Navarathri -An Overview

As we partake in Navarathri celebrations this week, let us take some time to look back on the origins of this festival and the significance it holds for us.

What is Navarathri?

Navarathri is a nine-day festival where the goddess Durga is worshipped in her various forms. The word Navarathri literally means “nine nights” in Sanskrit.During the festival, the three forms of the goddess -Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi are invoked. The nine days of festivities culminate in Dussera or Vijayadasami where the triumph of the good over evil is celebrated.

When and how did Navarathri originate?

There are plural narratives on the history and origins of Navarathri that vary according to various regions in India.

The Legend of Mahishasura

The legend in North India goes that Mahishasura, the mighty demon, worshipped Lord Shiva and obtained the power of eternity. Soon, he started killing and harassing innocent people and set out to win all the three lokas. The gods in swargaloka appealed to Lord Shiva, to find a way to get rid of the demon.To protect the world from the atrocities of Mahishasura, the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva united their powers and created a divine female warrior, known as Goddess Durga. Mahishasura got mesmerized when he saw the divine beauty of Goddess Durga.

Fascinated by Goddess Durga's beauty, Mahishasura approached her with the intention of marriage. The goddess agreed to marry him on the condition that would have to win over her in a battle. Mahishasura, proud as he was, agreed immediately.The battle continued for 9 nights and at the end of the ninth night, Goddess Durga beheaded Mahishasura. The nine nights came to be known as Navarathri, while the tenth day was called Vijayadashmi where the triumph of good over evil was witnessed.

The legend of Rama and Ravana

Another legend of Navarathri relates to the Hindu epic Ramayana. It goes that Lord Rama worshipped Goddess Durga in nine aspects, for nine days, in order to gather the strength and power to kill Ravana. He wanted to release Sita from the clutches of powerful demon king Ravana, who had abducted her. Those nine nights became to be known as Navarathri and the tenth day, on which Lord Rama killed Ravana, came to be called Vijayadashmi or Dusshera, signifying Rama's (good) triumph over Ravana (evil)

When is Navarathri celebrated?

Navarathri usually happens in late September/early October each year. The dates of the festival are determined according to the lunar calendar. In 2016, Navarathri dates are October 1-10.

Why celebrate Navarathri? (Significance)

The nine days of festivities serve as a reminder of the divine qualities of the Mother Divine. She is viewed as our first Guru who guides us on the path of righteousness; she is the provider of nourishment for her children, protector of her family and upholder of dharma and traditions. We honour and worship these principles and rededicate ourselves to honour and uphold these principles and human values and to spread joy, peace, love and happiness to those around us.

The Devi Durga, in Her form as Mahishasuramardhini, is the destroyer of Mahisha. The word Mahisha means buffalo which is a symbol of laziness, lethargy, and inertia. These are the qualities which impede the spiritual and material progress of an individual. The Devi is a storehouse of positive energy and any trace of laziness or inertia dissolves in Her very presence.

The second set of three days honor the Devi as Lakshmi. Lakshmi is goddess of wealth and prosperity. Wealth is a vital ingredient bestowed upon us for the maintenance and progress in our life. It is much more than just having money. It means abundance in knowledge, skills and talents. Lakshmi is the energy that manifests as the complete spiritual and material well-being of a person.

The final three days are dedicated to Saraswati. Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge- the one who gives the essence (sara) of the Self (swa). She is often depicted as being seated on a rock. Knowledge, like a rock, is a steadfast support. It stays with us at all times. She plays the veena, a musical instrument whose mellifluous notes bring harmony and peace to the mind. Similarly, spiritual knowledge brings relaxation and celebration into ones’ life.Goddess Saraswati is the ocean of understanding and the consciousness which vibrates with different types of learning. She is the source of spiritual light, remover of all ignorance and the source of knowledge.

In a nutshell, Navarathri is a time for us to soak in this blessing and feel grateful for the abundance and beauty in our lives.

How is Navarathri celebrated?

Navarathri holds different significance in various parts of India that determines the manner in which celebrations take place. Though the ways differ, the common thread that runs through the celebrations in various regions would be the spirit of zest, fervour and devotion that makes it a festival in the calendar year that everyone looks forward to.

