Remembering Fiddle Govindaraja Pillai

Gangadhar Pradhan Samman Award

Sruti’s senior contributors Leela Venkataraman and Dr. Sunil Kothari were honoured with the Guru Gangadhar Samman by the Orissa Dance Academy in February 2017 during the Dhauli-Kalinga Mahotsav in Odisha.
Harikatha Choodamani awards

Upanyasa, Vaideeka and Harikatha Choodamani awards were confered on Dr.NY.Sivaramakrishna Ghanapatigal, Dr.M.V.Ananthapadmanabhachariar and Smt.Girija Ramaswamy respectively by YCPA & SKGS Trust in the Holy Presence of Pujyasri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal and Pujyasri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswathi Swamigal during the 83rd Jayanthi Celebration of Pujyasri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamigal
A double celebration for Guru Kalyani Sharma
Mumbai based eminent Carnatic musician, Sangita Kala Acharya, Kalyani Sharma, was recently felicitated by her disciples and others, to mark two milestones in her life—her 80th birthday and 60 years of musical journey. The event ‘Guru Vandanam’ organised by her disciples in Mumbai, was inaugurated by four leading ladies in Carnatic music—Bhagavathi Mani, Alamelu Mani, Radha Namboodiri from Mumbai and R. Subbalakshmi from Thiruvananthapuram. It was a mixed fare comprising felicitation by her disciples, eminent musicians and reputed sangeeta sabhas, followed by a riveting documentary on her life, and group performances by her vocal, veena and violin disciples, titled Sangeeta Samarpanam.
Click here to read more http://srutimag.blogspot.in/2017/09/a-double-celebration-for-guru-kalyani.html
Vainika Mudhra Award for R.S. Jayalakshmi at Veenotsav 2017
During the inauguration, the Vainika Mudhra Award comprising a shawl, citation, medal and purse, was presented to vidushi R.S. Jayalakshmi—musician, teacher, and musicologist—by Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao. The award is given out of the endowment created by Chitravina N. Narasimhan in the name of his father Gottuvadyam Narayana Iyengar and Bapu Rajalakshmi Sundaram.
Varsity affiliation for Haridhos Giri School of Music

NALCO Awards

Guru Dhruba Charan Biswal and Shyamamani Devi were honoured with the NALCO Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award 2017 in the field of dance and music respectively. The NALCO Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Yuva Pratibha Samman 2017 was presented to Lingaraj Pradhan (Bhubaneswar) and Namrata Mehta (Mumbai) for Odissi, Jyotsna Jagannathan (Bangalore) for Bharatanatyam and Jateen Kumar Sahoo (Mumbai) for Odissi music. The annual awards were presented by distinguished guests on 10 September 2017, the concluding day of the 23rd OMC Guru Kelu Charan Mohapatra Award Festival organised by Srjan
Prof. Indira Parthasarathy honoured

JustUs Repertory, founded by Gowri Ramnarayan, celebrated ten years in theatre, by organising Just Fest--a two-day, two-play
festival on 24 and 25 June at the Alliance Francaise in Chennai. Gowri’s two plays showcased on the occasion were her first play—Dark Horse (2005) and her latest play titled When Things Fall Apart (2017). Eminent playwright and author Prof. Indira Parthasarathy and theatre personality Na. Muthuswamy (inset) were honoured as part of the celebrations.
Book Release - Ustad Amir Khan

A book titled Ustad Amir Khan: Pioneer of Indore Gharana, an English translation by Meena Banerjee (scholar and critic), was released by musicologist Vijay Kichlu and noted theatre critic Samik Bandopadhyay, on 28 April at the auditorium of Bharatiya Bhasa Parishad, Kolkata. The original book in Hindi is Sangeet ke Dedeepyaman Soorya: Ustad Amir Khan by Hindustani vocalist Tejpal Singh (senior among the Singh Bandhu).
Abhai Awards

Yamini Krishnamurthy and Indira Rajan were conferred the Natya Kalanidhi awards for 2016 and 2017 by Association of Bharatanatyam Artists of India, by Chitra Visweswaran, President-ABHAI on its annual day on 1 May at the TamilNadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram, Chennai. A number of awards were presented to artists.
Saraswathi Awards 2017

The Saraswathi Award 2017, was conferred on senior Carnatic musician Aruna Sairam on 2 September at the C.P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation, Chennai. The award, for lifetime service in music, was presented by Prabha Sridevan and felicitations were offered
by Chitra Visweswaran (awardee 2016). Nanditha Krishna, President of the Foundation, also spoke on the occasion. Carnatic music concerts were held on 1 and 2 September.
Kala Sadhanalaya - Award

Darshana Jhaveri, veteran Manipuri dancer and guru, was honoured by chief guest Pappu Venugopala Rao during `Bhaavaarpanam’—Kala Sadhanalaya’s day-long dance festival—organised at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Hall, Chennai, on
20 August 2017. The annual event is conducted by Bharatanatyam dancer Revathi Ramachandran in memory of her guru Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer.
Charubala Mohan Trust honours senior artists
Click here to read more http://srutimag.blogspot.in/2017/10/charubala-mohan-trust-honours-senior.html
Melbourne Trinity Festival
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The Melbourne Trinity Festival is one of the largest celebrations of the Trinity outside India. Every year, around May, an enthusiastic group of Carnatic music rasikas meticulously plans the grand event which showcases an ever-increasing number of enthusiastic young performers and veteran musicians. Visiting artists from India are featured in the prime time slots which makes the festival an inclusive and holistic experience.
Click here to read more http://srutimag.blogspot.in/2017/10/the-melbourne-trinity-festival-2017.html
Sai Arts 100th Nrityotsav

Sai Arts International celebrated the 100th edition of Sai Nrityotsav on 1 September 2017 at JSS Auditorium in Bengaluru. The festival series organised by Sai Venkatesh and wife Suparna Venkatesh was inaugurated by Helen Acharya. Veteran arts writer and
critic Sunil Kothari was felicitated on the occasion. It was followed by performances by eminent artists, an organisers’ meet and exhibition of dance books and artefacts.
Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal

Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, were conferred with the eighth Indira Sivasailam Endowment Medal and citation at the Music Academy on 22 September 2017. The award was presented by the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Foundation established by Mallika Srinivasan, Chairman and CEO, Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited, in memory of her mother Indira Sivasailam, along with the Music Academy.
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Margazhi Festival

