Ganga Snanamu Sukhama? - Vijay Siva, BGS, June 21,2015

[Rsachi]

Concert in celebration of Vid. Neela Ramgopal's 80th Birthday:

Nidhi chala sukhama- Vijay Siva, BGS, 21 June 2015

This is strictly not a review of today's concert. I will let someone else more competent do it.

I will only say a few things, beginning with a confession.
This is the first concert of Vijay Siva I have attended. Despite liking his music tracks I have heard before and notwithstanding the high praise i have heard for him from many connoisseurs.

Also a second confession: when he sang the RTP, I struggled to find out the name of the raga. I knew it is a janya of KHP, but I had to use a Wiki reference to shortlist the raga. When the pallavi line had "Jaya(nta)sena", I felt better.

Now to Vijay Siva. He sang for nearly 165 minutes non-stop. He sat rocksolid on the stage and showed great comfort surrounded by RKSK, Manoj Siva, Anirudh Atreya, Siva's two disciples playing the tamburas.

I didn't see him pause to wonder what to sing next. I didn't see any notes. I didn't see any drop in intensity or focus.

He didn't reel off rote music. Quite a few times, he modulated his voice and sang in the lower octave contemplatively. He has a high-pitched voice which traverses to top Ma from lower Pa easily. I found his voice has a melodic tonality throughout. Rare in CM.

His song list was really good for me (may have missed a couple)

1. Janaki Ramana-Shuddha seemantini
2. Dhanyudevvudo-Malayamaruta
3. Thyagarajaya Namaste-Begada
4. PaarkaPaarka-Harikambhoji-GKB
6. Todi Swarajathi - Rave Himagirikumari
7. Nidhi sala sukhama
8. Jayantasena RTP
9. Dasarendare Purandaradasarayya
10. Ragamalika on Arunachala Siva
11. Nera mora - Hamsadhwani javali
12. Meera bhajan- Khamaj
13. Tamil bhajan on Arunachala
14. Tiruppugazh
15. A Sanskrit song on Gandhiji
16. Mangala shloka

The Begada was sung with great conviction. The MD song is a masterpiece. As also the glorious SS swarajathi, which was again sung memorably. Kalyani and Nidhi Chala (he said Sala) can become pedestrian but he made sure it had enough creative energy to be really good.

The RTP and swaras were a show of virtuosity.

RKSK and Manoj and Atreya were very competent.

The post RTP items were rendered with great feeling and moved me very much.

Now I want to say something. I think Vijay Siva answered the question, "Ganga-snanamu sukhama?" There is a Ganga. Not the river that flows in India today and needs a volcano-sized RO filter for cleansing. For the soul of India, Ganga will for ever be a metaphor for tradition, purity, sanctity and something that takes us beyond. You just need to dip in it, bathe in it to lose yourself in it. That is "Ganga snanamu sukha". Same in CM. A dip in the Ganga of classicism, musical intensity shorn of gimmicks, competency without playing for applause.

No "-Nidhi" of any kind, no column-cm media coverage, nothing else can replace the inner joy of this Ganga - snana.

I think Vijay Siva knows this. That's what makes him unique for me.
God bless.

[mahavishnu]

RSachi: Thank you for your excellent piece of writing.
VS is indeed all that you mention and more.

I was surprised to hear that this was the first concert of Vijay's that you have attended!

[VK RAMAN]

No more review of this concert is needed because RSachi wrote this from his heart and it tells more about this concert than anybody else has written. Thank you.

[vasanthakokilam]

Sachi, thanks for writing about the concert. Quite inspirational, not just about this concert but about the feelings about CM we all have. It is good to get that surfaced, remembered and reinforced.

[sukumar]

Jayanthsena RTP had ragamalika swara in Bilahari, Anandabhairavi, Kadanakuthuhala ( the ones which i could identify ) Song on Arunachala.... along with cymbals was evocative.

[Rsachi]

Yes, Sukumar. I didn't make any notes so I missed the ragamalika names in that as well as the other one.
I wonder whose composition is the song on Gandhiji. I even forget the raga now but it was evocatively sung.

[Rsachi]

GOT IT!
Here is the song - Sindhu Bhairavi - Mayavaram Vishwanatha Shastri (38:10)

https://youtu.be/qbrSRaeST-c

[hnbhagavan]

Rsachi,

Very competent person to review.Very nice concert and I never miss Vijaya Siva's concert in Bangalore.This was the third concert - one in Kannikaparameswari,Malleswaram
Fort,High School
His concert always has the contemplative element.it was aptly so in Rave Himagirikumari and also the songs towards the end.
But he gets worked up with people indulging in recording etc may be rightly so.A very medium crowd for an excellent concert.

