It was
just another day at Thirumylai (not exactly) – evening time – Sannathi thiruvarathanam
– not many people around – and there was this beautiful rendition in Nadaswaram
by Thiru Mohanraj ensemble.Purely divine,
not performed for any audience, solely forThirumylai Sri Madhava Perumal. : https://youtu.be/8UjrBwbavNc
Think this kriti to be : “Mahalakshmi Jaganmāta” -popular composition by Papanasam Sivan, in rāga Śankarabharanam and
miśra
cāpu
tāḷa.
One well-known rendition is by N. C. Vasanthakokilam, often listed simply as
“Mahalakshmi – Sankarabharanam” in recordings.
mahAlakṣmi jaganmātā
manamirangi varamaruL
anupallavi
mahā viṣṇuvin mārbenum
maṇi pīṭhamadanil amarndaruL...
“mahālakṣmī jaganmātā manamirangi
varamaruḷ” – addressing Mahalakshmi as the
mother of the universe, bestower of grace. Śankarabharanam (Dhīraśankarabharanam) is
the 29th melakarta rāga
in Carnatic music. Its scale
corresponds to the Western major (Ionian) scale, which is why it feels very “śuddha” and
expansive, suiting a māṅgalya/maṅgala
goddess like Mahalakshmi.
•Arohana: SR2G3M1PD2N3SSR2G3M1PD2N3S
•Avarohana: SN3D2PM1G3R2SSN3D2PM1G3R2S
Śankarabharanam is a very śānta, full-bodied rāga, foundational
in Carnatic, often chosen for major deities and weighty compositions, yet capable
of bhakti-laden sweetness, aptly for Mahalakshmi, whose bhāva combines śrī (prosperity),
karuṇā
(compassion) and jaganmāta–swaroopa
A video taken by
me on 23.7.2026… since am sub-zero in
Carnatic music, inputs searched in web with the help of ChatGPT.
The annual Aani
Brahmothsavsam of Sri Azhagiya Singar is drawing to a close and today is day 9 –
theerthavari and dwaja-avarohanam.
In the evening there was
grand purappadu of Sri Thelliya Singar in Sadadarsha vimanam .. .. and today it
was mellifluous Nadaswaram music played by MKSN Manikandan and Chittoor
Devarajulu and party.
In the initial Peyalwar Kovil stretch
they played : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q__INZktf-g
nārāyaṇāya
namō mādhavāya ॥
A simple
meaning: "Salutations to Lord Nārāyaṇa;
salutations to
Lord Mādhava."
As the evening procession moved
gracefully through the streets, Vidwans Manikandan
& Devarajulu rendered "Nārāyaṇāya
Namo" in Madhyama Varali, a composition of
Sri Narayana Tirtha set to Khanda Chāpu tāla. While my
camera captured the artiste's concentration, a short video taken atPeyazhvaar kovil street later helped me discover the musical identity
of the performance through a lengthy conversation. My initial attempt to identify the rāga from a brief recording led to an
interesting exchange with ChatGPT, music
critic Essel (Lakshmi Narasimhan) and, finally, the
performing vidwan himself, reminding me that learning is often a delightful
journey.
Narayana Tirtha, was a Hindu saint and Carnatic composer, best
known for the Sanskrit musical work Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini that presents
Krishna’s life in a sequence of songs, verses, prose passages, and narrative
pieces. He is remembered for devotional compositions centered on Krishna and
for popularizing the tarangam form in musical-dramatic tradition. Sri
Krishna Leela TaranginiTarangam is a
devotional-dance item in Kuchipudi in which the performer dances to Narayana
Tirtha’s compositions, often on a brass plate, making it one of the form’s most
recognizable signature pieces. In
practice, tarangam combines singing, rhythmic footwork, abhinaya, and
balance-based movement, so it functions as both a musical composition and a
dance number.
Today the Nadaswaram
performace was enthralling and kept me spell bound – thanks and special appreciations
to Sri MKSN Manikandan&Chittoor Devarajulu- acknowledgement, regards
and thanks to Devaraj, my friend Essel and of course ChatGPT - a rich learning experience !!
