Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Magnificent ruins Pompeii

http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/12/15/stories/2008121551090300.htm

Magnificent ruins

You feel a range of emotions in Pompeii, the great city reduced to rubble by a volcano, writes Chitra Srikrishna

Photos: K. Srikrishna

Amazement and despair At Pompeii

“Cave Canem” reads the Latin inscription on the floor. “It means beware of the dog,” exclaims my 10-year-old, reading from her pamphlet. We are at the entrance of the House of the Tragic Poet in the ruins of Pompeii outside Naples, Italy.

“Vedi Napoli e poi muori” (See Naples and die) is a popular saying. For my daughters, it was Naples’ dead neighbour Pompeii that mattered. History lessons that had described the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD and the subsequent destruction of Pompeii had brought the city vividly to life in their minds. The Roman senator, Pliny the Younger, has documented the events around Mt. Vesuvius’ eruption. Pliny’s writings are believed to be the only eye-witness account, and hence, amongst the most valuable recountings of Pompeii’s destruction.

Visiting the ruins in Pompeii was on the top of my daughters agenda even before we boarded our flight to Italy. Naples, the capital of the Campania region, is a little over two hours journey south of Rome. From there, we get on the circumvesuviana — the local train connecting cities around Mt. Vesuvius — and a short while later are at the Pompeii Scavi station. Within walking distance from the station is the entrance to the ruins of Pompeii.


Built with foresight

The ruins are far bigger than I had imagined. Cobbled streets, some in better condition than roads in India, are laid out in a grid pattern. Stepping stones, wide enough for pedestrians to cross over the streets and narrow enough for chariot wheels to pass over, are placed at intersections. This was helpful to Pompeii’s citizens as the roads were flooded each night to clean them. I cannot help being amazed at the foresight exhibited by the city planners 2,000 years ago.

According to my guidebook, the House of the Tragic Poet is not the biggest residence in Pompeii, but is by far the most impressive with the mosaics and fresco art that adorn its walls.

Vibrant paintings that are remarkably well preserved, decorate the walls. They depict scenes from Greek mythology. Many frescoes are of gods and goddesses and are interspersed with some that I consider too risqué for my children. The simplicity of the house belies the rich artwork found in it and the origin of its owner continues to intrigue historians.

We’ve spent nearly an hour at the tragic poet’s house when my husband announces, “Let’s see how the other half lived.” He shepherds us towards a big building whose owner must have clearly been well to do. The House of the Faun, a luxurious private home has numerous rooms, atriums and peristyles (columned porch) running around them. The statue of a dancing faun on top of the impulvium — a rectangular basin for catching rainwater, has my children captivated. “He reminds us of the sartyr in the Narnia chronicles!”

As I wander through the house, I come to the beautiful mosaic depicting Alexander the Great’s defeat of the Persian king Darius in battle. It is one of the few original art works left in place, unlike most of the other original sculptures and statues, including the eponymous faun, which have been housed in a museum in Naples.

Fulcrum of life

When we finally walk out of the House of the Faun, the afternoon heat strikes me like a blow. We head to the Forum. In all Roman cities the Forum served as the city centre around which political, religious and social life moved.The Forum at Pompeii is no exception, with temples of Jupiter and Apollo anchoring one side of a large open space and lined by ruins of colonnaded buildings on two other sides.

As I sit on a bench to rest my weary feet, I notice Mt. Vesuvius framing much of the horizon, a surreal backdrop to the ruins. Even as I try to imagine the day in 79AD, when the sleeping giant awoke, I hear a loud cry. It is from my daughters who have wandered away a little bit.

I drag myself to where they are and am shocked at the sight that greets me. The plaster cast of a human body lies in front of us, a poignant reminder of the tragedy. This is the moment that remains etched in my memory — I could imagine Pliny the Younger’s utter despair as he recorded the aftermath of the volcanic eruption.

Things to do

Comfortable walking shoes are a must. Also recommended are caps/hats, and water bottles, especially if you’re visiting in the summer. Read Richard Harris’ Pompeii, a well-paced novel set around the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Art in its pristine form

SOurce http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/06/stories/2009030651210300.htm

Art in its pristine form

PUSHPA CHARI

An exhibition of creatively designed brass items are on display till March 11.

Photo: M. Karunakaran

Exquisite: Ramesh holds up one of the favourite brass items designed by him.

The brass products brought out by Ramesh reflect the many faces of and trends in Indian metal craft today. Many of his handcrafted pieces are marked by a touch of innovation and creative imagination, the use of traditional motifs and even a mix of regional styles. Coming from a non-paramparik family, Ramesh learnt metal craft from a friend in Swamimalai nearly 20 years ago. Today, he not only makes brass icons for temples but creates a range of products marked by his ‘unique’ touch.