Bengal

During Navarathri, Bengalis in India worship huge idols of the Goddess, perform devotional songs and dances and finally take out grand processions on the tenth day, when the idols are immersed in water. The last four days of the festival are most important for them. People worship pre-pubescent young girls, known as 'kanyas', as the embodiments of Goddess Durga. 'Ayudha Puja' is performed on the ninth day, where one worships the tools, implements of their livelihood and places it on the altar of the Goddess for her blessings of success and prosperity. Even children place their study books and writing tools on the altar and the families spend whole day in contemplation of the Goddess. On the tenth day of Dussehra, devotees perform 'Saraswati Puja' for blessings of knowledge and mental peace. During Navarathri, thousands of devotees visit Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Kolkota, West Bengal.

Gujarat

In Gujarat, Navarathri is a community event, where people perform devotional songs and dances that are popular by the names of 'Dandiya Raas' and 'Garba Raas', and observe Jaagran (waking through the night), to please the Goddess. Amba Mata Temple at Junagarh, Gujarat, is a favorite pilgrim for devotees, during Navarathri. Here, painted earthen pots are used to represent the Goddess and Garba dances are performed by the Gujarati women around those pots, in circles. The pots are valued as the abode of the Goddess. The Rasa has its origin in the life scenes of Lord Krishna and is associated with the agricultural rites, while Garba is performed only by men and is related with the agricultural fertility.

Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, Goddess Durga is worshipped continuously for nine days of Navarathri. On the tenth day, Goddess Saraswati is worshipped and on this day, school-going children worship the tantrik symbol of the goddess for her blessing in their studies. This day is also considered auspicious to begin any new thing or to buy new ornaments. Puja is performed on each day of Navarathri and devotees offer the flower garland to the idol or image of the goddess Durga. In Mumbai, people visit various temples including the Ayyappa Temple at Goregaon.

Kashmir

In Kashmir, Hindu minorities of Kashmiri Pandits celebrate Navarathri. People generally observe fast for nine days and stay on water and fruits or eat the food specifically made for the fast, only in the evening. They usually visit the temple of their guardian goddess Kheer Bhawani, on all nine days of Navarathri. Aarti is held on the last day of Navarathri at the temple and it is only after which, people break their fast. Many devotees also go to the mountain cave of the Vaishno Devi Temple, during Navarathri.

Kerala

In Kerala, there is a tradition of beginning of formal education for every child aged 3-5 years on the auspicious occasion of Durga Puja. On Ashtami, according to the custom, tools are not used and are worshiped on this day. Goddess Saraswati is honored by worshiping the books and records at home, on Navarathri. Thousands of devotees visit Saraswati temple at Kottayam during Navarathri, to take a dip in the mysterious holy pond. People also visit the famous temples at Thekkegram (Palghat).

Mysore, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Andhra Pradesh

In Mysore, Chamundi, the royal deity of the Mysore royalty is worshipped during Navarathri, with pomp and pageantry. There is a magnificent procession of elephants, horses, chariots and costumed attendants on the tenth day, when Maharaja goes to worship the hilltop temple of the goddess. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, women arrange 'Bommai Kolu', a special placing of dolls decorated with flowers and ornaments on specially prepared steps. Nine young 'kanyas' or virgins are offered new clothes and sweets. The married women share flowers, kumkum and snacks among themselves.

As can be seen in some of the types of celebrations,devotional songs and dance are an integral part of the nine-day festivities as they serve as a means to invoke the various forms of Devi. In this spirit, we present a variety of music and dance pieces performed in praise of Devi. Do look out for them on our Youtube channel and social media platforms!

References:

http://www.artofliving.org/festival-of-nine-nights

http://goindia.about.com/od/indiafestivaldates/f/When-Is-Navaratri.htm

http://festivals.iloveindia.com/navratri

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/468304061224670348/

http://www.holidify.com/blog/navratri-2015-india/

http://myindianguide.com/navarathri-festival/

Sri G.N. Balasubramaniam: A Remembrance

2015 marks the 50th year of the passing of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri G.N.Balasubramaniam (GNB). On 20^th June 2015, SIFAS Alumni with the support of Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society conducted a remembrance event at the SIFAS Rehearsal Room to honour this Vidhwan par excellence of the 20th century. Upcoming artistes from SIFAS Alumni presented songs that were either popularized or composed by Sri GNB in this remembrance event.

