Revathy Sadasivam's veena concert; Seshadripuram

Revathy Sadasivam presented a veena concert on April 6 at the Seshadripuram Sree Ramaseva Mandali on April 6.

Photo by M P Guruprasad

Thumbs up for Trichur Brothers, Ramakrishnanmurthy

Seshadripuram rasikas are showing the thumbs up sign for two young artistes. This from the lot who have performed at the college campus this Sri Ramanavami,

One is for the Trichur Brothers who started early on a lunar eclipse evening and swung the rasikas with their music.

The other is for Chennai-based Ramakrishnamurthy. A committee member says that it rained music on the evening the young artiste performed. "It just flowed on and on," is how he put it.

Such was the impact that the Mandali host went on stage and 'booked' Ramakrishnanmurthy for 2016's season.

Recognition for artistes, supporters on Founder's Day at Sree Ramaseva Mandali

It was Founders Day last Sunday at Sree Ramaseva Mandali in Chamarajpet.
As people double din to get a good seat for Ranjani-Gayathri's concert later that evening they may have not noticed the invite - for a buffet dinner.

Dinner is always served to rasikas and guests on Founders Day.

Chief guest V S Arunachalam felicitated one mridanga and three tambura artistes - Ullur Nagendra Udupa ( his son Giridhar represented him), Hulikal Prasad, V Jagannatha Rao and G A Sripada Rao.

Five others were also decorated on this occasion - all of them are lead supporters of the fest. They were B R Shivramiah, a former AIR artiste, P. Balasubramaniam, a funder, senior chartered accountant  N C S Raghavan, banker A Venkitaraman and furniture supply manager S A Franklin.

Sunday concerts/ photos

Sisters Ranjani and Gayatri warm up for their concert at Sree Rama Seva Mandali, Chamarajpet on Sunday ( photo on top) and Pantulu Rama in concert at Seshadripuram on Sunday evening ( photo below).
Both concerts had a large audience.

Lunar eclipse and Trichur Brothers sunrise

We had not looked up at the skies last night, the Saturday. Till Varadarajan of Sree Rama Seva Mandali told us that the small audience for TVG's concert was due to the lunar eclipse.

Even that explanation did not stop us from heading to Seshadripuram where the Trichur Brothers were in concert. Negotiating BVK Iyengar Road tests your patience and when we got to the college campus where the fest is on, the gates were being locked.

The concert had closed at 8.30-ish, we were told.

But the Trichur Brothers, called in to start singing from 5 pm seem to have wowed the audience. Rasikas said so this morning.  They have got the thumbs up here.

Mandali decorates TVG with national award

Space scientist Dr. Kasturi Rangan is the chief guest at the Saturday evening award function.
Dr Sarvamangala Shankar, music teacher and academic, Vice-chancellor, Gangubhai Music University is the co-guest and she talks about TVG's achievements.

At the start of this evening's meet, the host recalls S N Chandrasekar, a senior music critic who passed away.

Mani Narayanaswamy, mandali president and colleague Dr A Ravindra share the dais with the two guests and the awardee.

TVG goes into rewind mode, talks about his early association with the late Rao, the many concerts he performed for the Sree Rama Seva Mandali and how he has recommended dozens of artistes to this fest.

" I only wish that you pray that I continue to perform as long as I live,"he says. TVG is in nhis 80s and is still active.

In a warm gesture, the hosts invite his wife Radha to share the spotlight with him, as the heavy images of lord Rama and Sita are handed over to him.

The audience is thin today - maybe 200 people. Smaller for the concert. TVG has with him ace artistes, Patri Satish Kumar on mirdangam, S Varadharajan on violin and Girish Uduppa on ghatam.
He sings a song of Thyagaraja that his guru Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bhagavathar used to sing, but rarely. And another which his sishya, at his die says was sung some 20 plus years ago.
"Due to time constraints I will present a short concert." says TVG.

Then we realize that the lunar eclipse has kept many rasikas away from events this evening.
Word comes in that the concert at Seshadripuram was wound up early.

Today was TVG's evening. He loves to tell stories, anecdotal. He did it. "When I am with the right artistes in a concert I feel as if I am in a space ship," he says.

Modi on one side, Vishaka Hari on the other

Vishaka Hari, the hugely popular story-teller in the discourse format may not have known that her rasikas had a big hurdle to cross on Friday evening.
The huge public meeting addressed by prime minister Narendra Modi after the BJP party's national executive meeting in Bangalore.

The city was painted saffron and green and the meeting venue was 2 kms from Fort High School campus where Vishaka was to present her musical discourse.

And yet, over 5000 rasikas got inside the Big Tent on Friday evening to listen to Vishaka - themed Ramabhakti Samrajya.