Sunday 12 May 2013

Thanks for your feedback on Guide

We want to say 'thank you' to dozens of rasikas who shared their feedback on our first publication for the Sri Ramanavami Music Fest - the KutcheriBuzz Guide - brought out this year.

Some key suggestions that came from you -
- Cover the concerts from the eve of Ugadi till mid-May of this season.
- Feature biopics of leading local artistes
- Enlarge biopics of top mandalis
- Circulate Guide as early as possible

Many rasikas found the Guide ' handy', 'timely', 'well designed', 'useful'.
We received feedback from rasikas on the spot at the Vani Academy venue in Basaweswaranagar.
Said one lady, "I was hoping there would be a handybooklet and here comes one!"

You can still mail your comments - to - kutcheribuzz@gmail.com

Thank you, once again from the KB team.



The man who drives ideas at Jayarama Seva Mandali


There are many key people who do lots of work for their mandalis at Sri Ramanavami time.
I met Gopalakrishna, the quiet but ambitious secretary of Jayarama Seva Mandali in Jayanagar a fortnight ago. 
Gopalakrishna, who retired from HAL devotes most of his time to this organization and the temple it manages. On early evening we chat at the hall where cooks have just finished making laddoos that will be given as prasadams later.
He tells us how a substantial amount of money has to be raised to run the Sri Ramanavami celebrations and the concerts.
And he pulls out a thick, nicely bound 2013-2014 Diary that is his baby. Well designed with lots of topical notes and captions and backed by multicolor adverts, the Diary is to be given to all their member ( some 300 of them) and it has helped to raise about Rs.6 lakhs.
"We have to think of news ideas to raise funds," he tells us. His colleagues who come up give him all the credit.
He gifts us a Diary and a small box of laddoos. And we appreciate the hospitality that this team offers to guests.

Thursday 2 May 2013

Warm reception for Abhishek Raghuram at Seshadripuram

This is the first time Abhishek Raghuram is performing at the Seshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi, says Revathi Tarakaram, the treasurer of the Samithi.

The Seshadripuram college auditorium is already full when we reach the venue. The organisers bring in more carpets to accommodate the rasikas standing at the fringes.


The community around this place takes in the cultural activities very well. The public holiday on May 1 draws people from the nearby neighbourhoods Malleswaram and Vasanth nagar. Ramakrishna and family with two young children sitting beside us tell us that they drive from Vidyaranyapura to this place whenever they can during the season.


Abhishek plunges deep into the main raga of the evening, Kalyani. Many sancharas in the raga alapana invite spontaneous applause. Bangalore violinist Charulatha Ramanujam enjoys every phrase of it and reproduces them with a smile on her face.

'Nidhi chala sukhama', the kriti emanates from Abhishek. The neraval, kalpanaswara at an unusual phrase creates curiosity among the rasikas. They follow it closely. Abhishek ends every swara phrase at the lyrics 'sumati  tyagaraja nutuni keertana sukhama' and the finale gets a huge round of appreciation.


The seasoned percussionists Neyveli Narayanan on the mridangam and Guru Prasanna on the Kanjira present a lively session in Misra Chapu tala.

Abhishek presents a short item in Brindavana Saranga and moves on to Sindhu Bhairavi. The audience reluctantly prepares to pack up for the day!

National awards ceremony postponed at Sree Rama Seva Mandali

The evening is scheduled to have a string of events at the Fort High School grounds.

The annual S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao memorial National awards are to be presented to the senior vocalist T.N. Seshagopalan and flutist N. Ramani.

The mangala vadyam recital scheduled at 4.15 p.m. is not on till 6 p.m. as we reach the venue. We see the senior nadaswaram vidwan Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman just arriving along with his team.


After a while, the arti is performed to the Sri Rama image and the nadaswaram recital begins.
No signs of the guests and awardees at the pandal.

S.N. Varadaraj, the general secretary of the mandali informs us that both the awardees of the evening, N.Ramani and T.N. Seshagopalan are unwell and undergoing treatment at different places. The award ceremony is postponed to another day, yet to be decided.

Vyasarpadi Kodandaraman begins with a varnam and moves on to Mayamalavagowla. It is time for us to catch up with a young artiste at Seshadripuram. We moved.

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Rakesh Chaurasia at Basaveshwara Nagar

Vani Education Centre has many Hindustani recitals in its list this season.
Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia's Bansuri concert is scheduled for the Monday evening.

We are told that  the maestro is advised rest by his doctors and so his nephew and disciple Rakesh Chaurasia would be in concert.

Sree Vani School auditorium always has a full house for the concerts. And it is so this evening too.


After playing the Hindustani flute for more than an hour and a half, young Rakesh announces that his 'quota' is over for the day and invites requests from the audience.
And requests pour in. Bhairavi, Bilaval, a Tulsidas Bhajan ...

Rakesh chooses to begin with Bhairavi and moves on making a garland of ragas as a ragamalika and ends with Desh. That fulfills most requests from the audience.
Happy listeners. Happy Rakesh. Happy organisers!

Evening of young musicians at Chamarajpet

Rama Seva Mandali holds its concerts in the sprawling Fort High School grounds.

The enclosures on all the sides make the ground appear like an indoor auditorium. They also prevent the traffic noise from entering the concert hall. The vehicles are allowed inside the grounds for parking, but the music inside the pandal is not affected.


When we enter the pandal on Monday early evening, Sandeep Narayan is elaborating the main raga Todi. With a stamp of Sanjay Subrahmanyam's voice and style, Sandeep lets the music flow. Yes, a disciple of Sanjay he is! Audience appreciate his gliding Sruti bhedam with a round of applause.

Sandeep ends his concert with a composition in Tamil.

Hosts of students of vidwan R.K. Padmanabha enter the auditorium. Also the senior accompanists, violinist S. Hemalatha, mridangam vidwan C. Cheluvaraju and ghatam vidushi Sukanya Ramgopal.


Bangalore's popular duo S.R. Vinay and K.V. Krishnaprasad are going to be in the  main concert.
Both are disciples of the senior vocalist - guru R.K. Padmanabha. Guests keep coming in and occupying the front seats at the pandal.

Bright and strong voices of the young vocalists fill the auditorium and the percussionists enliven up the concert with their trademark sparklers!