Those who
lived in Triplicane half-century will know the names of Saraswathi Gana
Nilayam, Smt GP Kamala, Smt. Chandra teacher and more .. .. young girl children
would be sent to them for learning Carnatic music and one would hear, singing
in various voices – lambo dara …. Laku mi … !!.This famous song of Purandara Dasaru, perhaps was the first song for aspiring
musicians to learn singing .. ..
Before you read
further – can you associate ‘Bellows’ – primarily a device to expel a controlled
blast of air to Carnatic music !!
The first fatlering step is to sing in unison with the shruti,
beginning with Sa-Pa-Sa (the tonic and the fifth). This simple exercise helps voice lock into the pitch of the drone. A good
way to check aspirant Singer’s accuracy
is to sustain the “Sa” for as long as possible and listen carefully. If voice
wavers or feels unstable, try making small, controlled adjustments. Over time,
this will improve your sruti shuddham (pitch purity).
In every Music class, the
teacher would harshly say - “First, align your voice with the shruti.” What
would that really mean?That is better tried with a Shruti Box.For
many beginners, singing with a shruti box feels confusing at first!!A
shruti box is more than just background sound; it’s a constant companion that
trains your ear, refines your pitch, and strengthens your grasp of ragas. In
essence, it is believed that the humm of the “surpeti” helps the performer channel
the humm of the universe through them.
A shruti box (sruti box,
shrutibox, srutibox or surpeti) is a musical instrument, originating from the
Indian subcontinent, that traditionally works on a system of bellows. It is similar to a harmonium and is used to
provide a drone in a practice session or concert of Indian classical music. It is used as an accompaniment to other
instruments.In classical singing, the shruti box is used
to help tune the voice. The use of the shruti box has widened with the
cross-cultural influences of world music and new-age music to provide a drone
for many other instruments as well as vocalists and mantra singing.
Adjustable
buttons allow tuning. Nowadays, electronic shruti boxes are commonly used,
which are called shruthi pettige in Kannada, shruti petti in Tamil, Malayalam,
and Telugu, and sur peti in Hindi
Understand that in Carnatic vocal music, there is no universal
pitch—each singer has a natural sruti that complements their voice, and half
the journey is finding it. Before the
arrival of the harmonium in the Indian subcontinent, musicians used either a
tambura or a specific pitch reference instrument, such as the nadaswaram, to
produce the drone. Now there are two
main types of shruti boxes:
•Manual (Reed-Based) Shruti Box: These work like a
harmonium, producing a warm, organic sound through air reeds. While
traditionalists prefer them, they require more effort to tune and maintain.
•Electronic Shruti Box or Shruti Apps: Most modern
vocalists use electronic shruti boxes or mobile apps. These provide precise
pitch control, allow multiple drone settings (Sa-Pa, Sa-Ma), and are easier to
carry around.
Bellows are a device
constructed to expel a controlled blast of air. The simplest type consists of a
flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible
leather sides enclosing an approximately airtight cavity which can be expanded
and contracted by operating the handles, and fitted with a valve allowing air
to fill the cavity when expanded, and with a tube through which the air is
forced out in a stream when the cavity is compressed. It has many applications, in particular
blowing on a fire to supply it with air.
Sure have
heard this song from Salangai Oli set to the tune of Isaignani Ilayaraja
தகிடததிமி தகிடததிமி தம்தானா…
இதய ஒலியின் ஜதியில் எனது தில்லானா…
சுருதியும் லயமும் ஒன்று சேர…
In Indian classical and
Carnatic music, Sruti (pitch) and Laya (rhythm) are the two foundational
pillars.Sruti refers to the exact,
fundamental musical pitch or microtone. It is the smallest interval of sound
that the human ear can differentiate and a singer or instrument can produce. It is traditionally maintained in the
background using a drone instrument, such as a Tanpura or an electronic Sruti Box.Laya is the rhythm, tempo, or pulse of the
music. It is kept steady by counting,
tapping the hand, or keeping time on a percussion instrument like the Mridangam
or Tabla.
