March 2011 April 2012

keertana
... a bridge to the rich South Indian cultural heritage...

24 March 2012 (Saturday) 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Feature Concert

Kel Watson Theatre, Forest Hill College, Mahoneys Road, Burwood East Vic 3151, Melway Ref: (62 C5)

Padmasri Sudha Ragunathan

Sudha Ragunathans foundation in the world of music was laid at a very young age and it was her mother Smt Choodamani who groomed her, before the onus to nurture her music fell upon Vidwan Sri. B. V. Lakshman. Sudha initially wanted to become a doctor but the thought of performing dissections so repelled her that she gave up the idea. She proved her prowess both in academics and in music and now, stood at a juncture where two roads diverged - there was something that was needed to push her onto the road less travelled by. Enter Padmavibhushan Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. M. L. Vasanthakumari (affectionately known as MLV), hailed by many as a musical genius, a doyen of Carnatic Music. In 1977, Sudha won a Central Government scholarship that gave her the opportunity to come under the wings of this master of a great parampara. From this point on, there was no turning back. Sudha had the golden opportunity to provide vocal support to MLV for about a decade. Of MLV, Sudha often said Music was only one of the few things she taught me. She taught me how to live life to its fullest. Sudha, with a touch of nostalgia, vividly recalls how while singing an Ashtapathi in Ragamalika, there would come a sangathi in Yaman Kalyani at a higher octave. Spontaneously, MLV would stop and allow Sudha to take over. She was such a generous person on stage.in some sense it also reflected how she was in life as well. From 1990, Sudhas rise was phenomenal, and following her Gurus demise, she has been considered as MLVs vaarisu. Sudha is a top ranking artiste for Prasar Bharati, Chennai and

performs at important events of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Music had now taken centre stage but for Sudha it would not be at the cost of her academics. She holds an M.A. in Economics. Being such a vivacious, versatile and highly talented individual, its no surprise that Sudha won the award - Outstanding Student of Ethiraj College - for three years in succession, an achievement which for a long time remained unmatched. She was the Treasurer and later the Vice President of the Students Union and won the prestigious Service to the College medal.

Sudha is a top ranking artiste of the All India Radio and the Doordharshan besides being the artiste in demand by leading recording companies like AVM, INRECO, VANI and AMUTHAM. With her crystal clear and almost divine voice, Sudha reached out to the discerning music lovers across the world widening musical communications across the cultural borders. Today Sudha Ragunathan is known for her beautiful vocal tapestries soaring solos and unusual timbres. Her creative expression in Carnatic music has no par. Her music is known to flow straight from the heart dripping with

CMC ... a bridge to the rich South Indian cultural heritage...

classical divinity. Her authentic renditions of krithis and refined elaborations of ragas, the ease with which she breezes through the kalpana swaras, her command over the octaves and her supremely sure stage presence combined with unstated humility has given her an enviable preeminence in the world of Carnatic Music. Call it her Guru Dakshina to her mentor, Dr. M. L. Vasantha Kumari. As the voice and soul of Carnatic Music, Sudha has contributed immensely to the increasing acceptance and awareness for music in its purest form. Representing this form, Sudha is one of the few Indians to have enthralled packed audiences at International Music Festivals and Concerts held in the U.S., Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Phillipines, Indonesia, The Middle East, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, France, The Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Luxemborg, Belgium and Sri Lanka. Sudha was also the first Indian vocal artiste to perform at the prestigious Sfinks Festival held at Antwerp in July 2002. This was the first time that Carnatic Music was represented as a music form. Sudha has the exceptional honour of being the first Indian and only Asian to have performed at the International Festival ECHTERNACH at Luxemborg. AWARDS On 26th January 2004, the Government of India announced the Padma Sri award to be given to Sudha Ragunathan in the field of Carnatic Music for 2004. On 30th June 2004, she received the Padma Sri from the President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. In 1993, she received Kalaimamani, the highest award conferred by the

Tamilnadu Government (India) to outstanding artistes. Sudha was the proud recipient of VIRTUOSO AWARDS 2005, Best Carnatic Vocalist on 19th August 2005. Sudha Ragunathan had the honour of being named a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW in appreciation of her tangible and significant contribution to the society, by the Rotary Club of Madras to coincide with the 75th year Charter Day celebrations on 19th July 2004. The Rotary Club of Madras presented the Award of Excellence to her on 19th July 2004 honouring her talent and outstanding accomplishments. The Southern India Cinematographers Association announced Smt Sudha Ragunathan as the Best Female Playback Singer in Tamil for the movie IVAN and awarded the SICA Awards for her achievement. The title ISAI ARASI was conferred on Sudha by Sri Ram Samaj, Chennai on 23rd April 2004. Sudha was the recipient of 2003 WISDOM Star of India award and the title of SANGEETA RATNA for her exemplary service to promote music worldwide. It was given by the magazine WISDOM on 13th December 2003. KALASAGARAM Secunderabad conferred on Sudha the title of Sangeetha Kalasagram on 29th November 2003.