Intricate creations

His lovely ‘agal’ lamps or brass ‘diyas’ range from modern, uncluttered curve forms to minimal carving of peacocks. He has used the ‘yaali’ face in the ‘tiruvasan’ of Vishnu to adorn compelling door handles, wall hangings and so on. The ‘Garuda’ in the Akhilandeswari temple, Tiruchi, is a favoured motif and his brass icon of Vishnu with Garuda in the foreground is a beautiful piece. Ganesha is another recurring theme, dancing on the edge of an elephant’s raised trunk, crawling or in a pristine form. Ramesh has crafted a four feet Vinayaka idol for the Malaikkotai temple. Another speciality is his intricately carved door locks and keys. From minute etching and carving to finishing, he does everything himself.

“I get ideas from observing, visiting temples, looking at motifs and formats,” says Ramesh, who is based at Woraiyur in Tiruchi. “I also look at craft books and pictures.” His Radha Krishna under a tree full of chirping birds is reminiscent of Oriya stone sculptures while his Venugopal is inspired by the Hoysala idiom with a lot of ornamentation and intricate carving.

“First I cut a brass piece to the required thickness,” continues Ramesh. “Then we take a metal stick or ‘ulir’ and do the minute carving, facial expressions, etc.” Holding up a tiny Kamadhenu, he explains how its wings are separate pieces which, along with the base have been ‘joined’ to the main figure. His Radha Krishna and the luxuriant tree too are separately carved pieces.

Ramesh’s works can be seen at Expo 2009 organised by the Artisan’s Welfare Trust at the Corporation Community Hall, 21/30 C.P. Ramaswamy Road, Alwarpet. A collection of craft works from other States is also on view at the exhibition which ends on March 11.

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Friday, May 22, 2009

The archer’s penance

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/06/stories/2009030651210300.htm

The archer’s penance

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

Koothu-p-pattarai’s Arjunan Thabasu brought home the evils of war.

Photo: S. Thanthoni

Bold acrobatics: Arjunanan Thabasu.

The Mahabharata, mythological tale though it is, is a documentation of a family quarrel with far-reaching and disastrous consequences. Just as the horrors of war are brought home to us by history, so also, they are brought home to us by the Mahabharata too. Cousin pitched against cousin, uncle against nephew, brother against brother, not to mention the countless others caught up in the war — victory, when it does come, whether in history or in the Mahabharata, is Pyrrhic.

It is the horrendous consequences of war that Na. Muthuswamy’s play ‘Arjunanan Thabasu,’ presented by Koothu-p-pattarai, is all about. Vyasa tells the Pandavas that Duryodhana is unwilling to allow them to return, once their period of exile is over. So Arjuna sets off to do penance, to obtain the Pasupathastra from Siva. On the way Mohini and Perandi try to seduce him, but he is not tempted.

Working out a strategy

But when Siva is about to give Arjuna the Pasupathastra, Ekalavya’s disciples exhort him not to, because of the potential of the weapon to cause large scale damage. How else can the Pandavas vanquish Duryodhana, asks Siva. One of Ekalavya’s disciples suggests the use of a scent to lure the men. He demonstrates the potential of the scent, and even Siva succumbs to the enticing fragrance. But the plan to use the scent is abandoned when Draupadi objects to it on grounds of morality. Siva then gives Arjuna the Pasupathastra, with warnings about the consequences should it fall into the wrong hands. It will lead to large scale destruction, and no one will be spared, he says, reminding one of how easy it is for a conventional war to become a nuclear holocaust.

Vigour is generally the hallmark of Koothu-p-pattarai productions. But ‘Arjunan Thabasu’ lived up to it only in parts. The acrobatics of Ekalavya’s disciples on the rope were graceful and bold, and there was clever use of lighting here. The fight between Arjuna and Siva was lively.

One of the characters spoke indistinctly, and had trouble with his pronunciation, especially with ‘la’ and found it particularly difficult to say ‘Pasupathastra.’

The idea of conveying a message through the play was laudable but should it have been done at the cost of dignity? The dialogue, at several places, bordered on being vulgar and the gestures quite lewd. Perhaps koothu-p-pattarai should think about this.

Catch ‘Arjunan Thabasu,’ 7 p.m., on March 6, 7, 9, 13,14 and 15 at No1, Vaikasi Street, Chinmaya Nagar, Virugambakkam

Thursday, May 21, 2009

He made waves with children

Source - http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/11/14/stories/2008111451260400.htm

He made waves with children

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

Koothapiran struck instant rapport with the young participants, who called him Vanoli Anna.

