An invitation to participate

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 12 Mar 2007, 12:30

Cool.... the PSP thanis on our DVD are fabulous. Even without thinking about any calculations, they are just so musical. Many thanks for these gems.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 12 Mar 2007, 15:20

Nick,
Thanks.In fact we were just discussing the possibility of a Lecdem from one of his students sometime in the near future.And now I see your post.
Yes.They are just so musical,indeed.

kaumaaram · Post by **kaumaaram** » 12 Mar 2007, 15:34

jayaram wrote:Cool-ji, thanks for the videos. Btw, is it just the way it appears on my screen, or are all the people in the video that fat?

Who said that people are not fat? Wrong formatting has not undermined the audience including self!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 12 Mar 2007, 18:27

To put things in a historical perspective, up until 1930s and even 1940s medical text books devoted a chapter on how to get people to gain weight. This was a reaction to all the starvation/malnutrition related deaths in the world prior to that. I have to 'fess up that it was not the medical profession, but actuarians who worked for life insurance companies who were the first to discover that overnutrition kills just as much as undernutrition does! Many decades later, the medical field decided to bravely go where no one else had gone before, and as everyone knows, obesity and it's treatment have evolved into a multi billion dollar industry, and we now know that fat, far from being an inert storage tissue, is a very big player in the complications of obesity.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 12 Mar 2007, 19:41

Just wanted to confirm what Shankar has posted. The main killer in those days was 'consumption' (TB). Hence wasting away was the sign of impending death! Today the main killer is CAD (Coronary Arterial Disease). The prominant sign is Corpulance. Sitting quietly munching 'mysorepak' and listening to CM may be heavenly. But it is also the quick gateway to heaven. May I suggest that you collectively impose weight restrictions for future attendance at the concerts. No Joke! Even coolkarni may organze but cannot participate unless he fulfils the weight code! Here is a simple test. In case the future events are held upstairs, each particiipant must demonstrate two laps of climbing the stairs (up and down) before gaining admittance!

LIVE LONG LISTENING TO DIVINE CM !

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 12 Mar 2007, 19:45

The early morning walks with music singing that is done during margazhi may be the correct model for CM. Sing and walk, great way to keep your physical and spiritual health intact.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 12 Mar 2007, 21:31

cmlover,
I thought you meant corpulence. I have to confess that I am unable to draw the lakshman rekha half the time. While CM gives a spiritual stability, in physical sense it does create an entropy.Perhaps you have to guide us Sir, with your experience in hearing CM for donkey years!How you were in your 30's to 40's with respect to balacing CM and an appetite for munching(possibly)will be a good start for your impressive written skills to do a pullaiyAr suzhi.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 12 Mar 2007, 22:10

http://karnatikrunner.wordpress.com/tag/running/
CM and running...

Yep, my best running buddies are MDR, MMI, SSI, KVN et al.

M.D.Ramanathan accompanies me on most of my runs. His vilamba kala singing suits my slow pace and I can run for hours without tiring when he sings. His elaborate renditions and his varnams are the best. Those runs to the tunes of Chakkani Raja, Nannu palimpa, O Rangasayee are some of my best runs.

Madurai Mani Iyer is who I choose when I want to go for a brisk run. The problem with him is that I find myself nodding in appreciation and running side to side sometimes. Semmangudi is very good for speed training with his superfast swaras. Sanjay is a great guy to run with. I usually listen to whole concerts of his and enjoy the variety he dishes out. KVN and S.Kalyanaraman are very good for the hills though I havenâ€™t understood why. Maybe itâ€™s because Iâ€™m more consciously listening to them and they keep me quite busy.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Mar 2007, 07:03

Dear Rajesh
My address was directed primarily at the 40+
There is no real problems for you youngsters if you follow the three cardinal rules
1. Don't smoke (at all)
2. Don't drink (if at all, exercise moderation)
3. Don't indulge at all (if you are a bachelor; the risk is too high!)