[Rsachi]

Guess he lives by very strict principles!

[rshankar]

Lovely review with introspection - just like the concert, perhaps.
Sachi - Sukumar - HNBhagavan: What was the pallavi for the RTP?

[Rsachi]

I will let someone else answer that
It was just four five words on Muruga and went like...
Senapate... aaaaaaa.... Jaya jaya
I purposely made no notes y'day.

[rajeshnat]

Lovely review with introspection - just like the concert, perhaps.
Sachi - Sukumar - HNBhagavan: What was the pallavi for the RTP?

Not to steal the thunder from any one who attended.

Priyashekar and Prashant posted a recent review of Vijay siva where he sang RTP in jayanthasena in mumbai. Quoting excerpts from that.

Pallavi line was "jaya jayAnanta sEnApatE shakti pANE" - chaturasra jhampa [2 kalai] - eduppu 2 aksharas after samam.

sE - 2 nA - 3 pa - 1 tE - 2 shak - 2 ti - 1 pA - 3 NE [arudi] - 6
ja - 1 ya - 1 ja - 1 yA - 2 nan - 2 ta - 1

[gardabha_gana]

rajesh you stole my thunder

Yes indeed it was chatusra jhampa to my knowledge. The line was "Sena Pate Shakti Pane Jaya Jaya Anantha"

What a concert it was! Our own Sachi was very active. I saw Neela mami w/ Students taking a photograph and the next second found it on Fb
As the forumites may know, VS is someone I am crazy about! Such a stickler to tradition and provides wholesome music that elevates the experience to something words cannot describe. Sachi sir has caught it well....VS in the recent past has had leading female accompanists - Charulatha, Amritha Murali, LV, Hemalatha which have been exquisite. Hearing RKSK accompany after a long time - and was top notch on Sunday and the fact that they belong to the same DKJ school was very self evident. The anticipation by RKSK was amazing. I think I have heard DKJ/DKP sing RTP in jayantasena....I wish he sang something other than Nidhi Chala though given his vast repertoire - beautiful song but repeated a lot. Also a pasuram post main as he usually does would have been great.

It was raining concerts over the weekend, and the choice was rather easy for me. As I said in my RSM post - if I have money for one concert I will spend it on VS. I just hope that he puts talam so that tala shoonyam folks like me can keep track and lets folks record his concert, or he should consider releasing his concerts. He has recently released his concert in the middle east w/ LV on the violin, have bought it but yet to listen.

Many thanks to Neela mami and students. I remember Sanjay's concert for her 75th b'day and Vijay Siva for her 80th! Sanjay has got the SK now - and hope the other two favorites of mine of this generation Vijay Siva and Ravi Kiran get it sooner rather than later.....

1. Sada Balaroopapi...
Janaki Ramana - Suddha Seemanthini - Adi
2. Dhanyadevuudo - Malayamarutham Adi (N, S)
N @ Vara Maddala
3. Tyagarajaya Namaste - Begada, Rupakam (R, S)
4. Sloka - Gandharva...
Rave Himagiri - Swarajati - Thodi - Adi
5. Nidhichala - Kalyani - MChapu (R, N, S)
N @ Sumathi Tyagaraja
6. Parka Parka - Hari Kambodhi - Mchapu
7. RTP - Jayantasena - Chatusra Jhampa
Senapate Shakti Pane Jaya Jaya Anantha
Ragamalika swarams in Bilahari, Huseni(?), Kadhanakuthoohalam
8. Dasarendere Purandara
9. Nera mora Jala chora - Hamsadhwani
10. Tumhe Karan - Meera Bhajan
11. Arunachala Siva - Nadanamakriya, .....
12. Eru Mayileri
13. Shanta Ahimsa Murthe
14. Swasthi Prajabhya

[Rsachi]

Srikanth, thank you.
We folks in Bangalore should stick together, as they say!

Nera Mora in Hamsadhwani is a Javali I heard 40+ years ago from Rama Ravi. It is a classic. It is on raaga.com

http://m.raaga.com/carnatic/song/album/ ... ora-449246

[Sivaramakrishnan]

A cool, breezy & beautiful discussion this!

[arasi]

You said it!

G_G,
Thanks! As Sachi says, you folks in Bengaluru are cool!

