R.K.Srikantan interview

Shivadasan · Post by **Shivadasan** » 04 Sep 2009, 07:13

Interesting interview

The Hindu Date:04/09/2009
URL:
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/200 ... 990100.htm

appu · Post by **appu** » 04 Sep 2009, 08:08

Very nice interview. Excellent suggestions by the octogenarian.

coolkapali · Post by **coolkapali** » 04 Sep 2009, 14:53

He even commented about varnams being sung as main in concerts nowadays and criticized that. However, i beg to differ from him about singing ragas like hameer kalyani on stage. I am sure , in that case nobody can sing even ragas like Ananda Bhairavi which has its roots in folk music. Too conservative his views are, for the present generation. Nevertheless he is a great Vidhwan whom i hold in very high regards.

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 04 Sep 2009, 15:30

A great musician and an excellent speaker too. I was amazed by his oratory a year back when he spoke at a function in Swami Vivekananada Yoga University (- Jigani - Bangalore) without any notes !

girish_a · Post by **girish_a** » 04 Sep 2009, 15:56

Has this interview been recorded?

girish_a · Post by **girish_a** » 04 Sep 2009, 16:02

I'm particularly interested to hear the two styles in which he sang Deva Deva in MMG

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 04 Sep 2009, 16:03

Wow, he certainly has some strong views. Especially about singing vivadi ragas and minor ragas elaborately in concerts...
Thanks for the link, Shivadasan.

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 04 Sep 2009, 16:04

cienu wrote:A great musician and an excellent speaker too. I was amazed by his oratory a year back when he spoke at a function in Swami Vivekananada Yoga University (- Jigani - Bangalore) without any notes !

I was also amazed by his oratory skills when he spoke in music academy last year at " lalgudi sir's felicitation function " ..

Arvind..

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 04 Sep 2009, 16:48

Almost all the points raised by this great man are indeed valid and is applicable for generations to come. However I have my reservations about his views on ragas used for singing RTPs. A great man indeed and carnatic music is blessed by a man of his stature and talent.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 05 Sep 2009, 02:01

My main take away is "bhava, raga and tala ....... should judiciously mix these three using one's intellect"... The order in which these four are mentioned is informative too.

One question I would have asked the veteran is about the changing nature of gamakas over the years. We discussed this in another thread. He had listened to quite a few generations of musicians during his life time and is the right person to comment on this issue based on personal experience.

munirao2001 · Post by **munirao2001** » 05 Sep 2009, 14:05

coolkapali
You must understand the views of Maestro Shri Rks on the ragas for RTP, in the context of the time span of RTP in the years earlier to '50's. In the 5 to 6 hours concerts, RTP is used to take up 60-90 minutes. Raga alapna touching thristhayees, dwelling deep and bring out cascade of raga sancharas- moorchanas, revealing the full structure, bhava etc demanded the choice of the rakthi ragas, pregnant with inexhaustible prayogas. The vivadi and other ragas mentioned by the vertern, does not offer that scope for the performer. When the RTP is reduced to the time limit of 20-30 minutes, the choice is full melakartha ragas, with few exceptions. RTP's of the shortened time durations are farce and do not give full scope for the performer to show case his vidwath, it's original purpose.
Why only Ananda Bhairavi ? The ragas/scales of IM/ WCM, all have origins in folk and sacred music. Many ragas/scales have developed with refinement, with the great creative works of the Great Composers and Great Maestros practice and performances. Many ragas have also developed with the aim of offering novelty values and unique experiences.
If you check with all the Great Maestros/Maestros views on this subject, you will find that Shri RKS has not said anything different.
munirao2001

shriranjani · Post by **shriranjani** » 08 Sep 2009, 01:37

RKS is amazing!I had interviewed him for Shanmukha-the journal published by SSFASS,the morning after his concert kucheri at Sri Chandrashekharendra Saraswati auditorium, under the aegis of the Sri Shanmukhanada Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha, on 24th Dec.2007.He had voiced his disapproval of minor ragas being taken up for RTP,differences between the shishya of yesteryears & now,differnce in the attitude of accompanists then & now etc.I reproduce 2 answers he gave which I thought were very relevant-
Q) Did teaching come in the way of performing?
A) I have felt that by teaching, you recognise your limitations and thus try to correct them. Students ask questions and that helps us get a better insight into the art form. While teaching, one is honing oneÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢s skills constantly and it provides a lot of practice too!
Q) How would you define good music?
A) Music that is very simple, that which touches the heart is what I would say constitutes great music. It is not easy to achieve this.
He was ready and waiting for my arrival,answered all my questions with great patience & with a ready smile-a true sign of greatness.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Sep 2009, 02:20

A humble man for being someone who is such a treasure house of music. How true it is about teaching music being a process of learning!
Yes, good music is something which touches your heart.
Like Sam and others, I have my reservations about his view on taking up unexplored rAgams for RTP.
On the other hand, he can sing a tilang as beautifully as a sAvEri!