Listen to CM to relax since it is the best form of stress reduction. I do not recommend running or doing physical exercise with CM since in my view CM is the best form of meditation. During my younger days there were no problems munching since we had to walk all the time (you could reach your destination in the time you spend waiting for the bus!). Physical activity levels were higher and also the restaurents will not carry any tempting fancy foods. Icecream was a luxury available only in hotels catering to 'westerners'. Also we used to listen to a lot more CM (without mike) those days which would reduce tension both physical and mental.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 13 Mar 2007, 12:03

coolkarni wrote:Nick,
Thanks.In fact we were just discussing the possibility of a Lecdem from one of his students sometime in the near future.And now I see your post.
Yes.They are just so musical,indeed.

That would be so good: yes, please!

My guruji learnt from students of PSP: M N Ramaswamy Pillai and Kandaswami Pillai. Both died some time back --- I wonder if you have any recordings of either of them in your magic archive?

gumki_thatha · Post by **gumki_thatha** » 13 Mar 2007, 12:19

Nick the names are mixed up, it is Coimbatore N. Ramaswami Pillai and Shri. Ramanathapuram M. N. Kandaswami Pillai. The latter was the guru of many popular mrudangists today, including Neyveli Venkatesh, Arun Prakash, and J. Balaji.
There are many concerts of Coimbatore N. Ramaswami floating around, including those with GNB, Madurai Mani, and others, but I have been having difficulty obtaining recordings of M. N. Kandaswami.
K. S. Kalidas, another student of PSP, still gives lecdems, in fact, he sometimes gives lectures on rhythmology at Madras University.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 13 Mar 2007, 12:34

That is a serious error of mine, and I am deeply grateful for the correction. I have to admit to having always been confused. To an Englishman who never met either there is such similarity in the names [Blush]

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 13 Mar 2007, 13:07

recordings of M. N. Kandaswami

please look up the threads on TK Rangachari and Mali- for the next week or so

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 13 Mar 2007, 13:46

I've been running for over 10 years and nothing [for me] works like SSI. For some reason, I simply cannot run to MDR's music despite being a die-hard MDR devotee; I like to set a reaonably fast pace [7 to 7:30 miles] and SSI's sarvalaghu sets an awesome pace... his sArasAksha gets me out of a jam each time I'm hitting the wall

kaumaaram · Post by **kaumaaram** » 13 Mar 2007, 13:56

Interesting comments about the obseity of listeners. Just for a second we should feel proud that we are a "weighty" group of rasikas belonging to this forum. But for many moments we must learn to reduce our fat so that ultimately our thinking faculty does not go faulty.

Jayaram: Let me reiterate that you should not undermine our status in terms of weight. Wrong formatting cannot exactly depict us, the fatty lot.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 13 Mar 2007, 14:26

I've been running for over 10 years and ..
I simply cannot run to MDR's music

Prashanth
I have ben walking only for 10 days now(a fall out of all the initial feedback on the concert ) and must admit that this clip gives you a good idea of how I am feeling now !!
Quite Comfortable with MDR.

http://www.badongo.com/vid/313416

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 13 Mar 2007, 16:18

Jayaram: Let me reiterate that you should not undermine our status in terms of weight. Wrong formatting cannot exactly depict us, the fatty lot.

Just to set the record straight, my initial comment was not meant to pick on any of you really. (I myself need to lose weight, so we are all in it together!) It was supposed to be a [somewhat witty] comment on the video format - but look where the conversation has moved!

But if it has led to people taking up exercise, then perhaps some good has come out of my comments after all.

kaumaaram · Post by **kaumaaram** » 13 Mar 2007, 18:15

Jayaram: No one got hurt in any form. [In fact, the weighty guys can offer a good defence]. I fully concur with what you had stated in the last line.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 13 Mar 2007, 18:38

just thinking of it.
I am yet to come across a Weighty guy Without a sense of Humor !!
Lots and lots of them , in the lean variety,though.

Jayaram.You will never know.You may have given all of us the best gift of our Life with that comment.