This Shruti petti
attracted me yesterday and here is a short video:https://youtu.be/yVlLYdDwl0wof Nadaswaram vidwan performing and
carrying a Shruti box along at the time of Thiruvanthikappu at Sri
Parthasarathi Swami thirukkovil – Vaikasi Ekadasi purappadu on 27.5.2026
"Akhilandeshwari
rakshamam " is a popular Carnatic composition usually set to the Raga
Dwijavanthi and Adi ThalamNadaswaram
Here is
a beautiful rendition in Nadaswaram played by MKSN Manikandan and Chittoor
Devarajulu on day 9 Pathi Ula of Sri Parthasarathi Perumal before kannadi
pallakku purappadu on 9.5.2026. : https://youtu.be/dAc_04YP1D4
Muthuswami
Dikshitar (1776 – 1835), was a poet, singer, Veena player and a legendary
composer of Indian classical music, one of the musical trinity of Carnatic
music. Muthuswami Dikshitar was born in Tiruvarur near Thanjavur,to a family that is traditionally traced
back to Virinichipuram in the northern boundaries of the state.His compositions, of which around 500 are
commonly known, are noted for their elaborate and poetic descriptions of Godsand temples and for capturing the essence of
the raga forms through the vainika (veena) style that emphasises gamakas.
Muthuswami
moved to the town of Manali, near Madras at the behest of Venkatakrishna
Mudaliar, a local zamindar. The Dikshitar brothers accompanied the zamindar to
Fort St. George nearby where they were introduced to Western orchestral music
and the violin. An ascetic named Chidambaranatha Yogi then took Muthuswami
under his wing and away to the city ofBenares.Deekshithar was blessed
by Tiruttani Murugar whoplaced a piece
of sugar candy in his mouth and commanded him to sing. This marked the
beginning of his career in music and also led to him adopting the mudra,
Guruguha, one of the many names of Murugan. His first composition was
Śrināthādi guruguho jayati jayati in the raga Maya Malavagaula.Muthuswami Dikshitar's brothers
Chinnaswamiand Balaswami Dikshitar were
also noted musicians.
அகி2லாண்டே3ஸ்1வரி ரக்ஷ மாம்
ஆக3ம ஸம்ப்ரதா3ய நிபுணே ஸ்ரீ
akhilANDESvari raksha mAM
Agama sampradAya nipuNE SrI
anupallavi
nikhila lOka nityAtmikE vimalE
nirmalE SyAmaLE sakala kalE
Thanks to
my friend Mr S Lakshmi Narasimhan (Essel) for identifying and providing me
music based inputs to the writer, who has zero knowledge of Carnatic music
!!
The popular"Rangapura Vihara" composed in Sanskrit and dedicated to Sri
Ranganathaswamy of Srirangam is a masterpiece ofMuthuswami Dikshitar. The title of the song means one who roams
(vihara) in Srirangam (Rangapura). It details the exploits of the Lord Rama,
whose family deity is Ranganatha of Srirangam. The song was rendered by
M.S.Subbulakshmi, live at the United Nations.
Imp
pre-script : How many Gold coins do you
have ?
Those who were extremely good in studies might have got Gold medals,
rest bought them in 1G, 2G and … … dreamt of buying a Kilo of Gold. The Indian love story for the ‘yellow
metal’.....has no 7 year itch !! .. it is Rs.14010/- for 1 gm of 22 ct gold. Though I
am a strong advocate of buying Gold in e-form, the yellow metal does offer a
personal satisfaction to hold and have in solid form. From the days of Emperors and Kings, gold is
seen as a physical asset with finite supply undiminished in value. From the
naturally found nuggets, gold is minted in the forms of bars and coins. The largest gold coin ever minted was a $1m Canadian Maple Leaf - is 52cm in
diameter.
Not exactly a post on buying Gold, but on gold
coins found elsewhere !!!!