The series of performances began with a solemn vocal concert by Sri Sharadh Rajaraman, who was accompanied on the violin by Kum Sharanya Rao and on the mridangam by Sri Srinivasan Krishnan. Sharadh’s main piece was Ranjani Niranjani Ratna, a composition of Sri GNB. Sharadh’s extensive manodharmam in Ranjani captured the attention of the morning audience, with his creative alapana and fluid brigas evoking the style of Sri GNB himself. Kum Rachana Murali Narayanan’s melodic vocal recital followed. She was accompanied on the violin by Kum Shreya Gopi and on the mridangam by Sri Srinivasan Krishnan. Rachana’s neatly-crafted repertoire for the morning included Nera Nammithi in Kanada, followed by Sri GNB’s composition Ninnu Pogada in Kunthalavarali. Her soulful rendition of Enna Gaanu Rama Bhajana in Pantuvarali was supplemented with inventive kalpanaswarams. Her loyal audience was evidently thrilled with her development into a competent stage performer at such a young age.

Before the second half commenced, SIFAS General Secretary Dr Kasinathan spoke briefly about the SIFAS Alumni’s growth and encouraged its efforts in commemorating events like this. He also introduced a special guest, Sri GNB’s grandson Mr Balasubramaniam, a Singapore resident who had come to hear of the remembrance event through SIFAS Alumni’s social media publicity. It was a pleasant surprise to all, and the event proceeded with Mr Balasubramaniam’s blessings and well-wishes.

The second half comprised of invigorating vocal concerts by Sri Sudarshan Narasimhan and Sri Nishanth Thiagarajan, who had both conceptualized and spearheaded the efforts to commemorate this remembrance event. Sudarshan was accompanied on the violin by Kum Sharanya Rao and on the mridangam by Sri Muthusubramaniam. He began with Samaanarahithey, a composition by Sri GNB in the rare ragam: Sarangatarangini. Sudarshan’s main piece in Bhairavi was expertly explored; his elaborate alapana, brisk neraval and free-flowing kalpanaswarams embellishing an immaculate rendition of Sri GNB’s composition, Gathi Verevarmma. The remembrance concluded with a concert by Sri Nishanth, who was accompanied by Sri Sharadh Rajaraman on the violin and Sri Ganesh Jayabal on the mridangam. Nishanth’s concert included a mix of classics like Ragasudha rasa and less popular compositions like Jaya Jaya Padmanabha in Sarasangi. A soul-stirring presentation of Reetigowlai left the audience longing for more.

All in all, the Sri GNB remembrance event was a grand success. It was well-attended and well-appreciated by audience and artistes alike. An event like this allowed us to reminisce and commemorate a true legend of Carnatic Music, while also providing a platform for senior students and graduates of SIFAS to perform. 

SPRING CONCERT SERIES REFLECTIONS

Spring is a season of celebraation, where religious festivals such as 'Pongal' in South Indian and 'Holi' in North India are commemorrated to give thanks for the season's bountiful harvest. This month, SIFAS Alumni together with SIFAS, presented Seasons of Music - Spring. This was a two-day music concert series celebrating Carnatic, Hindustani, Vocal and Instrumental music, performed by senior sudents and alumni of SIFAS. Some of the artistes who performed in this concert series share their experience in this article.

 “I was invited to perform a Sitar solo at the Spring Concert Series organised by SIFAS Alumni. At the beginning, I felt a little nervous, as I had not been used to performing in front of such big number of audience. But, the nervousness was washed away when I started playing. In all, this concert was of good exposure to me as it built up my confidence in performing in front of an audience.” - G Solai Valli

“Performing in the Spring Concert Series was an immensely fulfilling experience for me. I am grateful to SIFAS and SIFAS Alumni for providing the platform to perform a concert-length solo violin recital. In keeping with the festive theme of this series, I chose to present joyous and upbeat compositions in my concert including Sri Vatapi in Ragam Sahana, Marivere in Ragam Latangi and Mohanakalyani thillana, in addition to my main piece Sri Kanthimathim in Ragam Hemavati.  Overall, this was an enjoyable, rewarding and humbling learning journey for me, and I look forward to more such opportunities in the future to grow as a musician. I would like to thank the accompanying artistes, Krishnan Subramanian on the mridangam and Tony Makarome on the morsing for their stellar support, as well as Akilesh, Vignesh and Shreya for their talam support and musical guidance.” – Vikram Manian
 

 