Sudha Ragunathan was conferred the title ARJUNA for achievements as a performer, and as a mark of personal distinction in the propagation of Carnatic Music on 15th December 2003 by the Margazhi Mahotsavam at Chennai. A certificate and gold coin was awarded to Sangeetha Vidwamsini Sudha Ragunathan for lifetime contribution to the propagation classical music on the occasion of the Peetarohana Swarna Jayanthi Mahotsav celebrations of His Holiness Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal on 20th January 2004 at Chennai. Sangeetha Choodamani in 1997 from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Sangeetha Kala Sarathy from Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Chennai from His Holiness Shri Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Mutt. Bharatha Sangeetha Bhusana from Sri Bharatalaya, Chennai. Bharat Jyothi in 1998 from The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New York. Sangeeta Saraswathi from The Mahasannidanam of Sringeri. Gana Kuyil from Valmiki Manram, Chennai. Isai Peroli and VST Award for excellence from Karthik Fine Arts, Chennai.

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B. V. Raghavendra Rao

Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan

Raghavendra Rao hails from a distinguished family of musicians. He was initiated into the niceties of music at an early age of five by his father B. Sudarsana Rao. Attracted by the lure of classical music from his childhood, he trained rigorously on the violin for several years under Guru Shri Balan, Sri Sangeetham Meerasahib and became the disciple of the violin maestro Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri T.N. Krishnan. Later he received invaluable guidance and concert experience from Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna. As a young artiste he received the appreciation of the President of India for accompanying the celebrated musical genius. He has won several prizes and awards from various sabhas in Madras. He has participated in the prestigious Bharat Cultural Integration Committee's (BCIC) music festivals organised all over India. Raghavendra Rao has performed internationally and has participated in numerous music festivals of I.C.C.R., and the prestigious 'Festival of India' programmes. He has widely traveled all over the world, including, the U.S.A., Canada, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius and the Middle Eastern countries.

Born in a family of percussionists, Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan was initiated into the divine art of mrdangam at the age of 6. He had his early training under his grandfather Shri Thiruvarur Kunju Iyer and his uncle Shri Thiruvarur Nagarajan. His natural sense of rhythm and affinity with the instrument enabled him to perform in concerts even as he was learning. His artistry grew under the tutelage of Mridangam maestro Shri Karaikudi Mani. Under Shri Mani's guidance, Vaidyanathan blossomed into a full-fledged mridangist with a capacity to accompany all the leading musicians. He has accompanied music doyens viz. Dr. Balamuralikrishna, Smt M.L. Vasanthakumari, Dr N. Ramani, Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam, Sri K.J.Yesudas, Sri K.V. Narayanawamy, Smt D.K. Pattamal, Sri T.V. Sankaranarayanan, Sri M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Sri T.N.Krishnan, Sri U.Srinivas, Smt Aruna Sairam, Smt Sudha Ragunathan, Smt Bombay Jayashri, Smt Nityasree Mahadevan, Sri Ravikiran, Sri Sanjay Subramanian, Sri Unni Krishnan, Sri T.M.Krishna, etc. His playing style is characterized by melodic richness, technical dexterity, balanced use of the left and right sides, clarity at higher tempos and a keen sense of anticipation which all together provides a complementary percussion support that enhances the performance of the main artist and takes the concert to great heights. He has so far accompanied prominent artists for more than 100 cassettes and CD recordings including live concerts and jugalbandhies. In 2004, he teamed up with Dr.Balamuralikrishna and Sri Bhimsen Joshi for a memorable Jugalbandi at Bangalore. Though Vaidyanathan is based in Chennai, India he keeps trotting around the globe as dictated by his professional commitments for performance and teaching.

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Interview with Smt Sudha Raghunathan

Chitra Sudarshans Interview with Smt Sudha Raghunathan for Keertana Magazine CS: You have won so many awards, climbed the peak of your career, your Samudhaya foundation has raised lakhs of rupees for various causes, you are feted everywhere you go. What is it that you would yet like to achieve- that you would like to do? There is so much more to achieve and I think I have just come a quarter of the way! There is so much to do in every area. Its not just about winning awards but the recognition that comes with it, that brings with it a certain amount of responsibility. I constantly question myself - Why does one think I deserve this? My contribution should be visible, should be seen, felt and acknowledged by everyone that is when the award is truly deserved. I consistently keep striving to achieve that recognition. There are still so many causes to work for and so many out there who require support and a helping hand. So how can I even imagine that I have achieved everything? In that context, I feel its a little inappropriate for me to even think of it this way..... CS: What are your views on the new crop of Carnatic musicians? Are they different in any way to the previous generation? Are tastes changing in Carnatic music and is the new generation of musicians trying to cater to a new audience? The upcoming group is very bold, adventurous and an immensely talented lot. They are courageous enough to take a decision about making music their profession. During our times, there was a lot of doubts and trepidation associated with choosing music as a career especially as a way of earning ones living. But now, the youngsters know what they want and are very clear about the choices they make. This is a welcome change in mind sets. Music today can be a breadwinning profession. Because of their talent they are able to juggle between academics, music, and their regular profession and aspire further. They don different hats and explore different avenues. The previous generation was very conservative about music and restricted itself to only singing. But todays generation has diverse interests, and is also working on other aspects associated with music, such as opening e-stores for music, jamming, playback singing, creating merchandise related to music and conceptualizing different and novel ways of promoting the art form. While it brings in more money to the table, it also throws up a host of challenges that the younger generation is quite capable of overcoming. CS: One hears of the new generation trying out new ragams. What are your views on this subject? New ragas were already introduced by GNB Amrutabehag, Shivashakti, Chandrahasitam, Samakadambari, Chayaranjani, Sarangatarangini Malavi, Kadanakuthuhalam, Shri Balamurali Krishnas Mahati, Sumukham, Lavangi. It is not very surprising that the newer generation is trying out new ragas. What actually matters is the manner and proportion of presentation. Our stalwarts had introduced the gana ragas. Why are they so important in a concert? it has rakti, bhakti and majesty that truly embellish a concert CS: Is the Concert format changing? Do you think it is for the better?