Bramha Gana Sabha Season Inauguration

Samudhra Award
Mudhra celebrated the 15th anniversary of Samudhra magazine and 250 weeks of Paalam Free Webcast on 19 November 2017 at the Infosys Hall on Bazulla Road in Chennai. Sudharani Raghupathy, veteran Bharatanatyam dancer-guru inaugurated the function and Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, chief patron presided over the proceedings. The highlight was the conferring of the title ofGnana Samudhra on Rama Kausalya, for her outstanding contribution as a musician and musicologist, and presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Yoga, for his contribution as a photographer in the arts field. The much sought after Music Planner cum Directory 2018 was also released on the occasion.
click here to read more http://srutimag.blogspot.in/2017/12/fifteenth-anniversary-of-samudhra.html
Charubala Mohan Trust honours Ravikiran

The title Chitravina Nada Jnana Mani was conferred on vidwan N. Ravikiran by violin maestro Sangita Kalanidhi M. Chandrasekharan, on behalf of Charubala Mohan Trust on 19 November 2017 in Chennai. Narasimhan, President of Asthika Samajan, Thiruvanmiyur presided over the function. It was followed by a grand chitraveena concert by Sangita Kalanidhi designate N.Ravikiran.
V. Govindasamy Naicker Centenary Celebrations
The birth centenary of violin vidwan V. Govindasamy Naicker was celebrated at P.S. School, Mylapore, Chennai on 18 November 2017. The chief guest Sangita Kalanidhi A.K.C. Natarajan recalled his long association with the violin maestro, and spoke about the gurukula system and the music of yesteryear. Srimushnam Rajarao and Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram also offered their felicitations.. A vocal concert by the talented great-granddaughters of Govindasamy Naicker--Srutipriya and Neehaara--was widely appreciated.
Bharatanatyam guru honoured
14 February 2018, ahead of the London Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting to be held in April.
Visakha Music Academy conferred its title Sangeeta Kala Sagara

Visakha Music Academy conferred its title Sangeeta Kala Sagara on Trichur V. Ramachandran, during its 48th annual festival of music, on 26 November 2017 in Visakhapatnam.
Mudhra celebrated the 15th anniversary of Samudhra magazine

Sita Kalyanamu—a Bhagavata Mela natakam book released

The book Sita Kalyanamu—a Bhagavata Mela natakam edited by N. Srinivasan and Dr. N.V. Deviprasad (1st and 2nd from L) was released on 22 December 2017 in Chennai. The first copy was handed over by Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti to V. Ramnarayan (4th and 5th). Madabhooshi Sampath Kumar and Revathy Ramachandran felicitated Melattur Mali (extreme R) and his team. This was followed by the staging of Rukmini Kalyanamu by members of the Melattur Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam.
Purnakumbham Album online launch

Purnakumbham, a musical album comprising 30 original compositions of ‘Ghatam’ Dr. S. Karthick, was released on 23 November 2017 at the R.R. Sabha Hall in Chennai. It marked Ghatam Karthick’s completion of 30 years as a musician. His guru, vidwan T.H. Vinayakram, launched the album online and also released three CDs titled Kumbham, Kalasam and Kataksham. Karthick’s teachers Prof. Va.Ve.Su, Dr. S. Ramaratnam and vidwan T.H. Subashchandran, blessed him and also received the logo as a mark of the online launch. The release function was followed by Sudha Raja’s Sargam Choir singing a few songs from the album, and Bharatanatyam dancers Shweta Prachande and Sudharma Vaithiyanathan dancing to a few songs from Purnakumbham.
Tamil Isai Perarignar on vidwan T.M. Krishna.

The Tamil Isai Sangam has been doing yeoman service in pann research from 1949. This season the pann research conference took place on 24 December 2017, and the panns Narayani and Velavali were discussed. Dr. M.A. Bhageerathi presented a paper on pann Velavali which is the present day raga Gaurimanohari. Mylai Sadgurunada Oduvar presented the kattalais for the pann Nattapadai. Also seen in the picture are Dr. Sirkazhi Sivachidambaram, Dr. Thangarasu, Justice P. R. Gokulakrishnan and T.K.S. Kalaivanan. The Tamil Isai Sangam conferred the title Tamil Isai Perarignar on vidwan T.M. Krishna.
Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Indira Kadambi receiving award

Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Indira Kadambi receiving the Vidhya Tapasvi award instituted by Tapas Cultural Foundation, Chennai, from Dr. R. Nagaswamy and N.S. Jayalakshmi on 18 February 2018.
Carnatic musician T.V. Ramprasadh receiving the award

Carnatic musician T.V. Ramprasadh receiving the Dasa Kala Rathna award instituted by Purandhara Daasar Trust, Chennai, from the Bombay Sisters on 10 March 2018.
Lecdem by T.R. Govindarajan

T.R. Govindarajan presenting the Parlandu Award

Ranjani - Gayatri Honoured

Revathi Ramachandran is the new Director of Kalakshetra

Revathi Ramachandran has officially
taken charge as Director of Kalakshetra on 20 April 2018. It is a welcome move
as the post was vacant for almost eight months.
Revathi Ramachandran, Bharatanatyam
dancer, choreographer and teacher, is a direct disciple of Guru
Mangudi Durairaja Iyer.
An A Grade artist of Doordarshan,
Revathi has performed in prestigious organizations in Chennai and different
parts of India. She has travelled widely to many countries including the United
States, France, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Italy for group
presentations and workshops.
As recipient of a fellowship
from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Revathi has done
research on the traditional art of Bhagavata Mela. She has assisted famous
scholars like T.S. Parthasarathy, Dr. Arudra and Dr. R. Nagaswamy in their
lectures, by demonstrating Suddha Nrittam and Tiru Tala Jati. Revathi has
coordinated the production of a CD-ROM titled ‘Bharathanatyam’ apart from
choreographing and directing teleserials like ‘Deiveega Tirumanangal’,
‘Kodhai Paadiya Paavai’ and ‘Gnaana Parambarai’. She had the opportunity of
performing in the Hindi teleserial 'Noopur' presented by dancer-actor
Hemamalini.
Over the years, Revathi has been
exploring the richness of classical dance guided by various gurus, including
Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam. Her understanding of the art has been further
enriched by her training in nattuvangam with Guru Bhagavatulu Seetarama Sarma,
veena from Kalpagam Swaminathan and Kuchipudi from Guru Vempati Chinna
Satyam.
She is the recipient of several
awards including the Nadana Maamani, Yuva Kala Bharathi, Isai Kalai Chelvar,
Natya Kala Sikhamani and the Arsha Kala Bhushanam Award.
Every year Revathi diligently pays homage to her Guru Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer by organising a festival in his memory.
Pudukottai Krishnamurthy is no more

