Sanjay Subramanian at Shanmukananda Sabha - 16.1.11

[S.Balaji]

Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Trust organised “ Sri Kanchi Mahaswami Festival 2011 ” wherein ‘ Sri Jayendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award ’ was conferred on Sri Sanjay Subramanyam . This was followed

By THE MASTER in THE LITTLE MASTER’s home town Mumbai in Shanmukananda Sabha . Sanjay was accompanied by Shri S.Varadarajan on the Violin and Shri Neyveli Venkatesh on Mridangam.

There was no Tampura at all ! Only a Radel box…

Yavare Brovaraa – Varnam - Sahana

Re re maanasa bhajare Gajananam - Nattai – Chengalvaraya Shastri

Chandiran Oilyil avalai kanden – Malayamarutham – Subramania Bharathi

Kaya Rohanesam bhaja maanasa – Aberi – Muthuswamy Dikshithar

Endhuko nee manasu – Kalyani – Thyagaraja Swamigal

Akilandeshwari – Dwajavanthi –Muthuswami Dikshithar

RTP - Alapana on raga Narayani >> Priyadharshini >> Mukhari >> Nagavalli >> Suruti >> Thilang ?
Pallavi---- Narayananai bhajipom avan naamathai ninaipom…Lakshmi Narayananai – Lyrics by Raghava Ramanuja Dasar

Uppum karpooramum ondrai pol irudhaalum – Virutham…followed by Aadum Chidambaramo…. Behag

Mangalam


Mumbai rasikas virtually had to wait for the entire Chennai margazi season to complete and the Mumbai season actually began with this concert !

Sanjay, just having completed a busy season still appeared fresh and energetic , in prime form

Well….. An outstanding concert ….which lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. Will definitely be remembered by Mumbai rasikas for long as many still remember GNB’s / SSI’s / Nedunurigaru’s… performance at Shanmukananda in the 60s, 70s and 80s even today !

What an amazing breath control this man possesses ! Be it Thara stayi or Mandra Stayi……….. mind blowing singing….

The sub main was Chandiran Oliyil and the main was Endhuko nee manasu

A very innovative RTP with not so regular ragas and Sanjay had to announce them as we were scratching our heads to identify…

Both S.Varadarajan and Neyveli Venkatesh were absolutely brilliant..

Witnessing a huge crowd after a sometime ! ( previously, it was for Bombay Jayashri's concert in Sep 10)

Will write more once the audios are uploaded…

[tyagarajadasa]

Had to miss this! My aunt and uncle were all praise for the concert! Bad luck!
Waiting for the audios...

[narayan]

Not that it matters, but the last ragam in the RTP sequence was announced as Komalangi, if I recall, and the song following was in that raga as well. Narayani and the first four ragams were all started in the swara sequence with the RM starting phrase emphasised and then morphed to the various avatars.

The continued training under the nadaswaram vidvan that Sanjay continues to learn from, was highlighted in quite a few phrases!

Varadarajan's Kalyani ragam was outstanding.

Very enjoyable concert that I heard from A to Z, as it was by almost the entire row that I was seated in. New feature (for me) was intermediate applause for long passages in alapana and swara and even the tani, from the rear of the hall.

[arasi]

That tilang sounding rAgam was kOmalAngi--followed by nArAyaNanait tudippAi in the same rAgA.

[kssr]

Wish I get an opportunity to listen to the malayamarutham Bharathiar song. Sanjay is a sure winner with such numbers. In Bangalore I recently heard his Pallavi line of Bharathiar "Ninnaiye Rathi endru Ninaikkirenadi Kannamma"- What a performance it was!

I have also heard his "Uppum karpooramum ondrai pol irudhaalum" in YGP hall in chennai sometime back. Out of all his tamil songs, I got a distinct feeling that the sahityam of this piece is not stage worthy- very ordinary- in spite of Sanjay being the presenter. IMO, can be avoided. Can someone give me the lyrics? Not keen on going to the other string to make the request

[arunk]

Adapted from http://jeevagv.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post_31.html

viruttam:
uppum kaRpUramum onRaippOl irundAlum
Urengum peridAy kaRpUram tanaic colvArE...!
appaDippOla anEgattalam irundAlum, and
allal vinait tolaikkum tillaippadikku nErO...?

pallavi:
innamum oru talam irukkum enRorugAlE,
En malaikkiRAy manamE?

anupallavi:
sonna sonna talangaL engum ODikkaLaittu
sOdittaRindAl, inda Adi cidambaram pOl
(innamum oru talam...)

caraNam:
viNNulagattil nI(L)nilamelAm kUDinum
veNNiRamAm oru taNmadi munnillAdu
taNNulaviya alli tiraLAyppUttAlum
oru tAmaraikku ovvAdu

maNNulagattil uLLa tarukkaL anaittum kUDi
maruvulavum kaRpagattaruvukku iNai varAdu
puNNiya talangaL pala irundAlum naTESan vAzhum
puNDarIkapuram pOl kaNDu solla vEREdu?
(innamum oru talam...)