I have safely stored the clip featuring me , though.
Some day I will screen it here , in a way that will be like that Vivek classic.-run in reverse direction.
Ippadi Irandava Na (with hunched shoulders)
...Eppadi Aayite..

meena · Post by **meena** » 13 Mar 2007, 20:22

Kji

thanks for the video

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 13 Mar 2007, 21:44

Could not resist putting the video clip up, here.

:)

Suji Ram · Post by **Suji Ram** » 13 Mar 2007, 21:54

coolkarni wrote:Could not resist putting the video clip up, here.

:)

That was indeed a majestic walk !

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 13 Mar 2007, 22:52

coolkarni wrote:Could not resist putting the video clip up, here.

:)

And what an appropriate clip!! Now the paradigm twist is that elephant is walking while listening to MDR!! and we just happen to eavesdrop on what the elephant is hearing...

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 13 Mar 2007, 23:23

Coolji nice video.

What comes to my head is sAmajavaragamanA........ Beautiful.

Friends, One question though. Did MDR sing any padams? He used the vilamba kAla for most of the songs. But what about songs of vilamba kAla songs like rAma rAma prAna sakhi, kuvalayAkSirO, vijaya dvAraka, etc etc etc. I'm looking for the video of a snail.

meena · Post by **meena** » 13 Mar 2007, 23:36

ksrimech

AFAIK sree mdr has not rendered any padam, only javalis.

He used the vilamba kAla for most of the songs.

Tiger once said, "I wish to utter one word of caution against the growing tendency of the modern musician to show a distinct preference for Madhyama kala (medium tempo) singing. It is the Vilamba kala that reveals the true beauty of the emotional spirit of the melody." No doubt MDR followed the ideals of his guru like a shadow. He was one of the few Carnatic musicians who excelled in Vilamba kala singing. Vilamba kala exposition necessarily means the pursuit of enduring values. His slow rendering of the songs gave the listeners an opportunity to receive the divine message and ponder over it. His unhurried recitals gave a sense of vastness that liberated us from everything and made us feel that the whole world has been opened out to us.

However, it wasn't his inability to sing madhyama or durita kala (fast tempo) which made him adopt vilamba kala. Even his critics who have heard him sing the majestic 'Viriboni' varnam in Bhairavi raga would certainly admit that he was equally adept at singing fast tempo.

From my collections

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Mar 2007, 05:55

coolkarni wrote:Quite Comfortable with MDR.
http://www.badongo.com/vid/313416

That was hilarious Kji!

But be prepared for a lovely damsel to say/sing:
'tOl uDaiyai, mada gaja naDaiyai ninaindurugum ivaLai ANDaruL' in nATTaikurinjI! Or should I say 'Meenakshi beware'!

I am in no way dissuading you from continuing to exercise, however!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 14 Mar 2007, 06:23

In case you are curious the aadhaara shruti of MDR herein is about 100Hz which is -3 kaTTai. It is approximately the sound of a buzz saw (!0 teeth/inch and 10cps). It is also approximately the croaking sound of the Frog during the mating season

Perhaps MDR was the only stalwart who could make divine music out of such sounds of nature!

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 14 Mar 2007, 06:41

CML, is the 100Hz the measured frequency of what he is singing in that clip? Asking because he may not be singing Sa and hence is may not be his aadhara 'Sa'. Or you somehow teased out the frequency of the background drone?

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 14 Mar 2007, 07:29

thanks for the video

For the Records sake.
That was clipped from a documentary made by Soudhamini for German TV.
I regret that I have to limit my upload only to to this small bit, which was in a humorous vein.
The Video does show a wonderful play of an elephant swinging its trunk -sometimes curling it around its legs, sometimes swinging it back and forth , and also twirling it - to the background music of an alapana , very aptly chosen and mixed .
Will put the audio track alone in the thread on MDR.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 14 Mar 2007, 08:15

VK
I measured it at the point he was easing which is most probabably his Shadjam. it is possible it was even lower. You can check it out to see that it was lower than our electrical hum

(110Hz)

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 14 Mar 2007, 08:28

To me, on first hearing, it sounded like he is exploring around mandhra sthayi ma or ga towards the end. But that is just a gut feel.

