Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan

Carnatic Musicians
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Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

Posting two audio clippings from a concert of the late Sri.Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan.He was the chief disciple of T.K.Rangachari(sung with TKR with most of the concerts,including the ones posted here)
This concert was held at Kalpathy,Palakkad,in connection with rathotsavam,in 1997
Pakala Ramadas and T.R.Sundaresan as accompaniments.
Vairamangalam is from the old school of singing,full throat.Though in the later years of his career,he struggled to sing in the mel sthayi,his vidwat always dominated the un cooperative voice.
He taught music at Kalakshetra for 20 years.An excellent teacher,he was always ready to listen and appreciate different banis , very rare quality among the artists.Most senior artits respected him including Semmangudi and KVN.He considered Semmangudi as manasa guru and was the recipient of the first Semmangudi trust award.I recall one concert held at Shastry hall conducted by Semmangudi trust and Semmangudi himself was present for most part of the concert.
He was a perfect gentleman,with a sense of humour.
Vairamangalam passed away two years ago at the age of 75.

www.rapidshare.de/files/11540813/vairam2/mp3.html
www.rapidshare.de/files/11472695/v2.html
this is my first audio file posting,hope I have done it correctly

venkatpv
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Post by venkatpv »


Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

thank you venkat,hope they are Pantuvarali and Nalinakanthi files

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

radhakrishnan
Welcome .And thanks for your uploads.We really need stuff to be more aware of these lesser known masters.

Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »


Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

jayaram,padren68,meena,arasi,vs_manjunath; perhaps an early deepavali treat for you!

http://rapidshare.de/files/36149956/vai ... i.mpg.html

http://rapidshare.de/files/36159690/vai ... i.mpg.html

meena
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Joined: 21 May 2005, 13:57

Post by meena »

radhakrishnan

very happy deepavali :) thanku very much

padren68
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005, 20:31

Post by padren68 »

Dear Radhakrishnan Sir
Wish u and all the forum members a very Happy Diwali. Many thanks for the vairam gems.
Could you let me know how I can contact u by email.

vs_manjunath
Posts: 1466
Joined: 29 Sep 2006, 19:37

Post by vs_manjunath »

Dear Radhakrishnan Sir,

Wish You & Your family A VERY HAPPY DIWALI.
I enjoyed TKR's Paridhanamichhite in Bilahari provided by you.
I was not successful in loading Vairamangalam's Arabhi. The second link i will try downloading to day and definitely it will be enjoyable. Many Thanks for rasikas.org for bringing all of us together.

jayaram
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Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

My my, the Diwali fireworks have already started!
Thank you so much, Radhakrishnan-garu for the wonderful feast.

Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »


rmdeer2000
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Joined: 29 Oct 2005, 06:06

Post by rmdeer2000 »

namaskaram radhakrishnan sir,

i was a student of Vairamangalam mama from 2002-2004. whenever i used to ask him whether anyone had his and sri. TKR's recordings, he used to mention you. Thus, it came as a shock and pleasant surprise when I saw you posting here on this forum and sharing mama's amazing music.

thanking you and hoping for more such treasures.

ramakrishnan

Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

I was moved by your post, Ramakrishnan.Met him in Chennai,months before his demise, at that time,he was perfectly fine, cheerful, and humorous as ever,shared idlis with me,brought for him by a student!.When mentioned about KVN’s demise, he said ‘periYa loss’.
And months later, telephoned Pakala Ramadas for some purpose and he only told me that Vairam passed away only two days back,that was a real shock.

rmdeer2000
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Joined: 29 Oct 2005, 06:06

Post by rmdeer2000 »

i remember seeing mama the day before he passed away in the hospital and doing namaskaram...he tried saying something to me but was unable to, as his health had deteriorated that much.

truly a great and irreparable loss to the CM world; even though i only learned from him for a brief period of time, not a day passes without remembering classes with him, his humor, and his warm personality.

