Remembering MS - Kum. S Aishwarya - Vocal

[raghavt]

Vocal – Kum. S. Aishwarya
Sarvashree

Violin – R.K.Shriramkumar
Mridangam – H.S.Sudheendra
Ghatam - Shreeshaila

It was finally a ‘Friday’ and the best time to attend a concert. I reached the venue a bit late, by 6:30 P.M and the program had already started. Shri RKS was delivering the MS remembrance speech.

I was taken aback by the crowd of rasikas. The hall was overflowing and I could not even stand inside the hall. Thanks to cineu sir, I was accommodated in a vantage corner near the platform.

1.Om Namah Pranava… Yaman Kalyani – Adi Shankara - was rendered in the trade mark MS Style.

2.Narayanathe Namo Namo – Annamacharya –Aadi – An effortless rendering of this Kriti set the tempo and tone for the concert.

3.Manavyala – Nalinakanti-Aadi-Tyagaraja – A brief sketch of the raga, followed by the Kriti . By this time Aishwaryas was quite comfortable with the proceedings. The aalaapana of the raga – both by the main artist and the violinist need a special mention here.

4.Aparadha mulan – Latangi –Aadi-Patnam Subramania Iyer – (RNS) – A brilliant presentation of the raga, keerthanam and manodharmam. The swara patterns were imaginatively complex. Percussionists were surprised a bit at the first instance. Once they got to know Aishwarya’s intend, they chipped in. The teerumanama after the kriti by HSS was brisk and befitting the level of exposition of the Kriti

5.Bhogeendra Shayinam – Kuntalavvarali-Khanda Chapu- One of my all time favourite. This was renedered to bliss. Excellent kaala pramanam and lively charanam. HSS seasoned embellishment added color to the charanam. “malayAchalendra vinutam…” had a special thrust from HSS

6.Akshayalingavibho – Sankaranbharanam-Mishra Chapu-Dikhitar (RNST)
A brilliant alaapanam of the raga by Aishwarya was followed by the same on the violin by RKS. RKS was in top form, the sangatis that he put during the alapanai were breathtaking. Both the artists were gliding effortlessly and freely.
The kriti was rendered to the technical perfection, a tough one, Aishwarya was able to handle it quiet well.
Nereval and swaras followed. Aishwarya was at her calculative best during the swaras. The accompanists were highly appreciative of her.
Tani followed this. Tisram was taken up for exposition.The percussion team did a good job.

MS Signature Items

1.Bhavayamigopalabalam
2.Jagadhodharana – which was greeted with applause from the audience
3.Kuraionrum illai – which was soothing
4.Viruttam in Hamsanandi followed by Sreenivasatiruvenkata
5.Maithreem Bhajatha
6.Mai Hari Charana

All were rendered to their perfection. Special mention about the accompaniment of RKS during Jagadhodharana and Kuraionrum illai. They were really moving.
Overall a wonderful concert and evening. Got yet another opportunity to take the blessings of Radha Paatti.

I heared Aishwarya live in 2011 at Indira Nagar Sangeeth Sadas for the first time. Now she is at a new level altogether. All the very best to her.

some pictures - http://tinyurl.com/nowhu3p (poor quality, taken from my mobile phone)


:ymapplause: -- Raghav.

[cacm]

AFTER A VERY LONG TIME I FINALLY WAS FORTUNATE TO LISTEN TO A GREAT CONCERT AT AN EQUALLY FANTASTICALLY PERFECT FUNCTION BY KUM.AISHWARYA GREAT GRAND DAUGHTER OF M.S. & GRAND DAUGHTER & DISCIPLE OF SMT. RADHA VISWANATHAN THE LIFE LONG ACCOMPANIST&ONLY DISCIPLE OF M.S. THANKS TO INTERNET.
I want to briefly describe the PERFECTION INVOLVED:
The organisers had chosen the ideal speakers. SRIRAMKUMAR gave an incredible talk which brought back memories of the late great R.K.Venktarama Sastriar his grand father who had accompanied M.S. in so many memorable concerts.UNLIKE MADRAS(where I am from) & BOMBAY WELL KNOWN SABHAS, the AMBIENCE WAS TRULY GENUINE & I FELT SRI.T.SADASIVAM'S attention to details known to those involved with the M.S.CONCERTS (when T.S was WAS THERE INCLUDING THE MIC ARRANGEMNTS!) was there with SRI.SHRINIVASAN V with the entire family greeeting EVERYONE making sure they were taken care of as well as attending to EVERY LITTLE DETAIL MAKING THE FUNCTION A GREAT SUCCESS.With the co-operation of accompanists (like RKS & H.S.Sudindra) Aishwarya with TWO TAMBURAS PERFECTLY TUNED a sight UNSEEN NOW A DAYS GAVE A PERFECT M.S.LIKE CONCERT; HER VOICE, SRUTISUDDHAM AS WELL AS LAYASUDDHAM NOT TO MENTION THE PERFECT DICTION MADE PERSONS LIKE ME IN DESPAIR OF HOW THE GREAT EXAMPLE & TRADITION OF M.S. WOULD BE PRESERVED VERY HOPEFUL IT WAS IN SAFE HANDS WITH SMT.RADHA GUIDING AISHWARYA.I WANT OTHERS TO COMMENT ON VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE FUNCTION.
I can only state M.S.& T.S. would have been beaming with approval from above. I want to join others in expressing the opinion that the 98th birthday of M.S.was celebrated in A PERFECT FASHION.....VKV :-BD :ymapplause:

