100 Years - A Tribute

This is the centenary year of several legends like T.Brinda, Palghat Mani Iyer, Madurai Mani Iyer, T.K.Rangachari, etc. and the hundredth year of the living maestro Dr.Pinakapani. To observe the centenay year of these stalwarts, functions are held by their students, relatives and rasikas as a mark of respect and remembrance.

If an artist's centenary year is celebrated, it is because he has scaled heights and is far above the average. Otherwise, a centenary year would not have been observed. If these artists have reached such a level, it is because of the efforts they have put in, their hard work, focus and determination that took them to the top.

The aim of the centenary celebration should not be just to inform the public that these artists would have turned 100, but on the contrary, to make their efforts and contribution known to today's generation, with an aim that the youngsters look upon these maestros as role models and try to emulate them and follow the path shown by them.

This kind of emulation would itself be a true mark of homage to these vidwans and a means of paying respect to their soul.

25th Winter Music Festival

Sruthi Laya Kendra 

of

GURU KAARAIKKUDI MANI

25th Winter Music Festival 2012 0n 8th and 9th Dec

at Asthiga Samajam, Venus Colony, Alwarpet, chennai - 18. 

 

Award Function

8th Dec 2012 at 5.15 PM.

SRI GURU SURAJANANDA AWARD

to 

Sri KOOTHAPIRAN (Drama Artist)

SRI GOWRI MANOHARI AWARD

to 

Sri T.V. SANKARA NARAYANAN (Sangeetha Vidwan)

Sri GOPALKRISHNA GANDHI

Chairman Kalakshetra Foundation

formar diplomat and governor of West Bengal

Inaugurates the festival and present Award and felicitates the artists

Sri Venkata Narasimhan Endowent prize to

Sri J. SRIRAM

Concert Details : 8-Dec-2012

4:15pm
Thaniavarthana concert by Palghat Sri T.R. Rajamani & V.Kamalakar Rao - Double  Mridangam

5.15 PM
Award Function

6.30 PM
Sri Vidhya bhooshana - Vocal, Vittal Sri Ramamurthy - Violin, Srimushnam Sri Raja rao - Mridangam, Sri V.Suresh - Ghatam

Concert Details : 9-Dec-2012

4.15PM
Sri Ganesh & Sri Kumaresh -  Violin Duet, Sri Ananda R. Krishnan  - Mridangam, Sri S.V. Ramani - Ghatam.

6.30 PM

Sri Abhishek Raghuram - Vocal, Mysore Sri Srikanth - Violin, Neyveli Sri Narayanan - Mridangam 

Entry Fee Rs. 30. Will be Donated to senior aged musician

---

MLA Concerts - Sruthi Laya Kendra 

of

GURU KAARAIKKUDI MANI

in association with SRI KRISHNA GANA SABHA & KARTHIK FINE ARTS presents

MLA CONCERTS (Musicians Living Abroad)

ALL ARE WELCOME

21st & 22nd Concerts will be held at

Venue : Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Kamakoti Hall, T.Nagar, Chennai - 600 017

21-Dec-2012 at 4:30pm
Ashwini Satish - Vocal (Singapore), Srividya R.S. Iyer - Violin, Sai Nivedan - Mridangam (Australia)

21-Dec-2012 at 6:30pm
Booshani Kalyanaraman - Vocal,  Dr.Jyotsna Srikanth - Violin (UK), Thirupathi Sudhakar - Mridangam


22-Dec-2012 at 4:30pm
Sreyas Narayanan - Vocal, A.G.A Gnanasundaram - Violin (UK), Sai Sarangan - Mridangam(Australia)

22-Dec-2012 at 6:30pm
Smt. Varalakshmi Anandakumar - Vocal, Nishant Chandran  - Violin (USA),  Kottayam G. Santhoshkumar - Mridangam

26th & 27th Concerts will be held at

Venue: Karthik Fine Arts  - Bharathia Vidhya Bhavan's Mini Hall, Mylapore - 600 004

26-Dec-2012 at 4:30pm
Aswin Srikant - Vocal (USA), K. Gokul - Violin (USA), Sai Shiv - Mridangam

26-Dec-2012 at 6:30pm
S. Srinivasan - Veena, Balaskandan - Mridangam (USA), Madipakkam Murali - Ghatam

27-Dec-2102 at 4:30pm

Mahadevan Sankaranarayanan - Vocal, Arun Ramamurthy - Violin (USA), M. Ravichandra - Mridangam (Australia)

27-Dec-2102 at 6:30pm

Akkarai S. Subalakshmi & Akkarai S. Sornalatha Violin Duet, Kirupakaran - Mridangam (UK), N. Guruprasad - Ghatam

Be The Best on every Birthday . . .

