seetha rajan@Mutuswami dikshitar akandam on Mar 16th,2014

[rajeshnat]

The hall was ma-mini hall and the crowd was full about 300 +.
Crama wrote :

SEETHA RAJAN AND FOUR STUDENTS
Charulatha Ramanujam and Patri Satish Kumar provided support.
Every year Seetha Rajan along with a group of her students are treating music lovers with a feast of Deekshithar Kritis at the start of the akhandam- many a time thematic - ensuring that we got to hear a few unheard kritis as well. The song list.
Vinayaka Vighnanasaka-Vegavahini
Parvathipathim-Hamsadhwani
Dakshayani-Thodi-Abhayamba Navavaranam- very good alapana
Marakoti lavanya-Arabhi
Karikalabha mukham-Saveri – short alapana
Paramjothi smathi Parvathi-Jothi -68th Melam (Jothiswaroopini)
Neelakandam bhajeham-Kedaragowla
Sree Sundararajam- Kasiramakriya
Sree Ramachandro Rakshathumam-Sreeranjini
Namo Namasthe Geervani- Ragam Geervani 43rd Melam (Gavambodhi) song on Saraswathi
Akshayalingavibho-Sankarabharanam
Ehi Annapurne-Punnagavarali
Hastivadanaya-Navroj.

It is interesting that the concluding song was also on Ganesha. The small bits of information on the kritis provided by Seetha Rajan was very informative. Although there were five singers on the stage, there was only one voice. That speaks of the rigorous training of Seetha Rajan's Gurukulam.

[rajeshnat]

Rajesh Review:
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vidushi Seetha Rajan is definitely a must hear musician for each of the rasikas . Her intellect is deep inside but however when she presents any composition there is a touch of loosening of that intellect where many rasikas can indeed be in awe with her presentation.This is my third concert experience , few years back it was a swathi tirunal presentation and many many years back i attended one of her thematic presentations of Dikshidar (I think it was kamalAmbA navavarnam). When she said she is going to present a medlay of krithis , what was wonderful is she picked up really unheard krithis . Krithis like Paramjothi in Jyothi and namo namaste(geevani) i heard it the very first time . Also krithis like neelakantam (kedaragowlai)and dakshayani (todi), i heard it very recently in the last month by different artists.

Her start in vegavahini was excellent and her offbeat unheard krithi in hamsadwani with an explicit mention about vatapi and then jumping to this rare krithi was lovely. I am beginning to adore this lovely krithi dakshayani , todi swaroopam is very measured but one gets drenched in intense carnaticness in this krithi.I bit lost my interest when saaveri followed arabi as i found bit sag in tempo. From jyothi the concert got its luminance back. If i am right there was also an alapana for kedaragowlai(which crama missed) .I was thinking a neraval in akanda kaveri in kedaragowlai, but just forgot that it was a thematic concert .

With shree sundarajam and akshayalinga , i felt there could have been bit more verve . The intermediate shree ranjani was lovely , could spot a lot of SSI style there. Geervani was excellent and the last two especially navaroz was very catchy.

I attended also the vsriram lecture(lovely one packed info in 45 minutes) and the preceding speech by the chief guest L.V. Subramaniam,Principal Secretary Government of Andhra Pradesh. The initial introductory speech was delayed by about 30 to 45 minutes , i am assuming they were waiting for the second chief guest Shri vv sundaram who could not make it.

There were four senior students with Smt seetha rajan and they sang wonderfully . Vidush seetha only referred notes to speak before every krithi, a condensed presentation without an iota of selling. INcidentally there were 4 junior sishyas (in pavada chattai)who sang shree balasubramanya in bilahari , i thought it was a tough krithi to sing as a group , those kids were indeed superb. Are these 4 junior sishyas who sang the prayer also trained by vidushi seetha rajan(can some one clarify)?

Vidushi seetha rajan is indeed a treasure , in all these lecdem like concerts there is a chance of losing shruthi as you talk and sing but that did not happen.Overall an excellent concert for 90 minutes.

[rajeshnat]

Sbopparaju
Thank you for you and your team effort. YOur passion to organize these akhandams and taking a backseat is indeed wonderful. Also this musicacademy mini hall is hardly used , for many years sarvani sangeetha sabha used it , i remember in the last concert that i attended the sarvani sangeetha sabha patron said the price of this hall is jacked up and hence we will move to tattvaloka/ragasudha . But you using this hall is indeed wonderful.

One small suggestion , next year also you are going to invite speakers and there will be a bit of delayed start where you lose 45 minutes . If possible try having a concert of 1 hour to start from 9 to 10 with an artist (may be exclusive ganapathi krithis of MD),then have speech and lecdem , than follow with all the other concerts . Thank you for your akandam.

[harimau]

There is this genre called Historical Fiction in novels.

Sriram V's speech should be considered that.

Several books claim, without evidence, that Sri Deekshithar (MD) composed his nottuswara sahithyams while he was staying in Manali as he was exposed to Western music played by the military band at Fort St George. Sriram equally without evidence claimed that Sri Deekshithar composed them to teach violin to Vadivelu.

Sri B M Sundaram has claimed that the Tanjore Quartette were at Tiruvarur at Sri Deekshithar's home trying to learn; that MD pretty much ignored them for 11 years and when he realized that the period of learning was supposed to last 12 years, taught them in the last one year and molded them into fine musicians. Sriram imagined that MD took the 4 along on pilgrimages to various temples and composed and taught all the time. He also made the claim that MD composed in all 72 melakartha ragas just to teach the Tanjore Quartette.

Interesting and imaginative but without any evidence whatsoever for these statements. One could say that about B M Sundaram as well, I suppose.

I have no quibbles about Sriram's statements about various krithis and the temples associated with them.

[Rasikapriya2013]

INcidentally there were 4 junior sishyas (in pavada chattai)who sang shree balasubramanya in bilahari , i thought it was a tough krithi to sing as a group , those kids were indeed superb. Are these 4 junior sishyas who sang the prayer also trained by vidushi seetha rajan(can some one clarify)?

Yes, these girls are also Smt. Seetha Rajan's Shishyas.

[arasi]

And how well the girls sang!
The program was lovely. Every bit of it was to the point--such kachitham...