[cienu]

Thank you Raghavt for such a quick review and to Sri VKV for his equally quick response.!
The function began with a one minute silence as a mark of respect to the musical genius late Mandolin Srinivas
The entire program (including the concert) can be seen at
http://new.livestream.com/shaalelive/19sep2014
The hall (located in the first floor) was overflowing with Rasikas at 5 45 pm itself. As I had anticipated quite a good response, I had spoken to the Secretary of SRLKM Sri G V Krishna Prasad a few days back and alerted him in this regard and he had very thoughtfully arranged another 500 chairs in the ground floor with a huge LED TV screen displaying live video feed. However inspite of this both the floors were absolutely full including the staircases with rasikas standing and overflowing on to the main road by the side.
Children were requested to sit on a "jamakalam" in the front or on their parent's lap so that elders could get more seats.
I also requested the organisers to allow the rasikas to sit on both sides of the stage thus assuaging the pressure a wee bit.
The function began with the garlanding of a potrait of MS Amma and lighting of a lamp.
Sri G V Krishna Prasad welcomed the rasikas.
SRI S Anand - Editor, spoke on the quarterly issue of "Lalitha Kala Tharangini" the latest being the MS Special (which can be read in the link below)
http://www.srlkmandira.org/newsletters/ ... pecial.pdf
Sri R K Shriram Kumar spoke of his long Association with MS Amma, her perfection not only in music but in every facet of life.
He also metioned about the humility of MS Amma and the perfection with which both MS Amma and Radhakka rendered any composition ( only after practicing atleast a hundred times). He also expressed his dismay on the slow disappearance of Tamburas from the concert platform
Swami Tiru Dasa from ISCKON gave a wonderful speech on how MS Amma was an embodiment of all that was symbolic of our cultural heritage, her amazing music and her spirit of charity in giving even before earning.
The concert was a remarkable one with Sri Shriram Kumar, Sri H S Sudhindra and Sri Srishaila giving excellent support.
Another surprising fact was a huge number of children in the age group 7 to 15 sitting on the "Jamakalam" quietly listening to the kutcheri.
It was a great pleasure to have Neela Ramgopal Mami, Smt G V Neela, Sri M R Srinivasan (Former Chairman Atomic Energy Commision),Sri K Jairaj - IAS and retd Addl Cabinet Secretary amongst others in the audience.
Among the rasikas I could see Jayan, Raghav and Sappri. I also understand that Smt Sumitra Nitin had come for the program.
Neela Ramgopal Mami honored the artists after the Taniavartanam. Kudos to Sri Krishna Prasad for making such wonderful arrangements. He was telling me later that he had never seen a crowd like this for a long long time. A big thank you is also due to Sri S Anand for his painstaking compilation of the MS special newsletter.
Raghavt - Aishwarya also sang "He Nutan" of Rabindranath Tagore towards the end..
Please find below some pictures of the concert and the audience. (In the 4th picture you can see my mother Smt Radha Viswanathan, Smt Neela Ramgopal and Smt G V Neela .)

[rshankar]

Thank you for the reviews! Now to wait for the links!!
Cienu I bet everytime you hear such reviews, you (and your wife and mother) will experience what the mahAkavi said - 'mecci unai UrAr pugazhndAl, mEni silirkkudaDI' ('when others sing your praises, I experience horripilation')!
There's probably a lot of 'silirkkudal' in your future!