Neela had two lovely days of celebration Her students, rasikAs and the two prominent sabhAs made it all happen, with such good music

[Ramam]

Now I want to say something. I think Vijay Siva answered the question, "Ganga-snanamu sukhama?" There is a Ganga. Not the river that flows in India today and needs a volcano-sized RO filter for cleansing. For the soul of India, Ganga will for ever be a metaphor for tradition, purity, sanctity and something that takes us beyond. You just need to dip in it, bathe in it to lose yourself in it. That is "Ganga snanamu sukha".

Ganga snanmu sukhama - according to the musical text , the ganga here does not stand for purity but dirty. (sic it is like the ganga we have today)
alternative, Is it nice to dwell into the platitudes of srirama? Please read a book on Thygaraja krithis with meaning.

I hope in future the folks to some reading before writing.

Vijay Siva , I have incidentally listened in Ranade Hall, Luz somewhere in 1985. The poise has remained same and the lakshaya unaltered.
It is as if he is performing his duty as a singer than for the audience. This is more so while singing MD. He sings within the "note book".

[Rsachi]

Ramam,
Really? Do you think Thyagaraja says a dip in the Ganga is a bad thing?
Sorry, I don't understand it that way.
This is what I read:


Quoting Sri Govindan's book:
Is a bath (snAnamu) in the (holy) river gaGga called (anu) (practice of) self control (dama) and tranquility (zama) comforting (sukhamA) or
is a bath (snAnamu) in the water of well (kUpa) called the filthy (kardama) evil natured objects of senses (dur-viSaya) comforting (sukhamA)?

There are two alternatives presented:
1.Ganga Snana, which stands for self control and tranquillity= Good alternative.
2. Bathing in a filthy well, which stands for indulging in the evil objects of the senses= Bad alternative.

Even logically, do you think Thyagaraja would impute in 1815 that Ganga is a dirty, polluted river (as it is now in 2015?)

[Ramam]

Rsachi
You are right. I read another book too.
Probably i got it mixed with gangasagaramu as in chakkani raja
thanks

[harimau]

Rsachi
You are right. I read another book too.
Probably i got it mixed with gangasagaramu as in chakkani raja
thanks

"cheeyenu gangasagaramu" refers to tipple not the sweet waters of Ganga!

[Rsachi]

Ok, Ramam.

[mahavishnu]

Ramam: Sometimes a simple redaction of comments might not be sufficient #justsaying.

I wish you had read through what you were going to post before going on the offensive.Your original post was very negative towards Sri RSachi, who has been very gracious in how he has offered counter evidence.

I hope in future the folks to some reading before writing.

Ironic, isn't it?

Gangasagaram (like the thengai/mangai pal analogy in tamil) and Ganga snanam are indeed very different metaphors. Perhaps if T had lived on to see the mighty polluted river, he might have written differently.

[KSJaishankar]

My 2 cents - the confusion seems to be arising from the fact that of the 4 pairs of alternatives that the saint compares, this is the only one where the superior option is placed before the inferior one.

In order (text from Sri Govindan's monumental work, so we can discount the possibilities of error), the pairs are:

Nidhi (inferior) v/s Ramuni Sannidhi Seva (superior)

Dadhi Navaneeta Ksheera (inferior) v/s Dasharathi Dhyana Sudha Rasa (superior)

Ganga Snanamu (SUPERIOR) v/s Kardama Durvisaya Kupa (INFERIOR)

Mamatha Bandhana Nara Stuti (inferior) v/s Sumati Thyagaraja Nutuni Kirtana (superior)

Now why the saint chose to reverse the order only for this pair is beyond my ken!

[Ranganayaki]

What a wonderful account! Rsachi, thanks for the great review, one of those that make me wish I'd been there. It is the feeling you want to come away with, and reading you, I almost sense that in me! Your title should have been Ganga Snanamu Sukhamu, apt for the music you heard as well as your inspired writing.

[Ramam]

The swapped alternative was INDEED that trapped me and held me in confidence for having said the lines.
There can me no reason but to own up the error (not mistake). Gangasagaramu - tamil book says toddy
By the way the fact that some one has not attended Vijay Siva and has written so much of music also
got into act.
Again I owe an apology to Rsachi. Mahavishnu note.

[Rsachi]

Ramam,
I attended Vijay Siva's concert. I thoroughly enjoyed it. That is what made me write about it. Of course, I am aware many that rasikas are more knowledgeable about his music and about many matters like music and literature in general.

Actually I am a very easy going and sometimes not-going kind of person

[sureshvv]

My 2 cents - the confusion seems to be arising from the fact that of the 4 pairs of alternatives that the saint compares, this is the only one where the superior option is placed before the inferior one.

<snip>

Now why the saint chose to reverse the order only for this pair is beyond my ken!

I think he was suggesting that the order does not matter Only TMK gets it!!