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 12 Sep 2009, 16:52

Here is my take on unexplored rare ragas--the merits and demerits.

The classical view is that these are not rakthi ragas and do not lend themselves to elaborate exposition without the tedium of repetition. I subscribe to this although when I was young I used to be fascinated by Balamurali's exposition of rare ragas.Later on as one matures one finds that if it is done as an exercise to show off one's prowess sacrificing the sukham part of it,the exposition becomes nothing more than theatrics.In my opinion the artistes' virtuosity can be demonstrated equally in the traditional raga/swaras singing .This is not to put down a brief exposition of the raga as GNB used to do with Chenjukambodhi,Malavi,Kapinarayani etc.
I asked the late GNB once about this when I was infatuated with BMK's exposition of rare ragas. His explanation(after a genuine nod towards BMK's artistry--"Avan periya child prodigy" was his description).In our CM system of music the beauty of a swara is enhanced by the swara that precedes it as well as by the one that follows . A mohanam or Hamsadhwani despite having only 5 notes offer more scope because of the nature of the scale and the symmetry of it than even some of the sampurna melakarta ragas. At the same time not all the Vakra Sampurna ragas offer as much scope.One can go on citing how ragas like Bilahari with two nishadams,Bhairavi with two daivatams,Behag and Saranga with the two Madhyamams, etc etc can be rendered elegantly without repetition whereas a Megaranjani has very limited scope.
My father once asked Ariyakudi about this. " You are a devout Thygaraja Bhakthar. he has composed kritis in several vivadhi swara raga-- Bindumalini,Sindhukannada,Manohari etc". Why don't you sing them. To which Ariyakudi noted for his characteristic brevity asked "How many krithis has he composed in these rare ragas" To me that is the litmus test!!". Then he mentioned how in Thodi Thyagaraja has composed several krithis each one starting with a different swara and how each kriti brings out unique facets of the raga without one having to repeat oneself.

My own personal experience of bathroom singing--I have tried singing Jayanthasri vs Hindolam but I could not elaborate Jayanthasri without having to come back to the Panchamam often enough to the point of boredom whereas the symmetry of the Hindolam despite the absence of Panchamam(the touchstone of most ragas both in their ascent or descent) and the proliferation of krithis not only by the Trinity but by succeeding composers makes listening enjoyable.

At the same time I have also felt that Mali popularising Nalinakanthi(manavyalakinchara), followed by GNB's krithi(Neepadamegathi) or Lalgudi's Varnam has given extra dimension to the raga despite the Vakra prayogams of the swaras(Sa Ga Ri Ma Pa Ni Sa) in the ascent with the descent like Kedaram. Even then I am not sure I can listen to Nalinakanthi as RTP.

More on this later!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 12 Sep 2009, 20:32

Ramasubramanian,
Good to hear from you, with all your anecdotal history! Adds so much more to the discussions.
What you say about our generation being swept away by BMK's music brings back memories of listening to Bhakti Ranjani radio programs in the morning--just as exciting as listening to Rafi and Latha

Yes, these rAgams will truly appeal to the young, as they did to our generation.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 13 Sep 2009, 01:34

Arasi: Thanks. I realise the topic is Interview of RKS and not about the exposition of apoorva ragas be they in RTP or in Krithis.But I would crave the indulgence of forumites if I stray into some detours!!

The discussion about apoorva ragas,the propriety of their elaborate delineation etc--this is an age-old one much older than many of the younger forumites may realise. The traditionalists vs the innovators. I hold the view that these are not mutually incompatible and CM is by no means an ossified relic carved in stone without any accommodation for innovation. The 'Oudava" ragas were considered the bare minimum for raga alapanas(akin to the Card Game Bridge rules about opening hands for bidding-minimum points,distribution etc with ofcourse some exceptions) so that ragas with 4 swaras(a trend started by BMK in the Fifties) were not considered rakthi ragas enough to merit elaborate enunciation. To elaborate on GNB's views mentioned in my earlier post(#14) I reproduce below excerpts of this discussion from the article on GNB I wrote for my Father's book(Musings on Music and Musicians released in 2003 to commemorate my father's 90th birthday).

