MaNakkAl Rangarajan

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 02 Jul 2006, 22:22

Jayaram
I can give you a hand for the stuff in UK ..

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 03 Jul 2006, 01:30

Jayaram:

Here is a suggestion.

Cleaveland Aradhana would be a good launching pad for a North American tour. I do not know anyone personally there to get the ball moving but you can start officially at

http://www.aradhana.org/contact.html

If anyone in the committee knows about MR's greatness, hopefully, that will cut across the usual politicking that happens to get a slot to perform.

On top of that, the Cleaveland Aradhana bestows awards each year. We can put up a campaign for "Sangeetha Rathnakara" or another suitable award commensurate with the veteran status of MR.

http://www.aradhana.org/awards.html

Comments?

manakkalsriram · Post by **manakkalsriram** » 03 Jul 2006, 15:45

Thanks for discussing about my fathers music to be known in the world.
Actually cleveland Mr. Sundaram, who is actively involved in the festival,
is a great admirer of my father's music. I had earlier put in a word to him and also given him in writing stating my desire that my father should be honoured there. He told me that he had forwarded to the committee but somehow till now nothing has taken place. But, we are really fortunate and blessed at the way you true rasikas of music are taking interest in it.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 05 Jul 2006, 20:46

I agree Cleveland aradhana is an appropriate forum to honour Manakkal and also to help make his music more well-known. However, as Sriram himself has pointed out, this requires quite a bit of pushing and following up. It would be best if we can get someone local to help us on this. I have contacted a few of my friends in the US for ideas. Meanwhile, your suggestions are most welcome.

I feel we should work on a US/Canada tour in parallel any way. I used to know a few of the organizers in US/Canada, but have lost touch since. Those of you reading this bboard from North America, do help us out!

Jayaram

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 05 Jul 2006, 21:00

Jayaram
I can give you a hand for the stuff in UK ..

Thank you, Kiran. Would you be attending the Tooting temple concert this Sunday (9th July)? We can meet then.

Jayaram

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 05 Jul 2006, 21:58

Thank you, Kiran. Would you be attending the Tooting temple concert this Sunday (9th July)? We can meet then

Jayaram!!!

Whose concert is it? I dont have a clue...

Can I have your email address?

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 06 Jul 2006, 03:37

[quote=""kiransurya""]

Jayaram!!!

Whose concert is it? I dont have a clue...

Can I have your email address?

[/quote]

Manakkal Rangarajan's concert, of course! Don't miss it!!

You can contact me at: jayram_oz@yahoo.com

Jayaram

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 06 Jul 2006, 13:38

Cheers...

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 08 Jul 2006, 16:35

Dear rasikas,

Manakkal gave an electrifying house concert last night here in London. Some of the ragas featured were:
Shuddha bangala (Rama bhakti)
Atana
Ritigowla (Paripalaya)
Latangi (a rarely heard Tyagaraja kriti "Kantajudumi okapari")
Brindavana saranga (Kamalapta)
Mukhari (Sivakama sundari)
Kapinarayani (a brisk Sarasa dama dana)
Pancha shatpitha (Karnataka devagandhari - formed the main item)
...and a great viruttam that included Dhanyasi, Sahana & Nilambari

The maestro was at his best. I would have liked to listen to some more of his music, but shortage of time didn't permit. I honestly feel that concerts should be at least 3 hours to give us full satisfaction. (I remember concerts in the US that would last >4 hours!)

Balu Raguraman on violin, and Manakkal Sriram on the mridangam gave excellent pakkam. Sriram's tani was especially brilliant, and included very pleasing phrases.

The intimate house recital atmosphere provided the perfect ambience.

All in all an excellent concert, a collector's item indeed.

Jayaram

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 08 Jul 2006, 16:43

sorry, forgot to include one item: Varali (Ka va va)

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 08 Jul 2006, 20:39

Latangi -a rarely heard Tyagaraja kriti "Kantajudumi okapari"

Jayaram!!!
Do you mean "Kantajoodumi oka saari kree" of Thyagaraja? In that case it is in Vaachaspathi unless Sri Manakkal sang it in Lathangi..