EDIT: Cienu - our posts crossed - I will view the concert over the weekend - thank you! (And your pictures with their vivid colors!)

[kvchellappa]

Truly, Aishwarya reminded one of MS. Not only, Bharati's apt lines but the Kural 'makan thanthaikkatrum udaavi ivan thanthai ennotran kol enum sol' would be apt. (We cam read makan as makal). My belief in God and MS came true in a blissful way. At 5.45 when I reached there was no seat and the few vacant seats were 'reserved'. I moved close to the mike and asked the mike man whether I can sit on the edge of the dais there. He said 'no', but a minue later gave me a chair and I sat and listened to the wondeful concert. I am in the 3rd frame, something to cherish for me. Thanks to Cienu and the organisers for the memorable event.

[arvenky]

The power of MS amma what I saw yesterday. Jayarama Seva Mandali was jostled with the milling crowd. As Sri Raghav put it I also reached late while RKS was on the mike and couldnt even step in. There was emotions all around. I am unable to recollect when was the last concert I stood all the way (might be in early 80s in Srirangam North Chithrai street for Santhanam mama). Lathangi was brilliant and there were lot of trade marks of MS amma's sangathi throughout the concert. Aishwarya is having good voice without much strain and she is effortless in both octaves. She sings without any inhibitions and good diction. Hope Namperumal will shower his unlimited blessings on her to take forward MS amma's divinity for the generations to come.

The hight point of the concert when she started bAvayami gopAla bAlam" Radha Viswanathan mAmi sitting in the front row also started singing along. That was the moment to cherish and what would be going on mAmi's mind. Precious moment that was.

Hope to hear her more.

thanks Sri Raghav for your review and got introduced to you through Jayan.

[gardabha_gana]

Overflowing crowds - not even standing room. Saw Jayan. Concert was shaping up well when I had to leave early due to a prior engagement during Lathangi. RKSK spoke so well..... I think we should have a talk by him about MS Amma.

[kssr]

My observations:
1. First of all, as everyone has mentioned, the huuuuuge crowd. That is the greatness of the name of Smt.MS Subbulakshmi. "Ninna naamadha bhala" as purandaradasa has said. There is magic in the name MSS.
2. Sri Rama lalitha Kala Mandira has been doing "selfless service" for the cause of music. This function is the beginning of their Platinum Jubilee. It was started in 1955. Our respects and pranaams to Sri.G.V.Krishna Prasad and Smt.G.V.Neela for conceptualising and putting up the grand show.
3. The "promotion" of the event. Vast coverage of the event in print and electronic media.
4. The speech of Sri.Sriram Kumar. He highlighted Smt.MSS as an exceptionally gifted, talented, hard working, dedicated perfectionist from a musical point of view. That is a unique view. I totally agree. There is hardly any artist who can come even close to her music. Also SRK did not go into the usual emphasis, when one talks about Smt.MS, about her spiritual radiance, etc.,
5. There was mention about MS's huge contribution to charitable and national causes. I think it was the swamiji. I think this is a very important and most creditable worK of Smt.MS.

Overall, it was unmistakable from the response to the event, that Smt.MS Subbulakshmi lives on in our hearts. She was a great musician but also a much larger personality.

[Rsachi]

KSSR, same takeaways for me.
RK Shriram Kumar' speech was the highlight for me.

Sorry I couldn't see the MSS bani in Aishwarya. She is working very hard and I wish her well.

[pattamaa]

Awesome.... Missed the webcast....will see late... I can feel the atmosphere....looking forward for 99 and 100 year celebrations...hope some of MS amma's not so common recordings will be commercially released.

[arasi]

Mesmerizing music of MS lingers on, and will do so in the future.

Thanks to Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, such an evening of remembrance was possible. They came in droves!

Cienu,
Thanks for the photographs too. Was good to see some familiar faces. Considerate as you are, had you spotted forumite Chellappa (a senior) standing, you would have found him a seat, no doubt!

What an atmosphere! After a long trip to Mumbai and the brief concert there, Aishwarya would have been energized to see such warmth from the audience--bless her great grand mother's soul. The youngster has a long way to go, but she is inspired, puts in a lot of effort and is guided by the diligence of her parents--more so by her grand mother and her guru Jambu Kannan.

