DISQUS

mani · 11 months ago

Dear Sanjay!
This is the first time I understood how it feels when somebody speaks with the HEART. I am spellbound. Wonderful, Sanjay!

amimu · 11 months ago

Excellent one. Podcast format was very nice with song clips in between.

Aparna Srivatsan · 11 months ago

I downloaded this episode and listened to it. It was amazing to know more about Dandapani Desikar. thanks for dedicating this episode for this great person who is little known to Carnatic music students like me. It really encourages me to do more study on Tamizh Isai.

svaapana · 11 months ago

Thanks much for the excellent podcast on MMD.
MMD was one of my favourites during my school and college days. In fact the first ever concert I attended was when he sang in our school function (I still remember his haunting Thamarai pootha thadagamadi, a composition of Tiruchi G Tyagarajan in Hindustan gandhari,).
When SICA, Hyderabad switched over to 4pm start for Sunday concerts, MMD, who was the first to perform after the change, surprised everyone by singing till 9pm (yes it was a 5 hour concert that was packed with Thyagaraja krithis)
He sang only once at the MA, but was a regular in other sabhas during the season. There were several memorable concerts with MGP (another disciple of KRP) and CSM and at least one with MSG broadcast by AIR Madras in the early seventies.

swaroop · 10 months ago

Loved it :).

But, Sachin hates using a runner. And he's never scored 243* :P

Sowmya · 10 months ago

Another refreshing podcast :) Loved the songs interspersed in between.
Could you also please consider uploading a few photos when the podcast was being recorded so that we get to have a look of the casual Sanjay sir as well! Just maybe a snap of both of you in the studio :)

Gayathri Giridhar · 10 months ago

'desh' raagam for 'tunbam nergayil' .The explanation given by MMD is interesting. Thanks for bringing this in the podcast.

Sriram · 10 months ago

Awesome as usual... glued to it for those 45 minutes!

- Sriram

Sriram · 10 months ago

Jayantasena was captivating indeed and ah... your superb RTP this season!

SS · 10 months ago

Can you please explain how to know when the tani avarthanam is over. Please explain the terms of morah and korvai.

SS · 10 months ago

Please explain the difference between kannada and kaanada.

Andal · 10 months ago

Dear Sanjay and Sriram.

Touching!!! Our so called great vidwans of old generation with the exception of very few, could sing telugu songs perfectly . Though they pretend to be fond of Telugu, most of them did not know the language well. Even those who know the language , just to please the audience, filled the songs with unwanted sangathis with only exception of Dr BMK. When somebody sings with Bhavam with less sangathis to suit the meaning , that singer was or is branded as "light" . How sad! What a immortal tune is "Tunbam Naergaiyil". No wonder Thiru. Bharathidasan wrote a poem on Desikar. In this context, I would like to narrate an incident about the greatest music director MSV and Bharathidasan. Normally Bharathidasan does not give his songs for film. But when MSV came with wonderful tune of Bharathidasan's "Tamizhukkum Amudhendru paer", the great poet quipped "today only I realise fully that Tamil means Amudhu"!!! Dear Sanjay, your mention of "Ennappan Allavaa" reminded me of my beloved Sethalapathi Balu mama singing this song wonderfully well. Another great musician!!! I can not think of another singer like him, perhaps not in this birth. I request you to do an Episode on this great human being Sri. Sethalapathi Balu Mama.

But all said, I do not understand why Desikar started a song in Tamil in Thiyagaraja Swami Aradhanai. What is the need? publicity?? I do not find any answer. I do not either find a logic behind Ariyakudi singing a varnam in Telugu in Tamil Isai Sangam. I could only think of your clipping of Dr BMK about Tradition. How true BMK 's view on Tradition is!

mani · 10 months ago

Yes, TOUCHING is the right word that describes everything about this Episode. The very approach towards the making of thes Episode shows how sincere and loving both Sanjay and Sriram are towards Desikar and his ability. I felt so happy about the child like attitude of Sanjay and Sriram towards music and musicians in general and especially to Deigar in this case. Through this Sanjay and Sriram have moved the Nandhi to show Desigar the Supreme Nataraja! Thank you, Andal1

Andal · 10 months ago

Dear Sriram,

I am very sorry not to have mentioned you. I have always been fond of your articles. I immensely enjoyed both of your natural conversation. Vazhga Neevir Thondu!!! (Nalla vellai "Thundu" nu ezhuthi thiruththlai")

Readers, kindly read as "Our so called great vidwans of old generation with the exception of very few, could not sing telugu songs perfectly". Dear Sanjay , if we have the edit option, these mistake can be avoided. Pls consider

