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.
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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 at Peyazhvaar 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 Tarangini Tarangam 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 !!
3.7.2026