If some of us seem to get easily enthused by her singing, it's because we love to see a treasure of a tradition carry on. When we know that a lot of dedication and work goes into it, we are impressed. Even as a child, the look of intense involvement and the spark of inspiration in Aishwarya's eyes warmed my heart. Her concentration in her singing and while playing her vINA is something to savor.

We are pained when national treasures in architecture are not preserved with love and care.
No wonder, we take pride when a living tradition of music is kept alive and is nurtured with care...

[espras]

A memorable musical evening to be cherished.

The speeches were good and from the heart. But they did slightly exceed the stipulated time.

Aishwarya did great time management in presenting her excellent concert. Lathangi had some new flourishes during swaram singing. To me the highlight was the detailed Shankarabharanam with the monumental Dikshitar kruthi coming out in all its splendour. RKSK’s glide in the lower octaves towards the end of SB alapana was very soulful.

The moving Jagadodharana, this time, had special connotations for me as just last week I was at the Aprameya Temple (Bangalore – Mysore road) where Purandara Dasaru is reputed to have sung this song on Balakrishna.

Sudhindra, as always, accompanied superbly throughout with fine anticipation. Sreeshyla joined in with aplomb. In the well executed tani avarthanam, it was a pleasing moment when, towards the end, Sudhindra rounded off the muthaippu softly articulating ‘Badari’ (the take off point of the neraval) for everybody to join in.

I was happy to meet rasikas Jayan, Arvenky, Raghav and Sachi.

The event was a great tribute to the legend MS. More such are being planned according to Krishna Prasad of SRLKM.

[Vignesh Viswanathan]

I am a proud to say that I am a Rasika from Madurai and I travelled all the way from the land of Goddess Meenakshi to Sree Jayarama Seva Mandali – Bengaluru on 19.9.2014 specifically for the 98th birth anniversary of the Goddess Meenakshi incarnate M.S.Subbulakshmi

The other reason was to hear her great granddaughter S.Aishwarya sing LIVE for the first time though I have heard and been fascinated by her you tube recordings.

Reached the venue half an hour earlier and to my surprise the hall was packed to capacity already thus proving beyond doubt that MS Amma still lives in the hearts of rasikas.

I sought the blessings of Radha Amma and I was so delighted that I got a divine opportunity to enjoy her Grand Daughter Aishwarya's Grand Performance sitting on the floor near Radha Amma's feet.

Shruti from MS Amma’s Tanpuras permeated through the whole Hall and Rasikas too got in Tune with the mood. Aishwarya, a mark of M.S.Amma herself with a smile, shining studs, meenakshi pachchai closing her eyes and imbibing the Shruti to her heart resembled MS Amma to our eyes and ears.

She started with MS Amma’s signature Dhyanam Slokam, Aum Namah Pranavartaya. I can say that the whole Hall was silent and merged with the Shruthi and Nadham.

With her opening song Narayanathay Namo Namo welcoming Sri Narayana Himself with the shining Chittaswaras in Ghana Raga Malika the concert was off to an energetic start.

The aalapanai in Nalinakaanti was so beautiful and different. Made the Rasikas to sit at the edge. She then beautifully presented manavyala. The brughas handled by Aishwarya on the line Ghanuḍaina Shree left me awestruck. Sri RKS’s following was outstanding as he knew the MS Patantharam by heart.

Aishwarya’s Latangi Alapanai was so brilliantly executed with lightning brigas in MS Signature style. Neraval and swaras poured forth from Aishwarya’s uncluttered Manodharama which was breathtaking. The build up to her Neraval reminded one of the Carnegie Hall’s Ikananina Neraval of MS Amma at Akalanka neeve. The swaras were most enjoyable. So strong is her sense of laya that she handles even the most complicated of kannakus with a sense of poise.

If one closed one’s eyes and listened to Aishwaryas main Ragam of the day Sankarabaranam one could be so sure that it was MS Amma’s singing in a lot of places. Plenty of sabash for almost every sangathi came from the audience.

While Aishwarya’s Raga swaroopa is typical MS I saw a lot of Radha Mami in her handling of Kalpana Swarams. Aishwarya takes seemingly stunning risks in her swara patterns which are so intricate to envisage but wonderful to hear. But such is her confidence that she finishes with aplomb. Once Aishwarya took control of the swaras at the Gandhara in Sankarabaranam, it was a joy to see her singing with Ghatam Vidwan Srishaila and RKS and Mridangam Vidwan Sri H S Sudhindra replying to her .A sort of Sawal – Jawab.

