My Playlist - 1

Ever since I got inducted(!) in to listening to Carnatic music, my mind has not traveled anywhere other than listening to good music. Thanks to my parents who have never objected to my listening even if it involves skipping house hold work. They rather welcomed it :-). You never know when you get that feeling in you that your soul gets purified every time you listen to good music. If you note carefully, when you start appreciating good music, music will in turn take care of you/speak to you!. This is my personal feeling. The listed is not in any particular order. Some of the list I love listening to any time by the vocalist (and of course in Violin as well) in bracket

Shanmukhapriya (M - 56) - I got introduced to this ragam through my parents and thanks to Maharajapuram Santhanam audio cassette and "All India Radio, Tiruchirapalli Vaanoli nilayam.- Isai arangam"- in the mornings. The first song I listened in this ragam is "vilayada idhu nerama"!. Called as Chaamaram in Dikshidhar school, there are lot of compositions on Lord Muruga. Perhaps, I wonder if it got the name because it is a ragam loved by Shanmugha?.  This ragam evokes a kind of a bhakthi rasa or a perfect divinity so as to say. As lots of compositions are there, my personal favorite other than mentioned is "Siddhi Vinayakam anisham" by Dikshidhar. ( Palghat K V Narayanaswamy with Shri MSG - bliss!) not failing to mention the fireworks of swarams at prasidha gana nayakam.. - Total bliss!

Karaharapriya (M - 22) - This has a distinct melody while listening. Said to be a parent of many famous janya ragas, the perfectly rendered aalapanai brings out the karuna rasa. There are many songs in this raga which I listen to with abundance of joy everytime. Some being - "Chakkani raja"  ( Smt MS Subbulakshmi), "Mithri Bhagyame" (Shri KVN), "Okkapari" by Annamacharya (MS Subbulakshmi), "Appan avadharitha" by none other than Shri T M Krishna. I love listening to the aalapanai on the violin!. It just takes you to a different world! More like a meditation!.

Bhairavi (J - 20 - Natabhairavi) - Though this is a sampoorna raga, this does not have a distinctive place as a Melakartha ragam. Yet another ragam to be listened to in violin!. From the famous Viribhoni varnam to "Upacharamulu" by Thyagaraja, there are many lovely songs in Bhairavi.  "Yaaro Ivar Yaaro" (Madurai Mani Iyer), "Balagopala" (Shri MD Ramanathan), "Enaati Nomu" (Smt Bombay Jayashri), "Keechu keechendru" - Tiruppavai (Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar / ML Vasanthakumari / KV Narayanaswamy)

Kalyani (M - 65) - Considered to be the Queen of the raga family, this is one ragam in which almost every vageyakaras have composed a song!. Many janya ragas having the surname as Kalyani(! :) to name a few - Hameer Kalyani, Hamsa Kalyani, Yaman Kalyani, Mohana Kalyani. It elicits a graceful rasa and provides ample scope for improvisation. The very famous Ethavunara, Pankaja lochana (Ranjani Gayatri), Bhajare re chitta (Bombay Jayashri, MDR - particularly neraval at "devim shakthim bheejothbhava...", "Kamalambham bhajare" (Sanjay Subramanyam), "Unnai allal" (Maharajapuram Santhanam). When I listened to a full fledged "Pankaja lochana" in Violin, I was totally immersed and was taken to a spiritual world and had to come back later to the materialistic world!. The famous RTP by ARI with Pallavi - "Sankarabharananai azhaithodi vaadi Kalyani Darbarukku" is very interesting to listen to!

I have personally loved listening to some of the violin accompanists of yesteryears - to name a few - Rajamanickam Pillai (MMI - Perfect team - Pazhani Subramaniya Pillai - Kanjira, Palghat Mani Iyer - Mridangam), Shri MS Gopalakrishnan (MS) - solo as well, Shri TN Krishnan (ARI, KVN),Shri VV Subramaniam, Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman to name a few!. They are gems!.

Playlist continues...

Signing off,

SPH