"A Great loss to the Music Fraternity,"
said veena vidwan Ananthanarayanan in a Facebook post today. He added:Maha vidwan veena maestro Pudukkottai R.Krishnamurthy passed away today.
My sashtanga namaskarams.
"Please don't miss this great video "
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3jQKBOnDy8&sns=em
Another veena artiste Ramnath Iyer said:
"Very sad news. A great vainika who combined tradition and modernity in his playing. He had developed special fingering techniques that made his concert very engaging and exciting for the audience. May his soul reach the Almighty."
Prof S. Rajeswari was honoured by Sahana Fine Arts

Prof
S. Rajeswari, retired Principal of the Tamil Nadu Government Music College, was
honoured by Sahana Fine Arts in Mogappair. The title of Isai Chudaroli was conferred
on the Carnatic musician by Natya Kalanidhis Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan on 7
January 2018. The Dhananjayans paid rich tribute to the awardee and described
her as an all-rounder—a concert singer, excellent teacher, musicologist, and
composer who has the special qualification of singing with aplomb and
conducting a Bharatanatyam performance. They also recalled how connoisseurs would
throng to watch Kamala—the doyen of Bharatanatyam—and listen to S. Rajeswari ‘s
excellent vocal accompaniment. A good crowd attended the event and the Carnatic
vocal concert by S. Rajeswari who was accompanied by Usha Rajagopalan (violin)
and Tanjavur Subramaniam (mridangam). This is the ninth year that Sahana Fine
Arts is conducting a music and dance festival. Next year being the tenth, the
convenor, violinist Arun Karthik, announced that a ten-day art festival would
be held to mark the occasion, which was welcomed with applause by the audience.
Thyagarathna—Kapilai Kadalil Sangamithal—a novel

Thyagarathna—Kapilai Kadalil
Sangamithal—a novel based on the life of Bengaluru
Nagarathnamma, written by Kalyani Venkataraman, was released on 5 January at
Tiruvaiyaru, at saint Tyagaraja’s shrine. Bhageerathi, wife of the late
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and member of the Nagarathnamma Committee, released the
book. Published by Nijaguna Foundation, Kollegal, and priced at Rs. 350, it is
a translation in Tamil of the Kannada book titled Kapilé HaridaLu Kadaligé written by Prof. Maleyuru Guruswamy of Mysore.
Shri Purandaradaasar Trust honoured Carnatic musicians

Shri Purandaradaasar Trust honoured Carnatic musicians T.V.
Ramprasadh, Carva C.A. Rajasekar, and R. Ramesh with the Dasa Kala Rathna
awards, organiser S. Rajaraman with the A.R. Kannan Memorial award, mridangist
Sengottai A. Rajamani with the R.N. Ganesan Memorial award, vocalist Amritha
Murali with the G.N.B. Memorial award and young musicians R.D. Adharsh and M.
Anandhulal, on 10 March in Chennai. The Bombay Sisters presented the awards and
presided over the sixth anniversary celebrations of the Samajam.
Indira Kadambi received the Vidhya Tapasvi award

Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher Indira Kadambi received the
Vidhya Tapasvi award instituted by Tapas Cultural Foundation, Chennai, from Dr.
R. Nagaswamy and N.S. Jayalakshmi on 18 February 2018.
22nd edition of the Sangit Kala Kendra Awards function

At the 22nd edition of the Sangit Kala Kendra Awards function, C. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra, presented the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar 2017 to Prabha Atre, veteran Hindustani vocalist. The Aditya Vikram Birla Kalakiran Puraskars were presented to Anol Chatterjee and Sawani Shende Sataye.
Lalitharam's brilliant presentation on GNB's music

Lalitharam, author and Carnatic music conservationist, made a brilliant presentation (featuring a listening session) on G.N. Balasubramaniam’s music on 1 May 2018—GNB’s death anniversary— on the occasion of the release of Prince of Music, by V. Ramnarayan, an English translation of Lalitharam’s GNB biography Isai Ulaga Ilavarasar. The hall was packed at Raga Sudha, Mylapore, the venue of the event. G.N. Balakrishnan (GNB’s brother), received the first copy of the book. Another close relative, T.V. Gopalakrishnan, GNB’s disciple Sangita Kalanidhi Trichur V. Ramachandran and Mathangi, granddaughter of another disciple, the late T.R. Balasubramaniam, also received copies.
T.Balasaraswati's 100th birthday

As part of the celebration of T. Balasaraswati’s 100th birthday, the Dr. V. Raghavan Centre for Performing Arts (Nandini Ramani, Managing Trustee), honoured veteran dance critic and scholar, V.A.K. Ranga Rao on 13 May at Ragasudha Hall, Mylapore in Chennai. Cleveland V.V. Sundaram, organiser and arts administrator, presided over the function. Revathi Ramachandran (Director - Kalakshetra Foundation), and Roja Kannan (President ABHAI), felicitated the awardee. It was followed by a special concert of padams and javalis rendered by S. Sowmya.
Carnatic music tradition of Sri Lanka

Renowned documentary film maker Amshan Kumar gave a talk entitled ‘Carnatic Music Tradition of Sri Lanka’ followed by the screening of his documentary on tavil vidwan Yazhpanam Thedchanamoorthy on 5 May 2018 at Arkay Convention Centre under the auspices of Tamil Heritage Trust. The Trust offers monthly programmes celebrating the Tamil heritage besides conducting regular tours and site visits of historical and archaelogical interest.
Ganesa Natyalaya honours the Dhananjayans