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 08 Jul 2006, 22:14

Greetings to the lucky ones who heard the concert!
For those of abroad who could not attend please make available the concert in CD if possible and guide us how to get it!

Thanks

sriucl · Post by **sriucl** » 08 Jul 2006, 23:17

Kiransurya,

yes, it is the same Vachaspathi Kandajoodumi , Manakkal sang in Lathangi.

Srivathsan

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 09 Jul 2006, 00:36

Kiransurya,

yes, it is the same Vachaspathi Kandajoodumi , Manakkal sang in Lathangi.

Srivathsan

I undersand this is one of the songs of Tyagaraja that's sung in both ragams. Another one is Chetulara - in Bharavi or Kharaharapriya. Not sure of the history of these changes, maybe someone more knowledgable can enlighten us. (Perhaps this topic warrants a separate thread?)

There's a plan to bring out the London concert recordings; shall inform you when and how you can obtain the CDs.

Jayaram

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 09 Jul 2006, 09:03

Manakkal and Lathangi

an out of the world track

http://rapidshare.de/files/25336589/mar ... i.mp3.html

45 minutes of bliss

posted many years ago on the subject of konakkol

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 09 Jul 2006, 20:55

Dear Shri Jayaram,

Please give all future concert-reviews in the Reviews section. That way it will be more organized. Thanks.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 11 Jul 2006, 03:52

Manakkal and Lathangi

an out of the world track

http://rapidshare.de/files/25336589/mar ... i.mp3.html

45 minutes of bliss

posted many years ago on the subject of konakkol

I have a basic question - I have not been successful so far in downloading ANY of the music mentioned here, from rapidshare. I use the FREE option, I get a download ticket, then it errors out when I click the download button. And after a few tries, the system says I have reached the limit for free downloads!

Is there some trick to this or are you all paid members?

Apologies for posting something not directly relevant to Manakkal. You can email me in case you don't want to add to the noise here.

Thank you.

Jayaram
jayram_oz@yahoo.com

meena · Post by **meena** » 11 Jul 2006, 04:46

jayaramji

Pl. in future any Q's NOT related to the topic pl. post at 'general section' or 'Q & A section'. Thanku

Regarding rapidshare free account, ur download-limit, which is set to 30 MB per hour.
If u exceed u have to wait and u can resume d/l again

rapidshare giving out 'free premium accounts' so watch out for the free banner sign and u may be the lucky one.

Also Pl. 'search' the forum before u post, we have discussed abt how to d/l from rapidshare free account manytimes. Thanku

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 22 Jul 2006, 13:21

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/fr/2004/0 ... 610400.htm

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 23 Jul 2006, 17:14

Srkris
thanks for that article.

Here is a brilliant concert by Manakkal Rangarajan -One of all my all-time TOP HITS.
Absolutely brilliant concert.

http://rapidshare.de/files/26697777/manakkal_1.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/26700357/manakkal_2.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/26703703/manakkal_3.mp3.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/26706180/manakkal_4.mp3.html

Enjoy !!

knrh05 · Post by **knrh05** » 23 Jul 2006, 20:06

Who are the accompanists in this concert? Never heard konnakol before as an upa-pakkavadyam.

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 24 Jul 2006, 06:32

No idea about the accompanists

Maybe Sriram can tell after checking up .

param · Post by **param** » 24 Jul 2006, 10:33

The accompaniments for part 1 to 3 are:

MS Anantharaman Violin
Mannakasl R Sriram Mridangam
BN Muthukumar Ghatam

The accompaniments for part 4 I will post after I download and hear it.

manakkalsriram · Post by **manakkalsriram** » 25 Jul 2006, 05:03

I am here in london for the past one month with my father. With God's grace my father(manakkal Rangarajan) is doing well and with the well wishes of the rasikas we are having a tight active schedule in London. I just saw Mr. Coolkarni's download of my father's music. Actually the accompaniments are Sri M.S. Gopalakrishnan on violin and madurai krishna Iyyengar on the Kanjira. Madurai krishna iyyengar does the Konnakol also. Mridangist, I think it is Sri Thinniam krishnan, but I am not sure about it. I am returning India on the 31st and there I can check the record books at home and confirm about the |mridangist though I feel I would be almost right that it is Thinniam krishnan. The recording which Mr. param has referred to as Sri M.S. Anantharaman and myself is the previous one which Mr. coolkarni has downloaded about a week back.
Regards to each and everyone of you.