For me the Sankarabaranam Ragam was the precious Abaranam and highlight of the concert.

One could have danced to the Rhthym on kalitanuta sanyasi of Bhogeendra Shayinam presented joyfully by Aishwarya. Sri H .S.Sudhindra was superb in his accompaniment and raised the entire concert experience to a very high level.
In the Meera Bhajan Mai Hari Charan, Aishwarya was able to bring the full emotive feel of MS Amma. Her supersonic speed brigas at Chatulanatana in Bhavayami were unbelievable.

Aishwarya crossed linguistic barriers just like MS Amma and Radha Amma with her mesmerizing rendering of the Bengali Song of Rabindranath Tagore Hey Nutan. As I was sitting close to the stage I knew that the request to Aishwarya to sing He Nutan came from none other than Sri RKS himself.

The feel felt on 'Jagannaathaa' in the Hamsanandi composition gave me the goose bumps as though the jagath prabhu has touched me. There were many in tears in the audience.

As the concert rolled towards the finish with Kurai Onrum Illai and Maithreem Bhajatha there was just one kurai.
Will Aishwarya sing for some more popular songs of MS Amma? These were the words spoken in heart while 'pavamaana -mangalam' was sung and leaving the fans yearning for more.

To put it this way, the crowds which were present between

5 30 t0 700 pm – Full MS Amma Crowd and for MS Amma alone.Can there be any doubt? Such is the magnetic personality of hers and she still lives in the hearts of her millions of fans.

7 00 to 715 pm – A crowd in suspense. Will Aishwarya sing like MS or shall we leave? The choice was clearly there for the audience. One cannot force people to listen to a concert which does not connect, and that too a huge number of them standing. People will vote with their feet moving towards the exit door.

715 to 915 pm – The stupendous crowd which stayed back to listen was for Aishwarya and Aishwarya alone and her ability to connect MS with the hearts of rasikas. Clearly no doubt on that score.

9-15 to 10 00 pm – The MS Bhaktas - The people who swarmed the stage to see Radha Amma and Aishwarya . Many of them with tears said that they had seen MS through Aishwarya.

May Aishwarya grow to more heights through Bhakthi and Devotion. May her voice spread all over the World and reach all hearts.

Aishwarya, is sure an upcoming torch bearer of the MS legacy in the hearts of Rasikas. But she has managed to create her own unique identity and space by her sheer hard work and dedication.
Hats off to her and pranams to Radha Amma for sustaining the MSS legacy through her granddaughter.

[cienu]

Some more pictures from the memorable evening.
The dignitaries on stage, Sri Shriramkumar, Swami Tiru Das and Sri S Anand – Editor

Sri Shriramkumar’s wonderful straight from the heart speech.

A view of the stage from the back

A view of your’s truly cienu,my wife Geetha, Smt G V Neela, Smt Radha Viswanathan, Smt Neela Ramgopal, Sri M R Srinivasan, Sri K Jairaj.

Neela Ramgopal Mami says to S.Aishwarya. “May you reach great heights in the field of Music”

Neela Ramgopal Mami honouring S.Aishwarya with a Garland.

Used to being surrounded by hordes of fans – Amma is delighted after the concert.

[thanjavooran]

raghavt, cienu and vignesh viswanathan,
many thanx for the wonderful coverage.
with wishes,
Thanjavooran
21 09 2014

[cienu]

Dear Rasikas,
Please find below the link to Jayan’s review (braindrain) of the concert which was posted in his blog yesterday