Natyacharyas Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan were honoured with the title and award Shreshta Kalaa Pracharak by Saroja Vaidyanathan’s Ganesha Natyalaya, New Delhi on 9 April 2018. The award function was held in the Delhi Tamizh Sangam auditorium, R.K. Puram, and the award was presented by Governor of Goa Mridula Sinha.
Guru C.V. Chandrasekhar receives Utsav Nritya Ratna title

The
title of Utsav Nritya Ratna was conferred on Bharatanatyam guru Prof. C.V.
Chandrasekhar by chief guest Deborah David, Vice Consul General, U.S.
Consulate, Chennai, on the occasion of the International Dance Day celebrations
organised by Utsav on 29 April 2018 organised at the Nalli Gana Vihar of Sri
Krishna Gana Sabha. Utsav Music was founded in 1999 by Churchill Pandian to
take classical arts to the people and to draw in the younger generation. The
award function was followed by an interesting presentation of Bharatanatyam
(Priyadarsini Govind), Kuchipudi (Bhavana Reddy), and Kathak (Sanjukta Sinha).
Tyagaraja Aradhana in Paris

The Paris Tyagaraja Aradhana was organised by Carnatic Conservatory of Paris (founded by Bhavana Pradyumna)
at the S.R.C.M Centre on 20 May 2018. The aradhana began with the lighting of the lamp and singing of Pillari
Geetegalu and the kriti Guruleka yatuvanti. The group rendition of the Pancharatna kritis was led by Padma Malini
Raghunandan, Bhavana Pradyumna and Srividya Badri Narayan with Venkata Krishnan on the mridangam. The
musical structure and meaning of the kritis were explained in French. CCP students also sang kritis of Tyagaraja and
Purandaradasa. As the event also focussed on ‘Guru-sishya’, the Carnatic Conservatory of Paris honoured gurus
Malavika and Padma Malini Raghunandan.
Tyagaraja Aradhana in The Netherlands

Tyagaraja Aradhana was conducted at Sri Arunachaleswara Temple in Beverwijk, an hour’s drive from Amsterdam.
The three-hour programme had over 40 participants and around 400 spectators. Singers, instrumentalists and the
audience had a unique experience on the occasion. The Madras Chorus that organised the event, is an association of
musicians, singers and music lovers of Delft, educational hub of The Netherlands.
SKGS Chithirai Nataka Vizha Awards

At the 26th Chithirai Nataka Vizha organised by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in Chennai, chief guest mridanga
maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman conferred the title ‘Nataka Choodamani’ on S.B. Khanthan, and presented
the ‘Poornam New Theatres’ Rolling Trophy for the best drama troupe to Vivek Shankar’s Prayatna and the ‘Iyakunar
Sigaram K.Balachander Award for Excellence in Theatre’ to S.N. Parvathi. Also in the picture are Vivek Shankar, Crazy
Mohan, Kathadi Ramamurthy, Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti (President, SKGS, Saashwathi Prabhu and R. Venkateswaran,
Joint Secretary, SKGS).
ABHAI Awards 2018

On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Association of Bharatanatyam Artistes of India (ABHAI), honoured
several senior artists on 1 May at Vani Mahal in Chennai. A group dance choreographed by Binesh Mahadevan
was presented by 30 dancers to signify ABHAI’s 30th anniversary.
The prestigious Natya Kalanidhi awards were presented to veteran dance gurus Sudharani Raghupathy and Padma
Subrahmanyam (in absentia). Senior Bharatanatyam dancers and teachers Jayanthi Subramaniam and J. Suryanarayana
Murthy received the Nritya Perunjothi and Narthaka Nipuna awards respectively. The Gandharva Nipuna award was
presented to veena vidwan Mudicondan S.N. Ramesh. The awards were given away by chief guest Sangita Kalanidhi
Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman.
The award ceremony was followed by a group presentation in Bharatanatyam of a varnam learnt during the summer
workshop conducted by senior dancer-guru Sathyanarayana Raju in 2017.
World Music Day in the Twin Cities

Trinity and Nandhikeshwara festivals in Melbourne

Devoted to her father’s legacy

Geetha Bennett (1950-2018)
Felicitations to Mannargudi Easwaran
Disciples,
family members and admirers of mridanga vidwan Mannargudi Easwaran gathered in
large numbers on 11 August 2018 at the Narada Gana Sabha
auditorium, Chennai to celebrate his sixty years of service to music. The congregation underscored the affection and regard his
peers, disciples and family members have for this vidwan who has embellished the concerts of many senior and
junior musicians. The evening commenced with the screening of a documentary on Easwaran, curated by his senior
disciple Mudhra Bhaskar.
The documentary
had many clippings from various concerts played over decades and included
comments from his family members. The videos of the mridangam
classes including senior and junior disciples revealed Easwaran’s dedication, sincerity and discipline in his teaching.
Nalli Kuppuswami
Chetti, Cleveland V.V. Sundaram, Guruvayur Dorai, Karaikudi Mani, Nagai
Muralidharan, Sanjay Subrahmanyan and Rajasubramaniam (elder
brother of Easwaran) felicitated Easwaran. Nalli released the brochure on Mannargudi Easwaran and presented the first copy to his guru
mridanga vidwan Guruvayur Dorai.
Mannargudi
Easwaran thanked all the dignitaries, music vidwans, his peers, family members,
music students and rasikas for making the
event a memorable one. Neharika Umasankar sang the invocation, and Radha
Bhaskar, senior musician and writer, compered the proceedings in a
professional manner.
The function was
followed by the concert of Sanjay Subrahmanyan who was accompanied by S.
Varadarajan (violin), Neyveli Venkatesh (mridangam) and S.
Venkatramanan (khanjira). Although the concert started late after the
felicitation function, it was wholesome music for the
rasikas.
C. RAMAKRISHNAN
Lalit Arpan Festival of Dance and Music