Children are unpredictable, and this provided the humour quotient.



CHILDREN’S COMRADE: Koothapiran. (Right) Vignettes from his album. The last picture shows Mandolin Shrinivas and Arun Prakash performing for Paappa Malar.

“My father, Vittal Iyer, was a mridangam vidwan at Kalakshetra. I therefore had the good fortune of listening to the arangetram of Mysore Vasudevachar’s compositions at Kalakshetra. As soon as a kriti was ready, MDR, Mani Perundevi (Mani Krishnaswamy) or D. Pasupathi would sing it,” says Natarajan. Attending programmes at Kalakshetra gave Natarajan a taste for the fine arts, early on. While his brother learnt Bharatanatyam, Natarajan was attracted to the stage. He would walk all the way from Adyar to Teynampet Congress Grounds to watch plays staged by Nawab Rajamanickam Pillai and T.K.S. Brothers. “A ticket cost only twenty five paise in those days,” he says. “Even a balcony ticket in R.R. Sabha cost only 50 paise.”

Having decided to have a shot at writing plays, Natarajan gave himself a pseudonym. “What better pseudonym than Koothapiran, the Tamil equivalent of Natarajan?” he asks. Although he started out as a writer, Koothapiran later began to act too. He trained under actor/director Paul Storm at Kalakshetra. Today, Koothapiran’s whole family is involved with the stage one way or the other.

The stage brought him into contact with writers such as Sujatha, Savi, Marina, Bhagirathan, Akhilan and with Poornam Viswanathan.

The stage also got him his job. All India Radio was looking for good voices. No formal qualifications were needed, said the advertisement. So Koothapiran, who had learnt voice modulation on the stage, attended the interview, and was selected. He was asked how quickly he could translate from English to Tamil. Koothapiran admitted that he did not know English, but was willing to learn. How long did it take him to learn English? “At first it took me 20 minutes to translate a weather bulletin. Later on, I just translated live, as I read the news!”

But Koothapiran is more famous for the children’s programmes he produced. How did he get involved in these programmes?

“I had always wanted to involve children in theatre. So I started a club for children called Adyar Siruvar Sangam. My first play for these kids was ‘Amma Sol Amritam,’ which they enacted in 1955 at the Kuzhandaigal Nataka Vizha, inaugurated by Rajaji. Our play was adjudged the best. Incidentally, the club still functions and is managed by my brother.”

“I joined AIR to assist in children’s programmes, besides announcing other programmes. AIR had four programmes for children — Siruvar Solai, Paappa Malar, Muthukuvial, and Mazhalai Amudam. The guidance of Ayyasamy, who was in charge of these programmes was invaluable. Of course, my stage experience also helped,” Koothapiran adds.

Paappa Malar

But wasn’t Paappa Malar the most popular? “Yes. That’s because it was broadcast at a convenient time — 2.10 p.m. on Sunday.” And it was Paappa Malar, whose signature song was sung by K. Jayashree, that made Koothapiran famous as Vanoli Anna.

“In those days even children’s programmes were live. Only towards the end of my tenure did we begin to have recorded programmes.” Children are unpredictable, and from Koothapiran’s recollections it is obvious that this added to the humour quotient in Paappa Malar. He tells of a girl who, during the rehearsals, did a song routine. But when the programme went on air, she changed her mind and said she would tell a story instead. “Once upon a time there was a king. He died,” she said. Koothapiran asked her to continue with the story. “How can I continue, now that the king is dead?” she retorted!

There were touching moments too. Koothapiran toured many villages so that children there could participate in Paappa Malar. On one such visit, a boy came for the rehearsal in a striped shirt. A little later another boy, who looked a lot like the first, came in the same shirt. “Now look here. You were here awhile ago. I recognise that shirt. You can’t have two chances,” Koothapiran said sternly. The boy replied, “The boy who came earlier is my brother. I too want to be in Paappa Malar. But we only have one shirt between us. So once he finished, he passed it on to me.” Azha Valliappa said in an interview, that it was Koothapiran who had written the maximum number of plays for children.

Children could send in their date of birth to Vanoli Anna, and he would greet them on their birthdays. “Even now, people in their fifties, who took part in Paappa Malar programmes, address me as Vanoli Anna,” Koothapiran beams. Koothapiran auditioned Sudha Raghunathan, Mandolin Shrinivas, Embar Kannan, S.P. Ramh, Arun Prakash, when they were child artists.

