a la Mudikondan V!!!

[arasi]

Sivaramakrishnan,
What recollections! Thanks

Ramesh,
There is much you can add too...

[sweetsong]

Sri T.V.G's Singing Mridangam in action with Varmaji and Sri Varadarajan

Kamakshi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmhbDdvq2iU

Lavangi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEmZDN0VubI

It is hard to believe that Sri T.V.G is more than 80 years old when you see his energy.

[CRama]

My humble pranams to TVG. Well deserved recognition.

[meenaakshi]

sweetsong,
thanks for the addictive MDRish kAmAkshI. No vAthApi?:(

[sweetsong]

I couldn't find Vatapi from that concert. But here is one that I like very much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgC9JbjcEIc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXPXUQ1LhzU

[meenaakshi]

Thank you.

[hnbhagavan]

Music Academy must be credited for correction of a big anomaly by conferring Sangeethakalanidhi on Sri TV Gopalakrishnan.The award was long over due,but due to extraneous considerations,perhaps was delayed.In fact there was no great hurry to award Smt sudha Raghunathan in 2013.I hope they will award Sri V V subramanyam,Violin expert next year.

[venkatakailasam]

Crowning glory...V. BALASUBRAMANIAN

Read at:

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 651662.ece

[arasi]

An appealing article on the kalA nidhi (treasure house of the arts). Many greats have been there before, but wonder if there were as many multi-gifted awardees like him . A true renaissance man, master of many talents and above all, a great guru and a genial man. He truly will be a pleasure to see in concerts this year at the MA.
Yes, he's also a rare bird of a senior vidvAn who is seen even otherwise, in concerts of other musicians

[venkatakailasam]

At the Academy's conference of 1951, held at the RR Sabha. Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Palladam Sanjeeva Rao, T.L. Venkatarama Iyer, T.V. Subba Rao, T.R. Venkatarama Sastry (Chief Guest), Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Academy president K.V. Krishnaswami Iyer, Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer and the Academy secretary Sundararajan. Photo: Special Arrangement ..

Read the article at The Hindu....

http://www.thehindu.com/chennai-margazh ... 673350.ece

[HarishankarK]

Excellent article on Chembai thatha by Sriram V. Of all the carnatic legends am most in awe of Chembai thatha only. His incredible talent, steadfast devotion, jovial nature, straightforward and at the same time affectionate nature, come out clearly from all the posts and anecdotes on him.