The 17th edition of the Lalit
Arpan Festival conducted in Delhi on 27 and 28 September 2018 was a rasika’s
delight. It was well organized under the guidance of guru Shovana Narayan,
Jyotsna Suri and Harish Narula. The festival commenced with the conferring of
the Lalit Arpan Samman on stalwarts like Guru Birju Maharaj (Lifetime Samman),
Iqbal Ahmed Khan and Alka Raghuvanshi.
The
festival started on a high note with the energetic Kathak performance of young Mrinalini,
a student of guru Shovana Narayan since the age of six. Mrinalini’s pleasant disposition
and confidence as a dancer reflected the hours of practice that led to her
commendable presentation. In between the performance, Mrinalini mentioned that
she had grown up watching all the previous editions of the Lalit Arpan festival,
and was ecstatic to be
finally
performing in it.
Next
was a Kuchipudi performance by Shallu Jindal, a disciple of Raja and Radha
Reddy. Through her graceful movements, professional footwork and abhinaya,
Shallu depicted famous stories from Lord Krishna’s childhood. Her intricate
movements and balance on the brass plate, which seemed effortless, won her
several rounds of applause from the audience. She also danced to a Meera bhajan
(Sanson ki mala pe simruun main pee ka naam), enunciating the bhakti and rakti between two souls.
On
day two of the festival, audiences were treated to Ragini Madan’s riveting
Kathak performance. Another student of Shovana Narayan, Ragini’s style is a
blend of the Lucknow and Jaipur gharanas. Ragini, who has been performing in
the UK for more than a decade, performed in India after a gap of 12 years. Her
passion for and excellence in Kathak were evident in her sweeping movements and
dizzying circles. Ragini also went on to enact the sacrifice of Yasodhara,
Gautama Buddha’s wife, penned by Maithili Sharan Gupt. She powerfully emoted
Yasodhara’s plight and distress through her darting eye movements and beautiful
expressions.
The
second performance of the day was by Kristina Dolonina of Lithuania, also a
student of Shovana Narayan, who danced at the Lalit Arpan Festival in 2007. The
relentless speed of her turns and spins was impressive, and it was heartening
to see a foreigner performing an Indian dance form so exquisitely. With a Masters
in Hindi from the Jawaharlal Nehru University, she addressed the audience in flawless
Hindi. Her abhinaya
piece
was an interweaving of two poems by two women in two countries—India’s Mahadevi
Varma and a Lithuanian poet—similar in their feelings about pain, suffering and
divinity. Kristina is actively involved in promoting Kathak in her country.
A
fitting finale of the two-day festival was a soulful music soiree by
sitar-sarod brothers Lakshay and Ayush Mohan, who said that it was special for
them to be performing in Delhi, their own city. Playing an interactive jugalbandi
in raga Durga with harmonious understanding, their chemistry was perfect.
Towards the end of the show, their strings strummed at lightning speed,
reaching a crescendo. It enthralled the audience which broke out in resounding
applause.
Overall,
the Lalit Arpan Festival set high standards in both dance and music.
NEHA KIRPAL
(Freelance writer)
Special Lifetime Achievement award

Ghatam maestro T.H. ‘Vikku’ Vinayakram was presented the Special Lifetime Achievement award by the Music Academy, Chennai on 10 October 2018. The evening opened with a special percussion performance, Guru Laya Samarpanam, by Vinayakram with his prime disciples. Chief guest Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia and special guest of honour, Sangita Kalanidhi Prof. T.N. Krishnan presented the citation and medal to Vikku Vinayakram. He is the third artist to receive the special lifetime achievement award from the Music Academy after dancer Kamala Narayan and Lalgudi G. Jayaraman.
Visakha Music Academy Award
Visakha Music Academy, Visakhapatnam presented the Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna Endowment Award to Mandapaka Sarada on 7 July 2018. It was followed by her vocal concert featuring compositions of 20th century vaggeyakaras. The Academy presented the M.S. Subbulakshmi Endowment Award to vocalist Amritha Murali on 22 September 2018. The felicitation function was followed by Amritha’s vocal recital. S.V. Rangarajan (president), M.S. Srinivas (secretary), and other members were also present.
KGS Confers Choodamani Awards

The Sangeeta Choodamani and Acharya Choodamani titles were conferred on Kadri Gopalnath (saxophone) and Suguna Varadachari (musician-guru) respectively, by G.K. Vasan, president of the Tamil Manila Congress, during the inaugural function of the 63rd Gokulashtami Sangeetha Utsavam on 1 September at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai. Sangita Kalanidhi T.V. Gopalakrishnan and Prof. Mysore V. Subramanya felicitated the awardees. Office bearers of YCPA Sri Krishna Gana Sabha Trust were also present.
Journal on Laya in Carnatic Music

Indian Musicological Society, in association with the Music Forum, released a special journal Laya in Carnatic Music, on 21 October 2018 in Chennai. The first copy of the journal was presented by Sangita Kalanidhi Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman to Sangita Kalanidhi Sudha Ragunathan. Dr S. Sunder, Convener, Music Forum, Chennai Chapter; Ganeshkumar, Chairman, Music Forum; Snehal Muzoomdar, president of the Indian Musicological Society; and K.N. Ramaswamy, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan; offered their felicitations. Articles on laya, written by eleven eminent authors, have been compiled and edited by senior mridangist Mannarkoil J. Balaji (2nd from R).
Duddu Radhika's Releases Audio Album

Sri Kartikeya Gana Sabha organised a Carnatic music jam session titled Nada Yogam on the occasion of World Music Day on 21 June 2018 in Hyderabad. The two-hour session was anchored by musician D. Raghavachari (elder of the Hyderabad Brothers). He and Gudipoodi Srihari, senior journalist, released the thematic audio album of musician Duddu Radhika, titled Kovur Pancharatnas of Sadguru Tyagaraja. Radhika is also the founderpresident and managing trustee of Sri Kartikeya Gana Sabha.
Ghantasala Puraskar for Legends

Veteran dancers and gurus—C.V. Chandrasekhar, Leela Samson, Vyjayantimala Bali, Saroja Vaidyanathan, Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan, and Sobha Naidu—were honoured with the Kala Pradashini - Ghantasala Puraskar on the occasion of the 96th birth anniversary of Gana Gandharva Ghantasala, on 5 October at the Narada Gana Sabha hall in Chennai. The dance legends paid tribute to the musical genius of Ghantasala by performing to some of his songs. The awards were presented by the chief guests V.L. Indira Dutt, Managing Director, The KCP Limited, and G. Viswanathan, founder and Chancellor , VIT University, Vellore. The programme was organised by Parvathi and her husband Ravi Ghantasala, who run Kala Pradarshini.
Mega show by Saradhi