anytime i hear dayaleni in nayaki, mohanakara in neetimati, neerajakshi kamakshi, and many others songs, i am only reminded of mama and the remarkable way mama used to render them.

endarO mahAnubhAvu-landariki vandanamu

vs_manjunath
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Joined: 29 Sep 2006, 19:37

Post by vs_manjunath »

The above postings by Radhakrishnan Sir & rmdeer Sir are really very touching. Mama was full of humour and love to teach. Initially, i was taught in the Hemamalini's dance school after his regular teaching. Later, I was taught in his home only. I vividly remember Mama's house in Dr Radhakrishnan Salai and Mama's father relaxing in easy chair etc.,A particular class was on Gokulashtami festival, after the class he took me to a house in which DKJ was performing. It's really a great loss to CM. Neethimathi and Dharmavathi AV clippings are nice. Since i lost touch with him for more than two decades, I just want to know "Did Mama see Prosperity??"

jayaram
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Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

Dear Rama- and Radha-krishnan,

Your posts brought a lump in my throat. How lucky both of you are, to have known Shri Vairamangalam at such close quarters! A good friend of mine in New York gifted me Vairam tapes more than 15 years ago and I got completely hooked. Ever since I have been looking for more of his music everywhere, so you can imagine my joy when the videos were uploaded. I can still recall the Trivandrum concert vividly, at the end of which I went to him and touched his feet and took his blessings. He was so happy to hear that I admired his guru, and when I mentioned that only a handful of people had come to attend his kutcheri he didn't say anything except just smiled. That said everything for me.

It would be a great tribute to honour him in some way. Can you suggest something. Possibly a musical trust?

Do you have concert recordings of Sri Vairamangalam. I would very much like to add to my (rather meagre) collection of his music.

Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »

I had been to his places both near ice house and ajanta(Royapettah,I don’t remember the street name)it seems he later shifted from ajanta also.All were very small rented houses His daughter’s wedding took place when he was at ajanta.During the last meet,he was too emotional(usually he wont open his family or financial problems before the students ) said,his second daughter also got married and wants to see his son married.
Manjunath, he really struggled in life,but he was never money minded and has never complained or regretted. He was poorly paid where he worked (when he was a part timer ,probably they might have revised the pay scale when he became a full timer ) but he used to say ‘panathukAke inge varale’ but it still pains to recall that a senior and aged musician(he was a diabetic too) like him coming by over crowded bus and the long walk from bus station to the college..I once asked him how he manages,he replied"¦nAn varuvEn, bus pAPen, Erara mAdiri irundAl EruvEn,iLame pEsAme AthuKu pOyiduvEn! So he was forced to take more and more tuitions to support the family,which spoiled his voice.
Memories flooding!
He once stayed at my place for a couple of days when he came for a concert at Irinjalakuda temple(dedicated to Lakshmana and aptly he sang kanukontini)we went for a walk and he enjoyed a Kamal movie on TV! Usually Iyengaris never miss a chance to visit Guruvayur when they come to Thrissur and I asked him ‘AmAm,ivalavu dUram vantu guruvAyUr pOkAme ePadi?!’ and being VaisAkha mAsam,temple was so crowded and he said ‘guruvAyUr vandAchu,swAmiye pATAchu,pOdum!!’ so we didn’t go inside and he brought a guruvayurappan locket for ‘samsAram kElpAr!’(she is also no more)

Jayaram, he has so many students and they all love him.The senior most student is Jaya Krishnan http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2 ... 440400.htm
(I recall an incident,somebody told him ‘neTu jaya krishnan kacheri orE Vairamangalam he was quick to respond ‘aYaYo,aPo Vairamangalam pATu?! To which that man replied ‘atu Rangachari!’) T.K.Rangachari’s family members supported him financially for the treatment(he died of cancer)in fact Rangachari’s grandson Aswin is his student(he works in US,may visit Chennai later this year) A trust may be opened.And he was a widely respected figure in the music circle too.More than a concert singer,he possessed some admirable qualities.So such a trust will surely get support.
Sorry if this is a long post and too personal but I feel such unknown side of an artist has relevance here.