Unforgettable moments in All India Radio? “Many, but to me it is most significant that the very first announcement I made was for an Ariyakkudi concert, and my last was for a KVN concert,” signs off Koothapiran.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Bollywood’s macho man bids goodbye

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/05/01/stories/2009050151260600.htm

Bollywood’s macho man bids goodbye

V. GANGADHAR

Feroz Khan, who passed away recently, projected the Hollywood-type tough guy image on screen. ‘Welcome,’ in which he plays a super gangster, was his swansong.



Showman: Feroz Khan

Feroz Khan was the super gangster in the 2008 hit film, (which was also his last) ‘Welcome,’ and he enjoyed the experience. From the time he stepped out of the aircraft, twirling two guns and shooting at random making his ‘chamchas’ (henchmen) hop around, this super gangster, ‘RDX,’ was an impressive caricature of a larger-than-life mobster.

The 70-year old actor, who died in Bangalore on Monday, craved for a larger-than-life image and got it in his last film. In a career spanning 45 years during which he made 60 films, he never cared for the wishy-washy Hindi film hero roles. Of course, during the first 15 years of his career, which began in 1960, he was the ever-present friend, brother or romantic rival of the hero (‘Arzoo’, ‘Oonche Log’ and so on), but his heart was set on something bigger.

Played second fiddle

Since producers wanted him to play the second fiddle, or run around the trees or sacrifice the heroine for the sake of the hero, his friend, Feroz decided to go on his own. And how! The handsome, blue-eyed, fair and well built actor, who hailed from Afghanistan, always had a king-sized ego and was influenced by the Hollywood tough guys. Not the villainous ones, but the hard drinking, straight shooting types such as Gary Cooper or John Wayne.

He was among the first ones to switch over to jeans, checked shirts, and guns in Bollywood films. He craved for the macho image. His first home production was ‘Dharmatma’ based on Coppola’s ‘Godfather.’ Although the Hindi version (which was shot in Afghanistan) reduced the classic to the level of a farce, the presence of beautiful heroines such as Hema Malini and Rekha, the exquisite photography and great special effects helped to make it a hit.

After this success, Feroz was hungry for more. He never worried about budgets, going for the best technicians, the most glamorous heroines, exotic locales and lilting music. In the process, acting became of secondary importance and one never saw much of Feroz Khan, who won the Best Supporting Actor Filmfare Award for ‘Aadmi aur Insaan’. Instead one saw Feroz, the show man. But the hits continued to flow, such as the multi-starrer ‘Nagin’ and his own film, ‘Qurbani,’ where he introduced Nazia Hassan, whose number ‘Aap jaisa Koi’ became very popular. ‘Jaanbaz,’ another expensive production, was about pirates and he came back to the mobster theme in ‘Dayavaan.’

‘Terrible Khans’

The problem with Feroz Khan was that he seemed to believe he was immune to the ageing process. Haughty, easily provoked and occasionally wild, the Khan brothers (Feroz, Sanjay, Sameer and Akbar ), residents of Mumbai suburb, Juhu, were labelled the ‘terrible Khans of Juhu’ for beating up people and getting into trouble. Despite a roving eye, Feroz remained married to Sundari for 20 years. Then rumours about his link-up with a young starlet led to a divorce.

His career began to fade following unsuccessful attempts to launch son, Fardeen, in ‘Prem Aggan’ and ‘Janasheen’. When Fardeen was arrested for possession of cocaine, an upset Feroz stood by him. Then came the silver lining, the huge success of ‘Welcome.’ But, by this time doctors had diagnosed cancer which had spread. The Pathan fought a brave battle, but ultimately surrendered.

Friday, May 15, 2009

A connoisseur’s delight

source - http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/11/07/stories/2008110750980300.htm


A connoisseur’s delight

V.BALASUBRAMANIAN

A six-CD pack of Tamil songs sung mainly by Vani Jairam traverses many musical genres.



LAUDABLE EFFORT:M. Sakthinathan with Vani Jairam

An engineer from Sathyamangalam now settled in the U.S., who is an ardent fan of Vani Jairam, wants to produce a music album as a tribute to her. Surfing the Internet, he searches for a music director. After watching A.V. Ramanan’s TV show ‘Saptaswarangal’ that has wind instrument exponent M. Sakthinathan as the judge, the engineer takes the next flight to Chennai and meets Sakthinathan to tell him that he would wield the baton for his production. Sakthinathan is awe struck, for the technocrat is none other than his bosom school friend and neighbour in Sathyamangalam, Neelamyle V. Dhandapani.

It sounded like a fairy tale cinema script when Sakthinathan spoke about how he got the break. “Neelamyle was very particular about the lyrics being in pure Tamil set to some unique music, never heard before. The most important thing was that he was all for using acoustic instruments than sampled sounds”.