We go
to Temples, worship Emperuman, forget our worries and are blissfully
happy… .. in the midst of festivity in any Temple, there is something
unmistakably heard .. .. .. that makes you happy ! - the sound of music –
not only that of Temple bells – more of Mangala Isai – Nadaswaram & Thavil.
In South Indian Culture
and in Carnatic music, Nadaswaram plays a very prominent role.
The wind instrument is a mangala
isai karuvi (auspicious one) and is
played in all religious functions, marriages and all good events. The Mangala vadhyam is usually played in
pairs, accompanied by thavil. Some of
the famous vidwans would include :
Thiruvavadudurai Rajaratnam Pillai , Dr. Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai,
Thiruvizha Jaisankar, MPM Sethuraman & Ponnusamy, Sembanar koil
brothers, Namagiripettai Krishnan,
Karukurichi Arunachalam, Sheik Chinna Moulana, and many more……….. there are so many vidwans in
Mylapore, Thiruvallikkeni .. .. and we are spell-bound by their music.
Yesterday it was enthralling
Nadaswaram music played by MKSN Manikandan and Chittoor Devarajulu.
ஆச்சாமரத்தில்தான்
நாதஸ்வரம் உருவாக்கப்படுகிறதாம். கீழே மரத்தால் நீண்டு காணப்படும்
வடிவத்திற்கு “அணசு” என்று பெயர். இது ரோஸ்வுட் அல்லது வாகை மரத்தில் செய்யப்படுகிறது.
“சீவாளி” என்ற நாணத்தட்டையால் செய்யப்பட்டதைப் பொருத்தி வாயால் ஊதி இதை
இசைக்கிறார்கள். திருவாவடுதுறை, திருவாலங்காடு போன்ற இடங்களில்
நாணத்தட்டை பயிரிடப்பட்டு அதைப் பக்குவம்செய்து ஸ்ருதி எத்தனை கட்டையோ அதற்கு ஏற்றாற்போல்
சீவாளி செய்யும் வல்லுனர்கள் உள்ளார்கள்.
Nagasawaram-thavil music
is so inseparably woven into the fabric of temple ritual that one is synonymous
with the other. Mallari is played by nagaswaram artists, with
thavil accompaniment, when the processional deity (utsava murthi) sets out (for
thiruveethi purappadu) from the gopura vaasal.
At Thiruvallikkeni
divyadesam, during Chithirai Brahmothsavam of Sri Parthasarathi Peruma, every
day during Pathi ula, Nagaswara vidwans from various places come and
perform. On Theerthavari day it was special - Vidwan MKSN Manikandan and
Chittoor Devarajulu and their troup
The man of this post MKSN Manikandan is son of a prominent Nadaswaram vidwan Mambalam Sri MKS
Natarajan and has an impressive history
of few decades performing in Temples and other religious occasions. Their family has released numerous musical
albums.
Devotees at Triplicane
were treated with a grand musical performance yesterday during Pathi Ula. Likely you would have noticed the ‘Golden
Nadaswaram’ and few more gold coins adorning the Nadaswaram of Sri Manikandan
as medals - they include - Hearteen shape one presented by Sundaram
Pillai Deyvendiran; SA Rajalingam … .. .. and… .. and one presented by our
beloved Ex-CM Puratchi Thalaivar MGR.
The music was enthralling
and kept us spell bound – thanks and special appreciations to Sri MKSN
Manikandan & Chittoor Devarajulu.
This morning
around 5.50 am was standing at Peyalwar Koil Street – was fortunate to have darshan
of Thirumanjanakudam
In this
video one could see kainkaryabarar Palappur Murali (65+ with some health
issues) carrying the kudam filled with water for purification; Prakash playing
Nadaswaram and Nagaraj on thavil – with couple of vehicles without patience
trying to nudge over !!
Mind reminisced
those days of 1970s – when as a young kid, I used to go to MAV house for
divyaprabantha santhai- those days the
thirumanjana kudam procession would be far too grand – carried on Azhwan the
majestic elephant of the temple from Kairavini pushkarini.