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 25 Jul 2006, 10:08

Sriram thanks for the update.

jayaram · Post by **jayaram** » 28 Jul 2006, 20:29

I am here in london for the past one month with my father. With God's grace my father(manakkal Rangarajan) is doing well and with the well wishes of the rasikas we are having a tight active schedule in London.
...
Regards to each and everyone of you.

I must say, we music rasikas in London have been extremely fortunate for the past month! Being able to listen to such a great vidwan, and also to be able to sit down with them and have conversations is a great privilege. I will forever cherish the wonderful moments spent with them.

Manakkal sir and mami are such simple people - there is so much grace about them. And Sriram is such a genuinely wonderful person, has become like a brother to me...

Hope better things and more recognition are on their way for this great vidwan at least now.

Jayaram

manakkalsriram · Post by **manakkalsriram** » 29 Jul 2006, 05:03

Thank you, jayaram. Actually we are really fortunate to have such a true wellwisher and admirer like you. In london here, jayaram has been a real source of strength for us. Jayaram's love for our music has been the secret of our energy. Few of the true rasikas(quality) like jayaram are enough for us and it is the real sangeetha kalanidhi for my father and these rasikas are the real treasure for my father which any award cannot substitute. As there is an incident where nadaswara chakravarthi Rajarathinam pillai was playing nagaswaram for a marriage procession. Suddenly the lightboy told sabash and Pillai stopped playing and bowed down to the lightboy and told that this lightboy would have heard so much of nadaswaram daily in his career . The sabash which he told gave pillai utmost joy and was more precious than any padmashri would have given him. Likewise, our web rasikas in rasikas.org are all full of knowledge and unbiased. They know what is true and what is false. They cannot be flattered. To get even some praise from these rasikas is the greatest pride and recognition for an artist.