“I was invited to be the accompanying artiste for several of the performances held as part of the SIFAS Alumni`s Spring Concert Series. I would say that this was a new, yet fruitful experience for me as even though I had done many shows and concerts before, sitting down in front of the Tabla for more than an hour straight through performances is something that I had not experienced before. On that note, this was really a new challenge for me; having to play continuously for 4 to 5 performances!” – G Lakshmanan

 “Taking part in the spring concert series was an enthralling experience. Having done very few concerts, i was excited to have an opportunity to hone my skills at that platform. When I was notified of this performance opportunity, I wanted to use it well. I chose my songs meticulously. Coincidentally, it fell in place according to a thematic Rama concert. On the day of the concert, I was nervous. But SIFAS Alumni's support was tremendously encouraging. During my concert span of that 1 hour, I had learnt a lot. Music is such a vast ocean where I am just a drop of water trying to absorb as much as I can. I am on the path. But there is a long journey ahead of me. That path is also filled with obstacles, practice, hard work,  and sore throat issues! Overall through this memorable experience I wished to develop my repotoire in this field so that I could become a better artisite.” – Rachana Murali Narayanan

"I'm really glad to be part of the SIFAS Alumni and its heart warming to note the opportunities that the Alumni provides which showcase SIFAS's own homegrown talents. As for my performance itself, this was the first time I rendered Varali (a vivadhi janya ragam) as the main piece and it was definitely a challenge for me to sing this ragam in an elaborate fashion. While I am far from achieving a real solid grip over my singing abilities, it's the efforts that I can put in and the continual thoughts of how to improve my own singing, that keeps me happy at the end of the day." - Sudarshan Narasimhan

The SIFAS Alumni will be holding concert series such as this on a regular basis.  Keep a look out for event details and updates on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/sifasalumni) or our blog (http://sifasalumni.blogspot.sg/).

Manodharma: Lecture - Demonstrations by Sri Aleppy Venkatesan

By Sudarshan Narasimhan

Sri Aleppy Venkatesan conducted a lecture demonstration on Manodharma sangeetha with a focus on neraval and swaram singing on 7th and 8th February this year. He started humbly by saying that his sharing is from his own experiences and should not override what the gurus of SIFAS have taught their students for the past years and months. The demonstration shed light on many aspects and considerations to be taken into, when attempting neravals and swarams.

Firstly he emphasized the importance that musicians must give to music, above all else as compared to poets and bhajan artistes to whom, the lyrics are of paramount importance. This is not to say that musicians do not have to heed the lyrics of the compositions they sing, but rather the lyrical value of the compositions should not take precedence over the musical aspect of the krithis, since that would make carnatic musicians no different from bhajan artistes and poets. 

He started off the concept of neraval by asking a question which was simple, but of paramount importance. That is why is neraval sung? What is the purpose? The question is indeed a very just one, since to me the idea of an artiste singing a neraval just to show that, he/she can sing a neraval in that line, is largely unappealing. And the answer to the question, was a short one but which was packed with information: “The purpose of neraval is to enhance the aesthetic beauty of the composition”. From that I gathered that a neraval cannot just be an independent part of a composition but rather should serve to enhance the overall beauty of the rendition. Thus the neraval should be sung bearing the aesthetic nature of the krithi in mind and not as a display of technical skill that the line can be used to perform a neraval. Bearing the aesthetics of krithis in mind, he also questioned whether neraval should be sung for krithis which are so beautiful that just singing the krithi well, does justice and almost any attempts at a neraval falls short of enhancing the beauty of the krithi. One shining example of such a krithi is Shyama Shastri’s Swarajathi’s in Yadukula Kambodhi, which is a personification of the ragam itself. In addition to krithis, he also emphasized the choice of ragams in which neraval should be rendered. He advised against rendering neravals in ragams such as Ahiri and Neelambari since their raga lakshanam and beauty comes from their long sweeping phrases which would make it unsuitable for rendering neravals especially in the 2^nd kaalam. Such information is indeed very beneficial to students of carnatic music who are attempting neravals as they need to understand the context which makes a neraval have the greatest impact upon the audience before attempting to sing neravals and not just blindly choose a line.

With regards to swarams, he gave a very good piece of advice for beginning students when he talked about fixing a finishing phrase and always ending the swarams with that finishing phrase. As with neravals, he discouraged the use of employing too much mathematical acrobatics especially at the expense of aesthetics which I found, was becoming an increasingly common trend nowadays. Note again, that this does not mean, mathematical virtuosity should not be exhibited, but rather it should not be the focus of singing swarams especially when it comes at the expense of the aesthetics of the ragam and becomes more of a technical showcase.