“My friend had already decided about various situations and he sat with me only for the first song. He left for the U.S. the next day and the rest of the songs were all approved only over the phone.” The poets (the numbers within brackets indicating the number of songs penned by each of them) Andal Priyadarshini (1), Gangai Amaran (2), Kadhalmadhi (2), Kalyankumar (1), Kamakotiyan (8), Krithiya (6), Muthulingam (7), Neelamyle (5), Piraisoodan (6), Sakthinathan (1), Thenmozhi (3) and Tholkappiyan (8) have let their imagination run wild and coaxed pure Tamil from their pens, to depict various moods. That they have hit the bull’s eye is not be an exaggeration.

Amazing orchestra

The orchestra size is something unheard of, even for a mega budget film song or re-recording, leave alone a private album. “I have used all the musicians available in Chennai. I can never forget their co-operation and the passion with which they played.”

Sakthinathan has had no formal training in music. His first brush with music was when he tried to play film songs with a flute he got from a friend, when he was bedridden for a year after an injury during a game of football. When he was fit enough to play again, Sakthi dropped football and joined the Angingu orchestra at Dindigul where he learnt notations. Having acquired the skills to play reed instruments such as the saxophone and clarinet, Sakthinathan moved to Chennai. He has since then been part of film and other recordings, playing for MSV, Deva, Harris Jeyaraj and many others. However, he does remember with reverence, the Sabesh-Murali duo, who provided him with food and shelter till he became self reliant.

Each song in the discs titled ‘Puzhudhi Kattray’, ‘Thathai Nenjam’, ‘Virali’, ‘Vellaithalilay’, ‘Netrichutti’ and ‘Mazhaikala Paravaigal’ has Sakthi going atonal, which is something unique. Just when you settle down on the pattern of a song, it takes a roller coaster dive to meander into another scale, and smoothly traverses back by the end to the original scale. He has used heavy orchestra, but never once do they dominate the songs. Sakthi says the rhythms conceived by him were all played live.

Vani’s views

Did Vani Jairam find it difficult to croon his songs, what with so many twists and turns. “No, she was at ease and it was a full song take only,” reaffirms Sakthi.

Vani Jairam recalls her experience, first by singing at least a dozen of the songs over the phone, “I have to thank Neelamyle for having thought of me for the albums. It was a great experience working on the compositions of Sakthinathan with myriad scale changes. His music covers all genres such as jazz, jazz blues, oriental, flamenco, classical western, country, pop and our folk too in an authentic way.” TMS, SPB, Jayachandran, S. N. Surendar, Uma Ramanan, Deepan Chakravarthy, Krishnaraj, Srinivas, Balaram, Karthik, Harish Raghavendar, Haricharan, Harini, and Saraswathi have also lent their voices, adding variety to the fare. Vincent Raj, the sound engineer, has done a wonderful job, to make the listening a pleasant experience. Vijayarangan joins him on three albums.

An aural experience of a different kind, this collection is for connoisseurs of true music.

Produced by: STONEWALL CREATIONS, USA, Marketed by: NEW MUSIC, INDIA,

PRICE of each CD: Rs.100.

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Graceful screen presence

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/06/stories/2009030651150100.htm

Graceful screen presence


SAVITHA GAUTAM

‘Kamlabai’ tells the story of the first woman to appear on the silver screen.



THEATRE, her LIFE: The two faces of Kamlabai

There are actresses and there are more actresses. But there is only one Kamlabai Gokhale. For if she had not dared to take that bold step in 1913 by facing the camera for ‘Bhasmasur Mohini, a film by Dadasaheb Phalke, cinema history would have been quite different.

Documenting the struggles and successes of the first ever actress to grace the Indian celluloid and one of the first few women theatre artists is ‘Kamlabai,’ a touching documentary made by film maker Reena Mohan.


The film opens with the actress, now in her 90s, delivering a dialogue from one her plays using different expressions. She is toothless, her skin is wrinkled, the sparkling eyes are hidden behind thick glasses, but as Kamlabai mouths the dialogue, you are riveted to the screen. For, the spark and the spirit are still in tact. What a memory she has!

In the 47-minute documentary, which won Reena the National Award, Kamlabai recounts a life “where morning, afternoon and evening, it was only theatre. I knew nothing else.” Her mother, Durgabai, who separated from her abusive husband, worked on the stage to seek her livelihood. So, Kamlabai’s romance with the stage began when she was just four.

The veteran is candid, “My father was a bad man. He would beat my mother a lot. But my mother, she was beautiful and very talented.” Kamlabai, who has three sons, 11 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren, remembers her early theatre days. “My first stage appearance was at the age of four… during the performance, I would often doze off in some corner, and then be woken up with a tap on the head when it was my turn to make an entry.”