gaanam · Post by **gaanam** » 03 Aug 2006, 13:42

i'm big fabn of manakkal rangarajan.(MR)
i'm a Miruthanga student.
i was present in the first concert in lewisham .. and i listened to most of the last concert from a ' mobile phone recording'.
my english is not so great so.. please excuse me for it. also, please pardon me for saying honestly what i felt about sri MR's concert.
i lewisham MR sang kamboji main.. (o rangasayee) and hemavathi as sub main (sri kanthimathim)
i dont want to say anything about MR's singing. its pure magic. i have listened to couple of his old cd's they are mind blowing pieces, no doubt about it. but here, i want to write about the concert as a whole. i'm sooo dissappointed to say this, but i have to; it was a flop. it was a flop not because of MR's singing but because of the miruthangam of manakkal sriram(MS). i say this with deep sadness, really. i have seen all the posts in this forum.. and i was very shocked to see that nobody even tried to mention what they really thought about MS's miruthangam. i think MS has only started practicing miruthangam after the confirmation of the uk tour. it was sooo clear that he was out of touch. MS could not first of all keep a steady layam. heÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢d start accelerating in the middle. Always the song ended in a different gathi to what it started, always faster. MSÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s sollu was not clear. He was repeating the sollu again and again in the concert and it was very boring too soon. Most importantly the miruthangam was very loud as well. MR is not young anymore and he donÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t have the strength in the voice to match the noise of the miruthangam. Poor MR was trying to promote MS, but I honestly think it wont do any good for the concert. Most people donÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t really listen to miruthangam carefully. They would go home thinking that the concert was not brilliantÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦and the will not be impressed with MRÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s singing. Only keen (or experienced, knowledgeable)listeners would understand that its not the singing but the miruthangam that makes us un comfortable. In hemavathi, MR sang some brilliant nadai kalpana swaram. MS tried to repeat the same kanakku when violinist played and it disturbed the violinist greatly. Violinist has his own kanakku and MS didnÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t allow him to play them. He tried to play the same jathi that MR sang. He did not play them correctly or clearly either. If that annoyed meÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¦. I can imagine how badly it would have annoyed the violinist. From the recording in the last kutcheri, MR sang the same nadai swara kalpana.. and the theermanam was exactly the same he sang in the first kutcheri. I think MR is limiting himself to the theermanams that MS is familiar with. I think this is a great draw back for a great musician like MR. he is not coming out with all his knowledge because ms simply can not keep up with him.
I listened to only 5 mins (recording) of ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…â€œamba kamakshiÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢ (bhairavi)from the last concert. MS messed it up badly. There was no imagination from his part. Amba kamakshi gives soo much room for miruthangam to show a wide rage of strokes and variations in kanakku. But MS was playing the same thing again and again and again. I wish he would listen to what the other artistes play these days and keep him self updated. MSÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s guru palghat mani iyer has shown many times with MDR how to play miruthangam for amba kamakshi. i want MS to listen to those. During the thani in last concert i noticed that the shruthi was completely off... i am not sure whether it was a fault of the recording or really the miruthanga shuruthi was off. I am sure everyone noticed that MR would adjust the thaalam according to MS's play during the thanis.
I think its better to stop now. I know I have already offended many people, including mr manakkal sriram. Please accept my apologies for being open and honest.
I have not put my real name so that all can feel free to scold me in the forum.
Thank you
gaanaamuda paanam

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 04 Aug 2006, 19:34

gaanamuda paanam

Since nobody is offended even 48 hours after your post ,
I am gingerly putting up this post so that you dont get offended.

Rasikas at this forum may not set the Cooum on fire with their mridangam appreciation skills but are mature enough to accept the fact that CM can be very very complicated and technically exacting and that it is perfectly in order ,
to review a concert , highlighting the faults of a performer.
So if you have to say Sriram was not upto the mark , please say so in simple words.We will all understand that.
What we dont understand is your diatribe against Sriram.And the fact that you have gone behind the screen just for this purpose-by your own admission.

I hold no brief for Sriram , though I must add a disclaimer that I have enjoyed exactly four delightful cups of coffee, three pieces of a rhombus shaped sweet , two bananas and a very very precious one hour video of Madurai Somu at their home.

If the main thrust of your post is that Sriram has to quit Mridangam playing , or listen to his gurus tapes again and play only if he can play like his Guru, then you must say so and leave it at that.
There is no need to drag other members who have not found fault with Sriram yet , or dont listen to mridangam carefully, or cannot understand the nuances.
And no need to attribute motives to Manakkal Senior either
(Promoting son , singing phrases which only his son can handle etc)
They are beneath the dignity of any forum.

As a student of Mridangam you must be knowing that the laya aspect is one of the last frontiers for a rasika.CM can stump a person on many counts-(why even for a raga ..just look at the faces in the audience when a Jothiswaroopini or similar raga is taken up)
As far as bigger names are concerned I have attended a Concert of Trichy Venkataraman in Sastri Hall (hope the name is correct) where T Rukmini kept her violin down halfway through saying it was too tough for her and a few minutes later Mannargudi Eswaran uttered those famous words - You can sing sing that stuff with your voice , it is getting increasdingly impossible with my fingers..
all in good humor ofcourse.
Yet again I have attended a concert of KVN with UKS which was a total disaster , for whatever reason-Maybe the mood of the artists or the style ..but as a layman I could discern it.

