Tamizh Isai

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 24 Feb 2007, 07:24

The Govt of TN is quite serious about promoting Tamizh Isai. Recently several concerts (including nATTu paaDal) were held in Chennai inaugurated by the Chief Minister who himself hails from a CM family (Nadaswara vidvaan). The events are reported in

http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/21/stories ... 160600.htm

Under those auspices TM Krishna gave a CM concert for 1 hour

Accompanists:
Amritha Murali - Violin
Manoj Siva - Mridangam
Umashankar - Ghatam

Songs list:
1. Thoadudaiya - GambhIraNattai
2. Kaalai Thooki - Yadhukula Kambhoji
3. Aazhi Mazhai KaNNa - Varali
4. Nattakurunji RTP - (A quickie RTP -)
5. Chinnanchiru KiLiye - Raagamalika
6. Suttum Vizhi - Raagamalika
7. Senthamizh Naadenum - ?
8. Irakkam Varaamal - Behag
9. Eppo Varuvaaro - Jonpuri
10. Vaazhiya Senthamizh - Madhyamavati

If anybody attended the concert please present a complete review.

jnaanasoonyam · Post by **jnaanasoonyam** » 24 Feb 2007, 19:59

This is part of a weeklong arts & music festival 'Chennai Sangamam' organized all over Chennai by the Tourism Dept & Tamil Maiyam. Moving spirits behind this are Kanimozhi (Mu. Ka's daughter) and the Rev Jegath Gaspar Raj. Music concerts and therukoothu style events are there at various city parks, beaches, etc. Not sure where Krishna performed. Sanjay, Sudha, Sowmya etc performed at Natesan Park, drawing full house crowds.

I attended Sowmya's concert last nite at Natesan Park, T Nagar.

Song list (from memory.. may not be the exact order):

Sowmya, Neyveli Radhakrishna, Neyveli Narayanan

Sakala kala vaniye - Kedaram
Ennai nee maravade - amritavarshini (r sketch)
kumaran taal - yadukulakambhoji
arula vendum taaye - saramati (r)
nambi kettavar - hindolam
Three raga RTP - Mohanam, Vasanta, Darbar - tisra jati ata talam
('mOhana vELayile vasanta kAlattile naTesan darbArile isaiyuDan...')
adum chidambaramo - behag
villinaiyotta puruvam - kavadi chindu
tiruppugazh
vazhiya sentamizh

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 24 Feb 2007, 20:44

Looks pretty good if the TN Govt will promote CM in their efforts to promote Tamil. If the crowds are good there will be a revival of interest in CM indeed!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 25 Feb 2007, 00:07

BTW, is Tamil Isai same as singing Tamil compositions in CM ragas?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 25 Feb 2007, 00:21

Good question! As I understand 'Tamizh isai' is where the language is Tamil. The music can even be western or chinese! Correct me if I am wrong!

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 25 Feb 2007, 00:35

I attended BJ and TMK at Nageshwara Rao Park and Sanjay and Natesan Park. The ambience at Nagesh Park was really awesome - a cool breeze was on and leaves would spiral down intermittently along with the cascading ragas...

BJ's concert was a tukkada oriented one with a very nice Jagadhodharana - good to see that she did not restrict her repertoire to Tamil items. Krishna was in a very good mood and in fine form - his concert was a study in contrast with a string of heavies and an RTP.

I was late for Sanjay's concert and arrived while Oh! Oh! Kalame (Sahana) was on...there was a brief but decent RTP in Malayamarutham. The concert was good but the atmosphere at Natesan Park could not match that of its sibling in Mylapore

Kudos to the organizers for a well conceived event - unfortunately the stated objective of bringing music to the masses was not really achieved...there were some curious hangers on but most of the crowd seemed to be middle class mamas and mamis

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 25 Feb 2007, 00:56

vijay
Your description itself is poetic and musical! Nice to imbed RTPs in the midst of Tamizh isai! Malayamaarutam with light breeze and cascading leaves must be just divine ..

annapoorne · Post by **annapoorne** » 25 Feb 2007, 18:40

Sowmya's concert at Natesan Park started a bit late.
The second song was a brief Nattakurinji alapana followed by Muruga Muruga (Bharathiar) with brisk kalpanaswaras.