" GNB was extraordinarily articulate both in his written and spoken word. He applied the same analytical precision in his explanations as he did in his raga expositions---be it Andolika or Chenjukambodhi. An incident in the late fifties. There were certain challenges to the traditional 5 swara minimum prescribed for Raga scales. There was a 4 -note raga that BMK used to sing(I forget the name--possibly Megaranjani--forumites correct me if I am wrong!!).There was a swirling controversy over the appropriateness both from a theoretical as well as practical point of view. I asked him about it.Normally musicians of his ilk and stature in those days were loathe to discuss these things especially with youngsters.It would have been put down as Athihaprasangithanam!!!

But GNB was very tolerant and explained to me that the notes by themselves however much one might put Jeevan into them as individual notes,they get accentuated by the notes that precede them or follow them.If one gets below 5 notes-in the ascent especially the 'flight' between two of the four notes could be awkward and the melodic effect would be lost and would look more like an acrobat's stunt--the execution itself may be flawless but the effect will not be as aesthetically pleasing.
He went on to explain why Mohanam and Hamsadhwani became more popular despite having only five swaras as opposed to naganandini or Nasikabhushani.(Note: Mohanam has in its ascent the notes 1-3-5-8-10 and Hmasadhwani 1-3-5-8-12. Notice the identical 3-note interval between Anthara Gandhara and Panchama(5 and 8) in both the ragas and also the longer interval(4 note gap between Panchama and Kakali Nishada--8 and 12 in Hmasadhwani.

The point he tried to make was that it was not the absolute number of intervals between the notes that made them aesthetically and melodically pleasing but how some pairs of notes lend themselves to a smooth and pleasing flight.(As an aside--not related to the anecdote I am writing about here--in the fifties, the Teaching Schools--Trivandrum-Swathi Thirunal and the Carnatic College in Chennai,I believe one of the Viva exams used to have an exercise of having students render Mohana Varnam(Ninnu Kori) in Hamsadhwani--replacing throughout the Dhaivatam with the Nishadam--seemingly easy and yet the two ragas are so distinct!!). Back to my story.
I was impressed by his deft handling of the issue .Instead of summarily putting down the experiments as being against tradition or criticizing the artistes who were propagating the practice he reasoned analytically at a level that was comprehensible for a lay person like myself and yet illuminating."

The paradox here is that artistes like Mali and TNR would take sampoorna ragas and "skip" notes like the Nee Da Ma Ga(omitting the Panchamam) in Kalyani or SSI using Sa Da Pa in Sankarabharanam swarams(omitting the Nishadam) and the "rakthiness"(if there was a word in English!!) of the ragas were not diminished. This testifies to the versatility and scope of these ragas which make repeated elaborations by various artistes using their own Manodharma not sound tedious or repetitious--whereas a Keernavali exposiiton may get stale after one or two renderings.(How many times can you remind yourself to descend abruptly in the descent from Sa to Pa while singing Keeravani in the ascent!!!).

I do not mean to belittle Sanjay's or TMK or TNS attempts if they try to sing alapanas of the rare ragas.As a listener I come to attend a concert not a circus where the artiste attempts a dare-devil act showing his virtuosity in the process. There are enough opportunities for the artiste to display the subtle mastery in the regular raga or swara singing,to distinguish himself or herself apart from his peers!!

Forumites!! Your Ball!!!!!

gn.sn42 · Post by **gn.sn42** » 13 Sep 2009, 03:47

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:As a listener I come to attend a concert not a circus where the artiste attempts a dare-devil act showing his virtuosity in the process. There are enough opportunities for the artiste to display the subtle mastery in the regular raga or swara singing,to distinguish himself or herself apart from his peers!!

Not to take anything away from your very interesting and informative post, but the quote above is a personal reaction, surely. Others might come hoping to see what you call a "dare-devil act". There should be nothing wrong with that. Indeed, you seem to have liked this in the past:

Earlier, Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:I subscribe to this although when I was young I used to be fascinated by Balamurali's exposition of rare ragas.Later on as one matures one finds that if it is done as an exercise to show off one's prowess sacrificing the sukham part of it,the exposition becomes nothing more than theatrics.In my opinion the artistes' virtuosity can be demonstrated equally in the traditional raga/swaras singing .

Tastes vary, and I like it that artists vary as well. We can all then find interesting music to listen to that satisfies our core expectations, while occasionally being served things that challenge our beliefs and provoke us a little. Isn't that a good thing?