Jayakanth · 10 months ago

Andal, Sanjay,
Great Podcast. I am eagerly looking forward to an episode on Shri Sethalapathy Balu. Nobody talks about him these days except you. Liked your take on the diction. Here is mine:
I have to disagree with Andal on one small thing. Many of our great Vidwans were magnanimous. They treated Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Parsi, et al same and with equal disdain and it was usually tough to find which language they were crooning in. The glorious tradition continues till date with a few notable exceptions. (Not you-Sanjay, I love your tamil renditions for the diction, bhava, especially virutthams.) Why,they even improvise on lyrics having reached 'Vaggeyakara status'.
Some examples: One cine fame singer - mauls(Pun intended) Desikar's famous "inba kanaa onru kanden " like this: " Kammal oli azhagum, kazhutthu nagai azhagum' where it should be 'kannal mozhi azhagum, kalitru nadai azhagum(gait of an elephant- saamaja vara gamana). Another bright star says 'Vysya Jasthi' in "Sri Matrubootham" where it should be 'Vysya Jaathi' sthree. I have a huge list . Of course it is all hilarious and annoying at the same time.
Anyway, Sanjay, Pl. post often. You have the gift of the gab.

rajagopalan · 10 months ago

Hi,

Yet to listen to the podcast. But before that , I wanted to say Great & thanks to an excellent concert at ISS, Blore. Your purvikalyani, Todi, Kamboji and Patdip are the highlights for me. Todi alapana, Kamboji alapana and the entire RTP part ,swarams in kamboji were really great. The varali swara entry (ragamalika swarams) from pallavi , Sindhubairavi swarams was spellbinding. The chosen varnam was a good start too.

la vérité · 10 months ago

This was a very enjoyable podcast. However, I do hope you will post more solo podcasts. Your podcasts on SK, creativity, and violin accompaniments remain my personal favourites!

Nagarajan · 10 months ago

Hello Sanjay,

Your podcast on MM Dandapani Desikar is excellent. As an old resident of T.Nagar who used to walk along the street named after him ( The street in which Krishna sweets is now located if I am right) while returning from Ramakrishna Main High school I had some idea of his greatness in the late 50's and 60's. Of course we have the pleasure of listening to his songs in Sruthi (Worldspace) channel in the evening these days. Many thanks to you and Mr.Sriram for the highly informative podcast.

I attended your concert at NTSS, Nanganallur on 7th Feb and was as usual mesmerised .

Wishing you all the best.

Nagarajan Nanganallur

Nagarajan · 10 months ago

I stand corrected. The street name is either Lakshmikanthan street or Deenadayalu Sreet where Desikar lived in the 50's/60's.

Nagarajan

Vidya · 10 months ago

A little digression from Desikar as such but I was wondering about the source of Sriram's comment in this podcast about Bharatidasan being notorious for not liking his poetry to be notated. This to me largely seems to me a misconception and a cliche. We are talking about a poet who established a Tamizhisai Kazhakam (and subsequently an Azhagisai kUttar kazhakam) as early as 1941 a good two years before Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiyar and who even wrote Tamil lyrics for Tyagaraja's compositions (to prove the point that Tamizh compositions can be sung with Sangatis) and published his own and several other poet's lyrics( incl Pa.Jivanandam's varna mettu based on Tyagaraja's Amrtavahini composition )in early Tamizh periodicals such as Kuyil. Infact his writings have been routinely set to tune and published in the magazines he himself ran by several folks like Kanchipuram Ko.Dandapani Pillai and Chidambaram T.R.Perumal.

arasi · 10 months ago

And Bharatidasan (Subburatinam) used to sing (give concerts more or less!) at weddings and gatherings in Pondicheri where he came to know SubramaNia BArati. He took on the pseudonym BharatidAsan because of his great admiration and affection for the mahA kavi.
bArati encouraged him no end in his singing and in his writing poetry...

Nagarajan,
Desikar lived in Deenadayalu Street. I would see him sitting outside, his placid face breaking into a little smile of recognition...

S P Suresh · 9 months ago

Dear Sanjay,

I just happened to stumble upon your blog, and also your podcast. Started with episode 2. I am a fanatic about Madurai Mani Iyer, and was delighted to hear you say those things about him. Couldn't agree more on the beautiful neraval of tambura ce koni in Koluvamare gada. The ettanaiyo piravi was of course ecstatic. Coincidentally, I was just listening to a forty minute rendition of Tukkiya tiruvadi before listening to your podcast. I am sure to follow your podcast and blog very regularly in future. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.

with regards,
Suresh

P.S. I am a researcher at the Chennai Mathematical Institute, and was a scholar at The Institute of Mathematical Sciences (where you gave an awesome performance two/three years back, with Mannargudi Easwaran sir on the mridangam). I also used to attend Vedanta classes with your mother.

Sreenadh · 9 months ago

Hi Sanjay,

I keep checking back for updates .. it's been so long since you either posted or release a podcast. The withdrawl symptoms are building :)

- Sreenadh

kunthalavarali · 9 months ago

Sreenadh,

Yes your are right. Is there a way where we could be informed of a new podcast?

venkatakailasam · 8 months ago

Sir, Why both in Aprathamulamanapi and Dudukegala, Thyagaraja,seeks mercy of The Lord for his evil deeds. We have not come across any such thing in his history.

can you please clarify?

venkatakailasam