Music students of Saradhi Academy of Art and Culture presented 36 nottuswarams of Muthuswami Dikshitar in a programme titled Guruguham, on 7 September at the Sathguru Gnanananda Hall in Chennai. It was a mega show involving around 60 students of music (vocal, veena, violin, flute, keyboard and guitar). On that day, Saradhi also handed over its contribution to the Kerala Chief Minister’s flood relief fund, to the special officer Anu P. Chako.
Sumitra Charat Ram award

Sri Shanmukhananda M.S. Subbulakshmi Sangeetha Pracharya award

MDR Book release

Prabasi Bharatiya Samman in dual domains

French national of Indian origin, Malini Ranganathan, an
internationally acclaimed Kathak exponent was conferred the prestigious Prabasi
Bharatiya Samman Award by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind on
23 Jan 2019 in Varanasi, for her extraordinary contribution in academics and
arts.
From studying textile designing in
Mumbai to donning the cap of a professor of humanities and educational science
in France, Malini has kept her passion of dance and music steady and vibrant.
Trained both in the Lucknow and Jaipur gharana in kathak from Damayanti Joshi
and Roshan Kumari, she learnt Odissi from Mahadev Raut and imbibed the nuances
of nattuvangam from her mother.
Fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu and
Tamil, Malini has convened and curated events like the International Yoga Day
Celebrations (2018) and Namaste France (2016) in Nantes,
France. She has marked her name in prestigious festivals like, France
in India (Mumbai), ‘L’année de l’Inde en France’ (Paris), ‘India
Year’ (New York) to name a few. In 1996, she served as the artistic
director of the festival d’été, for Nantes City Council.
Malini continues to teach dance and
often presents papers in international conferences on topics of her interest.
Jagyaseni Chatterjee
ANTARIKSHA SANCHAR

Blending tradition and technology
NEHA KIRPAL
A scene from Antariksha
Sanchar
Antariksha Sanchar—a transmedia dance
opera, staged recently in Delhi and Mumbai, brought together Bharatanatyam and
an upcoming adventure video game named Antariksha Sanchar:
Transmissions in Space. A collaboration between artist Avinash Kumar
(Thiruda) and Bharatanatyam dancer Jayalakshmi Eshwar, Antariksha
Sanchar was based on a fictitious story about Srinivasa Ramanujan’s
dream that leads him to build a vimana (interplanetary vehicle) to travel to
the cosmos.
Presented by Red Bull
Music, the project with hyperglobal progressive ideas, had its inception in an
hour-long performance of Jayalakshmi on Indian
mythology—depicting birds, flights and vimanas way back in 2010 and
a videogame inspired by the cultural richness of south India that Thiruda has
been working on for six years now. An eclectic fusion of Carnatic music, Indian
classical dance and video games, the protagonist of the story is Srinivasa
Ramanujan, who expounded some of the world’s most important mathematical ideas.
Jayalakshmi Eshwar played Sita, Ramanujan’s mother and S. Sushmita played
Ramanujan.
The music was set by
Hyderabad-based Murthovic, a DJ and electronic music producer from Red Bull
Music with two decades of experience in the field. The rest of the music
ensemble consisted of Raghuram Hari (mridangam), Shri (vocals), Abhijit Gurjale
(violin), Hitesh Kumar (drums) and Yanni (piano).
Divided into five
segments, act one began with an elegant salute to Lord Ganesa who resides in
the wish-fulfilling Kalpavriksha; this was accompanied by animated visuals and
psychedelic tunes denoting Ramanujan’s mind.
A man from the future
enters an old palace where he finds an ancient book. The scene shifts to 1913
to the beautiful temple town of Madurai where people are celebrating the annual
Navagraha festival hailing the nine planets of the solar system. A troupe of
five dancers perform in apt synchronisation against the backdrop of
digitised images of Madurai’s landscape—its trees, water bodies, fields, city
landmarks and temples highlighting the city’s colours, carvings and paintings.
The images are interspersed with dialogue, dance, visuals, music and
expressions that carry the story forward. A saint appears in Ramanujan’s dream
and tells him that he is to embark on a cosmic voyage in a vimana. His mission
would be to align the nine cosmic planets.
In The Myth (act
two) Sita tells her son stories of space travel mentioned in ancient Indian
texts like the Vaimanika Sastra, a Sanskrit text on
aerospace technology that describes vimanas as advanced aerodynamic
flying vehicles. She also narrates Lord Hanuman’s supernatural flying
abilities.
Act three provides
the audience a visual treat of the flight dance. Sita tells her son about a
mystical place called the Vimana temple which abounds in sculptures. The
dancers depict the sculptures through movements and poses, such as the
fluttering of feathers and the peacock vimana.
In act four, The
Contraption—Ramanujan’s magical vehicle is created with the help of the two
engines of fire and water—philosophically the two elements that help to balance
body, mind and soul. The dancers perform the Suryanamaskara—to depict fire as a
source of energy to initialise the vimana. Water, which equates
calmness and reflection, is used as a metaphor for peaceful meditative cooling
through unwavering focus and centering. The harmony of fire and water leads to
the creation of the vimana. A trance-like dance sequence for an EDM in fast
tempo is accompanied by kaleidoscopic images in the background. The use of the
corresponding red and blue lights accompanied by rhythmic dance movements and
foot-tapping musical beats in this sequence is spectacular.
The final act,
called The Pilgrimage, shows the vehicle taking off into outer
space—through the sky embellished with millions of stars and fabled creatures,
such as dinosaurs, aliens, gods and goddesses—and finally landing back on
earth. The enthusiastic dance ensemble comprising the entire troupe and the use
of vibrant colours had the audience applauding Ramanujan’s victory.
Antariksha Sanchar, which plans to
tour south India this year, is a family entertainer—an amalgam of history,
science, mythology, fantasy, dance, music, art and theatre. An original idea,
it has made a unique attempt to communicate stories of the past to the next
generation through technology. It is also a tribute to the city of Madurai—its
history and heritage; legends and landscape. It endeavours to convey the
message that each individual has to discover his or her own ‘vimana’ to find
satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment in life.
(The author is a freelance writer)
Celebrating armed forces week

Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan, Chennai celebrated Armed Forces Week (1-7 December) by inviting
Lt Gen R.K. Swamy as the chief guest at a concert on 5 December 2018. R.K.Swamy
spoke briefly on the significance of the armed forces and why it is important
for citizens to recognise their selfless service.
In a
refreshing deviation from the usual line of carnatic music concerts, the
evening saw an excellent presentation of patriotic songs by Devi Neithiyar and
group (disciples of T.V. Gopalakrishnan) rendering select numbers in various
Indian languages and genres. What was even more interesting was a power point
presentation that explained the meaning of the songs. Her voice had an
incredible range and felicity and won the hearts of the audience. Devi, with
her team of accompanists and choir members succeeded considerably in
bringing out the spirit of the compositions.
At the end, a
member of the audience indeed shared his personal appreciation by excitedly
remarking, “We are here enjoying our freedom because of the army that
safeguards us and protects us from hostile environs.”
The
dignitaries sat through the entire recital much to the enthusiasm of the
artists and a discerning audience.
Jai Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan for the laudable initiative!
S Sivaramakrishnan
Gift of a lifetime

Parivadini – a trust for promotion of
music and arts presented new instruments (three nagaswarams and a tavil) to
four young teenagers, genuinely in need of assistance, at a function
organised by Lalitha Ram in Chennai.
B. Balaganesh (16)
and E. Chandrasekar (18) disciples of nagaswara Prakash
Ilayaraja (the former is also a student at the Government music school in
Vizhuppuram and G. Velmoorthy (17) learning under Chinnamanoor Vijaykarthikeyan were the
three to receive Nagaswaram along with all its accessories. V.
Gobeeswaram (9) the youngest of the four received a tavil to pursue
his lessons under Thirurameswaram B. Radhakrishnan.
The little boy
was the cynosure of all eyes. The students received the instruments from
Yazhpanam Balamurugan, Sri Kalyanasundaram and Sri Prakash Ilayaraja, stalwarts
in their field.
What is
interesting to note is that their interest in these particular traditional
instruments which do not fall under mainstream kutcheri repertoire.
Practiced by traditional families in temples. These instruments are more
confined to an agrarian rural set up. It is rare to find someone
keen to take these instruments as a profession.
The financial
background of these boys restricted them to purchase an instrument for regular
practice at home. Spotting their keen learning quest, this timely assistance
towards deserving aspirants is definitely a well thought action to help them
continue their pursuits.
Truly gifts of a life time!
S
Sivaramakrishnan
Attendance awards 2018

Attendance
annual awards 2018, the brainchild of
Ashish Khokar, was hosted and held in collaboration with Nadam (Director,
Kathak artists Murali Krishna and Nandini Mehta) during the festival organised
23-25 November at ADA Rangamandira, Bengaluru. The awards for 2018 were presented
by Chiranjiv Singh, former Ambassador to UNESCO, Additional Chief Secretary and
chairman of the award’s jury. The Maya Rao Lifetime Achievement Award was
presented to veteran Odissi and Bharatanatyam exponent, guru and arts activist
Sonal Mansingh; Mohan Khokar Dance Academics Award to veteran writer and
musicologist B.M. Sundaram;Rukmini Devi Significant Contribution to
Bharatanatyam Award to senior dancer-guru Sucheta Chapekar; Uday Shankar
Choreography Award to senior dancer and choreographer Daksha Sheth; and Ram
Gopal Best Male Dancer Award to Bharatanatyam dancer Parshwanath Upadhye.
Sreshta Sangita Seva Lahiri award

Jayalakshmi Balakrishnan, who runs Naada Inbam (Raga Sudha), received the Sreshta Sangita Seva Lahiri award instituted by Indira Ranganathan Trust from Spencer R. Venugopal in recognition of her yeoman service to promoting music, on the occasion of Women’s Day, 1 March 2019 in Chennai. It was followed by a concert of vidushi Suguna Varadachari.
Sangeeta Vedanta Dhurina Award

The violin duo Ganesh- Kumaresh, was conferred the title Sangeeta Vedanta Dhurina, instituted by Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, from Yadugiri Yathiraja Narayana Ramanuja Jeeyar, at the Bangalore Gayana Samaja auditorium in Bengaluru. The award comprises one lakh rupees for each artist along with silver medals and citations.
The Shivaargya - Sivaratri festival
The Shivaargya - Sivaratri festival was organised at Ganesa Natyalaya, New Delhi on 3 March 2019 . It was a day-long celebration (10 am to 6 pm) comprising performances by young male classical dancers, and the honouring of male classical dance gurus and scholars of Delhi. Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan also received the Best of India Records Certificate from adjudicator Binu Joseph for organising classical dance performances continuously for eight hours.
Veena Seshanna Memorial National Award

The Amaravathi Lifetime Achievement Award 2018
The Amaravathi Lifetime Achievement Award 2018 was presented to veteran Bharatanatyam exponent and guru Chitra Visweswaran during the Amaravathi Nrityotsav organized by Nataraj Music and Dance Academy, Visakhapatnam.
Uniting communities through music and dance

Global Achievement Award for Radhika Shurajit

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

Senior Kathak exponent and teacher, Malini Ranganathan,
French national of Indian origin, was conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by
the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind on 23 January 2019 in Varanasi, for her
“extraordinary contribution in academics and arts”. The Samman is the highest
honour conferred on the occasion of the Bharatiya Pravasi Divas, on members of
the Indian diaspora for their contribution in diverse fields. Fluent in
English, Hindi, Urdu and Tamil, Malini who has trained both in the Lucknow and
Jaipur gharanas of Kathak, has performed in several prestigious festivals and
has also convened and curated several events in France.
A celebration of nature as teacher