Arun

[kssr]

Thank you very much, Arun. That was real fast. I think Sanjay sings only the virutham portion. Rightly I have remembered the words to be too ordinary and colloquial. But it fits the main song.

In the new format I do not know how to "QUOTE" another's post not "EDIT" my own post.

[arunk]

I am not sure if that viruttam is supposed to go with that song only - although it seems to make sense. It is a reasonable fit as a precursor to any song praising thilllai.

Colloquial - I think it is sort of the same vein of a lot of GB songs - I guess appaDippOla in particular is perhaps quite colloquial (as opposed adupOl(a)), but then here it is used specifically for prAsa with uppum. But then I am not sure colloquial is necessarily a no-no in CM. I thought Thyagaraja himself may have used colloquial terms (?) - also Annamacharya (?).

Arun

[arasi]

kssr,
I am glad you asked for the lyrics. Sorry, I don't agree with you on what you say about it. Old fashioned, yes, but what lovely lines! Well, the modern composers have to wait until their songs are sung at a time when they will also be considered old-fashioned
To me, this is an apt opening to the song. The visual imagery in the lines is rich.

Arun,
Thanks for the lyrics (I was familiar with them, though have not seen them in print).
I have a few doubts:

1: uppum kaRpUramum onRaip pOl onRirundAlum or, just 'onRu pOl' irundAlum sounds right. onRaip pOl asks for onRu or maTRonRu.
2: Then of the stars and the moon (not the land): viNNulagattil (or viNNulagattin) mIn inamelAm kUDinum veNNiRamAm oru taNmadi munnillAdu
3: puNNiyat talangaL pala irundum or irundAlum? Meaning doesn't change but the flow is better with irundum.

By the way, when we are thinking of corrections, Sanjay's name in the thread can also be changed to Subrahmanyan! Wonder how it was written in the framed award

[arunk]

arasi - your corrections make sense.

[rshankar]

Arun - another correction - shouldn't it be orukAlE in the pallavi?
innamum oru talam irukkum enRorukAlE

[Sundara Rajan]

Ragava Ramanujar's composition "nArAyaNanai thuthippAi" in raga kOmaLAngi was popularised by late M.M. DanadpANi dEsikar in the sixties.

[arasi]

Ravi,
I missed it!
Another thing: oru tAmarai malark kovvAdu--is more like it.

[S.Balaji]

the last ragam in the RTP sequence was announced as Komalangi

Yes. Sanjay did mention this...

He still learns....from veteran Nadaswaram vidwan Shri Semponnarkoil Vaidyanathan ji.

Arasi Mdm, I think his name is SANJAY SUBRAHMANYAN . Requesting the hub admn to correct the title pls as the edit mode is disabled now.

On Kalyani >>>> a 12 minute splendid alapana was followed by a superb 9 minute Violin. The Swaram was at Endhuko

Re re >>> Swaram at Re re

Chandiran oliyil >>> a nice 5 minute alapana and Violin each on Malayamarudham ..... Neraval @ Payan ennaamal ..and the swarams too

Kaaya Rohanesam had a quick start and virtually no alapana on Abheri..

The RTP was the most interesting feature of the concert.

Sanjay apparently was not contended with the 2.40 hour / mt tenor and was whispering an organiser that he had to cut short ....

The audios have been uploaded. Pls browse : http://carnaticmusicmumbai.blogspot.com ... brahmanyan

[arunk]

ravi/arasi,

The text is not something I knew and maintained. I googled after seeing kssr's post, found the blog, simply took the tamil text and spent a couple of minutes "transliterating" it using my tool i.e. auto-transliterate (copy-paste and convert) and fixed up obvious the errors introduced by the auto-transliteration step - I didnt comb through it that carefully .

Arun

[kssr]

After considering the appreciation of the lines by some of our forum members I looked at it again. The reason for my uncomfortable feeling for the line is also its meaning. Which is more valuable, Camphor or Salt? It concludes Camphor probably because it is more expensive to get. But what is really important for life is salt, which is essential for life. To say camphor is more important is like saying, between water and beer, beer is more valuable

[arunk]

I don't think that is what the lyrics are saying. It is saying while salt and camphor look alike, the whole town (i.e. people) say camphor is more special (or shines more or stands out more etc. etc.). Just like that while many temples may look like it, thillai is quite special. I don't see where it is declaring/concluding camphor is special because it is expensive (?). That seems more like your own conclusion !

Arun

[rshankar]

To say camphor is more important is like saying, between water and beer, beer is more valuable

Not to digress, but to carry Arun's argument further, the situation (times) when the statement was made is also important - in the early middle ages, water was dangerous because it carried plenty of germs and diseases, while alcoholic beverages like beer were less likely to do so; additionally, beer has way more calories - a prized property in those days of starvation and undernutrition (and a curse in these days of obesity and overnutrition). So, the above statement could be correct under certain circumstances...One of the many reasons why many large houses, monasteries etc had their own 'brewery' or fermenting pots...

