Saying good-bye on a pleasant rainy night

And so, on a rainy Sunday night the curtains came down on the 2016 edition of the Sri Ramanavami music festival in the garden city.

At Chamarajpet, rasikas slipped out to have a cup of coffee during Vishaka Hari's discourse - the gentle chill must have made them do that.

Hari's high- pitched sharp singing floated beyond the Big Tent so you could sip coffee and enjoy the musical discourse.

The Old Fort School ground had puddles of rainwater. It was close to 9 p.m. and traffic had died down.

It was time to say good bye.

30,000 hours of archival music

Imagine the fund of archival music that will be available to rasikas from the storehouse of Sri Ramaseva Mandali when it goes public.

30,000 hours of music of the maestros, the young and the great talent. From the 1940s to the 2002 period.  Since then, concerts are not being recorded because of several issues including copyright and payment.

Some 30% of the archival music has been digitized we are told and once in place, this will be offered for online listening to donors of the Mandali who pay Rs.50,000 in one go.

After the fest, time to raise funds

Sri Ramaseva Mandali's campaign to garner funds, online and off has had a slow start. Much of the campaign will have to target NRIs.

The mandali's managers now realize that they cannot expect to tap just the Bangalore corporates and well wishers because the costs are spiralling.

Varadaraj says that his dad started the Ramanavami fest with one rupee, 78 years ago. Today, the budget is above two crore rupees.

Donors to the new fund will not only get tickets to the music fest but also access to archival music.

Dancing in the rain; in Basaweshwaranagar

Rain greeted us as we headed to Basaveshwaranagar on Sunday, May 8 evening. This nagar and its neighbour, Rajajinagar are alive most parts of the day and night, rain or no rain.

Classical dancers, the Rajendras were to perform on the last day of the seasonal fest of Sri Vani Kala Kendra.

The large canopy of metal and cloth saved the show; though rain battered the quadrangle and rendered some seats wet, there were some 500 people under the canopy where the rain created its own music.

And yet, the rainy evening was a nice setting for a dance recital as Nirupama launched into a Bharatanatyam solo on a lord Krishna theme - performing on a stage bathed in blue and red lights, the rain now down to a drizzle.

Then came the second part of the recital - Kathak in Harikatha style by her and Rajendra in a show themed 'Ramaneeyakam'.

Among the musicians seated safely on the side, it was a study to watch the mridangist, a large man vibe with the dancer's movements, his facial contortions creating a movement of their own!

Story-telling by Vishaka Hari

Sunday's evening rain was steady but it did not discourage rasikas from attending the final show of Sree Ramaseva Mandali in Chamarajpet.

On stage was Chennai-based Vishaka Hari with her 'Ramayana' themed musical discourse.

Vishaka chose to deliver in English and in Thamizh and as is her wont, peppered her discourse with contemporary anecdotes.

"The rakshashas are said to be ones who work at night,"she said. "In Bangalore, lots of young people now work till 3 a.m…sleeping at daytime and working at night!"

Hundreds of stories; under, outside and away from the Chamarajpet Big Tent

With 78 years of music and hosting a festival, the records of Sree Ramaseva Mandali can offer you and me a huge volume of anecdotes and events that make cultural history.

On the sidelines, the Varadaraj father-son duo who manage the mandali can share a few as can some senior team members.

Of that occasion when flutist Mali conveniently failed to take the train to Bangalore for the Mandali concert and Varadaraj's father sent a taxi and an aide to Madras to bring the maestro to the venue; the arrival was very delayed, a stand-in artistes performed and when Mali finally took the stage it was 10 p.m. and Mali played till dawn and many rasikas stayed on.

Or of the time when pro-Kannada supporters opposed the concert of MS and the Kannada poets expressing their support for MS. A huge continent of police had to be called to the venue as tempers boiled. MS though performed quietly and there were no nasty incidents. Later, it was found that the issue was blown up merely due to personal egos that involved the mandali's head!

Or the time when Semmangudi Srinivasaiyer threw a tantrum when he was paid less than agreed and he walked away in a huff. The artiste is said to have had a voice problem thence and was told that it would be good to say sorry to the mandali hosts. He did and soon, he regained his voice!

Photo featured here is of a display at the Chamarajpet venue

Aruna Sairam's evening . . .

It was vocalist Aruna Sairam's evening at Sree Ramaseva Mandali on May 7, Saturday. She was decorated with an award that recognises senior artistes.

Later, in her elements Aruna presented her concert in her style - high pitched and energetic. There were about 2000 rasikas under the Big Tent at Chamarajpet

Nasty summer, surprise rain..and music continues

Only two mandalis in Bangalore have carried through their music/dance tests into May.

And though the city experienced the highest summer temperatures, the skies grew dark and is rained this week.

At Chamarajpet and at Basaweshwaranagar, the hosts had already hoisted their tents  at the start of the festivals in anticipation of the rains.

It rained steady on Sunday evening and though the waters left some parts of the school campus of Sri Vani Kala Kendra wet, there were about 1000 people to watch a dance recital of the Rajendras of Bangalore.

Two big artistes on Sat, May 7 evening

Two big artistes on stage this Saturday - Aruna Sairam at the Chamarajpet Mandali at 6.45 pm and Chitravina Ravi Kiran at Basaweshwaranagar four Sri Vani Kala Kendra at 6.30 p.m.

Award for Kadri Gopalnath

Chennai-based saxophone maestro Kadri Gopalnath who hails from Mangaluru was decorated with this year’s S.V. Narayanaswany Rao National Award by Sree Ramaseva Mandali on May 1.

The guests included union minister Ananth Kumar.
Later, he performed under the Big Tent.

The award celebrates the founder of the mandali and given every year at the music festival.

Jayanthi Kumaresh concert cancelled; instead Akkarai Subbulakshmi's violin solo

NOTICE FROM SREE RAMASEVA MANDALI, BANGALORE :

DUE TO HEALTH ISSUES SMT JAYANTHI KUMARESH WILL NOT BE PERFORMING 

TODAY (MAY 2).

VIOLIN SOLO CONCERT BY AKKARAI SUBBALAKSHMI HAS BEEN ARRANGED. TUMKUR RAVISHANKAR WILL ACCOMPANY HER ON THE MRUDUNGA & TRICHY KRISHNA ON GHATA.

REGRET THE INCONVENIENCE CAUSED.

THE MANDALI PRAYS FOR THE SPEEDY RECOVERY OF SMT.JAYANTHI KUMARESH