http://kpjayan.wordpress.com/2014/09/20 ... -sep-2014/

Quote:
S Aishwarya , M S Subbulakshmi 98th birth anniversary concert, Sri Jayarama Seva Mandali, Jayanagar 19th Sep 2014
20Sep
Vocal : S Aishwarya (great grand daughter of MS )
Violin : R K Shriramkumar
Mrudangam : H S Sudheendra
Ghatam : Srishylan
song list:
01 shLOkam ( Om nama praNava) – Shankaracharya
nArAyaNa tE namO namO – rAgamAlika – Annamacharya
02 manavi nAlaginca rAdatE – naLinakAnti – Thyagaraja ( A )
03 aparAdhamulanniyu – latAngi – Patnam Subramanya Iyer ( A,N,S )
neraval & swara @ ‘krpajEsi nA manavAlaginca’
04 bhOgindra shAyinam – kuntaLa varALi – Swathi Thirunal
05 akshayalinga vibhO – shankarAbharaNam – Muthusvami Dikshitar ( A,N,S,T )
neraval & swara @ ‘badarIvanamula nAyakI sahita’
06 mein hari charaN kI dAsi – Meera bhajan
07 jagadhOdhAraNa – kApi – Purandara Dasa
08 bhAvayAmi gOpAlabAlam – yamunAkalyANi – Annamacharya
09 viruttam ( chediyuga?)
shrInivAsa tiruvenkata – hamsAnandi – Papanasam Sivan
10 hE nutAn – bengALi song – Rabindranatha Tagore
11 kurai onrum illai – rAgamAlika -C Rajagopalachari
12 maithreem bhajata – – Chandrasekhara Saraswathi
13 mangaLam – saurAshtram – Thyagaraja

The aura of Smt M S Subbulakshmi is everlasting. The number of music enthusiasts thronged the Sri Jayaramaseva Mandali is the testimony to the fact that the music lovers continue to cherish the music and the charisma of the legendary singer. The love, respect and admiration is bestowed upon her is unparallelled and I can’t foresee any other musician to match her in the near future.

A Friday evening is not the most suited concert attendance day for me. Difficult to leave office in time to reach at the start, maneuvering the snarling traffic makes me think twice. Yesterday was no different. For once, I thought of skipping, but that would make the 5th break of my promise to Cienu to attend her concert. So, I decided to attend, thinking that I would be able to catch the concert in the midway through. The place was easy to reach, but it took nearly 15 mins to find a place to park and walk back to the auditorium.

The hall at the ground floor was packed and people were crowding at every possible opening ( window, the doors, steps etc) like the blue BTS bus during peak ours. I strained my neck and had a quick glance, but could only see a screen and the telecast of the speeches. Quick query got me to the first floor hall, and the situation there was worse than that of the ground floor. The power of the brand MS ( I am saying this with utmost respect) is thus understood by me. Caught a glimpse of ARVenky in a distant corner and I fought my way through the crowd and found a reasonable place to stand and listen and observe the proceedings. Nearly 7:00 pm almost an hour behind the announced time, but for once I wasn’t complaining.

To the concert, as that is what matters. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear and read comments and opinion comparing the great grand daughter to her legendary ancestor. On look at the list will make you state this as “a typical MS song list”, and people attended remarking “reminded me of MS Amma”, fitting tribute to the legend etc. 100% in agreement with all those. In a single sentence, I could summarise this as an ‘honourable salute to the most loved voice of carnatic music by some one who showed all the credentials to be the flag bearer of her music”.

She started with the Shankraracharya shLOkam ‘Om nama praNava” before starting the ragamalika kriti nArAyaNa tE naMO naMO, stirring the memories of her great ancestor. Short naLinakanthi alapana before the thyagaraja kriti came in. Her tempo ( kAla pramANam) to me was very pleasing, bit more leisurely way of singing. A detailed , grand alapana of latAngi marked the day for me. Brilliantly constructed showing her mettle as a grownup musician, she made her arrival in style. Kriti was rendered brilliantly with an awesome, elaborate neraval. An equally fitting kalpana swaras, with some intricate swara patterns to some fantastic effect. The senior accompanying artist, all in admiration and support, chipped in encouragingly. This was the best moment of the concert.

A kuntalavarali filler came in before the main, not in the typical aggressive on your face high speed singing, but sedate and more pleasing rendition of the kriti. Shankarabharanam was the main, probably planned for the occasion. Grand alapana, she effortlessly traversed all the octave. Very well organised and progressed phrases, rich in voice and deep modulation. She used her vocal capabilities to the best use in the alapana, receiving immediate responses from the listeners. Akshayalinga vibho isn’t an easy one to sing. It was very brave on her part to attempt this. She sang the kriti very well, breezed through all those grueling sangatis with ease, sang a decent neraval. Had a couple of minor difficulties during the early phases of the kalpana swaras, probably from exhaustion by the towering effort, but quickly gathered herself back to complete a commendable swara-prasthana.

Post main largely was pleasing to the MS Amma aficionados. A meera bhajan, bhavayami gopala balam, the Tagore’s poem in Bengali, a request from the side for ‘kurai onrum illai’ and maithreem bhajata all immortal favorites of MSS and the rasikas.

