Parassala Ponnammal at Raga Sudha, Sunday, 23rd December

ANU · Post by **ANU** » 26 Dec 2007, 22:47

The concert of this 82 year old genius was a real treat. Sometimes when an old person sits on stage, the crowd is indulgent and gives applause just because the person is old and still trying. But this concert was one with a difference. Poor absentees! Right from the delicate curves in the all too common Saveri varnam through the breath taking yet simple phrases in the Anandha Bhaairavi raga, from the Mariveregathi that transported the rasika to divine ecstacy, and the wonderful Thodi alapana, (aby helped by her student Bhama I think her name is- who also got a handsome round of applause) the concert kept the listerners spell bound. The moment between the violinist's alapana and the commencement of the piece is always a cliff-hanger. What kriti is it going to be. The audience were in for a wonderful surprise- the grand old dame of Carnatic music presented 'Gajavadana'- her natural azhuttham and sruti shuddam just cojmplementing the beauty of the song.
A special word for RK Sriramkumar who brought out all the beauty of the ragas in his essays. And a special word for Manoj who, by the brevity of his thani not only proved his outstanding quality, but also his respect and reverence for the venerable singer he was accompanied.
The trio came in for a standing ovation. The audience left the hall presumably for thier lunch- but one's hunger was generally sated- with the feast of divine music. What a concert!

venkatr · Post by **venkatr** » 27 Dec 2007, 00:22

Yes this was an outstanding concert which left everyone longing for more and speechless after the ~2 hour concert. The concert had the SSI stamp all over it . Starting with the saveri varnam, the concert had Marivere Gathi in Ananda Bhairavi, Paripalimtsu in Suddha Saveri (rarely heard these days) , the majestic Gajavadana in Thodi and Parulanna Mata in the post thani session,. Sorry do not have the complete song list. At her age the voice clarity was absolutely commendable - perfect sruti alignment, clear rendition of sarvalaghu swarams in all speeds and also clearly audible raga alapana in all 3 sthayis. Absolutely spell binding concert it was! RKS was simply brilliant in accompaniment in all raga responses, sangathis and swarams. Manoj Siva's mridangam was soft and sedate - the need for the occasion.

Watched in the audience by many current day artists who sat throughout - carnatica bros duo, kirnavalli vidyashankar, gayatri venkatraghavan, akkarai sisters, varadarajan, and PSN . In fact PSN was emotional iwith tears in his eyes in his appreaciation of the artist and the concert when he mentioned that she had truly preserved and presented the SSI bani.

Two incidents which were embarassing :

After PSN's appreciation, a senior gentleman in the first row got up and mentioned that in 52 years kerala has a representation -(Could'nt quite follow this). Immediately PSN responded by saying that she is a true representative of CM which is above all (regions / states) . Looks like we still have people who think and speak for regions / states while talking of CM which is divine and is above all such biases.

A senior current day lady artist (big browd puller these days) adorned with jewels (diamonds) joined the audience at the back briefly midway into the concert. She happend to remark to the person sitting next to her (sorry for overhearing) that "nanna tha padara ana ivalluku ellam youngsters vara mattanga" . The person then told her to look in the front where many younsters were sitting and listening. After this she sat for short while and made a quick exit.

She was supported by Seethalakshmy and Bama - her daughters and disciples ? Was this the same Seethalakshmy who gave a concert later in the same venue reviewed elsewhere in the forum ? Also why is it that Ponammal's name was unheard of or not much heard of until this season? Can someone throw some light on these ?

Always_Evolving · Post by **Always_Evolving** » 27 Dec 2007, 08:54

Also why is it that Ponammal's name was unheard of or not much heard of until this season? Can someone throw some light on these ?

I can't throw light on why she hasn't performed or been recognized in Chennai but I know something about the events that led to her coming over this season. The story I heard: Rama Varma of the Travancore royal house has for long fought and finally broke the bias against having women artistes perform at the Navaratri mandapam in Trivandrum; in 2006 the first woman to sing there was Parassala Ponnammal. Clips from that concert were then posted on youtube and spotted by other Carnatic musicians who forwarded the links to Shashikiran. The latter lost no time in inviting her to sing during Carnatica's Samarpanam series.... and I am guessing word spread, leading to her concert engagement for Nada Inbam as well.

Kudos to Sri Shashikiran and other rasikas/organizers for their efforts in bringing this gem to light.

ANU · Post by **ANU** » 29 Dec 2007, 13:34

A small correction to what I had earlier written. The lady who sang part of the Thodi ragam and got a handsome round of applause was G.Seethalakshmi. This lady also sang at the MA yesterday with much weight and depth

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 29 Dec 2007, 21:35

I missed both concerts but thanks to this thread I got to listen to the video clips posted by Prince Rama Varma on youtube http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... rch=Search
Lovely music!

Going by the events as summarized by Always_Evolving, kudos is also due to Sri Rama Varma for dispensing with this particular custom at NM and bringing this gem to light.