As far as listening to a concert for 5 minutes and deciding ...
early 90s , I walked away from a concert of kanyakumari (with embar kannan for the first time) after a scratchy 10 minutes.
Back home I listened to the same concert , now on radio -a glorious reethigowla for 45 minutes.(If anyone has it recorded , please put it up here and I can guarantee you that it is one of the finest reethigowlas one can hope to hear on a violin.)
These days , I sit atleast till halftime.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 04 Aug 2006, 20:34

Kji,
Thanks for your eloquently made point: I am sure we all now wish we had written that!
It would do us all good to remember that 'a swallow doesn't a summer make, a song doesn't a concert make, and a concert doesn't a career make'
Ravi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 04 Aug 2006, 21:14

I am glad coolkarni has chosen to respond first. I have been toying with the idea of expressing my views but was reminded of Pope's maxim 'Fools rush in...'. Since I am an ignoramus in regard to laya I cannot claim any expertise. I am a fan of MR from childhood and will remain so till I shuffle off my mortal coil. Though I have heard all the best Laya experts of yore, my exposure to Sriram is non existant since he is too young! But I recently heard a few gems of MR accompanied by Sriram on the first set of CDs released and I was amazed by his versatility. He has also been legitimately praised as a childhood prodigy. Now what you write is diametrically opposite to what I have heard objectively (granting that I am no wizard on kaNakku to notice when and where he slipped). I need lot of convincing 'objectively' (with a recording and timelines) to show that Sriram is counter productive. I know MR is such a purist that he would not tolerate slippage even from his own son! He would admonish him openly than try to cover him up. Now I have reason to suspect your motives in posting these derogatory remarks. Please post your analysis with audio timelines (since you seem to have a recording) so that experts can comment on your assessments. If you have any private quarrels otherwise with Sriram this is not the Forum to settle personal vendetta. At any rate the concerts will soon be released for the public (I am looking forward to it) when we can objectively make up our minds. If you choose to respond pl bring proof behind your 'accusations' than empty words 'doused in venom'.

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 04 Aug 2006, 21:21

I find nothing wrong with gaanam's post. Many senior & reputed muscians have been criticised in much harsher tones in the forum. It's a fact that many great vidwans have gone out of the way to promote their off-springs and a few have succeeded. Nothing wrong in that. But if it is going affect the performance then the rasikas have a right to say so.

Rajumds

kiransurya · Post by **kiransurya** » 05 Aug 2006, 00:41

CML and Coolkarni
Glad you stood upto to the occasion..

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 Aug 2006, 04:20

The mridangam player's plaint smacks of the vicious sangeetham BB posts about Karthigeisan (?) Pillai, a vocalist from S.Africa. Obviously, the post is intended to deride the mridangam player, the musician's son. As for his pointing his finger at Sri.M.Rangarajan himself, I ask him--won't CM flourish even more if the artist (father or mother) not only teaches the offspring but also encourages the child by providing and seeking oppurtunities? Think of familial talents wasted in a child because the parent isn't willing to help, or couldn't help it (as in the case of Bade Gulam and his son?)
Another thing. You may be very good at playing the mridangam. Still, there could be many others who play the mridangam better than you, and they do not criticize others...

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 05 Aug 2006, 14:17

gaanam,

You have every right to make your views known, and I appreciate that you came out in the open, but see the following:

1. Dont slander
2. Make it clear that it is your personal opinion.

Artists, however great or shallow they may be in your opinion, are also human, and they get pained by unsubstantiated remarks. So please be objective and reserved in criticism (I dont mean to judge your review above) but this is just a personal request.

gaanam · Post by **gaanam** » 05 Aug 2006, 17:08

Coolkarni:
Its NOT my intention to throw a tirade at Manakkal Sriram. I wrote out of sheer frustration caused by numerous silent whispers into my ears by the people who were present at the first concert. As I had stated at the beginning of my post, I am a huge fan of Manakkal Rangarajan. I was very very frustrated when a few friends of mine chose NOT to go to the subsequent concerts of MR just because they didnÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t think much of the first concert! I also know they donÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t look in to specific aspects of the concert but look at the concert as a whole. They just thought MRÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s singing is not good enough. Now, going by cmloverÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s comments, that is not objectively correct. We all know how magical MRÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s singing was on those concerts. I just could not bare to see some of the people not appreciating MRÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s music because of the Mridangam. I had to, in my opinion, defend MRÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s music and the price I had to pay for doing so was to highlight the mistakes of Manakkal Sriram. I thought that more people would come to appreciate ManakkalÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s genius if he was not restricted by Sriram in the fashion I described in my post. Surely, I can not simply say ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã¢â‚¬Å“Manakkal Sriram is not good enough, full stopÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â