Her life partner

She was 14 when she met Raghunathrao Gokhale, who was with Kirloskar Natak Company. They were to play the lead pair in many of the plays, even as they became husband and wife in real life. Memories come back flooding. “We were about 150 of us, who would tour various cities such as Dharwad and Hubli. We had goldsmiths, blacksmiths, tailors and dhobis accompanying us. We would travel in 80 bullock carts and it would take days!” She remembers how she landed a role in Dadasaheb Phalke’s “Bhasmasur Mohini”. “Phalke saab had heard that our company was closing down for six months. So he came and requested our director to allow my mother and me to act in his film. That’s how I got to play the lead role. My mother played Parvati.” History was thus made in 1913.

She was just 15, and Kamlabai had become a celebrity. But destiny was not too kind to her. She lost her husband when she was in her early 20s. She had three sons to bring up. To top it all, sound made an entry into the silent celluloid world. But nothing stopped this woman of steel.

Kamlabai Gokhale’s legacy lives on for her son, Chandrakant was a well-known Marathi actor, and grandson Vikram Gokhale has made a mark both in Hindi cinema and television.

Reena Mohan’s film is a poignant portrait of a woman “who would not stop her act on stage even when she cut her finger and was bleeding profusely.” Her motto… “The show must go on.”

‘Kamlabai’ will be telecast on March 8, 1 p.m. on NDTV’s Documentary 24x7.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

A doyenne remembered - Vai.Mu.Kothainayaki Ammal

Source - http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/12/12/stories/2008121251260300.htm

A doyenne remembered

SUGANTHY KRISHNAMACHARI

The 13th annual music festival of Shanthi Arts Foundation and Endowments is a tribute to the genius of Vai.Mu.Kothainayaki Ammal.

PHOTO: R. SHIVAJI RAO

Dedicated to music: (from left) Ramabhadran, O.S. Tyagarajan, Seetha Narayanan, Padmavathi Ananthagopalan, Madurai T.N.Seshagopalan, R.Seshasayee and Tirupur Krishnan.

The 13th annual music event of Shanthi Arts Foundation and Endowments (SAFE) was held at Srinivasa Sastri Hall on December 9. Mr. Seshasayee, managing director, Ashok Leyland, was the chief guest. The programme began with an invocation by Deepika, di sciple of Sudha Ragunathan.

This year, SAFE’s music festival is dedicated to the memory of Vai.Mu.Kothainayaki Ammal to mark her 108th birth anniversary.

A book of Vai.Mu’s compositions, set to tune and notated by her, was released on the occasion.

Vainika Padmavathi Ananthagopalan, and vocalists Seetha Narayanan and O.S.Tyagarajan were honoured on the occasion.

Presiding over the function, T. N. Seshagopalan commended Ramabhadran of SAFE for bringing out the book.

He said, “I knew Vai.Mu had been an author, but I learnt of her musical acumen only now.”

He added, “It isn’t difficult to find music students in Mylapore. But Padmavathi Ananthagopalan has established a music school in Villivakkam, which has 300 students on the rolls. This is proof of her dedication to the cause of music, and her teaching abilities. Seetha Narayanan deserves praise for still considering herself a student. She is learning some pallavis from Sri Chengalpet Ranganathan now! Seshagoplan said, “ OST was a close friend. He does not need a tambura for sruti.”

Commendable feat

Seshasayee said, “Vai.Mu, Guhapriya and my mother were great friends. Their conversation would be about politics, music and literature. Those days, it was difficult being a woman author. The fact that Vai.Mu wrote more than 100 novels those days, is proof of her grit.”

Tirupur Krishnan, editor of Amudhasurabhi, and the first one to write a book on Vai.Mu, said, “Vai.Mu falsified the observation that if one is Jack of all trades, then one is master of none. She was a master of everything she touched. Suddhananda Bharati used to break his vow of silence only after he heard Vai.Mu sing. It was she who gave Rajaji’s grandson the name Rajmohan. She sang so beautifully that all one had to do was to mention that before a programme, the invocation would be by Vai.Mu, and people would come.”

Padmavathi recalled that Jaganmohini, the magazine that Vai.Mu edited, was the only magazine her father bought. “Vai.Mu’s stories were collected and bound by my father,” she said.

Talking about SAFE, vocalist Varalakshmi Anandakumar said it not only organised cultural events, but had a social commitment too. The trust provided aid to the needy in times of calamities such as the tsunami. Besides, it offered scholarships to music students, and organised contests to encourage youngsters.

