VIJAYA SIVA IN AYODHYA MANDAPAM- 18/4/16

[CRama]

As a part of the ongoing Ramanavami celebrations in Ayodhya Mandapam, Vijaya Siva supported by Amrita Murali on the Violin, Manoj Siva on the Mridangam and S.Karthik on the Ghatam presented a wholesome concert. List of songs.

1. Sadabaalaroopadi-Slokam from Subramanya bhujangam by Adi Sankara
2. Inthakannanandamemi-Bilahari- T (N,S)
3. Raghuvara- Panthuvarali- T (R,S)
4. Chandram bhaja manasa- MD
5. Ikanaina-Pushpalathika- Tirupati Narayanaswamy (R,N)
6. Devi brova samayamide-Chintamani-SS
7. Manasu swaadheena-Sankarabharanam-T (R,N,S)
8. Tani
9. Virutham- Vadiveru Tirisoolam thonrum thonrum- Appar tevaram- Saveri, Behag, Sama
10. Thillai sthalam enru-Sama- GKB
11. Kaanthamam kadir kamam thannil-Sindubhairavi

Vijaya Siva is a stickler to tradition and provides wholesome unadulterated music inherited from his Gurus DKJ and DKP in abundant measure. His full open throated singing, right kalapramanam, authentic padantharam, sruti aligned bell like voice, well rounded brighas, measured presentation of gamakas and brighas all make his music as the Gold Standard for chaste carnatic music. The concert started at 7 PM. The reverberation of well aligned sruti from the two tamburas provided the right ambience for the concert in spite of frequent disturbances of incoming devotees to the temple. He commenced the concert with his usual slokam from the Subrmanya Bhujangam in Bilahari as a prelude to the Thyagaraja kriti Intha kannanandamemi in Bilahari. Neraval in Nee jeppa mulu vela and swaras gave the required verve at the start itself. Next was an alapana of Panthuvarali for 5 minutes mostly made of long akara phrases. He has a high-pitched voice which traverses to top Ma from lower Pa easily. I found his voice has a melodic tonality throughout. His sojourn around mel ga and touching mel pa had a mesmerising effect. The kriti was rendered in the right kalapramanam and eschewing neraval, he sang liberal doses of swaras at Manasuna neeki marulu konnanu in two kalams culminating an attractive koraippu. Chandram bhaja manasa was the appropriate filler, being the Navagraha keerthanam for Monday.

Ragam Pushpalatika was the second raga alapana for the day. The speciality of this school being clarity of approach from the start itself, without meandering on territories and perplexing the listeners. The raga contours were shown clearly with the gandharam coming very frequently to avoid any confusion with her sibling Manirang. The ragam made me sit up and enjoy. Ikanaina, the composition of Tirupati Narayanaswamy was presented with the cascade of sangathis and the neraval at Akalanka neeve aadhaaramaani immortalised by MSS was presented with the same energy and manodharmam in two kalams. However, he reeled off two avartanams of neraval in mandra sthayi which was a dampener. There were no swarams though.

One speciality of Vijaya Siva is that I didn't see him pause in between songs to wonder what to sing next. I didn't see any notes. I didn't see any drop in intensity or focus. There was no slippage of time. Devi brova samayamide, the monumental composition of Syama Sastri was presented in a deep meditative form with ultimate fidelity to the structure and bhavam of the song. Ragam Sankarabharanam was the ragam of the day. It was presented with the right proportion of plain notes, brighas, long akara phrases, jarus and glides to present a wholesome picture of the ragam in 12 minutes. He crafted enough sancharams around mel gandharam with his ringing voice and reached upto mel panchamam without any strain. The kriti Manasu swaadheena was presented in its authentic patantharam and sangathis in tact. Neraval was done at Tanuvu taanu and elaborate swaras in two kalams with all the necessary ingredients of a main song presented in a scholarly manner.

After the energetic tani which lasted 10 minutes, Vijay Siva started Appar tevaram Vadiveru Tirisoolam thonrum thonrum as a virutham in ragas Saveri, Behag, Sama in a highly delectable manner. I remember this song was sung by Radha Jayalakshmi in an old movie. This was followed by the moving composition in Sama of GKB. After this, came the song Kaanthamam kadir kamam thannil in a very moving Sindubhairavi which is a VS favourite. I don’t know who is the composer. But this song has a melancholy tone embedded all over. Here I will like to reveal that the first time I got hued to this song was not from Vijay Siva or from Aruna Sairam (she sings this very frequently), but from a soulful rendition of the same by one of my colleagues in a function in our quarters. Since then, whenever I hear it, it is touching the heart. It was 9.15 then and I left. The concert was scheduled till 9 P.M. Vijay Siva, known for a stickler to the timings, would have rounded the concert by that.