It is common to celebrate special days like Birthdays and the New Year with some sort of function. This goes on year after year.

When a baby is born, it knows no desire. With every birthday, its age increases and so do its desires. In addition, the child slowly acquires a set pattern of habits and sometimes vices.

There is no limit to these desires and habits. As he ages, his wants and ambitions multiply in leaps and bounds. Thinking that this is the base of happiness, a man searches for more and more wealth, power and prestige, even when he is very old.

Actually, the reverse will lead to happiness. If , with each birthday, a man were to sacrifice at least one material want and one habit, this would give him more peace of mind and improve the quality of his life.

A musician's birthday could be viewed at a different angle. today we see very little variety in an artist's performance. People attain star status merely by repeating the same items and approaching their art with limited stuff and no great desire for enrichment. Instead of this, every musician could look at his birthday or a new year as a day for increasing his repertoire in some way. By doing thus, he would be growing musically year after year. Just as one gets more fulfillment in life by progressively reducing one's wants, a musician, by steadily increasing his repertoire, gets more mature, refined, and has better standing in the field.

Instead of being one in the crowd, he will now be standing out in the multitude as a role model for other artists.

Could this not be practiced by all musicians, young and old ?

Knowledge Building VS Money Minded

Learning music in india is an area marked by high levels of competence and expectations, mainly because recognition is got only when there is some sort of qualified certification from the various high level organizations. But when we take the case of music abroad, the scene is different. There is a great level of commitment among classical music learners, who are settled in abroad. Urged by a need to ensure that their children are not spoilt by unnecessary distractions and to retain their native identity, there is a quest amongst them to learn Carnatic Music. Such training is also a great advantage as an extracurricular activity when these youngsters study in the University. Unfortunately, these innocent seekers of music are often taken for a ride. Many of the great artistes visit these foreign places and take classes there for such children. But, except for a few, many are more concerned about the monetary returns of such teaching rather than the progress of their pupil. In such a quest, they hasten to organize festivals, feature their students in them. Even if the student is mediocre, he is praised to the skies, thus giving him and his doting parents a false if flattering opinion of himself. In a span of say, couple of years with just a few monthly visits thrown in, the gure is in a great hurry to witness the arangetram of the pupil, in a field where traditionally the parents rush for such a day.

The arangetram abroad is often treated as a social event. But the role of a guru should be much more. He should create a thirst for knowledge to his student, so much so that the disciple should pester him for more and more , rather than worry about his performance. If this present trent goes on, there will be serious repercussions for the quality of music in general. Innocent parents, ignorant of the mediocre standard of their children, on getting concerts for their children in Chennai (easily done through money power in many a venue), feel that their child has reached star status already!

The first blame for this sad and unhealthy trend falls squarely on the unscrupulous guru's who consider that teach such a foreign based community is a sound money making venture, rather than a sacred relationship between teacher and taught. When the unwitting seekers of music abroad come to know about the true motives of these unethical teachers, it will be a black mark for Carnatic music and musicians in general.

Ofcourse, let us not forget that in the middle of such opportunists, there is a large section of genuinely committed teachers of music who have their disciples interest first and foremost in their heart. May their tribe increase. May the glow of our great fine art spread to every corner of the glove in all its splendour.

Creeping Corruption

We often boast that India is the largest democracy. Along with this boast, we can also be 'proud' of its large scale corruption and backdoor politics.
This is amply proved by the fact that in many cases, one individual often holds several important posts. Why is this ? Is there a shortage of manpower in our country? Obviously, there is more to this than just selection on merit.

When allegations of corruptions are made against some politicians, there is normally a huge clamour for their resignation, but nothing normally results. This 'virus' has entered the art field also. In fact, it has taken on a 'Viswaroopam'.

Creeping Corruption

When a government appoints someone to a top post, it is with some confidence in this candiate's abilities and also the belief that at least 80% of the finds handled,  will be put to correct use. Misuse of funds will pass as long as it remanins unnnoticed. But there is no smoke without fire. When it is discovered, especially in the field of art or in the music institutions, it creates depression and dejection in artists.

In the field of politics and politically based organizations, means like fasts , strikes and protests bring the problems to the public eye and help dispensing of justice. Unfortunately, in the field of music, there is no such means to bring the wrongdoers to book. Only then would the culprits be known to the public. Otherwise, like the politicians who enter the police vans with a broad smile on their faces, the accused in the art field will keep attending important functions without any guilt feeling or whatsoever.

Only if these trends are stopped the music will thrive and flourish in the long run.