After breaking for lunch, the topic of discussion for the afternoon was that of concert planning. His Guru, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, is almost synonymous with the concept of concert planning since his hallmark as a performer was his uncanny ability to eschew even the briefest moments of boredom in his concerts. Sri Aleppy Venkatesan explored and crystallized many of the ideas at great length as to what exactly made Ariyakudi’s concerts refreshing from start to end.  He highlighted the importance to start off the concert with a piece that the audience were very familiar with and this is the artistes attempt to reach out to the audience. For this reason most of Ariyakudi’s concerts began with very well known pieces such as Ninnukori, Era Napai, and Nera Nammithi which delighted the audiences since it was a piece they could easily appreciate. This also served the purpose of warming up the artistes voice for more elaborate renditions later on in the concert. 

This was usually followed by renditions of a couple of smaller krithis which served to set the concert tempo ticking. Care must be taken to ensure there is sufficient varieties in thalam, composer as well as kaala pramanam and even the language of krithis. By now the mood of the concert has been established, and it sets the platform for a nice slow chowka kaala krithi or a fairly elaborate alapana as the sub-main of the concert. 

Many other interesting ideas came forth in the planning of concerts, the most notable being the vanishing of the “gaayaka” style of Thodi in preference of the “nayana” style. The “gaayaka” style of Thodi is sung while imbibing the most traditional aspects of Thodi which is the oscillating of the Gandhara and Nishadas and the avoidance of singing these notes plainly for any significant duration. His own opinion was that this Thodi is the genuine Thodi since it was in the works of the trinity who are the ultimate authority for Carnatic Music. While he leaned towards this Thodi as a personal preference, he was not absolutist in that he did not condemn the Naayana Thodi (Thodi played by Nadaswaram artistes, starting from T.N Rajarathnam Pillai, which involves more varjai phrases and plain handling of notes for extended durations) but rather thought that since the krithis of the trinities were so steeped in the “Gaayaka” style of Thodi, it is only appropriate that alapanas should lean more towards the Gaayaka style of singing Thodi. He felt the “Naayana” Thodi could well be sung in RTPs where the singer was free to explore the ragam with lesser restrictions. It was heartening to note that while he may have had a personal preference for how Thodi should be sung, he was open to accepting other ways of singing Thodi and incorporating it into the concert platform. 

Overall it was a very fruitful discussion, with moderate and open views which are rarer amongst senior musicians who may be more devoted in championing their own style of music. Throughout the discussion, I was awed by his vast knowledge of music and his extensive repertoire which he used as examples to demonstrate his points. 

Sudharshan is an alumnus of SIFAS. He has received the titles of 'Sangeetha Visharad' as well as 'Vadhya Visharad' from the academy and performs regularly as a soloist and accompanist. 

Celebrating Tributes to Krishna 2014

Deepavali celebrates with great joy and festivity the triumph of good over evil as Lord Krishna vanquished the demon Narakasura. This year, the SIFAS Alumni organised a series of six concerts during the weekend of November 15-16 in praise of Lord Krishna. While the artistes were blessed to have a supportive audience, the crowd in turn enjoyed experiencing the Krishnanubhava that weekend.

The concert series opened with the vocal recital of Smt. Mythili Rajaraman, who has learnt from Sri NR Prashanth in SIFAS and from Sri OS Thyagarajan in India. She started her concert impressively, with the ever-pleasant Vasantha varnam and a hearty rendition of Gaanamoorthe. She continued with another Thyagaraja composition, Brindavana Lola in Hanumatodi, which she adorned with a soulful alapana and fluent kalpanaswaras. Her main piece, Pankaja Lochana in Kalyani, was brilliantly rendered and her creative variations were uplifting to the late afternoon audience. Kum. Shreya Gopi provided outstanding support throughout on the violin and Sri Krishnan Subramanian accompanied heartily too, with a memorable thani avarthanam.