Vijay Siva ‘s concert means absolute classism, musical intensity shorn of gimmicks, rich manodharmam, never compromising aesthetics for virtuosity and never targeted for applause. This concert also followed suit. See the variety of compositions, composers, talam etc. He presented three alapanas and three neravals in the concert which stands testimony to his immaculate planning. It is rightly to be called as Ethereal music. We should get to hear his music more frequently.

Amrita Murali provided excellent support. She had poise, vidwat, herself a very competent vocalist, and sense of proportion. Her alapanas of the three ragams were on the lines of the main singer but her own imaginations beaming at appropriate junctures. Her violin returns were to the point.

Manoj Diva had good nadam, clarity of strokes and played with verve and enthu and embellished the concert. He showed excellent anticipation and understanding, never hampering the manodharmam of the vocalist. His strokes had the right tone- never thundering, nor hiding. Karthik, with his long experience, manodharmam and anticipation embellished the concert with his rhythm play and the tani received continuous applause. One of the disciples of Vijay Siva who was playing the tambura got opportunities to sing a few bouts of swarams for the main song. He sang quite well with good imagination. It was a nice gesture of VS to give this opportunity to his disciple. I don’t know if he is Harish, one of VS’s disciples, who is slowly entering the concert field.

Before the VS concert, there was another concert of an upcoming vidwan named Girijasankar- a boy of about 18-19 years old. He sang very well with good manodharmam, stage presence and concert planning with a pleasing voice.

The hall, being a temple, had continuous influx of devotees. The hall was fully occupied by rasikas till the end, and very few people left in between. There were enough chairs for comfortable seating of senior citizens.

An excellent concert for two hours and fifteen minutes.

[rajeshnat]

11. Kaanthamam kadir kamam thannil-Sindubhairavi[/b]
After this, came the song Kaanthamam kadir kamam thannil in a very moving Sindubhairavi which is a VS favourite. I don’t know who is the composer.

Thank you for your excellent review . THe sindhu bhairavi song is by Mayuram vishwanatha sastri. Few years before only I knew this song is on a murugan temple in sri lanka in a place called katirkAmam Looks you have enjoyed it , thanks crama on ramanavami update from ayodhya mantapam

[CRama]

Rajesh, I remember we have discussed this song in our forum. But I could not locate the composer. I knew you will chip in. Thanks for the info. Yes. Kadir kamam is a famous Murugan temple in Sri lanka and this song is on that temple deity. Another famous song on Kadir kama kandan is the song Kadir kamaKandan in Kambodi composed by Papanasam Sivan. This has been sung by MS and Radha Jayalakhmi. There is some arguement that Kadir kamam is the sixth padai veedu and not Pazhamudircholai.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

I am a big admirer of VS's music. Thanks CRama for the detailed review which is of immense satisfaction for a non- attendee like me.
Pushpalatika (ikanaina) has been a very good and refreshing choice. There is a kriti of Swati Tirunal in the same raga - Bhaavaye gopabaalam- which also is rarely heard.
VS could have added compositions on Lord Rama in the post tani segment in view of the Rama navami festival.

[CRama]

Sivaramkrishnan, In this concert, till thani, most of the songs are on Rama.to suit the Ramanavami. So we cannot have any complaint. Earlier once, in the same venue, he sang all Ambal kritis for a Ramanavami concert and I wrote whether it is Ramanavami concert or Navarathri concert which created an arguement in this forum.

[HarishankarK]

the song Kadir kamaKandan in Kambodi composed by Papanasam Sivan.

Gayathri Venkataraghavan has also given a moving rendition of this composition in a very melodious and classical manner with a beautiful alapana of Kamboji. This krithi has a lot of upper sthayi sangatis composed by PS. It's available in Sangeethapriya.org site.

[grsastrigal]

gAndhamAm (or kAndhamAm)... kadhir kAmam tannil ore vEdhantamAm.... I also heard this from VS' concert long back. I also searched for long time for the lyrics of this song but could not get it. You listen from VS any number of times, don't feel bored. That is DJK's pAdAndharam and VS' dedication.

[CRama]

grs. I am giving the lyrics of the song for your use.

kAntamAm kadir. rAgA: dEshyatODi/Sindhubhairavi. Adi tALA.