coolkarni · Post by **coolkarni** » 05 Aug 2006, 18:23

Your view point accepted ,now , without reservations..

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 05 Aug 2006, 20:45

Gaanam,
In the process of my asking you not to hurt the feelings of others, I might have come across as being rather insensitive to you (now that you state your intentions). I do not know MR except by his name and his music. It bothers me to see folks who are reluctant in extending their goodwill to others. Your too long a tirade against Sriram CAME ACROSS to us as something else. My apologies to you.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 Aug 2006, 21:47

Apparently you have very good intentions but you came out wrong! In a nutshell you say there is nothing wrong with Sriram except that he lacks practice. I am sure Sriram will take it gracefully. As far as I understand he is not a 'full time' mridangist. You are correct in his not being visible on the concert circuits with the presentday vidvaans. Unquestionably he has great talent and he needs to devote more time to hone up his skills. At the same time it is the job of us Rasikas to encourage him and of other 'great' musicians to avail his services more freely. MR himself is a very private person and I have not 'seen' him for ages! I was surprised when I wrote about this stalwart once on the Sangeetham BB, a few were asking Manakkal who? I was pained to see the loss to CM. Let us make sure that it does not happen to Sriram.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 05 Aug 2006, 21:57

CML,
Can we please have you say 'tathAstu' and put an end to this? If we follow chembai's rules, we should all be fine.
Ravi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 05 Aug 2006, 22:19

tathAstu!

manakkalsriram · Post by **manakkalsriram** » 06 Aug 2006, 12:52

After Mr. Coolkarni had started with a varnam , followed by others with keerthanas and thukkadas, I will now conclude with a mangalam. First and foremost, thanks to Mr. Coolkarni(who is known for taking the initiative always) ,cmlover, Arasi, Mr. Srkris,etc (sorry if I have missed to mention the names of any one of our friends) for coming forward to maintain justice. Carnatic Music is an ocean and I have considered myself always as a student. I always welcome healthy criticism and suggestions so that I can improve myself, though the manner in which Mr. Gaanam(the mysterious superman) had reviewed, did hurt me, as Mr. Srkris had rightly pointed out. Actually speaking, after the concert, I was surrounded by people, telling me that the mridangam had boosted the concert. My father himself, who cannot be convinced easily, congratulated me after the concert telling me that I was the hero. But the reverse opinion of Mr. gaanam did surprise me. As cmlover cleverly pointed out, my father is a purist and would not compromise on his vidwat at any time for the sake of anyone. Even during the days of my childhood(the time when child prodigies were rare,) believe it or not, my father had never recommended that I should play the mridangam for his performance. My father would take me as a mridangist only to those places where he was invited on the condition that I should accompany him on the mridangam. When I was a child of eight I accompanied my father to Thiruvaiyaru to just watch the festival. At that holy place, all of a sudden I felt the urge to play for my father and started pestering him. My father thought I was joking. He knew that this wasnÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t the place for someone to experiment things... But people surrounding my father including some vidwans of the golden era told my father that when a child is so eager, He shouldnÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢t be refusing.. They somehow persuaded him. It was in 1970. You can sense the thiruvaiyaru festival at that time where only veteran vidwans of the golden era would take part in the festival. It was not an easy task for a child to take part. I was even smaller than the mridangam. With godÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢s grace I was playing in the major slot in the evening for my father. During the avartanam every stroke was received with thunderous applause and I was carried away from the stage. Subudu reviewed in a popular magazine with the major title being, ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…â€œDhool kalapina Kutti ManakkalÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚Â¢. There was a direct radio relay. Hearing the radio relay Chembai came home the next morning in person and told appa that he was singing in kapaleeswarar temple the coming week and sriram had to accompany him on the mridangam. My father was shocked ( I was hardly eight) and exclaimed,ÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚Â¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 06 Aug 2006, 13:18

Wow, now I think gaanam's criticism is a blessing in disguise, because otherwise we would not have heard so much history from Shri Sriram. Hehe, just joking.