The next performance was by the talented Kum. Aarthi Devarajan who displayed her aptitude in rendering both soothing and complex pieces such as Jagadhodharana and a marvellous RTP in Mohanam and Ranjani. Kum. Aarthi sang the intricate pallavi, set to Kanda Chapu, effortlessly and admirably as she switched between the two ragas smoothly. The accompanying artistes, Sri Sharadh Rajaraman on the violin and Sri Devarajan Varadarajan on the mridangam gave enthusiastic support  and handled the difficult pallavi well.

Sri Nishanth Thiagarajan, who was awarded the prestigious “Best Vocal Artiste (Male)” award following his Spirit of Youth 2014 concert, wrapped up the series of performances for the evening. His rendition of Pankaja Lochana in Kalyani was well embellished with a captivating alapana that kept the audience spell bound. He explored the beauty of the ragam with enormous inspiration, traversing the mantra and tara sthayis effortlessly to enchant the audience. Guru Sri Nellai N Ravindran and Sri Mahesh Parameswaran provided excellent support on the violin and mridangam respectively. On the whole, the repertoire that Sri Nishanth rolled out for the night was well-appreciated by the audience.

Kum. Vaishnavi Vasudevan commenced the second day’s events with a rare varnam in Mandhari. Accompanying her were Kum. Sowndarya Kalyanaraman on the violin and Sri Narayanan Balasubramanian on the mridangam. Kum. Vaishnavi also performed the Thygaraja keertanam Vasudevayani, in Kalyani, during which Sri Narayanan Balasubramanian played an enthralling and dynamic thani avarthanam. Kum. Vaishnavi mentioned that she prepared for the performance by training intensively and by listening to manodharma sangeetham. Kum. Rachana Murali, a member of the audience, added that Vaishnavi’s soulful singing was very pleasing to the ears.

Sri Sharadh Rajaraman, who clinched top prize in the recent NAC Indian Music competition, was the second vocalist of the day and began with a unique Swathi Thirunal composition, Gopalaka Pahimam set to Revagupti. A spate of intermittent power cuts plagued Sri Sharadh’s performance, but despite these technical issues, he persevered and continued on with gusto to put up a riveting “unplugged” show. Sri Sharadh later mentioned that he was very thankful to have received energetic accompaniment from Sri Surup Sowmitri Thathachar on the violin and Sri Sudarshan Narasimhan on the mridangam, both of whom took the technical difficulties in their stride as well.

The concert series culminated in a recital by one of the founding members of the SIFAS Alumni Orchestra, Sri Sai Vigneshwar VM, who was accompanied by Guru Sri Nellai N Ravindran on the violin and Sri Sai Akileshwar on the mridangam. The centre-piece of his repertoire, Sri Krishnam Bhaja Manasa in Thodi, was furnished with intricate sangathis and elaborate kalpanaswaras that were executed skilfully. Sri Vigneshwar ended his resplendent repertoire with an uplifting rendition of Krishna Kaho, a Meera Bhajan in Madhukauns and a Sindhubhairavi thillana which moved the audience very much.

The SIFAS Alumni will be holding concert series such as this on a regular basis.  Keep a look out for event details and updates on our blog (http://sifasalumni.blogspot.sg/) or on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/sifasalumni).

#Throwback to the weekend when we were all soaked in Krishna bhakthi during the Tributes to Krishna concert series. #sifasalumni

A photo posted by @sifasalumni on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:16am PST

Celebrating Navarathri - Subiksha Raman

The entire concept of Navarathri has never failed to intrigue me since my childhood. Whether it was me eagerly trying to help with setting up Golu Bommais like the earnest squirrel that added tiny pebbles to the massive rock bridge in an attempt to help; or me tagging along with my mother to her friends’ houses simply to have my daily fill of Sundal; or merely the entire festive atmosphere that we get soaked in for the period of nine astounding nights.

Despite how Navarathri has become an integral part of our lives here in my family, it is only this year that my sister and I believe that we are making the most out of the complete experience. This year, we will not merely be confining ourselves to the four walls of the Golu Mandabam, but also taking one step further to perform as part of this event.

And what’s better than experiencing it with your own sister?

My sister and I set out to practise Navaragamalika Varnam, one of our favourites, and Mahalakshmi, a popular kriti by Sri Papanasam Sivan in Shankarabharanam. These were both songs we hadn’t played in the longest time, and reviving the intricate sangathis from the depths of memories took us a while. Given the contrasting schedules of the pair of us, with my sister having just graduated from university and me still a student at Raffles Girls’ School, we had to set aside our spare time to practice together and go over the details of the songs. A lot of standardizing our technique was necessary.

