Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Prominent critics and rasikas
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shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Post by shankarank »

Organizer of concerts in the Dayton, Ohio area. He was well known and close to the Cleveland Aradhana committee as well. He used to recollect his association with P.S Swami Sabha from the old days - I don't have much detail on that. But I have to mention few things about him as I knew it.

He took it upon to organize concerts of many big and small musicians in a modest setting of the Hindu Temple (Sri Rama temple) in Dayton, Ohio. Remember Sri V.V. Sundaram talking about the construction of that temple with a concert of pandit Ravishankar raising funds. Assume he was talking about this temple. May be for that reason, the temple as a venue could not be refused as a musical venue. He was part of the temple trust.

For sometime, Columbus , Dayton and Cincinatti were together with one organization - When some of us in Columbus wanted to have our own organization he was a bit disappointed. He felt we took away some of the overall support, but Later we had a conciliatory arrangement that we would provide concessional arrangements between the two organizations. With a separate organization we could attract more membership as people were hesitant to travel across these 3 cities to listen to concerts. They were not as committed as the generation of rasikas that SrI Rangarajan belongs to. Many of the schedules were complimentary and in some cases both cities repeated the programs and we enjoyed two concerts by some musicians.

I remember couple of nice things in that milieu.

He was kind enough to pickup Vid. Ranjani/Gayathri violin instrumental ( the last instrumental tour) when in organization that I was part of, I could not convince them to have an instrumental concert. He acknowledged he did because I requested him.

With Mandolin Srinivas, because of his personal connections with him , he repeated the concert in a hotel ball room, a week after a Cincinatti student organization had an university event with auditorium full. He pointed out the difference between the two - where the later presentation was tailored to more of traditional rasikas. The later concert also had a miSra cApu tani by Vid. Trichi Sankaran. It was a tour with TS and his nephew Sri Poovalur Srinivasan playing double Mridangam along with U. Rajesh.

It is almost 10 years of his passing. Wanted to post this as memory.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dayto ... &fhid=5483

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Post by rajeshnat »

Shankarank
Good post thank you , I have fond recollection talking with Late MKR Sir about all temples and almost all organizers ranging from cleveland , CMana Founders etc. I wish i had my audio of my mobile On when I took me to the Flushing temple . All these veterans like AV Rangarajan have done a spectacular service , but how the next gen organizers will fare say post covid will be a big second big chapter . Hope few folks who write here like sankritilaya , CMana etc all raise and provide great service to the next generation of rasikas in USA.

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Post by shankarank »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x77j-GxjdIA - a concert of SrI TNS at that venue. I missed him that year in this concert , but caught up with this tour @ Chicago tyAgaraja utsavam.

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Post by Lakshman »

I had known A.V.Rangarajan since we were in high school in Mylapore. He and his cousin Narasimhan (my classmate)lived in the Chitrakulam area. We renewed our friendship at Cleveland Aradhana many years ago.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Dayton SrI A.V. Rangarajan

Post by rajeshnat »

http://www.mylaporetimes.com/2010/07/ob ... rajan-a-v/

I did not know him at all till shankaran put the post. You can see the above link where few people like dr sridharan and dr venki and dr mangala venkatesh have given extremely deep insight about his academic teaching and what all he did in Dayton days. He has also given few pallavi lines that were taken up by musicians. Would be nice if someone mentions that. He passed away in 2010 but surely a treasure that established mylapore in continental usa. Read the link and also comments by many especially the two I mentioned.

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