S.Aishwarya's upcoming Europe Tour - March 19th to 30th 2017

[cienu]

Dear Rasikas

I am extremely pleased to inform you about S.Aishwarya's Europe Concert Tour from March 19th to 30th 2017.

[Nick H]

Wishing Happy Journeys and successful concerts to Aishwarya and accompanying family. Have a great time!

Say hello to BVB London for me . Balachandar was my mridangam guruji. He and violin Balu are still my good friends.

[thanjavooran]

Best wishes for successful tour !
Thanjavooran
13 03 2017

[cacm]

GOOD LUCK. VKV

[rshankar]

Best wishes and safe travels to Aishwarya and team! I'm sure the concerts will be fabulous.

[pattamaa]

So happy.... wishing the tour complete success..

[cienu]

Wishing Happy Journeys and successful concerts to Aishwarya and accompanying family. Have a great time!

Say hello to BVB London for me . Balachandar was my mridangam guruji. He and violin Balu are still my good friends.

Dear Nick
We reached London safely last evening and we are now enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Bhavan London and Sri Mattur Nandakumara.
I will surely convey your message to Sri Balu Raghuram and Sri Balachandar who are infact going to accompany S.Aishwarya in her concert tomorrow.

[cienu]

Dear Sri VKV, Sri Thanjavooran, Ravi, Patamma and Nick.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and blessings

[Nick H]

Stay warm... somehow!

Enjoy your trip...

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Cienu: Best wishes for a successful tour!!London-Brussels-Paris-GenevaBerlin--WOW!!!! Go for it!!!!!

Ramesh mama

[cienu]

Thank you Ramesh Mama for your kind wishes.Aishwarya is indeed looking forward to a successful Europe Tour

[rajeshnat]

Young Aishwarya and Not so Young Cienu and the team of Europe tour
Best wishes. I am assuming MS amma has not toured Paris , Berlin and Geneva . This is news that even Brussels is having Carnatic concert .

[Sachi_R]

BEST WISHES, Cienu!

[cienu]

Dear Rajeshnat and RSachi .. Thanks you so much for your kind wishes.
Rajesh - My Grandmother and mother have sung in Paris, Geneva and Rome apart from UK.
However they have not sung in Berlin and Brussels.

To all rasikas - The tour has been progressing extremely well until now.

It was a wonderful concert on 19th March 2017 by S.Aishwarya at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan London !! Towards the end of the concert we had a speaker - Prof John Marr (a highly respected British Indologist) aged 90 years and an authority on Carnatic Music and Tamil literature. I am quoting below his speech which will in essence summarise the performance of S.Aishwarya last evening. What is mentioned in brackets are my comments.

John Marr's speech.
Quote:

" This evening of all evenings, I am really stuck as to how I should begin my speech. And inevitably because dear Aishwarya is the Great Grand Daughter of the legend Bharat Ratna M.S.Subbulakshmi, whom I had the privilege of knowing.

There is a photograph of my son James at the age of 12 with MS & Sadasivam when MS came to perform in the Edinburgh Festival in the year 1963. And my son who is now a little bit older than 12 was therefore particularly keen on coming here and listen to you Aishwarya.!

That was the first point.

Now again where do I begin. What an inspiration and wonder was our own Balu Raghuraman. Balu our thanks to you for a wonderful performance. What about the other Balu on other side ! What a felicity in his play !!

Sivakami Siddhi and Sankari (the 2 students of music at Bhavan London who provided support on Tamburas) should count themselves lucky that they were providing Sruthi to such an artist. ! Once again to both of you - never forget what you have experienced today evening..

Now where do I begin talking of Aishwarya herself.?

Aishwarya set us free in her Raga Alapana of Pantuvarali and her rendition of Yennaganu Ramabhajana. Her Neraval was truly shattering and in the swaras , towards the end of the Korvais, Aishwarya (looking at her) I must say that I heard your great grandmother during the Korvais.

Coming to Saroja Dala Netri, Wendy and I looked at each other the moment you started Shankarabaranam.
In the Madras Music Academy concert of 1953, your great grand mother sang Saroja Dala Nethri, and on hearing this I made a vow to learn this song. This was around the time, James was born and so when you commenced Saroja Dala Nethri, I knew I was on home ground. !

In the Shankarabharanam Alapanai of Aishwarya we were allowed to glimpse immortality. !

I don't want any one of us present here to think for a moment that Aishwarya sings exactly like her Great Grandmother.

What she is doing is far far bigger. She is looking forward as well as back and in the process ensuring that the purity and divine artistry is not lost..

In the 70's and 80's of the last century, I was beginning to wonder where Carnatic Music was heading. There appeared to be an assault from other media.

I am now happy to say that the answer is right in front of us (pointing to Aishwarya and huge applause).

Thank you Aishwarya for immortalising and in a very real way perpetuating the lady's music which is indeed the music of the last century.

Subbulakshmi has ensured that legacy , tradition, freedom and discipline in Carnatic Music would never leave us

Thanks be to God.."

Unquote.....

I must thank Mattur Sri Nandakumara of the Bhavan London for the flawless arrangements and his gracious hospitality.

Dear Nick : Sri Balachander asked me to convey his regards to you. When I said that Nick conveyed his best wishes, he queried "Nick Hayes" ?

Some pictures taken during and after the concert are posted below



The audience starts coming in 15 minutes prior to the concert



The concert in progress



The audience listen in rapt attention



Sankari and Sivagami Siddhi in deep concentration as Aishwarya does neraval at “Sama Gana Vinodini”



Prof John Marr takes an autograph from Aishwarya after the concert.

[rshankar]

Very beautiful! Thank you for sharing, Cienu! I am sure you (your wife, and your mother) had several movements of "mEni silirttal" ("mecci unai UrAr pugarzhndAl")....

[Nick H]

Ha! John Marr, retired professor at SOAS, London: Padma Shri, no less! He was a student of Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer. He teaches Tamil and music theory at BVB London. Quite a character.

Glad all is going well

[rajeshnat]

John Marr's speech.
I don't want any one of us present here to think for a moment that Aishwarya sings exactly like her Great Grandmother.
What she is doing is far far bigger. She is looking forward as well as back and in the process ensuring that the purity and divine artistry is not lost..

For young aishwarya looking backward will be always an expectation . Does she have time /ideas /manodharmam/ artistry/ to look both backward and forward in the same time during every concert. Best wishes in her forward journey. I loved the above phrase of John Marr.

[pattamaa]

quite a speech by John Marr... how true...