As far as Carnatic music is concerned, there can never be a radical change as it has its own traditional format that has been set by doyens like Shri Ariyakkudi Ramanujam Iyengar. On a micro level, there can be a change in approach to the repertoire or the presentation. Expectations from the audience have changed. The preference now is towards thematic presentations, and audiences are also opening up to the idea of experimentations. However, on a macro level, there can never be a radical shift in the format of Carnatic music and innovations can be introduced only up to a point. CS: Interaction between Carnatic music and film music: there used to be a relationship before. Has Indian film music lost that connection now and gone more Western? Yes, there has definitely been a visible change in Indian film music. The importance of rhythm is kind of fading slowly. Tunes have become rather very simple, which, of course, has meant greater reach and topping of charts! The change is obvious the music of yesteryears and todays music are like two different genres. What was sung earlier by MS, MLV, Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, and Trichy Loganathan were all formal kritis with a particular raaga confined within the norms of the Carnatic framework. Today, film music has songs that meander between ragas, they are racy, and have conversations in between with simple melodies.

There is a feeling that the single raaga format gets too heavy for the audience. My vote is certainly for the earlier era of the MS, MLV music. However, in todays film music, there are at times sporadic creations of melodious and soulful music. Todays trend is light and spirited. My own daughter listens to a lot of Western music, and to such light music that one can immediately sing along. At the same time, she also yearns to listen to the older genres. If I were to go by her responses, I am sure the music of yester years will make a comeback. It could all change another 5 years down the line. CS: What are your views on the TV shows and competitions in classical music? Is it one way of reaching a wider audience? Yes, it is indeed a way of reaching a wider audience. All channels compete with one another; there is conceptualization of new themes catering to the emerging interests of the younger generation. They learn a lot of techniques, are asked to present in different genres and it gets more intense as the episodes progress. It is satisfying to see the children attracted to classical music in which they are doing extensive work and research and for them to be found suitable and given an opportunity to participate in these programmes, is indeed good. At the same time, what worries me is the disappointment that sets in when one does not win. While some are mentally equipped to handle losing in such competitions, and move on, some, in sheer dejection, give up music for all one knows, they could have done brilliantly otherwise... The most important thing is, what happens after they win? How many of them actually pursue it as a profession? Or is it just that it was pursued as a hobby and winning was all that mattered? But yes, looking at it as a wider canvas, it has generated a lot of interest in music in the younger generation, garnered great viewership. But I am not really sure

if it will stand test of time and will actually help propagate good music! Remains to be seen... CS: You travel a lot and have a hectic schedule: how do you avoid burn out? It may sound a bit flippant however, you are the mother of adult children with a very busy life both in terms of career and social commitment. Yet you have managed to stay trim and much sought after for sari and jewellery modelling still! How do you do it?

Well, its all about self discipline and my Gurus blessings. She would always say that when you are on stage, its not only about singing but also about how you present yourself. There must be both an aural and a visual appeal! I pack as much in a day and practise as much. Conscious of what I eat, making time for workouts and ensuring that I am healthy and happy within, that will reflect on my external being... its no secret...Its just a way of life!

Acknowledgement
Venue Audio Artiste Hosting Nicky Edwards and the staff at Kel Watson Theatre, Forest Hill College, Mahoneys Road, Burwood East Vic. 3151 Charles Walker, Imperial Audio Subhadra and Sankaran Ramesh Family Sunitha and Shankar Raman Family Shoba and Ramnath Iyer Family Oviam Creations

Design

Concert Arrangement
Anu and Krishnan Family Arundathi and Sriram Family Chitra and Soundarajan Iyer Family Chitra and Sudarshan Family Mythili and Naga Nagasundaram Family Prabha and Shankar Family Shoba and Ramnath Iyer Family Subhadra and Sankaran Ramesh Family Sunitha and Shankar Raman Family Jayasree and Vasu Srinivasan Family Yogam and Ramanan Family CMC wishes to acknowledge the assistance provided by all music schools of Melbourne in the publicity of this concert.

Contacts
Anu .......................................8806 1625 Ramesh .................................9800 4612 Vasu ......................................9887 4232 Shoba ....................................9886 8406 Soundar .................................9802 8779

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