vs_manjunath
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Joined: 29 Sep 2006, 19:37

Post by vs_manjunath »

All of us can join hands to create a "Vairamanagalam Trust".
I request Mr Radhakrishnan to progress further.

rmdeer2000
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Joined: 29 Oct 2005, 06:06

Post by rmdeer2000 »

interestingly, the house he lived in last was in royapettah, like radhakrishnan sir pointed out, but on VM street!

mami has passed away????

kumaran.nadesan
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Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 18:56

Post by kumaran.nadesan »

Radhakrishnan, could you please reload the 3 mpeg clips on rapidshare again? Much thanks!

mahesh_narayan
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Joined: 22 Aug 2006, 20:51

Post by mahesh_narayan »

I felt a little choked with emotion too, though I have never met him. It is sad to learn that great vidwans like Bismillah Khan Saheb and Shri. Vairamangalam had to suffer financial difficulties for prolonged periods of time in their lives.

Maybe fraternity members like us and sabhas could create some yearly contribution/savings fund that could be used from time to time to help musicians who really need help with medical treatment or other personal problems. Something like a noble community service. I am willing to help in that direction.

jayaram
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Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

A medical fund is a very good idea. A common ailment that several of our musicians suffer from is Diabetes. Lack of exercise, irregular and poor eating habits, etc. contribute to this, in my opinion. When Manakkal & co were here, I went out for a long walk with Sriram and we discussed how important it is for musicians to get enough exercise and have a good diet.

Hope the younger generation takes this up seriously.

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

I had the opportunity to learn under VLN for about two months. I just thought I would revive my carnatic skills but ended up only as a failure since my official commitments kept me busy. VLN was a simple and talented person and enjoyed a robust voice. My mother who had heard him singing Tripurasundari in Bhairavi over AIR said that he brought out the full depth of the raga. He had a flair for developing young talents and was conducting a class in my aunt's house behind Stella Maris College (Ellaiamman koil street). He was in all praise for my aunt for doing a service to the students of carnatic music by hosting this training programme in her house.

He was a great man and I would only feel sad that he was not recognised to the extent required.
Last edited by kaumaaram on 25 Oct 2006, 13:59, edited 1 time in total.

Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »

Kaumaaram, thanks.
I have heard his bhairavi RTP nIrajakshi kAmAkshi nikhila lOka janai niranjani.
your mother is right,bhairavi used to be majestic when he sings.
He always appreciates others, irrespective of their age or popularity.
Once he happened to the examiner for 1st or 2nd year students at Kalakshetra, he was happy with their performance and told their teacher Hariprasad(who is 45 years younger to him!) hari,nI naNA shoLiKoduthiruKar"¦
He used to say that every school(baani)has its own merits and demerits.
He knows the limitations of his sArIram, somebody requested some song(one SwAthi padam I remember) he was quick to admit ‘atu KVN romba naNa pAduvAr,naMa sArIrathuKu atu othu vaRadu’
Regarding ‘recognition’ he got KalaimAmani an year before his death! At the age of 75!!
But he always used to regret that his guru didn’t get SK.

chalanata
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Post by chalanata »

i have a nagging doubt. why great teachers are not well known performers? (i shouldn't say not great performers) is it out of choice?

gavati
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Joined: 20 Sep 2006, 08:53

Post by gavati »

Please count me in for the "Vairamangalam trust"

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

Gavvati,
Welcome, and thank you for sharing such private moments. Please do post the mp3 files. We have wizards here who can clean up any track...
Ravi

Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

gavati, welcome to the forum!
Thanks a lot for sharing the experience.
Yes,he used to sing dayalEni often,but if you have O ranga sAyi,do u/l. It used to be his master piece.

gavati
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Joined: 20 Sep 2006, 08:53

Post by gavati »

yes Radhakrishnan, I have his O Rangasayee ....i have that only as a class lesson (he teaching me) and not a solo rendition...I will defy post them once they are ready...its good to note that you guys can clean it up...my dad tried his best, but he couldnt...

jayaram
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Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

What a lovely forum this is...so many shishyas of Vairam posting their anecdotes. Truly music to my ears. How I wish I could have gotten to know him better. Based on just the few minutes I spent with him that evening in Trivandrum, I could tell he was a wonderful human being.

