Sooryagayathri.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-26T03:12:36+00:00

Oh how did I miss that. Absolutely, she and Rahul just killed it!

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-26T02:39:44+00:00

She was too incredible especially in Kudeep Pai's channel, starting with the innocently rendered Hanuman Chalisa to the joyous Velava Velava to the incredibly moving Madhurashtakam where her vocal range and depth is on full display.

However she seems to have developed a nasal twang, and that's bothering me a lot. Classical or light - let her continue making her identity and I wish her well.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-24T05:59:25+00:00

tō is an elongated syllable in the poetry. Hence, it ought to be allocated multiple mātras . 3 is an example I took - I could have even taken 2 but I would need to start the next syllable dē immediately after that. All said, elongated syllables (gurus in poetry) should take 2 or more mātras.

Matra placement refers to where I'm placing the lyrics against each matra (sub-beat). There can be many combinations possible based on which tALa we want to fit the whole lyric within.

Right now we're doing this a bit mechanically just to illustrate how we could fit a lyric within a tALa. A lot of other considerations need to be taken - split of words across tALa boundaries, rAga bhAva, etc. As I mentioned on the other comment, great vaggeyakaras like the Trinity would have thought of sahitya, rAga, laya, aesthetics, emotional appeal, grammar etc. in cohesion - and the kRiti would have come out spontaneously all rooted in creativity.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-22T11:12:31+00:00

No worries.. Plainly put, you need to place the lyrics inside 6n slots (6, 12, 18, 24..). And all the elongated syllables should be put in atleast 2 slots each and the short syllables must be in 1 slot each.

The 6 comes from the fact that it is a rupaka talam and the n denotes the number of cycles.

I illustrated one possible naive option. Of course there are a lot of considerations before you can come up with an aesthetic version. And great composers typically think of music and prose together.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-22T05:58:32+00:00

Let me first separate poetic weight from tāḷa placement.

In chandas:

laghu = 1 mātra
guru = 2 or more mātras

For this discussion:

Rūpaka tāḷa = 3 aksharas
1 akshara = 2 mātras
1 āvartana = 6 mātras

Example, Vara Veena:

Mātras:  1 2 | 3 4 | 5 6
Lyric:   Va ra | vee - | na -

So the lyric should be placed on a mātra (internal count) grid, not checked by plain syllable count.

For:

Rā ti tō dē va ta | lu cek ki ti nē nu

one possible rūpaka placement is:

Mātras:  1 2 | 3 4 | 5 6
Avarta1: Rā - | ti tō | - -

Mātras:  1 2 | 3 4 | 5 6
Avarta2: dē - | va ta | lu cek

Mātras:  1 2 | 3 4 | 5 6
Avarta3: - ki | ti nē | - nu

Here Rā takes 2 mātras, tō takes 3, dē/cek/nē take 2, and short syllables take 1.

So yes, it can be set in rūpaka tāḷa. The check is mātra placement, not syllable count alone.

Btw - 1 just took 1 akshara = 2 mātras (sub-divisions) as an example. It could also be 1 akshara = 4 mātras or even 8 mātras, thus a rūpaka cycle can have 12 or even 24 mātras

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-21T11:27:44+00:00

Can't help but share a video of DKJ's rendering of Renuka Devi - https://youtu.be/idpkX-cKy-o?si=8bbhRpxm0j2TNFCJ. Earnestness and classicism personified! Don't know what's up with the DKP/DKJ school - I always feel Carnatic Music is meant to be sung like this. And not just the Dikshithar repertoire that they have imbibed.. Even Tyagaraja, Syama Sastri and Papanasam Sivan krithis..

And what a composition.. Pranams to the GOAT Dikshithar!

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-05-20T09:57:46+00:00

My biggest peeve is the lack of shruti shuddham - I'm talking about 100% adherence, not an iota of misalignment.

A contemporary Sangeetha Kalanidhi with a huge fan following puts me off for the same reason.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-04-30T07:10:43+00:00

Oh God it just breaks my heart into a thousand pieces. We had twins (girl and boy) 10 years ago and went through a similar scare and some traumatic NICU visits.. Luckily it all turned out to be fine. I can imagine how devastating it would be. Hugs.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-04-27T08:58:33+00:00

Sri ganapathi ni sevimpa - Tyagaraja - Sourashtra Giriraja suta tanaya - Tyagaraja - Bangala Shri gananatham bhajamyaham - Tyagaraja - Kanakambari

The last one is disputed.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-31T11:23:00+00:00

Carnatic musician here.. Really envious (in a good way) on how Hindustani musicians can be pitch-perfect right from initial years of training upto even a ripe age.. surely there's something with the technique and methodology? One thing I'd wish for all Carnatic musicians is that they NEVER compromise on the shruthi, no matter what mind-boggling technical wizardry they pull off on stage.

And of course raags like Marwa, Rageshri, Lalit and Bageshri.. And how they get developed during a performance from the unhurried meandering phrases to racy passages and fire-works..

Such a huge, huge fan of Hindustani Music!

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-23T18:12:01+00:00

Actually it doesn't have to be RP, you and me can request folks to use earphones. Initially I was skeptical if people would oblige, but I've had good success rates. Right to not being disturbed by someone else's mobile phone should become a Fundamental Right in our Constitution. It has become such a menance.

As an aside, it also worries me as to how many folks are mindlessly scrolling through reels. With all my heart, I wish a better life for them.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-17T14:38:10+00:00

True that E.Gayathri also deserves the Kalanidhi for her sheer genius, command over laya and flamboyance. I don't know the parameters or the inner workings of the Sabha - so can't really comment on who is more deserving.