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 14 Mar 2007, 12:03

thanks for the clarifications meena.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 14 Mar 2007, 13:30

Ippadi Irandava Na (with hunched shoulders)
...Eppadi Aayite..

C-ji, hope you were not planning to use the 'haathi' video for your 'before' view?
Hee hee...

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 14 Mar 2007, 13:59

No I was intending to put a clip from Haathi Mere Saathi,

You (or CML ,if you decline ) leading me from the front and My Wife donning the role of Zeenath Amaan (was it ?) poking me from behind, everytime I stop.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 14 Mar 2007, 20:57

Zeenat?????
It was a lovely Hema Malini!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 14 Mar 2007, 22:59

The goal is to stay healthy. Fatness is just a risk factor but you may be perfectly healthy (have a regular checkup( and if you do not have family history of diabetes/CAD/Hyperchlestrolemia.. In medical jargon we finger ther three F.s (Fat, Flautulent and Forty) which is what you have to watch for. At any rate one monthly bash with divine CM is not likely to hurt you and it is a price worth paying

Enjoy yourselves ans spread the smile around!

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 15 Mar 2007, 03:58

While we are it - also stick to a vegetarian diet...
Btw, is there a correlation between CM listening/performing and veggie diet?

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 15 Mar 2007, 08:37

Jayaram - of course it would be highly correlated as a majority of current performers (and listeners) come from the brahmin community - a community which is traditionally vegetarian.

Although, being a vegetarian myself, I don't really think the two things have any major impact on each other. S. Balachandar, considered the most brilliant vainika ever by many, was a non-vegetarian and I am sure there are many other such examples.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 15 Mar 2007, 12:47

Guys... I really need to put on weight!

Some might say they might guess I'd be the awkward one *blush*

!

kaumaaram · Post by **kaumaaram** » 15 Mar 2007, 16:33

jayaram wrote:While we are it - also stick to a vegetarian diet...
Btw, is there a correlation between CM listening/performing and veggie diet?

Well, you must ask those who visit the Arusuvai canteen at Narada Gana Sabha during the music season. People will certainly be hanging over in this canteen [especially when the performance of the artist is horrible].

Food habits, to the best of my knowledge, do have an impact on CM performing if not listening. Bulky guys might jolly well shed their weight for demonstrating a good performance.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Mar 2007, 21:17

Nick
Develop a paunch which is the necessity for playing 'ghaTaM'. With your laya interest you should learn it with priority

Also improve your financial status by borrowing a lot of cash! Then as you go along folks would say:
'there goes the ghaTankaaran'

(ghaTankaaran = player of ghaTam as also 'big borrower' (in Tamil)

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 15 Mar 2007, 23:11

jayaram wrote:While we are it - also stick to a vegetarian diet...
Btw, is there a correlation between CM listening/performing and veggie diet?

If you consider veggie diet as sAttviga annam, then yes CM and Veggie diet have correlation. Correlation available from the words of the vAkya of kRSNasvAmi and sadguru tyAgarAjar. Both of them have spoken right on the right occasions "samayAniki tagu mATalADanE".

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 18 Mar 2007, 12:49

http://rapidshare.com/files/19946856/FI ... T.MPG.html
As we approach the second half of the concert , I am skipping a few frames and putting up the last shot we have.
Towards the end,we had realised that we did not sufficient tapes to last the full program, so we had reserved 5 minutes worth of space.It turned out to be a good decision, Since we could capture Manakkal Rangarajan's words of Blessings and a clip that captured the rasikas group.

I have just not been successful in downloading the last few video clips that had been posted at rapidshare. Every time I try, the system comes back with impossible messages, that I have given up completely.

Can a fellow rasika who may have downloaded the Manakkal speech mentioned above, please upload the clip at an alternative site like sendspace or badongo. Many thanks.