With only a few days left for our performance, we can’t wait to immerse ourselves in the festive mood that Navarathri has to offer at SIFAS. Undeniably, this day will be a memorable milestone in our violin journey. We thank SIFAS Alumni for this splendid opportunity and hope our efforts pay off on Saturday!

SIFAS Alumni is proud to present an evening of music & dance this Saturday, 27th September, at the SIFAS Auditorium. Subiksha Raman and her sister Sudha Raman will be performing a Violin Duet, accompanied by Viknash Balakirshnan on the Mridangam and Thulasidas Vasudevan on the Kanjira. The event starts at 6.30PM. See you there!

Celebrating Guru Purnima 2014

Guru Purnima refers to the Pournami day in the month of July, on which Hindus pay tribute to their spiritual and academic Gurus. This year, it fell on the 12^th of July.

This auspicious day was successfully celebrated in SIFAS via the hosting of a Ragam Taanam Pallavi (RTP) series of six concerts over the Guru Purnima weekend. The event was organised by SIFAS alumnus, Ganesh Jayabal, and was supported by the SIFAS Alumni. Special mention must be given to Sai Vigneshwar, Shreya Gopi, Deneshwari Singam, Priya Murali from SIFAS Alumni and Thirunavukkarasu (SIFAS Helper) for their extensive contribution to the success of this event. 

While an RTP concert is in itself a challenge, performers were encouraged to exercise their creativity further by adhering to one of three concert themes.

After discussion with SIFAS violin tutor, Sri Nellai N Ravindran, the three themes were fixed as:

1. The Pallavi should be composed in praise of a Guru

1. The Pallavi and ragamalika swarams should be sung in ragams from the same parent word (e.g. the family of ‘priyas’ – karaharapriya, shanmugapriya, etc)

1. The whole concert should be rendered based on ragams from the same parent word.

There can be no question that the main artistes lived up to the excitement generated, with engaging, enjoyable and interesting performances that had the packed room brimming with energy.

The series started off on July12th with 2014 NAC competition Vocal Open Category winner Sri Nishanth Thiagarajan, who sang a Guru-themed pallavi. He was given enthusiastic support on the violin by Kumari Priyadharshini Ramesh and mridangam by Sri Viknash Balakirshnan.

Following that, the lead vocalist for Pravaha (SIFAS Dance Production 2013),

Kumari Nandhitha Hari performed a Kalyani ragam-based RTP with the strong support of Srimathi Srividya Sriram on the violin and Sri Mahesh Parameswaran on the mridangam. She also performed a Hindustani composition with tabla accompaniment by

Sri Lakshmanan Senthil.

The third performance was by one of the founding members of the SIFAS Alumni Orchestra, Sri Sai Vigneshwar VM. He adopted the Guru theme for his pallavi, composed in Dwi Gathi (Thisra Jati Ata Thalam with Lagu in Thisra Gathi and Druthams in Kanda Gathi). Violinist Kumari Shreya Gopi and mridangist Sri Radhakrishnan Subramaniam handled the difficult pallavi well.

Starting the series on the second day were Sri Ganesh and Sri Sriram Balasubramanian. Their concert used ragams from the Priya family and they performed an engaging pallavi in Thisra Jampai Thalam Kanda Gathi with strong accompaniment from Sri Sharadh Rajaraman on the violin and Sri Narayanan Balasubramanian on the mridangam.

Sangeetha Visharad Sri Sudarshan Narasimhan performed the next concert in which he sang a song each for the five Gurus that he has learned from. He adopted the Guru theme for the pallavi which was composed based on his late mother’s name. The violinist, Sri Srinath Iyer and mridangist, Sri Sai Akileshwar VM boosted the energy of the overall performance, giving the audience a very engaging experience.

The concert series concluded with invited artiste, Sri Rajaraman Iyer who sang the entire concert based on the bhairavi family of ragams. The violin accompaniment by Sri Srinath Iyer and mridangam accompaniment by Sri Muthu Subramaniam were excellent.

If you missed the concert series during Guru Purnima, you can still catch it online by searching for ‘Guru Purnima RTP Concert Series’ on YouTube.

The SIFAS Alumni is planning another Carnatic concert series this November. Interested Alumni members kindly send an email to sifasalumni@gmail.com and we will get back to you shortly!