She sang Ennai nee maravade at Infosys Hall with the kalpanaswaras at
"Nee maravade"

rasaali · Post by **rasaali** » 26 Feb 2007, 10:38

vijay wrote:.there was a brief but decent RTP in Malayamarutham. The concert was good but the atmosphere at Natesan Park could not match that of its sibling in Mylapore

Were the lyrics "Vandaadum Solaigal Tannile, Malayamarutham Veesum"? I have heard Sanjay render this back in 1996. Somehow the location makes me think this lyric might have been chosen, even it it was not as awsome as the other park...

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 26 Feb 2007, 11:43

Yup, rasaali, that was the one I think....CML, thanks

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Feb 2007, 13:13

This pallavi is a new one for me! V.V. Sadagopan sang his own pallavi as follows:
mOhana vELai idE, vasantha kAlamidE, malaya mArutham vIsum, Ananda bhairavi arulum--mOhana vELai idE!

sangeetarasikan · Post by **sangeetarasikan** » 27 Feb 2007, 00:43

vasanthakokilam wrote:BTW, is Tamil Isai same as singing Tamil compositions in CM ragas?

You've hit the nail on the head, vk. This question has to be posed to those fools lobbying for Tamizh Isai and berating Carnatic musicians for not singing 'Tamizh Isai' when they actually mean Tamizh songs! If they are serious about Tamizh Isai, they should be promoting the Oduvars and other Tamizh heritage. Even the great Kalki Krishnamurthy did the mistake of confusing between Tamizh Isai and Tamizh compositions in the CM repertoire.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 27 Feb 2007, 00:47

While on this topic, have people heard of similar movements in the other 3 languages? i.e. do we have versions of Telugu isai, Kannada isai or Malayalam isai? My feeling is that this is a peculiarly Tamil phenomenon. Wonder why, is it just that Tamilians are a bit fanatical about their language?

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 27 Feb 2007, 00:59

No need for any telugu isai movementIMO

It is a proven fact that it is hard to do a concert without a telugu Tyagaraja kRti (unless it is deliberatelt planned) and not the other way!

There may be people on other states who like to listen to compositions in a language they understand better - But thankfully nobody is insisting on labels

-Ramakriya

sridevi · Post by **sridevi** » 27 Feb 2007, 01:13

Welll...for starters
" Kannada Isai "
would be an inappropriate title for a concert with krithis in kannada..

Sridevi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 27 Feb 2007, 01:17

Isn't CM itself called 'KarNATaka isai" ?
Why should any ask for 'kannada isai'

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 27 Feb 2007, 01:20

That's why I gave the example for telugu

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 27 Feb 2007, 01:25

>There may be people on other states who like to listen to compositions in a language they understand better

Quite true. I would even make it a stronger stateemnt 'There are a lot of people in other states who like to listen....'. That is quite an universal and natural desire.

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 27 Feb 2007, 07:36

this is what CHO has to say about the chennai sangamam koothu:
Cho Ramaswamy, Editor, Tughlak

"It is a sangamam (confluence) of misuse of public funds and arbitrary selection of arts and artistes. The organising body, Tamil Maiyam, has been authorised by the Government to spend limitless money without sanction.

Who will audit the accounts for expenses incurred on publicity, payments made to artistes, etc? Moreover, by merely holding a festival like this once a year, one can't nurture any art.

Folk arts are being preserved through performances during temple festivals and other such special occasions. It doesn't require wastage of public funds. To appreciate the Carnatic music, one should develop a taste for it by repeated listening. Making artistes perform for people who have no interest or taste is injustice both to the performer and the audience.

I feel such concerts should be organised in schools, where interested students may attend programmes and cultivate a taste for the art."

there is no 'nadhi' for promoting the dying nadhaswaram flute and veena! and the govt. seems to be indulging in such things!