Balaji Shankar

Carnatic Musicians
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ragam-talam
Posts: 1896
Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Post by ragam-talam »


vpadmana
Posts: 46
Joined: 23 Sep 2006, 05:08

Post by vpadmana »

His is a sad story. He was such a promising young man. The death of his guru, Shri DKJ affected him a lot, I think. He was learning from Pattammal for some time but then made the inexplicable decision to go learn from BMK. Talk about a 180 degree change in paddhati, baani and paadaantharam.

There were also some personal problems which I shall not discuss here. This led to a period of disillusionment during which he gave up on music completely and went to New Delhi to pursue his software profession.

His personal problems sorted out and at peace at last, he returned to Madras but did not want to take up music again as I believe he felt, it would be too much of a mountain to climb to prominence as there were already many established artists of his generation.

It's such a waste though. DKJ mama encouraged him so much and had high hopes for him.

jayaram
Posts: 1317
Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

Dear friends, and fellow-fans of Balaji Shankar,

It seems many of these stories going around about Balaji may be incorrect after all. Recently I received the following email from an artiste friend of mine (we have a growing mailing list of London-based rasikas):

"Just wanted to update on Balaji Shankar. Balaji is very good friend of mine and is doing fine working with HCL in Chennai. Married for 4 years now, he has son who is 2, and as always in great spirits.

He had a problem with his voice which went worse after a surgery, due to incompetence of the ENT 'Specialist', which has forced him into a musical silence. Lets pray his son makes up for it."

I plan to be in Madras for the season 16th to 31st of December - will be staying at Woodlands hotel (near Music Academy).
I am hoping to meet up with Balaji. If anyone else is interested, we can have a joint get-together with him. Do let me know. Who knows, we may even get to hear him sing for us...!

sbala
Posts: 629
Joined: 30 Jul 2006, 08:56

Post by sbala »

I'm tired of all the stories and rumours about this gifted singer. If there is a meeting and the man himself is coming, I would love to attend.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

I am interested and definitely would like to meet this mesemerizing and melliflous balaji shankar.

Sundar Janakiraman
Posts: 1
Joined: 15 Dec 2009, 00:26

Post by Sundar Janakiraman »

Sir, I am interested in the meeting with Balaji Shankar(Dec 09). Kindly let me know if any arrangement has been made. my email is is cjsundar@yahoo.com

ragam-talam
Posts: 1896
Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by ragam-talam »

Another lovely video clip of this gifted singer: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z0 ... small#t=57
Pranatarthi Haraya in ragam Samantha.

smala
Posts: 3223
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:55

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by smala »

Whatever happened to the planned meeting with Balaji Shankar - did it materialize? Please provide follow-up news. Something exciting is proposed and then, abruptly nothing further about the matter! Strange!

Found a blog-piece 2008, on B. Shankar sightings.

http://samanth.blogspot.com/2008/07/sea ... ankar.html

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by rajeshnat »

shyama-priya wrote:Whatever happened to the planned meeting with Balaji Shankar - did it materialize? Please provide follow-up news.
jayaram from UK who was there for the 2009 season proposed , few of us were looking forward . It did not materialize in 2009, let us hope jayaram comes for 2011 season or beyond ,as jayaram knows balaji shankar as a friend.

VISHNURAMPRASAD
Posts: 149
Joined: 08 Jul 2005, 11:52

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by VISHNURAMPRASAD »

Am sure Balaji shankar is singing in AIR as he had arleady got B High spot which is a permanent contract given by AIR for atleast 5-6 concerts a year. I am sure he must have even got A grade keeping his age and experience. Once I heard his AIR concert a couple of years back, having heard him live and many times in AIR, i was sure that it was Balaji (ofcourse I could find some voice related issues here and there in the AIR concert. To my surprise the announcement said some other name like Shankar Raman or something like that. I felt he wanted to hide his identity due to the voice issue, but his passion for music was as ever. K.V. Prasad or some other AIR staff artists might know better about this.

krishna32
Posts: 25
Joined: 28 Apr 2011, 17:49

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by krishna32 »

Hi Guys

I need to break the ice here.
Sri Balaji Shankar works in HCL Technologies as a Manager in Chennai.
I met him couple of months back while i was working with HCL.
Hope is still in HCL.

We had lots of valuable discussions about his guru Sri D.K.Jayaraman.

Regards
Krishna

cienu
Posts: 2387
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 11:40

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by cienu »

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5SbFsHjx2Co
Govardhana Gireesham recently recorded at his home by Balaji Shankar
Let us hope that this is a small first step to his comeback to the stage

Sundara Rajan
Posts: 1081
Joined: 08 Apr 2007, 08:19

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Sundara Rajan »

I did listen to his recording. I do not detect any flaw in his voice. It is the same as I heard him in NY and NJ some fifteen years ago. I guess he is ready to reenter prime time. Other rasikas also should encourage him to get back into the concert circuit.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by rajeshnat »

O gosh what a great first step , lovely voice and throw . Let Lord Balaji grace this balaji shankar to make a comeback.

sureshvv
Posts: 5523
Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by sureshvv »

Hoping to see him on stage soon.

sweetsong
Posts: 556
Joined: 29 Nov 2009, 16:48

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by sweetsong »

Thank you Cienu ji for this wonderful update!
Here is a vintage clip of him with his guru,
singing Kalyani alapana with Sri M.S.Gopalakrishnan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_388L_XWbM

It would be totally wonderful to see him back
in action.