Nature, the great Teacher, a dance musical on the story of Lord Dattatreya,
was conceived and produced by Narmatha Ravichandra to mark the completion of 25
years in Australia as a musician (vocalist and violinist), dancer and choreographer
(Bharatanatyam). She is successfully running the Sruthi Laya Kendra and the Bharatha
Choodamani arts schools in Australia which can boast of hundreds of students.
The production was based on the key learnings derived from
the 24 aspects of nature—acknowledged as his gurus—by Dattatreya in the Bhagavad Gita. In his
final teaching to his friend Uddhava, Lord Krishna narrates the story of
Dattatreya. As the story goes, while Dattatreya was wandering happily in the
forest, he met King Yadu who asked him the secret of his happiness and the name
of his guru. Dattatreya told him that the atman
alone was his guru, and yet, he had
learned wisdom from 24 individuals, who he considered his gurus.
This story was presented with over 30 dancers and was
complemented with interactive digital displays on the backdrop. Flautist and
composer, B.V. Balasai, created an interesting amalgam of Indian music with
Western instrumentalists and the entire production was choreographed to only instrumental
music without lyrics. D.A. Srinivas devised the rhythmic patterns and konnakol.
The secular theme, the seamless choreography combined with lively music, won the hearts of the audience. Narmatha and Ravi Ravichandra, who took on the responsibilities of artistic director and production director respectively for Nature, the great Teacher, are known for their yeoman service in the promotion and enrichment of Indian classical arts in Melbourne, Australia.
Honouring her guru Krishna Kumari Narendran

Parvathi Ravi Ghantasala, Artistic Director and Managing Trustee
of Kala Pradarshini, celebrated 40 years in dance by honouring her guru Krishna
Kumari Narendran on 20 January 2019 as part of the Kala Pradarshini Natya
Festival. She also honoured several dancers, musicians and allied artists who
were associated with her in her 40-year dance journey. The awards were
conferred in the presence of veteran dancer-scholar Padma Subrahmanyam.
Remembering MDR

This year too,
‘MDR Day’ was organised by Krishnamurthi under the banner of Kedaram, at
Tripunithura in Kerala. Chief guest, Palghat T.R.
Rajamani, spoke about the Brahma layam innate in M.D. Ramanathan’s music.
A ‘Rasikas Forum’ on MDR’s music was moderated by musicians P. Subramaniam and
Sreevalsan J. Menon.
The first copy of
Varadadaasyam—a book containing 20 compositions of M.D. Ramanathan —notated by Tripunithura-based
musician Santhala Raju, was presented to veteran vidwan P.R. Kumara Kerala
Varma. The evening concert featured the Mysore Brothers
(violin) with K.V. Prasad (mridangam).
Raam Manikandan gets Bal Shakti Puraskar

President Ram Nath Kovind presented the Bal Shakti Puraskar 2019
awards earlier this year. Twenty-six awardees were chosen from amongst 900
applications in the field of innovation, social service, scholastic, sports,
art & culture and bravery. Selected in the category of art & culture –
classical music – was Chennai based Raam Manikandan. Twelve-year-old Raam, is
studying in class 8 in Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan, Siruseri, Chennai. He learns
Carnatic music from Prof. P.P. Ramakrishnan (Retired. Principal of the Chembai Memorial
Music College, Palghat, Kerala), and mridangam from Mysore Sai Shiv of Guru
Karaikudi Mani School. Raam has also completed the electronic keyboard final
(8th) grade exam conducted by Trinity College, London, and is one of the
youngest in India to have secured it with distinction. Among his other accomplishments,
Raam has also received the Kalai Ilamani Award (Young Artist award) from the Government
of Tamil Nadu.
Trutpraj Atul Pandya from Maharashtra and
Vinayaka M from Karnataka are the other two children who have been awarded the
Bal Shakti Puraskar under this category.
Statue of M.S. Subbulakshmi unveiled

A statue of the late M.S. Subbulakshmi was unveiled by the Jeeyar of
the Yathiraja Mutt, Melukote, at Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira, Bengaluru
recently, in the presence of Lakshmi Umesh, Corporator of BBMP and G.V. Krishna
Prasad, Hon. Secretary of Sri Rama Lalitha Kala Mandira.?
Guru HR Keshavmurthy Centenary

Taking music to school children

(News & Notes)
Music Forum, in association with The Music Academy, organised a mega workshop titled ‘Yuva Rasika’, for school students, at The Music Academy, Madras, on 31 August 2019. Now an annual feature, Yuva Rasika has become a sought after event for school students. Twenty schools from across the city, and as far as from Vellore and Sholingur, participated.
To Read more click the link : http://srutimag.blogspot.com/2019/10/news-notes.html
Vilayat Khan memorial festival in Shimla

To read more click the link : http://srutimag.blogspot.com/2019/10/vilayat-khan-memorial-festival-in.html
Guru Purnima Utsav in Mumbai

Book with compositions of the Tanjai lineage

A book titled "Tanjai Naalwarin Bharata Sangeeta Varnamalika", edited by K.P.S. Chinnaiah (son of the late K.P. Sivanandam) and published by R.R. Sabha and Rukmini Arts Academy, was released on 5 October 2019 at the R.R. Sabha in Chennai. Veteran Bharatanatyam exponent and torchbearer of the Tanjavur bani, Vyjayantimala Bali, released the book and presented the first copies to A.R. Santhanakrishnan (President, R.R. Sabha), Aruna Ranganathan (Trustee, Rukmini Art and Music Trust), Bharatanatyam dancer Nartaki Nataraj, Rama Kousalya (musicologist and retired Principal of Tiruvaiyaru Govt. Music College), and S. Janaki (Editor-in-Chief, Sruti magazine). Music and dance concerts and a lecture were also organised on the occasion.
Dr. V. Raghavan's book released

The book titled Studies in Abhinavagupta’s Works by Dr. V. Raghavan was released by Prof. S. Kannan (Chief Professor, IIT Madras) in the presence of R. Kalidas and Nandini Ramani of Dr. V. Raghavan Centre for Performing Arts, Chennai. It was followed by a lecture by scholar Dr. G. Sankaranarayanan, on ‘The Number of Rasas of Dr. V. Raghavan based on Abhinavagupta’s Rasa Theory’. The Raghavan Centre conducted Pitru Vandanam at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall on 22 August 2019 to celebrate Dr. Raghavan’s 111th birth anniversary.
Raga Identification Competition 2019

C. Ramakrishnan, an avid rasika of Carnatic music, won the Raga Identification Competition 2019, organised by The Music Academy in association with TAG Corporation and Ramu Endowments. Held on 20 October 2019 at The Music Academy, C. Ramakrishnan answered a record 38 out of 40 questions! He was also awarded a cash prize of Rs. 5000. Hearty congratulations to our correspondent C. Ramakrishnan on this splendid win!
Special edition on Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar

Lalitha Kala Tarangini’s special edition on Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar was released by Carnatic musician Bombay Jayashri in Mysore to mark the composer-king’s centenary.