Ideas & Views

In a time when much hype is built around the carnatic musician's lineage than the individual's mettle, Smt.Mangalam Shankar comes across like a pristine lotus in a pond of turbulent currents. Am I hyping Smt.Mangalam? Not at all. Look at the musicians whose hands move even during pauses in the kriti (you-know-who). Look at the ones wearing too much make-up and bright color costumes with impeccable paper jasmine! Look at the ones with big pile of music notations - both paper and laptop versions - in front of them on stage. Indeed, we end up looking at things purposely displayed on stage to demand our attention.  A  music concert is a listening event to enrich soul. Think about it. With a splendid selection of kritis for the theme "Kannanum Skandanum", Smt. Mangalam and the entire team of accompaniments has given a charming concert with her 2 disciples. No gaudy colors and hand distractions, not even closing the eyes. Please note the absence of music notes in ...

There is nothing comparable to meeting high school and college friends and spending time recollecting the good old times. The same goes with listening to sweet old melodies - singing them with complete strangers and making new friendship. I haven't had much of a music discussion with anybody in a long long time. Then I met this person in a wedding at NY. She had a very soothing voice and a oh-wow classic style of patantharam and kelvi gyanam. With one song, we struck the chord. We immediately quipped who had rendered that song in album and arrived at the topic Bombay Jayashri. Then we sat together and sang one song after another, enjoying between us the ragas and BJ's stamp of sangathis.  BJ's Karnatic Classical album from Sangeetha Music stands out even to this day, two decades after it was released. Her rendition of those kritis are deeply emblazoned in one's consciousness that no newer version is acceptable to the mind. We started relishing BJ's "Uyyal...