P: kAntamAm kadir kaMam tanil Or vEdAntamAm
A1: shAntamAghi manam kuvindu EkAnta mOna nilai aLittiDum
2: shruti layamuDan tudi sheyyum vargati duritamAi gatiyaLittiDum
3: bhAva rAga tALam viriyAlE vazhi kATTum antara
jIvanAda vEdapuriyilE onru kUTTum sundarak-
C1: nAvinil ruciyE navinriDat-tIrudu pashiyE adu pErinba ruciyE pArkkak-kiDaittOr tapasiyE
AndavanaDi shEra shEra anbu perugudu Era Era kadir kAmam enru kUrak-kavalaigaLaDiyODu dhIra
sheyyumAm karuNai mArip-peyyumAm kaLittiDa gati uyyumAm kaNDAlidu nal vaghaiyum tiru muruga rUpak-
2: manam maDangAdu mannavanai ninaittiDum pOdu dinam avanaiyallAdu gati vErenakkEdu vElavan pugazh
pADap-pADa vEgamAi manam nADa nADa shIlanai uTkoNDADa Ada shEvaDigaLai tEdat-tEDat-tONumAi
divya jyOti kANumAm teLindAl anbu pUNumAm darishikka bhAgyam vENumAm vaDivElavanenra
3: santamum ariyEn pugazhap-perum tamizh ariyEn nAn bhaktiyil shiriyEn bAla kandanukk-kaDiyEn
kadir kAma vazhi mella mella kaDugi naDandu shella shella edirp-pulangaLai vella vella eDutturappadE nalla nalla
nEramAm nigharaTra guNa sAramAm viritturaikka abhAramAm vishvam tanakku pakAramAmvaramaruLum divya
0 x

[bhakthim dehi]

Though, no difference is shown between desya todi and sindhubairavi nowadays, they have a much different lakshana in the past.

[KSJaishankar]

Isn't namO namO rAghavAya of the saint in Desya tODI? At least the MLV version I have heard doesn't sound anything like sindhu bhairavI

[bhakthim dehi]

I haven heard MLV version. But the common version is definitely not desiyatodi.

[hnbhagavan]

Looks Chennai has few good Ramanavami concerts, not to be left behind bangalore

[Vocalist]

Though, no difference is shown between desya todi and sindhubairavi nowadays, they have a much different lakshana in the past.

I have heard both MLV and Visakha Hari sing desya todi, and I don't think it can be said there is no difference between the two nowadays. Can you please elaborate what you meant?

[Meera]

Desya Todi in my knowledge is Todi sung flatly which sounds like Bhairavi of HM.Sindhu Bhairavi as most of us know uses almost all the 12 notes.

[bhakthim dehi]

I have heard both MLV and Visakha Hari sing desya todi, and I don't think it can be said there is no difference between the two nowadays. Can you please elaborate what you meant?

Desya todi differs from sindhubhairavi in that desya todi is completelty an upanga raga (It takes the svaras of todi only ). Secondly, it does not have ri in the acesnt. Ngg is a special and essential phrase. Valajapet version of Namo namo raghavaya anisham has this phrase aplenty.

[RaviSri]

Thyagaraja composed not only namo namO..... but also rAju veDala and rUkalu padivEla in dEshya tOdi. Subbaraya Sastri has composed his srI kamalAmbikE in dEshya tOdi. When you listen to the opening of the above songs one can discern dEshya tOdi, but later the songs morph into tODi itself. Ritha Rajan, if I remember right, has recorded rUkalu padivEla in dEshya tOdi in her audio section in her thesis.

[bhakthim dehi]

Tyagaraja svamigal has composed some 5 songs in desya todi. Apart from the three mentioned, ne pogada kunte and innallu were originally in desya todi. Vazhi maraithirukkude of GKB was also composed in desya todi.

[Sivaramakrishnan]

'Vazhimaraitthu' originally in desiya todi? With due regards to bhakthim dehi I must confess that I
am 'hooked' to Natakurinji and can't think of any other version however authentic may it be! What a grandeur when you sing 'maadupadutthirukkuthey' in n.kurinji & mishrachaapu! Btw, anybody has sung in d.todi?

[bhakthim dehi]

I have heard TMK sing in todi.

[RaviSri]

Some vidvans sang 'vazhi maraithirukkudE' in tOdi. Some sang it in bhairavi. Usually it is sung in nATakurinji. The problem is that after Gopalakrishna Bharati learnt Hindustani music from Ramdas Swami at Tiruvidaimarudur, he started composing his songs in Hindustani ragas. Most of his original tunes were lost and it was Gomatishankara Iyer of Annamalai University who with the aid of a very old disciple of GB retuned most of GB's songs.