The evening concluded with a veena recital by Padmavathi Ananthagopalan.

Dedicated to teaching

Source http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/09/19/stories/2008091950480300.htm

Dedicated to teaching

Many illustrious names figure among the disciples of Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, who was an accomplished composer too.



Alathur Venkatesa Iyer

Apart from being M.S. Subbulakshmi’s birthday, September 16 also has the honour of being the date of birth of another illustrious music personality who was many years her senior. Born in 1894 to Venkatarama Jatavallabhar and Parvatavardhini in Tiruvaiyaru, Alathur Venkatesa Iyer became well known as a teacher of music.

When he was eight, his parents shifted to Alathur near Tiruchi. Here he was trained in vocal music by Sentalai Govindasami Pillai, a nagaswaram vidwan. Venkatesa Iyer’s mother died a couple of years later and so the family moved back to Tiruvaiyaru. Here he was taught music by Dasavadyam Krishnaiah, singer and harmonist, who being a student of Tillaisthanam Panju Bhagavatar, belonged to the Tyagaraja sishya parampara. Krishnaiah was visually challenged and was therefore referred to as Guddi (meaning blind in Telugu). Venkatesa Iyer learnt to play the harmonium also from his guru.

Venkatesa Iyer married Lakshmi at a fairly young age and the couple shifted to Alathur once again, where the family held property. He also began teaching music in Tiruchi and its environs, but such was his reputation as a hard taskmaster that only the most diligent students could survive.

Venkatesa Iyer’s closest friends were Pudukottai Dakshinamurthi Pillai, percussionist and the veena duo, the Karaikkudi Brothers. Through the former, Venkatesa Iyer came to see the beauty of the Tiruppugazh and set several of its verses to music. He also composed tunes for the songs of Meesu Krishna Iyer, Gopalakrishna Bharati, Vedanayakam Pillai and Muthu Thandavar. Palani Muthiah Pillai, father of Palani Subramania Pillai was also a close friend of Venkatesa Iyer.

Venkatesa Iyer and Lakshmi lost their first child shortly after its birth. Their second son and only surviving child was Sivasubramaniam, who was born on July 7, 1916. He was trained in music by Venkatesa Iyer from a very early age. In 1922, a boy named Srinivasan was brought home. The son of Angarai Sankara Sroudigal, he was 11 years of age. Venkatesa Iyer decided to pair the boy with his own son and they became known as the Alathur Brothers.

Tough teacher

Training under Venkatesa Iyer was tough. He would think nothing of waking up the two boys at 2 a.m. so that they could stand in the Rock Fort area listening to the strains of the violin that wafted from Malaikottai Govindasami Pillai’s house as he practised secretly. Dakshinamurthy Pillai too trained the boys and he and Venkatesa Iyer (on the harmonium) were their accompanists in the early years of their career. At a time when the Tamil Isai Movement was still in its infancy, the Alathur Brothers, thanks to Venkatesa Iyer, could present full concerts featuring the Tiruppugazh alone. In time many honours came to the Alathur Brothers including the Sangita Kalanidhi (successively in 1964 and 65).

Venkatesa Iyer was actively involved with the Chinna Katchi, one of the two groups that conducted Tyagaraja Ardhana in Tiruvaiyaru. He was a senior office-bearer in the Sri Tyaga Brahma Mahotsava Sabha that was formed to observe a united Aradhana in 1940. But by 1945 he left the Aradhana committee and formed the Sadguru Sangeetha Sabha in Tiruchi which conducted an Aradhana for Tyagaraja at the 100-pillar hall in the Rock Fort. This tradition continues even now. He also conducted an annual festival in memory of Sadasiva Brahmendra.

Venkatesa Iyer was passionately devoted to Muthuswami Dikshitar as well and purchased the ancestral house of the composer in Tiruvarur and looked after it. It was later donated to the Trinity Sabha from whom it was acquired by the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha Karnataka Sangeetha Seva Trust which built a mandapam on the site.

Among Venkatesa Iyer’s students was the matinee idol M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavatar. He was subjected to the same tortuous methods of learning as the other students and he stuck to it notwithstanding his star status. It is said that this is what lent sheen to his music and made him famous on stage and screen.

Thyagaraja Bhagavatar’s arrest in connection with the Lakshmikanthan murder case in the 1940s was one of the greatest shocks that Venkatesa Iyer sustained in his life. He remained close to his disciple and stuck to him through thick and thin. Bhagavatar’s come back film ‘Rajamukthi’ (1948) had one song set to music by Venkatesa Iyer’s son Sivasubramaniam.

