Sruthi Sagar@Astika SamAjam(Alwarpet) On Nov 30th,2025

[rajeshnat]

Sruthi Sagar@Astika SamAjam(Alwarpet) On Nov 30th,2025
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Flute: Sruthi Sagar - disciple of Dr Sundar (DKJ Sishya) and he has also learnt briefly from Balasai in his toddler days
Violin : VSP Gayatri Sivani.- Present Student of M Chandrasekaran and her first guru is Srinavasamurthy
Mrudangam : Praveen Sparsh,grand son of Tanjore Upendran , student of Nellai Balaji and Guruvayur Dorai(significant)

Concert Type : Nirvana - Non Ticketed concert
Day : Sunday
Duration - 2 hours and 5 mins
Sabha/Hall : Astika SamAjam Trust /Venus Colony, Alwarpet
Occasion : Thyagaraja Aradhana Trust

All were Sadguru Thyagaraja Krithis

01.SanatAna Parama PavAnA - phalamanjari
*02. MAmava RaghuramA - Saranga
*03. bhajana parula (R,S) - shuruTTi
7 mins alapana and 05 mins violin return
5 mins swaras

*04. neeke daya rAdA (R) - neelambari
06 mins alapana with no violin return
05. kanta Joodumi - vachaspathi
3 mins neraval &/or swaras

The joy of say a flute-violin-veena is always taken by me as some kind of watts governor after i hear successive vocal concerts where sound overdoze is kind of rebased by these 3 beautiful instruments when played as a prime solo concert . For sure gayaki style impresses me . This genius Shruthi Sagar indeed plays the instrument with sahithya bhava in mind . I read some where when he was 4 years for few years he only picked up basics of flute from BalaSai .I have not even heard flautist Balasai , he always pairs with Karaikudi Mani . For most of his years Sruthi Sagar has been trained by Dr Sundar(student of Mahavidwan DK Jayaraman) where Sundar has sung and Sruthi Sagar has played flute.

On the concert ,No song was introduced and told in the microphone , whatever i marked with * , it is all that i had to ask him post the concert .Possibly since all were exlusive Sadguru Thyagaraja krithis , Shruthi sagar was at total ease as most of the musicians have most learning done with sadguru krithis. When he started phalamanjari , i assumed it was suddhadhanyasi /udayaravichandrika , i was thinking he was playing enta nerchina but it was sanatana parama pavanA. Sruthi adherence to shruthi was immaculate , he did well and the next weighty saranga also came up well

The next two in succession of shurutti and neelambari was phenomenal aesthetic combo. Shurutti was intensely Carnatic and I am not sure if i have ever heard this particular krithi as a grand sub main . Nice spread of top class fingering with sufficient blow he never entangled and create any shurutti entangled mess. What a joy to hear Neelambari , who says neelambari gives sleep . Neelambari gives a profound ecstasy where sruthi sagar set it free and was dancing with exuberance like the rains that was pounding . I did not know the krithi and i knew it was not uyalooga , neeke Daya rada was a lovely testimony of his depth

[rajeshnat]

06A. mundu venuka (R N S T) - darbAr
11 mins alapana and 06 mins violin return
Neraval for 8 mins
8 mins swaras
06B. tani for 09 mins

07. shobanE (2 mins alapana)- pantuvarALi
08. nagumOmu galavAni - madhyamavati
*09. Poola paanpu - Ahiri
10. nee nAma roopamulaku - sowrashtram

Main main it was . No confusion with the sister nayaki no phrases like a bit of madhyamavati-shreeragam , it was indeed darbar all along . In vocal concerts not many take darbar as main , i recollect some years back i heard once in a review that RK Shrikantan taking darbar (was that main not sure) . ALso if my memory is right OST also took , but the most i recollect is me hearing voleti in a recording that was fabulous with the same mundu venuga.Darbar was pure and traditional rendition where his virtuosity was showcasing his technique in a camouflaged fashion but he did not ever Showoff with technique.

THe tukkadas all three were simply out of the world . The joy of few decades back buying a cassette of maharajapuram Santhanam singing utsava sampradhaya was just reenacted by Sruthi Sagar . Panturvarali that comes usually two down from Top is also equally great when it comes two up from bottom . Nice pantuvarali alapana and shobanE was lovely. The nagumOmu galavAni in madhyamavati was lovely. I knew the last was definitely Ahiri and it was not sompaina and i had to clarify that it was Poola Paanpu. Ahiri is a superb raga that refuses to ever dilute in classicism.

VSP SHivani is a fabulous youngster . I saw her in few concerts like Lalgudi siblings in the audience . Her left movement of fingering in the board reminds surely of her viraladi specialist present guru Living Legend M Chandrasekeran. Her movements was quick and at times being instrument concert she did not bring any special unwanted drag . SHe calibrated as a pure play vocal like flute concert

This PRaveen SParsh is going to be a sensation for sure. He is a student of Guruvayoor Dorai but i find him playing a lot like Trichy Sankaran. His best was playing with speed lot of solkattu where he reduces volume so that it is a hit and not a HIT. Tani was just 9 mins but had atleast 15 mins content . Concert was in extreme excellence because of mrudu angam touches of Sparsh . The grandeur of Pudukkotai - Pazhani Subramania pillai Baani (Trichy Sankaran-Guruvayoor Dorai) of Praveen Sparsh was >> than the Palghat Mani Iyer - Tanjore Upendran Baani of Tanjore PRaveen Kumar.

Few Notes not on music
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I have seen few occasions where this musician Sruthi Sagar inside kapali temple where he prays , for sure he is indeed taking a very religious route which surely enhances his musical output . Having said that flute is generally having a competition of say lot of vocal concerts ranging from Abhishek-Bharathsundar-KBMK-Gurucharan- RKM - Vishnudev and also when compared to Jayanth he is not positioning himself that well, hope he gets that insight.

After all if you dont market like say Sanjay-Raga sisters-chitravina ravikiran you may get edged out due to less recall . I wish he works on that well . Few decades back once i went to a vocal concert in nanganallur/adambakkam , at that time one flautist (sishya of ramani)forgot his name now said to me that Sruthisagar reminds a lot of mahavidwan Flute Mali. Personally that may be true , i personally like KS Gopalakrishnan bit more than Flute Mali.

Also i read some interview ,that he has taken a stand not to travel across seas to other countries like what Semmangudi did -I dont know if the stand is permenant , i am not sure if all this is right for a performing musician

I took a snap of these artists , when i have time i will upload that soon.

Overall an excellent to outstanding concert for 2 hours and 10 mins.

[rajeshnat]

Sruthi Sagar@Astika SamAjam(Alwarpet) On Nov 30th,2025
-----------------------------------------------------------
Flute: Sruthi Sagar - disciple of Dr Sundar (DKJ Sishya) and he has also learnt briefly from Balasai in his toddler days
Violin : VSP Gayatri Sivani.- Present Student of M Chandrasekaran and her first guru is Srinavasamurthy
Mrudangam : Praveen Sparsh,grand son of Tanjore Upendran , student of Nellai Balaji and Guruvayur Dorai(significant)

Concert Type : Nirvana - Non Ticketed concert
Day : Sunday
Duration - 2 hours and 5 mins
Sabha/Hall : Astika SamAjam Trust /Venus Colony, Alwarpet
Occasion : Thyagaraja Aradhana Trust

All were Sadguru Thyagaraja Krithis

GLICSPAWES 2025 "Goto LIve Concert Show PAtronage Without Excuses Series" concert #15 of xy(hopefully 30 is goal) is done.

www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=385201#p385201

[SivaniVSPG24]

Thank you so much for the review uncle