Such vidwans, nay even people, are hard to come by these days.

kumaran.nadesan
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Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 18:56

Post by kumaran.nadesan »

Can someone please re-post the video clip of Vairamangalam's darmavati?
Last edited by kumaran.nadesan on 06 Nov 2006, 20:31, edited 1 time in total.


Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »


kaumaaram
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Post by kaumaaram »

Radhakrishnan,

I am looking for the RTP - Dharmavati-Gunavati..... rendered by Vairamangalam. Do you have that with you? Similarly Tripurasundari in Bhairavi?

Kaumaaram

Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

Kaumaaram,I have heard that dharmavathi RTP rendered by him, unfortunately I don’t have it.He used to sing another RTP in amritavarshini& ananda bhairavi which goes like AnandAmritAkarshini amritavarshini paramEswari Ananda bhairavi.
I was planning to visit Chennai in January to meet some of his disciples who possess plenty of his concert CDs,but due to some other commitments I am not in a position to go to Chennai,but shall surely go and get the CDs later in 2007.
Hope you have downloaded his concert from sangeethapriya,with lalgudi and trichy sankaran.That concert should be in 60s or 70s,when he was at peak.Valaji is excellent.

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

Radhakrishnan, I have read the reviews of The Hindu about Vairamangalam's concerts. I have not seen any form of criticism but only tons of praise from the senior reviewers, SVK or MN. To that extent this artist deserved something more! I have started hunting for his recordings and let me see how far I succeed.

Radhakrishnan
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Post by Radhakrishnan »

Not even a single commercial recording is available and he was not a person to make an effort himself.
Later in his career,he struggled with his voice(which was pretty bad for an year or so in late 80s) I remember one such concert at music academy mini hall , one disappointed rasika told him ‘koncham ghana sArIram kElKalAmNu pAthEn’
And some people come just to meet him, one concert at shastry hall, B.V.Raman and Lakshman came and told ‘uNe pAKarutuKu tAn vandEn’
I have seen the photograph in which he receives junior musician award of M.A from chembai(tambura was the prize) and he himself used to recall that concert,dharmavathi was the main and subbudu wrote ‘vairamangalam sang perfect dharmavathi’
Please give me more time,I shall surely collect some of his concerts.
He has toured US in early 80s and those recordings should be available with somebody.

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

Radhakrishnan, may I request you to kindly upload the audio files once again. These appear in the first page of the thread.

Before taking me as a student, VLN asked me to sing the Arohanam and avarohanam in Kalyani. I struggled. But when he asked me to sing the raag in the form of a jingle, I suceeded. With that he understood that I had learnt only by "listening" and not by systematic training. The point is, those who brag that they know carnatic music would face impending embarrassment when they meet him. Without hurting you, he will put you in your place. He was generally averse to teaching students who either wanted to have a career in film singing or who had a stint in singing film industry.

There was one LP where he had rendered a devotional on Lord Narasimha. Is that available these days? Second, he was one among the singers in the LP containing the Pancharatna Krithis group singing released by HMV those days.

Kaumaaram
Last edited by kaumaaram on 30 Nov 2006, 13:25, edited 1 time in total.

padren68
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Joined: 26 Oct 2005, 20:31

Post by padren68 »

Kaumaaram
Pls check your email for the link.
Let me know if u recd it.

Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

True, he will put you in your place without hurting you.
Regarding film music,he used to enjoy rAga based songs,like entan nenjil nInkAda and sundari nIyum sundaran njAnum, and some old songs like pATum nAne bhAvamum nAne.
But as you said,he was generally averse to teach students with light music background or those sing for bharata natyam.As he used to say about dance ‘ atu periya samAchAram,aPadIgrar,iPadigrAr..oNumE puriyAdu!’ he expected his students to reach the level of concert singing and sometimes he gets disappointed ,recalling one class,he was teaching RTP and that student was struggling to get the kanaKu.Vairam was to sing at a sabha later in the evening. ‘yEnda,ange pOyi kathinA panamAvadu kidaiKum!’
Regarding pancharatna singing, he was a regular performer at Thiruvaiyar with his guru but he loved celebrating thyagarajotsavam at vidwat samajam,Mylapore.I remember one utsavam ,KVN,BMK,Bombay sisters,MSG were all present(BMK clad in traditional tAru) and the unity among the musicians was commendable. Even the sAPadu was delicious!!

kaumaaram
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Post by kaumaaram »

padren68 wrote:Kaumaaram
Pls check your email for the link.
Let me know if u recd it.
Many thanks Padren68. Received.

Kaumaaram

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

Thanks, Radhakrishnan

jayaram
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Post by jayaram »

Radhakrishnan - your reminiscences are music to this rasika's ears!
Btw, you mentioned he toured the US in the early 80s. Do you know which orgn sponsored his trip? I checked CMANA's homepage and they don't mention his concerts there.

Radhakrishnan
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Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

jayaram,I dont remember the exact year or the organisation,but it has to be either in early 80s or late 70s April/May.Once he mentioned name of the organiser one Srinivasan(noy sure)never thought these things would be useful in future.But he has toured US, thats for sure, his only foreign trip

rbharath
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Post by rbharath »

just bumped into this video of Vairamangalam Sri Laksminarayanan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1taahZulw

meena
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Post by meena »

shankar
radhakrishnanji u/l all those video clips on this thread

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

Courtesy, Raju Asokan and A.Badri, I have uploaded the following USA 1987 concert of VLN in my folder:

www.sangeethapriya.org/~kaumaram

song list:-
01. viribhoni - bhairavi varnam - pachimiriyam adiappayya
02. pranamamyaham - gaula - mysore vasudevachar
03. ananda natamaduvar - poorvikalyani - nilakanta sivan
04. brovavamma tamasa - manji - shyama sastri
05. narayana ninna - suddha dhanyasi - purandaradasa
06. sivanukku ilaya - hemavati - mayuram vishvanatha shastri
07. garuda gamana - nagaswaravali - patnam subrahmanya iyer
08. sri krishnam bhaja - thodi - muttuswami dikshitar (+ tani avartanam)
09. iti nyayama - malavi - patnam subrahmanya iyer
10. rtp - shanmukhapriya - khanda jati jhampai
"velavane kolahalane unadu padam tunaiye orarumugane arumugane"
swarams - nattai, gaula, arabhi, varali, sri
11. slokam (kasturi tilakam) - ragamalika [kambhoji, hamirkalyani, abheri]
12. gokula nilaya - abheri - mysore Vasudevachar
13. apaduruku lonaitune (javali) - khamas - pattabhiramayya
14. tillana - shankarabharanam - ponniah pillai
15. tiruppugazh (kadi modi) - bhavapriya - arunagirinathar
16. pavamana (mangalam) - saurashtram - thyagaraja
Last edited by kaumaaram on 04 Dec 2006, 16:38, edited 1 time in total.

kaumaaram
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Joined: 14 Oct 2005, 17:38

Post by kaumaaram »

Radhakrishnan,

I have been saying "Tripurasundari" in Bhairavi. It is Maha Tripurasundari which is found in the concert of VLN uploaded in Sangeethapriya. Regret inconvenience.

Kaumaaram

srinidhi
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Post by srinidhi »

Kaumaaram,

The link that you have given is not working. Any help?

meena
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Joined: 21 May 2005, 13:57

Post by meena »

PLEASE for sangeethiapriya issues check their yahoo gr.

Note: Posts not related to the topic will be deleted.thanku

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