Multimedia Presentation on Semmangudi Mama @Blr Gayana Samaj

HK Venkatram · Post by **HK Venkatram** » 22 Aug 2008, 00:17

SSI rasikas....I will be doing a multimedia presentation* on the life and times of Sri Semmangudi Mama at the Bangalore Gayana Samaja on 23rd Aug, 6pm. This is being done as part of the SSI Centenary Celebrations. This was supposed to be held on 20th July but the program got postponed due to disturbances in Bangalore that day.

Following will be covered as part of overall presentation

Life and times
Study of his concerts from a student perspective
Videos of his concerts (These videos are mostly from ninties)
Photo Gallery (about 130+ photographs) showed during audios

*It is a powerpoint presentation with appropriate pictures/audio/videos of the grand master.

Admission is free.

Regards
HKV

HK Venkatram · Post by **HK Venkatram** » 22 Aug 2008, 00:29

The subject should be "Multimedia Presentation on Semmangudi Mama @Blr Gayana Samaja 23rd Aug"

Sreeni Rajarao · Post by **Sreeni Rajarao** » 22 Aug 2008, 01:06

Is this Vid. H K Venkatram, the violinist from Bangalore?

HK Venkatram · Post by **HK Venkatram** » 22 Aug 2008, 01:11

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Aug 2008, 02:06

Welcome to the forum! Happy to have an accomplished violinist amidst us! Violin married to vocal, too (to the elder of the Saralaya sisters)!
Hope it is not a rainy day, and hope many rasikAs gather to savor the presentation.

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 22 Aug 2008, 06:58

HKV Sir!! I have attended concerts in which you have accompanied, and liked them!! Will try to make it.. it is gokulashtami day - let me see

may i know what is the duration? 6pm to ??

-hari

HK Venkatram · Post by **HK Venkatram** » 22 Aug 2008, 16:54

Arasi,
Thanks. One correction ...Violin married to vocal, too (to the younger (Triveni) of the Saralaya sisters)
The sisters alongwith one of my vioilin students Nagaraj Mandya (in the bay area) have also worked on the script and the content.

Hari, Thanks. I have read your reviews too. Great to see your (and other fellow rasikas as well) commitment in meticulously sharing the details of various concerts to rasikas.

The presentation starts at 6pm and should go on till 8:15pm. Gayana Samaj organizers have asked us to do it for 2hours and 45 minutes but I think it will be difficult to conduct a multimedia presentation for that long and keep the audience interested throughout.

In the last 4 or 5 months we have immersed ourselves in this presentation and it has been a exhilarating journey in knowing the details of one of the greatest musicians. It is an honor to present this program and It will be a great feeling to share this with SSI fans.

Regards
HKV

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Aug 2008, 21:09

HKV,
Apologies for the silly mistake! As discussed in the Brother and sister combos, it is difficult for rasikAs to know who is who when it comes to identifying the artistes in a duo! RasikAs also should pay more attention (Sorry, again!) while identifying them. A Semmangudi or Ariyakkudi is no problem but a Malladi (without even bothering to add brothers, adds to the ambiguity).
Wishing Trivenipathi and the whole team staging this event a great audience turn out!

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Aug 2008, 05:31

HK Venkatram

Welcome to the forum!

-Ramakriya

raj-123 · Post by **raj-123** » 23 Aug 2008, 07:11

Sri HKV,
Is it possible to upload the powerpoint slides for rest of us not able attend the live event. I am very much interested to see it..

s_hari · Post by **s_hari** » 23 Aug 2008, 22:29

The program was grand success. It was very different. Initially it was more like a documentory - during first part where SSI's childhood, guru and early concert days were depicted. As the show moved on, it became more interactive with human touch - HKV and two ladies (saralaya sisters??) talking while presentation was going on. To me, the pick is the study of concert format for SSI. HKV listed what were SSIs favourite ragas (based on -concerts from specific period), etc. He explored step by step on what were unique features of raga alapana, neraval, swara prastara, thanam etc with examples. For raga alapana, todi was used, and he compared with TN.Rajarathnam pillai style of playing and nadaswara briga, jaru swaras etc.. he played examples, first with nadaswaram clip, immediately following with SSI clip highlighting close resemblence. For neraval, he used examples from Guruleka etuvanti in Gowri manohari (tatva bodana jesi) and Sriranjani (i guess from marubalga..) For swara prastara, i don't remember the raga. For thanam, it was keeravanai, 1960 krishna gana sabha with MSG on violin. On how MSG during reply used hindustani style little bit, and how SSI exclaimed with "Accha".. and then in 2nd round, how SSI used some of those hindustani phrases himself by taking cue from MSG. HKV also played clips from SSI-KVN enduku peddala, SSI-MSS (don't recollect). There also video clippings from sangeetha natak academy archives, on how SSI tought his students - ehi annapurne in punnagavarali. There was clipping from 1988 Dec academcy concert - mathrubutham also. There was brief video from Gayana samaja concert where HKV himself accompanied SSI (I never knew this before .. HKV..)..There was also a list of what composers SSI handled (almost all of them!! I didn't see annamayya - i have heard he singing 1 or 2 songs)

Brief clippings of his favourite songs came here and there - like Om Saravana bhava, Ksheenamai, Bhairavi swarajathi - SSI doing a lec-dem style in an interview on how neraval & swara prastara can be done in swara jathi also. There was some "Do you know" kind of slides quizing auidence like do you know that he didn't travel abroad for religious reasons etc...

For his patriotic bakthi, HKV had parukulle nalla nadu (i haven't heard this before, i guess). There was extensive reference to his works on Swathi thirunaal - i heard pankaja lochana, bhavayami raghuramam etc. I missed his kharaharapriya... though navasiddi petralum clip came for a brief..

HKV - Hats off to you... Awsome job.. Please make sure to present the same in other cities also for wider audience.

-hari

jananee · Post by **jananee** » 24 Aug 2008, 21:16

Congratulations HKV on this wonderful presentation. We do hope we get a chance to see it sometime.
I was just recollecting meeting you at Hotel Equatorial in Penang as a professional from Intel ( i hope i got the company right) and this other side of you..a complete musician.What a lovely balance!

HK Venkatram · Post by **HK Venkatram** » 24 Aug 2008, 23:37

Hari,
Thanks for attending the program and the detailed/encouraging feedback. I hope do to do this presentation in other cities as well.
PS: Pls do meet me next time if you attend any of my concert.

Raj,
Most of the photographs required permission from the respective publishers. I am not sure we can share the powerpoint as is. However, we will figure out a way to share it. Pls bear with us till such time. You can contact me @... [email protected]

Jananee,
Thanks. You got the company right

It has also been a good experience in using the goodness of technology to propogate carnatic music.
--HKV

Naada Priya · Post by **Naada Priya** » 25 Aug 2008, 16:42

Dear HKV Sir, I too attended your presentation on Saturday and it was Great!!. I guess, the presentation had been done a month ago or so @ the samaja as a part of Vaarshika sammelana. I was feeling very bad that I missed it and had been cursing myself for not being able to attend it. However on Saturday(by gods grace) I got an opportunity to attend it and enjoyed it thoroughly.
As Hari says, "- Hats off" to you for the great time and effort that you have invested.