Please keep sharing all this wonderful information. I perceive you as one of those rare links between the old musical order and the new, and more so because you want to speak so much about your experiences.

manakkalsriram · Post by **manakkalsriram** » 06 Aug 2006, 21:41

thank you srkris. it is indeed a blessing in disguise for me also as I am fortunate that you have enjoyed my information.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 06 Aug 2006, 22:47

Chembai
you stole my thoughts! We are very grateful to 'gaanam' for provoking this choice 'anecdotes' we could never have heard othewise. We are waiting for the London CDs. And I will be liistening to 'amba kaamakshi' with extra care (since I usually get carried away with vocalists svarajati magic!)

Thanks sriram!

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 06 Aug 2006, 23:06

Sriramji,

Please continue with your anecdotes and insights. Your experiences are so interesting. I am sure you have a treasure trove of such experiences. Please let us share your precious memories of playing with various musicians.

Every musician has his critics, but that did not deter the great people from producing wonderful music. So I would not give undue importance to criticisms.

My maternal relatives come from Manakkal too. Maybe they already know your father personally.

CML,

Pls dont call me Chembai. Others may not understand.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 07 Aug 2006, 02:22

Sriram,
In music too, as in other fine arts and crafts, family seems to play a part. When you are gifted with such a family and with the ambience that it brings, a few things happen. The child naturally has an edge. Still, if not nurtured right, the potential for the child may fade away. To be constantly compared to the parent--in your case, you did not take to singing, thank goodness--can really discourage the child.
Though I have not listened to you, I realize that you are adept at playing the mrudangam. Hopefully, I can listen to you the coming season. I wish you a bright future!
Incidentally, if Subbudu were to sing your praises--well, you have earned it!

gaanam · Post by **gaanam** » 08 Aug 2006, 12:53

Dear Manakkal Sriram and All others,
I realise how insensitive and rude my criicisms have been. I was very sad that I had hurt Manakkal Sriram and I sincerely apologise. I too enjoyed the endlessly interesting anecdotes written by Sriram. I do understand that my knowlege of Mridangam is utterly insufficient to evaluate the performance of an artiste who is clearly on a much higher level. I also realise I that I have a long way to go in learning the art of Mridangam listening let alone playing. I have acted in a way that could only be described as ..."chandranai paartha naai...". Please accept my sincere apologies everyone.
(Ag)gnaanam

rajumds · Post by **rajumds** » 08 Aug 2006, 13:53

why is it that certain artists are more equal than others in this forum. Is it because that they are the favourites of some prominent & importants members of this forum. Most of the members of the forum who jumped into defending Sriram after Coolkarni's varnam might not have heard Sriram play. Infact a few months back they might not have known the name itself.
Every member has a right to express his thoughts & discussions have to be kept at the technical level. There is no point in pouncing on a member for his views. You can listen to the concert in question & defend the artist with 'time line'. Will this forum accept anecdotes from say Kunnakudi or KJY (they will have much more interesting ones & have won more awards to). Please allow all members to post thier views & discuss them on the merit of the subject & not based on who posted it or on whom it is posted.

Rajumds

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 08 Aug 2006, 14:05

Rajumds,

I accept your reasoning. My request is only that critics be sensitive to the artists feelings, not to be non-factual. I think both are not mutually exclusive.

If you understand tamil, here is a Thirukural which says what I wanted to say:

"theeyinAl sutta puN ullArum ArAdE
nAvinAl sutta vadu"