திருவீழிமிழலை
விழிநாதேசுவரர் கோயில் - திருஞானசம்பந்தர், அப்பர், சுந்தரர் ஆகியோரால் தேவாரப் பாடல்
பெற்ற தலங்களில் சோழ நாடு காவிரி தென்கரைத் தலங்களில் அமைந்துள்ள 61ஆவது சிவத்தலம்இத்தலம், திருவிசைப்பா திருப்பல்லாண்டு திருத்தலங்களில்
ஒன்றாகும். இச்சிவாலயத்தின் மூலவர் விழிநாதேசுவரர். தாயார் சுந்தரகுசாம்பிகை.கும்பகோணத்தில் இருந்து பூந்தோட்டம் செல்லும் சாலையில்
சென்று தென்கரை என்ற இடத்தில் இறங்கி ஒரு கி.மீ. சென்று இத்தலத்தை அடையலாம்.
SP
Santhosh IPS has a past life. He hides that from his wife Gokila. Gokila loves
her husband Santhosh and her son Ashok.. .. .. the knot is she is strong and will never accept lies and would
never forgive a liar!!At one point, upon learning that her husband
Santhosh was a petty thief, she confronts him and leaves him and their son. She
moves into her father's home, who is a Justice and applies for divorce in court
but the judgement is given in favor of Santhosh.Though Santhosh wins the case but he still
feels guilty and resigns from his SP job.
Some
rank old film of 1980s – clue – a Sivaji Starrer !!
கல்யாணவசந்தம்
இராகம் கருநாடக இசையின் இராகங்களில் ஒன்றாகும்.
இது 21வது மேளகர்த்தா இராகமாகிய,
"வேத" என்றழைக்கப்படும் 4வது சக்கரத்தின் 3வது மேளமாகிய கீரவாணியின் ஜன்னிய இராகம் ஆகும்.
Kalyanavasantamis a rāgam in Carnatic music - a janya rāgam
(derived scale) from the 21st melakartha scale Keeravani. It is a janya scale,
as it does not have all the seven swaras (musical notes) in the ascending
scale. Kalyanavasantam is an asymmetric
rāgam that does not contain rishabham or panchamam in the ascending scale.
There are many compositions set to Kalyanavasantam rāgam that
include some popular kritis
•Nadaloludai and Kanulu takani composed
by Tyagaraja
•Innudaya Baarade composed by Purandara
Dasa
Nadaloludai in
Roopakam thalam was composed by Saint Thiyagayya in Telugu
nAdalOluDai brahmAnandamandavE manasA
svAdu phalaprada sapta svara rAga nicaya sahita
O Mind! By becoming a
lover of nada, attain the eternal bliss. By total involvement in that music
through countless ragas which result by the manipulation of the seven notes of
music and which fulfills all the righteous desires. Know that it is by this
experience of nada that the trinity - had done upasana. Tyagaraja is aware of
this.
If you are 50+, most
likely you have heard this beautiful song of Illayaraja :
நெஞ்சில் உள்ள காயம் ஒன்று...நெஞ்சை விட்டு தீர்ந்தது.
It was
a hit song from movie “Rishi Moolam” – (transl. The Origins
of a Sage) directed by S. P. Muthuraman
and written by Mahendran released in 1980. It starred Sivaji Ganesan and K. R. Vijaya and was based
on Mahendran's play of the same name. The film was originally titled Dhisaigal
Thirumbum.The song "Aimbadhilum
Aasai Varum" was a big hit and was
shot in Kallikottai, Kerala.
This
song - "Nenjil Ulla kaayam onru’written by Kaviyarasu Kannadhasan to the music of Maestro Ilayaraja was
sung by Jayachandran was set to raag
Kalyana vasanthaa.
Today is
day 4 of Sri Azhagiya Singar Aani brahmothsavam at Thiruvallikkeni divyadesam
and in the evening it was Chandra prabhai purappadu.Here is a beautiful rendition of raag
‘Kalyana Vasantham’ by : Sri Kunrathur Venkatesan &
Sivanvaayil Venkatesan.: - https://youtu.be/hwHWCxX_dkc
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