This is the first time, I am attending a full concert of Aishwarya. I’ve had listened to her on a few other occasion where one only get to know how good she sings. But its only in such a full concert do we get to know her capabilities and her stature in the learning graph. She indeed has scaled very high and have grown into a very capable concert singer. With a performance like this, she should have made her great grand mother watching and blessing her from the above, very very proud.
Unquote:

[Lavanya Murali]

We are blessed to hear this concert by Aishwarya. My husband and I along with our 6 year old son arrived at the venue at 6 pm and it took us 15 minutes to reach the hall after parking the car. We were taken aback by the overflowing crowds spilling onto the roads and literally causing traffic jams. After pleading with people every step of the way for my son who wanted to see the Kutcheri live and not on the TV screen we reached the first floor just before the concert was to begin at 7 pm. Just managed a little standing space near the door. It was similar to the struggle pilgrims undergo when on a pilgrimage but the darshan of Lord makes the pain vanish.
All this pain was compensated by the divine music which poured forth from Aishwarya. Such confidence at such a young age and unfazed by such a huge turnout of music lovers, Aishwarya proceeded to give a concert which will forever remain etched in our memory. Much has been written about the concert by other posters and we are not such knowledgable persons to add much more except to mention that Aishwarya's music melted our hearts. This is the greatest similarity with her great grandmother's and grandmother's music.

[kvchellappa]

Nice to read it all. nicece to see the picture of Cienu and his wife. In all the credit for Ashwarya, perhaps the notable omission is her mother. Surely, she must have played a role.

[CRama]

cienu, Very happy to read about the stupendous performance of Aiswarya and feel proud about it. The sincerity, hard work and sadhakam definitely pays. I wonder how your mother is shaping Aiswarya in spite of her ill health. Aiswarya will definitely grow from strength to strength. Wish her many more more more achievements. I hope I will be able to hear her soon in Chennai.
For the last couple of days, I was totally submerged in U Srinivas music. I will hear the webcast and let you know. I think it will be available. All the best to you and your family.

[S.NAGESWARAN]

Dear Cienu,
I am happy about the tremendous response to the concert.
How I wish I could have attended the concert in person.
Best wishes to AYSWARYA and my Pranams to your MOTHER.

S.NAGESWARAN.
21.09.2014.

[arasi]

Chellappa,
Geetha is a nurturer in every sense of the word (I do mention her here and there in my posts). Cienu has a partner who is truly a sahadharmiNi ( bhArathi's 'avan kAriyam yAvilum kai koDuthu' suits her perfectly).

The more I hear about this concert, from seasoned and lay rasikAs, and knowing Aishwarya's determination and focus, I guess it was one of her best performances.
I am sure there will be more of them in the coming years. The blessings she gained when her great grandmother heard her sing as a five year old and the dedication of the family will help her get better and better in her music.

[cienu]

Dear Raghav,Cacm, Ravi, Rsachi, KSSR, Espras, Vignesh, Arasi,Jayan, Nageswaran,Thanjavooran, arvenky, gardabha_gana, pattamaa & Lavanya
Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes.

I was taken aback by the crowd of rasikas. The hall was overflowing and I could not even stand inside the hall. Thanks to cienu sir, I was accommodated in a vantage corner near the platform.

Good of you to have alerted me through a message. You infact got the best “seat” and could watch RKS from such close quarters.

The high point of the concert when she started bAvayami gopAla bAlam" Radha Viswanathan mAmi sitting in the front row also started singing along. That was the moment to cherish and what would be going on mAmi's mind. Precious moment that was

Yes. Bhavayami is a song which is close to Amma’s heart. Tuned by the expert tunesmith Kadayanallur Venkataraman, Amma had a small part to play in the tuning of the Charanam. Also the briga which Amma uses after “Parama Purusham” was a place MS Amma would be silent to listen to her daughter

Cienu,
Thanks for the photographs too. Was good to see some familiar faces. Considerate as you are, had you spotted forumite Chellappa (a senior) standing, you would have found him a seat, no doubt!

Ofcourse I would have After the concert began I saw a man struggling to listen standing on crutches and offered him my seat. Got a seat for myself a bit later thanks to Geetha Missed seeing Chellappa, Rsachi,Espras,Venky and others. I am not sure if KSSR came..

The youngster has a long way to go, but she is inspired, puts in a lot of effort and is guided by the diligence of her parents--more so by her grand mother and her guru Jambu Kannan...