[mahavishnu]

Just saw this on a friend's Facebook status:
For the 1st time in the history of mankind "Need", "Comfort" & "Luxury" are sold at same price in India! Onions: Rs. 65, Petrol: Rs. 65 & Beer: Rs. 65

[rshankar]

Just saw this on a friend's Facebook status:
For the 1st time in the history of mankind "Need", "Comfort" & "Luxury" are sold at same price in India! Onions: Rs. 65, Petrol: Rs. 65 & Beer: Rs. 65

Mahavishnu: I like it how you did not specify which was 'need' and which was 'luxury'. Depending on a person's tastes the labels can vary right?

[mahavishnu]

Ravi, that was not intentional . But now that you say it, I guess what the hidden subtext is that determining whether uppu or karpooram is more valuable depends totally on the person and his/her needs at that time.

[rshankar]

Ravi, that was not intentional

As my 14-year old would say - 'Uh huh! I totally believe you!'

[narayan]

Please pardon basic question, but are songs such as the Malayamarutam song in this concert, tuned by Subramania Bharati or are the lyrics by SB and music by someone else? The reason I ask is that I recall hazily one or two SB songs with versions in different ragas (do not remember details).

[mahavishnu]

Some songs of SB were tuned by him. I think the more common version of Chandiran Oliyil is in Kiravani, although I am not sure if this is what the Mahakavi intended. Some have sung it in Chandrakauns; not sure who tuned it in Malayamarutham. Sanjay has sung it a number of times in recent years, all in Malayamarutham.

Rajkumar Bharathi (great-grandson of Mahakavi) gave a lec dem at the Music Academy last season on the original tunes of Bharathi's compositions. Incidentally, this won the award for the best demonstration this year at the Sadas. Many of the original ragams seem completely different (both in style and bhavam) from the ones in vogue today. Here is the Hindu's report of the event: http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article1089893.ece

Here is another blogger's recollection of the lecdem: http://radharamjimusic.blogspot.com/201 ... akavi.html

[arasi]

chandiran oLiyil is one of the many songs where BhArati has not specified any rAgA. For some of the songs, he had a rAgA in mind--he would have sung them out that way too, I imagine. Examples are: kAkkai siRaginilE in sweet yadukula kAmbOdi, bArata samudAyam in BehAg, ettanai kODi inbam in dhanyAsi (we were taught those in the original rAgams when we were children). I am wondering if the tukkaDA status of his songs came about because they were popularized in movies and of course, lighter rAgAs make popular movie songs.
Kharaharapriya, chakravAkam, Ananda bhairavi, nATTaik kuRinji, punnAga varALi , behAg and bhUpAlam are some other rAgAs he has favored.

[rshankar]

Tuning of candiran oLiyil in candrakauns was done by Sri TNS - he and his disciples sing it in candrakauns. Regardless of who tunes this composition, I have not heard the third caraNam sung - the one that starts with 'mIngaL Seyyum..'. Did Sri Sanjay sing the third caraNam?

[arasi]

Ravi,
I haven't heard him sing the final verse. However, It's possible that he has. I've heard him sing all the verses of GKB's ennEramum once, for instance.

[arasi]

Ravi,
I just heard the song as Sanjay sang it in Mumbai which does include the final verse which he sings in madhyama kAlam. Since there are only three verses, singing the third one brings the whole impact of this Bharati's song to us. The beauty of it is that the gItA vAchakam 'seivadun kaDanE, paNi seivadun kaDanE, adan viLaivugaLil Asai vaikkAdE' is embedded in it: to do is your responsibility. The results are not your business.

[rshankar]

WOW! That must have been nice, Arasi!

[arasi]

Ravi,
It is in this very thread for you to hear--post #14.

S.Balaji,
Thanks a lot for bringing Sanjay Subrahmanyan's concert to us!

[bharathi]

In case the forumites are not aware; 'Chandiran Oliyil' is a CD released by Charsur with the SB's song sung in maliyamarutham; this was a recording of Sanjay's Tamizh Isai Sangam concert in 2009. I bought this CD in the Bharat Sangeet Utsav in early November and it was released just then. It is a lovely concert containing beautiful Tamizh numbers polpularised by Sanjay..

[arasi]

After a long time, I'm coming back to the uppum kaRpUramum question.
Urengum maNakkum kaRpUram was precious when common salt was found even in a humble household. The idea in the line stops there. As Arun says, this is to emphasize that tillai is a unique place. The other point that salt IS more precious in the sense that we all need it more than we need kaRpUram is outside the context of the verse.
Another point is that salt is and was taken for granted! This again is outside the context of the song