Venkatesa Iyer had several disciples among whom were M.K. Govindaraja Bhagavatar (Thyagaraja Bhagavatar’s brother), the clarionet exponent and this year’s Sangita Kalanidhi designate AKC Natarajan, Chingleput Ranganathan and J. Venkataraman. When he died in 1958, Venkatesa Iyer had the satisfaction of seeing his students becoming well respected performing artists. Truly his was a life spent in teaching and propagating music.

(The author can be contacted at srirambts@gmail.com )

Monday, May 11, 2009

Cambridge diary

Source - http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/12/15/stories/2008121551030200.htm

Cambridge diary

Whether it is the hallowed colleges with their famous students, or the architecture and art, Cambridge is definitely in the ‘places- to- see-before-I-die’ list, writes PANKAJA SRINIVASAN

Photos: pankaja srinivasan

FULL OF HISTORY Bridge over the River Cam

Cambridge is awe-inspiring. But, naturally. People such as Srinivasa Ramanujan, Charles Darwin, Samuel Pepys, John Milton, Christopher Marlowe, Coleridge and Ted Hughes have walked about here. Eighty three Nobel Prize winners have passed through the portals of Cambridge colleges, and god knows how many more are in-waiting.

There are some 31 colleges in Cambridge, many of them over 700 years old. Gonville and Caius, Corpus Christi, Magdalene, Trinity Hall and Christ’s are some of them.

And, it is thrilling how bits of history come alive every where you turn. Such as the mulberry tree, the very same one that provided shade to John Milton as he wrote his poetry!

You feel the presence of Henry the VIII, especially in the spectacular King’s chapel. The oak screen he presented still stands. And, above the doorway the elaborately entwined letters “H” and “A” for Henry and Anne Boleyn, obviously carved before she fell out of favour and was beheaded.



Trinity College, the colours of Autumn on Cambridge Roads, and Michaelhouse Cafe

Ancient and fabulous

The chapel’s fan vaulted ceiling, intricately carved and fashioned, and the stained glass windows depicting scenes from the Old and New Testament, said to be crafted by English and Flemish craftsmen, are fabulous. As is Ruben’s ‘Adoration of the Magi’ that hangs there in all its splendour. Henry VIII reappears at Trinity College on the Great Gate, clutching a wooden chair leg instead of the sceptre (students swapped it more than a hundred years ago).

This college has produced 31 Noble prize winners, and it was right here in Nevile Court that Issac Newton calculated the speed of sound. And, the famous chariot race scene in Ben Hur, was shot here too.

Not only in the colleges. Every gateway, spire, bridge and building you walk past has a history or an interesting story attached to it. Take the Cambridge University Press booksellers. The building in which it is housed is said to be on the site of the oldest bookshop in Britain (1581).

To market, to market

Follow your nose, and it will lead you to the marketplace. A huge square, this area is said to be the focal point of the city every since the Romans departed in 400 A.D. You can treat yourself to an amazing variety of breads, fruits, vegetables, flowers, wine and any number of keepsakes. Pick up hooded sweatshirts, with Cambridge University emblazoned across the chest, to impress folks back home!

And, whatever you do, don’t forget to peep into Michaelhouse Café.

A former Trinity College student of History, Bill Sewell, runs the café that is set inside a 14th Century church! Along with home-made scones, scrambled eggs, hazelnut muesli and cream tea, admire a stained glass window, a boat at the altar and, if you can, a gravestone in the gents toilet!

Student fare

The café, quite appropriately, has a “hungry student” cheap lunch offer too, that is described in the menu as ‘A plateful of fresh food for just three pounds, ninety five’. It also doubles up as an art gallery. What is extraordinary is that Sewell runs three other cafes around England and they are all located in working churches!

The Eagles pub, with messages scribbled on the ceiling by airmen during the Second World War, the world famous Fitzwilliam and the Kettle’s Yard museum, the Backs, (the area behind the colleges) at one time rudely referred to as ‘the backsides’, the old bridges and, of course, punting down the river Cam are some of the other ‘must dos’.

And, take your children along. It may inspire them to study there, and if they do, you can go back for another visit!

THE THIRD AGE

A wonderful, wonderful institution is the U3AC. It is the University of the Third Age in Cambridge. It is for those ‘no longer in full-time employment’ and there are, as such, no age-restrictions. The U3AC provides educational and social activities to all those who want to study subjects of their choice and at their own pace. The choice of subjects is large — art, art appreciation, computing, fitness, history, self management, philosophy and psychology, craft, linguistics, literature, mathematics, music, environment, economics, travel, writing and so on. Lectures are held regularly, and visits to museums, concerts, film screenings and travel within the country and abroad are regular features.