Aishwarya is lucky that she is able to practice with her Grandmother almost daily, who in spite of all her physical problems has a razor sharp memory and amazing recall of the songs.There is also no doubt that Smt Jambu Kannan who has been teaching Aishwarya from 2002 has been an inspiring Guru for Aishwarya, always raising the bar and challenging her.

Nice to read it all. nice to see the picture of Cienu and his wife. In all the credit for Ashwarya, perhaps the notable omission is her mother. Surely, she must have played a role.

Yes indeed ! Geetha has played a tremendous part in shaping the music of Aishwarya and Saundarya, especially in imparting good values to both of them, apart from taking them for music classes and constantly motivating them. And yes, she takes care of my mother and sister too !

cienu, Very happy to read about the stupendous performance of Aiswarya and feel proud about it.

Thank you CRama, You were the first to mention about Aishwarya and her potential in your Krishna Gana Sabha review of the Dec 11th 2011 concert

[raghavt]

@ Cineu sir - Yes, that was a good place indeed. I could really see the (musical) conversations that were going on between the artists on the stage from close quarters. Reminded me of my good olden days when I used to be a 'mridangam carrier' Thanks again sir for that.

[gvauma]

sorry that my review is coming in a little late. But nevertheless, the concert is very special to me. I have known Aishwarya from her school days and even seen her learning from Jambu Kannan mami. She has come a long way and it is such a pleasure to see her efforts reaping the awards. She is worthy of every appreciation here. I was seated right in the front on the jamakalam with my two daughters. She was a total inspiration to my daughters and like other reviews mentioned, every child sat there to the end listening to the concert. Not one was restless. Even when one parent standing far away gestured to the kid to join her, the girl refused and stayed on till the end of the concert.

I loved the way Aishwarya did a namaste everytime she sang the god's name. The touching moment came when everyone stood up for a standing ovation at the end of the concert. Aishwarya, no doubt deserved it. To top it, she received it very humbly and modestly - a true role model for the next gen. It was a great moment for me as we took snaps with Radha mami. Thank you Mr. Srinivasan, Ms. Geetha for the warm welcome and i should definitely mention that it was nice to hear soundarya sing the entire He Nutan song from where she was sitting along with Aishwarya.

Umamaheswari
(Shivaranjini and Shriranjini's mother)

[sai_ganeshk]

Finally managed to listen to the recording Kumari Aishwarya's concert to commemorate the Birth anniversary of Smt M S Subbulakshmi. A bit late in the day but I definitely wish to record my immense pleasure, appreciation and admiration for Aishwarya for the transformation from a talented youngster to a worthy descendant of the Goddess of Music. Through this concert she has demonstrated that she has what it takes to fill the void left behind by MS and to do justice to the expectations the stalwarts on and off stage. It's a pleasure to see the same veterans who accompanied her great grandmother and grandmother on stage happily providing accompaniment to her performance.
I loved the alapana and rendering of Manavyalakim (my favourite Nalinakaanti) and the exposition of Sankarabharanam (Akshayalinga vibho). It was also a pleasure to listen to the famous pieces of Bhajans and the signature piece Kurai Ondrum illai. Suswaralakshmi's wealth- her Saraswati and Lakshmi continue to ring in the voice of Aishwarya! Wishing Aishwarya a glorious musical future!

[arasi]

As a youngster, I used to wonder why the elders attached such importance to a lamp or a copper pot. What was so special about them? How were they different from the ones I saw everywhere else? The would say: my grandmother gave it to me, and I think of her every time I light it. You should have seen that copper pot when she took it to the river to fetch water! The way it glistened after being cleaned with sand from the banks of tAmravarNi! Their faces lit up.

It's the same with our musical tradition. To keep that lamp shining, to bring in the music from the river in the same glistening pot...

[munirao2001]

I had plan to attend this program 'recalling' MSS Amma and also to hear Kum.S.Aishwarya, whose concert I am yet to attend and hear. I was denied this opportunity due to fever and indisposition. I also missed meeting Radha mami, Cienu & family. The reports, reviews and photographs did succeed in giving the proceedings and the concert.
When will I have another opportunity? I hope it will be in the near future.

munirao2001

[cienu]

Dear Sri Muniraoji,
All of us including Amma were expecting you for the function. Please take care of your health. Aishwarya's next concert in Bangalore will be at Gokhale's Institute on Jan 18th 2015.(Sunday). Will surely remind you closer to the date.
Warm regards
Cienu