Parasalla Ponnamaal @ Vedavyasa Tapovanam, Sembakkam chennai

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Aug 2008, 06:01

Vidushi Parasalla ponnamaal - vocal
Vidushi Bama Krishnan - vocal support
Vidushi Dr N.S.Lakshmi - vocal support
Vidushi Lalgudi Vijalakshmi - violin
Seertalai ananthakrishnan - mridangam
H.Sivaramakrishnan - Ghatam

1. ni dayarAdA - andolikA - Adi - GNB (swara @ nadarupa sundari - charanam line)
2. sambO mahAdEvA - pantuvarAli - rUpakA - thyAgarAjA (alapana, neraval & swara @ sambo mahadeva - pallavi line)
3. emA ninnE - mukhAri - Adi 2 kalai - subbarAya sastri (alapana)
4. rAvE himagiri - tOdi - Adi 2 kalai - shyAmA sAstri
5. gOpAlaka pAhimAm - revagupti - misra chApu - swAti tirunAl (swara @ gopalaka pahimam)
6. pAlimchu kAmAkshi - madhyamAvati - Adi 2 kalai - shyama sastri (alapana, neraval & swaram @ Antamagu pEru ponditivi
kAruNya mUrti and tani avarthanam)
7. kandu nonu - neelambari - ?
8. sivagangA nagara nivAsini sri rAjeshwari - punnAgavarAli - papanasam sivan
9. dhim tare nare - hamsAnandi tillana - harikesanallur muthaya bhagavathar
10. vande matharam ambikAm bagavathim - madhyamavati - slokam from raja rajeshwari ashtakam

amma was conferred title sri vedavyasa gana maniby Guruji Kasi vishwanathar. This ashram is located far away from chennai - near kamarajapuram on the way to tambaram - from vellachery / madipakkam. The atmosphere was very serene, with guruji's presence and veda patasala students.

The award function started with veda gosham, invocation by Dr N.S.Lakshmi - gajavadana beduve of purandara dasa. Senior vidwan, Sangeeta kalanidhi T.K.Govinda Rao, and vidushi's bombay sisters participated in the award function, and concert that followed.

The concert started about 1 hour late from scheduled time 10.00am and went on until close to 12.45pm

It was all so divine and bakti filled in air ever where. One could feel the vibration..
I was fortunate to sit right in front of amma in first row thought concert.

Amma warmed up with andolika varnam of GNB, and followed it by nice and short swaras. The mike setting was not very good, and they adjusted it after varnam, amma's voice was audible clearly then.

Pantuvarali alapana was executed to perfection, and step by step, swara by swara.. Alapana started from adhara shadja and ended there. The way she built the alapana is amzaing, moving on swara by swara from sa.. to pa.. and then tara styani shadjam. The alapana was pretty much short, about 4 to 5 minutes. I liked some of the sangathis like g m g - ; S n d m p;

While rendering the kriti, karvai's after the lines - surabrunda keerata mani..... and gopuravasa sundaresa.....both in tara styayi shadjam were amazing..Also, while she sang, sambO.. and then karvai in tara stayi sadjam was simply great, and lifted the concert to different plane. The neraval and swara prasatara was very good, and entire thing was predominantly in middle octave. I was wondering why many of current artists just run from one octave to other octave, how she could demonstrate bringing raga bhava by singing predominantly in middle octave?

Mukhari raga alapana was classic again! some of the sangathis like p n n d d p; n d p . . p . . m g r and s n d s (in lower octave) brought out raga swarupa very clearly!! Again, the alapana was very short, for 3 minutes!

In the keerthana that followed, on the deity kamakshi of kanchi, the sangati was superb in the line mahima telupu...for the word telupu (part of pallavi). What a karvai it was around panchamam for ema ninne!! the cittaswaram and swara sahitya were well presented. In some places, she couldn't sing in upper stayi, she sang them corresponding lower octave swaras (line with pavanudane..)... However, there were no swaras or neravals for this song.

Then came a grant and majestic tOdi, for about 6 to 7 minutes. After violin response, she sang raga very briefly, mainly in lower octaves, giving hints for what is going to follow!! swara jathi was well presented.. many places amma shifted to upper stayi thereby electrifying the atmosphere!!

madhyamavati ragam was another example for step by step, swara by swara structuring. Most of her alapana seem to start from shadjam and end at shadjam, after traversing through the octave. Both during neraval and swara kalpana, she moved to 2nd kalam in same avarthanam. there was no kannaku anywhere, the korvai was very short - for 1/2 avarthanam to end.. tani avarthanam for brief, about 5 minutes, but it was very pleasing to ear, both of them playing it very soft and melodious.

Post tani songs were equally well presented, and neelambari song was requested by kundrakudi (master) M Balamuraikrishna. I was thinking if sings a ambal sloka to end, it would be fitting, she did the same!!!

It was a great concert experience, more of divine, bakti laden throughout, will remain fresh in my memory for long long time..

-hari

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Aug 2008, 07:21

Some pictures

and the final one...

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 04 Aug 2008, 08:32

Oh God! rAve himagiri and pAlintsu kAmAkshi in one concert! I really missed it!

Just a few days back I heard her bhairavi svarajati though at Hamsadhwani.

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Aug 2008, 08:59

Right -- She sang Bhairavi swarajathi on friday in Hamsadhwani, on sunday morning - this concert -todi swarajathi, and in sunday evening @ nada inbam - she sang yadukulakambhodi swara jathi.. All 3 of them sung, during SSI centenary by her!! What a fitting tribute..

-hari

Vocalist · Post by **Vocalist** » 04 Aug 2008, 11:36

Wow, I wish I heard her version of the varnam - in fact, overall in this concert, there's a lovely set of songs and I wish I heard them.

Correction: It's sivagangA, not sivaganA. It's composed by Papanasam Sivan.

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Aug 2008, 12:30

Vocalist - thanks for the corrections, i have made them.. It's a typo on the song name. I heard the punnagavarali song first time!!

When she was singing kamakshi keerthanas (#3,4 and 6) - when i close my eyes, i could see godess sitting in front of me! No exaggeration - such is power of music and the atmosphere...

-hari

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 04 Aug 2008, 13:13

s_hari wrote:Right -- She sang Bhairavi swarajathi on friday in Hamsadhwani, on sunday morning - this concert -todi swarajathi, and in sunday evening @ nada inbam - she sang yadukulakambhodi swara jathi.. All 3 of them sung, during SSI centenary by her!! What a fitting tribute..

-hari

Great Stamina at this age

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 04 Aug 2008, 13:18

Well, cienu - kind of tiredness was seen towards end of nada inbam concert - i will write my comments towards end of my day.. On saturday - she was enthusiastic after award function about both concerts on sunday. But on sunday evening, before the concert, she was little worried. Never the less, singing two concerts at this age, and given health conditions - is just too great...

-hari

Ravisuja · Post by **Ravisuja** » 04 Aug 2008, 15:12

The Nada Inbam concert was placid and tranquil and at the sametime, one could get the feel of Semmangudi touch here and there. Well done, considering her age