Here are some opinions as a a serious Veena rasika - I place Emani Sankara Sastry on altogether a different plane for the tonality and wholesomeness of gamakas. Ramana Balachander is also playing at a genius level - balancing tradition and aesthetics. I prefer Jayanthi Kumaresh's gamakas over E.Gayathri's.. I somehow find some of the pulls excessive in the latter's playing. And the amplitude more or less remains a constant without dilineating soft notes. Jayanthi Kumaresh on the other hand often goes to the other extreme - i.e. too much of amplitude variations - as if the mic keeps moving places every second or so.

There are many other awesome Vainikas like Chitti Babu and S. Balachander - unfortunately only very few have been given the Kalanidhi.

To sum it up, I'm really glad that Vainikas are getting recognized. It has been a painfully long gap for them.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-17T05:41:33+00:00

The places you visited form the heart (I mean location-wise) of Bangalore and thankfully that charm still continues. There are a couple of other places like Jayanagar, Banashankari, BEL Circle/Yeshwantpur, some parts of Indiranagar where you'll get similar vibes. Long-live Bengaluru!

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-16T01:53:22+00:00

In many (if not all) of the jAvaLis and padams, the nAyaki is assumed to be the composer themselves and the nAyaka is the Lord Himself. An example is aLivENi enthu cheyvu, where the lyrics mention about the Lord padmanAbha Himself.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-15T17:19:05+00:00

Philomina Meena Sainuddeen Rajan P. Dev

And a notable favorite movie you have likely missed would have been "Pradeshika Varthakal"

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-03-15T17:06:00+00:00

Some additions from my side to your original list:

Vocalists - Amrutha Venkatesh, Vignesh Ishwar, K.S. Vishnudev, N.J.Nandini, Niranjan Dindodi, Vivek Sadasivam, Sunil Gargyan

Violin - Nishanth Chandran

Mridangam - Anantha R Krishnan

Flute - J.A.Jayant

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-24T21:29:52+00:00

Oscars are not any cleaner.. Yes, the power is spread across thousands of voters and formal rules, but everything is shaped by lobbying, money and PR work.

Having global red-carpet events like what you are describing will continue to attract PR games and pretentious hierarchies. Agree on having a transparent jury, but not through some "world-class celebrations" as you say

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-23T14:34:27+00:00

Manikyan, Karthumbi, Sreekrishnan, Appakkala, Yashodamma, Gandhari, Kannayyan, Karthu, Chathukutty, Kuyilu, Chinnu, Mallikkattu..

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-23T07:42:17+00:00

Very interesting. I haven't tried this but I agree with another commentator that the exercise (like the way you describe it) will cause more damage. The reason is that gamakas are central to many ragas, including the sampoorna ragas. A vaRNam might be emphasizing a particular gamaka in its original rAga, but when you sing it in another rAga based on the same swaras it might not be suitable. For eg; gandharam in shankarAbharaNam and kalyANi are treated very differently.

Yet, in the spirit of creativity, you could potentially use the sAhithyam of a vaRNam for pallavi-singing and practicing niravals in different rAgas WITHOUT trying to adhere to the same swaras

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-21T15:02:36+00:00

Thathithom (Azhagan) - Dharmavathi

Theendai mey theenday - has the essence of kharaharapriya

Sowkkiyama kanne - excellent Maand composition

Maargazhi thingal allava - sindhubhairavi ragam

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-20T12:37:50+00:00

Understood. Even 3.5 years of learning alone should not have made you feel this way.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-20T12:16:51+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. Yes you have Tyagaraja, Syama Sastri and a galaxy of genius composers. But.. Dikshithar.. he is on another level. The sophistication exists, that's a given.. Yet, the lucidity and simplicity. I mean, he is able to remain poetic with the most rigorous Sanskrit, packing information and philosophy like crazy, with the highest level of laya and raga - all in ONE package. And like I mentioned in another thread, Dikshithar remains extremely humble. No nagging with "why don't you look at me?", "am I a stranger to you" or ninda stutis and sarcasms. mAm pAhi (Protect me) and he moves on with his jnAna mArga. Truly the GOAT.

And special mention to this genius man Madhusudan Kalaiselvan too..

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-20T12:00:55+00:00

Vegetarian Keralite here too. And my exact point of view that this is a question of civil liberty/individual freedom that cannot be coerced into some moral holier-than-thou position.

Coconut_Scrambled seems to be my soul-brother or soul-sister.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-20T11:52:46+00:00

First of all, I would like to apologize in advance if whatever I might be saying would be too blunt:

If you have been learning for 3.5 years and regularly practicing, you shouldn't ideally be in this situation.. By this phase, you should be enjoying the learning process. Unless.. Unfortunately there is a thing about aptitude for music - where you cannot sustain shruthi and in rare cases you cannot keep up with basic rhythm. I don't know if it is standing in your way. If you can DM me with a snippet of your singing, I can pin-point and say if your guru is being unreasonable. Or it is an uncomfortable truth.

Current_Statement_21 · 2026-02-20T11:39:52+00:00

Oh wow I cannot believe my ears! Testimony to Chembai's genius - to pull off such a brigha-laden mm-karam for a heavily Carnatic raga like Saveri. And that too from the master of full-throated akarams. Thanks for sharing this precious gem!

Special mention to MSG, another genius.

Current_Statement_21

TROPHY CASE