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by varsha »


CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by CRama »

Varsha Thanks a lot for the concert. I enjoyed it.

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Vocalist »

Friends, I am so pleased to provide good news in this thread. Balaji Shankar performed a live concert on stage in October last year in Tokyo (Japan) for the MSS Centenary Celebrations. That's right folks; his comeback to the stage has already happened (while many of you were keeping quiet or looking the other way it seems)! ;)

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Vocalist »

cienu provided an audio link above to a lovely recording of Balaji Shankar singing Govardhana Gireesham in Hindolam without accompanists. That was uploaded in April 2016.

I am pleased to now provide a video link of Balaji Shankar singing another Dikshitar gem, Purahara Nandana in Hameerkalyani, with accompanists. This video was uploaded in October 2016:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5B5MwiKcw

I will leave it to the experts to provide an English translation of the conversation which can be heard between Puvanur Viswanathan Iyer (mridangist) and Madurai Balasubramaniam (violinist) at the end of the video. :)

rsrini
Posts: 8
Joined: 23 Jun 2005, 15:24

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by rsrini »

Vocalist wrote: 14 Mar 2017, 18:56 Friends, I am so pleased to provide good news in this thread. Balaji Shankar performed a live concert on stage in October last year in Tokyo (Japan) for the MSS Centenary Celebrations. That's right folks; his comeback to the stage has already happened (while many of you were keeping quiet or looking the other way it seems)! ;)
Here's a link to some clips of the Tokyo concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nAEE8O7HKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL5B5MwiKcw

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by rajeshnat »

So nice to hear this extra ordinary musician , you made my day -rsrini . I am assuming his IT work pushed him to Tokyo may be he will come back to chennai and start performing soon.

Gayathri rama
Posts: 9
Joined: 07 Jul 2017, 23:40

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Gayathri rama »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=170fxEtrcMg

Bagayanaiyya in chandra jyothi. This is the latest clip from Dec 2017. Yes Dec 2017. Perfect alapana.
This was part of a lecture demonstration in avinashilingam university in Coimbatore

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by rajeshnat »

thank you gayathri rama. We had few posts here and there to indicate that this great vidwan has made a comback ,now with your visual assurance it is really great . Hope Balaji Shankar makes a concert comeback, what artistry he still has with clean sangathis and sancharas.

aravindan mudaliar
Posts: 4
Joined: 05 May 2015, 18:34

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by aravindan mudaliar »

Guys what happened to balaji shankar , it's amazing to see thread starting from 2009 going great , I don't know why I get tears listening to him and seeing you guys posts,gr8 guy with extraordinary gifted voice

Kavya Bharat
Posts: 2
Joined: 24 Aug 2019, 22:03

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Kavya Bharat »

I recently stumbled upon Balaji Shankar's recordings on YouTube. He is now my favourite artiste. I'm convinced he would have been a serious contender for the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, if not for that unfortunate voice box issue. He sometimes uploads videos on his YouTube channel. Recent recordings suggest that he is in full form again. I believe he is currently working in HCL technologies. Does he teach music? And perform at the occasional concert or Lec dem? I see there have been discussions about meeting him. Anyone who knows him well? Please let us make it happen. I would consider it a great honour and privilege to meet this incredibly talented gentleman.

RSR
Posts: 3427
Joined: 11 Oct 2015, 23:31

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by RSR »

Kavya Bharat wrote: 27 Aug 2019, 10:49 I recently stumbled upon Balaji Shankar's recordings on YouTube. He is now my favourite artiste. I'm convinced he would have been a serious contender for the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, if not for that unfortunate voice box issue. He sometimes uploads videos on his YouTube channel. Recent recordings suggest that he is in full form again. I believe he is currently working in HCL technologies. Does he teach music? And perform at the occasional concert or Lec dem? I see there have been discussions about meeting him. Anyone who knows him well? Please let us make it happen. I would consider it a great honour and privilege to meet this incredibly talented gentleman.
Are you referring to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfKXbfdCUx8
------------------------------------------
He is said to be a disciple of Sangeetha Kalanidhi D.K.Jayaraman.
Does he have a blog or website?
If you confirm, we can google for more information about him and also get a lot more links. to share with rasikas

Kavya Bharat
Posts: 2
Joined: 24 Aug 2019, 22:03

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by Kavya Bharat »

There are many links available on YouTube. If you search his name, you will find quite a few videos. He has his own YouTube channel under the name Balaji Shankar where he sometimes uploads videos. You can subscribe to it. And can also reach out to other rasikas on this forum.
I don't know whether he has his own blog or website. Perhaps we could try contacting him on Facebook or YouTube. If there is anyone in this group who knows him personally, it would be wonderful. There was talk of meeting him but I don't know if it actually happened. I request all rasikas on this forum to try and make this happen. We must not miss this golden opportunity.

bhasi
Posts: 89
Joined: 19 Nov 2018, 13:41

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by bhasi »

This is his Youtube channel: Balaji Shankar Youtube. Just a quick heads-up to all fans of this man that after what seems like an eternity of a hiatus, whoever is handling his youtube account has begun uploading recordings from some concert of his beginning last week. Here's a Janani Mamava! There are quite a few videos lined up to be released over the next few days - you can click a button on the videos to be notified of their "premiere"-ing on Youtube.

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: Balaji Shankar

Post by CRama »

Balaji Sankar is a very matured singer. We miss him a lot now. Thanks for giving the link to his songs.

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