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 13 Sep 2009, 21:40

All our stalwarts had their own store of rare(!) ragas. MMI's rasikas got accustomed to a set of songs he repeatedly sang and, which they strangely
enough , loved to hear again and again. They were in chittaranjani, kapinarayani, umabharanam, gaudamalhar, vachaspathi, vijayanagari (from Great Masters of CM music by Indira menon) . May be Andolika for GNB. So Iam fine if every artist has a reporte of good rare raga RTP and a great pallavi repeated again and again and we get to improve our knowledge. But should be a mix of new 'melagartha, janyas and hindustani' ragas.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 13 Sep 2009, 22:46

Rajgalan,
You are saying: geTTi mELam (congratulatory drum roll--and signalling for blessings) for expanding our listening horizon

How we forget that those whom we call stalwarts today were game for singing rAgams whose names no one had heard of in those days. Supposing they hadn't done that, we will be criticizing today's vidvAns and vidUshis for trying to introduce kApi nArAyaNi, vijaya nAgari and AndOlika!

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 13 Sep 2009, 23:36

Let us not forget that "Saint Thyagaraja" composed krithis in Umabharanam, ChittaRanjani, Dhakka, Kaikavasi, Swarabhushani, ....

I have heard alapanas of Umabharanam in AIR concerts by Alathur Srinivasa Iyer and Ramnad Krishnan for 10 minutes. S Balachander,has recorded an LP where he has played only raga/krithi - GangeyaBhushani - Evare Ramayya for 45 minutes.

SarasamaDana KapiNarayani was a super popular krithi - Karaikudi sambasiva Iyer, TN Rajaratnam Pillai, .... The pathos they project in this raga is superb.

The point of RKS is not rare ragas. RKS has sung many. It is RTP in rare ragas - Is it useful ?

BTW, some of the krithis of Thyagaraja or Dikshitar in rare ragas are almost out-of circulation.

PS: While there is a vociferous defense of RTP in rare ragas, I do not see any defense of Varnam as the main piece in a concert ? - which RKS also objects to

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 13 Sep 2009, 23:44

annamalai wrote:
PS: While there is a vociferous defense of RTP in rare ragas, I do not see any defense of Varnam as the main piece in a concert ? - which RKS also objects to

There have been made several 'defenses' and 'counter-attacks' made on this topic already.. I suppose you find the 'vociferocity' of these arguments satisfactory..

look here
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... 82009.html

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 14 Sep 2009, 00:11

I have seen many long arguments/defenses on this and other topics. My comment was only with respect to this thread

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 14 Sep 2009, 07:58

Then again, the anumAr vAl factor discouraged me from speaking about it. The forum is much more populated now, and not being aware of the other thread (which Keerthi mentions) some may start rehashing the whole thing again which might lead us to another endless tale (tail) and unnecessary criticism of the artiste (s) who sing varNams midstream in a concert.

Always_Evolving · Post by **Always_Evolving** » 14 Sep 2009, 09:43

My family has had long association with Sampradaya and my sister worked there for a few years in the 1980s. They have a treasure trove of interviews with flag-bearers of different traditions in music and dance. Many of these were recorded by traveling to their homes even if in distant villages and allowing a very leisurely and unfettered flow of thought. The idea was to capture their experiences and views and as should be ideal with all good interviews, the interviewers kept themselves and their own views completely in the background.

Sampradaya then lost funding and it is great that the new committee with TMK's presidency is bringing it back to the forefront of archival and documentation world. Interviews such as the one at MA mini-hall with a large audience and a well-known music personality asking the questions, will definitely bring a bigger crowd and popularize Sampradaya's work, and that is very much needed.

Shri RKS on a couple of occasions, while addressing the issue of Varnams as main piece turned to TMK and said "don't mistake me Mr. Krishna... for being frank". Something to that effect. As an organizer I might have expected TMK not to project his views or reply at all. Instead he said "Oh I will argue with you later". It really is not appropriate as the idea is to turn the stage over completely to the stalwart. Luckily there was no further discussion and it did not turn into a debate! But I think the right response from TMK would have been to simply keep quiet.

Ravikiran on the other hand, did a superb job of not projecting himself at all, and being only an interviewer interpreting and explaining the questions, rather than showing off any of his own vidwat or views.

The above is not so much to debate "varnam as a main piece" and its endless tail but more in the hope that the spirit of Sampradaya interviews should not be lost in its new avatar.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 14 Sep 2009, 10:36

Shri RKS on a couple of occasions, while addressing the issue of Varnams as main piece turned to TMK and said "don't mistake me Mr. Krishna... for being frank". Something to that effect. As an organizer I might have expected TMK not to project his views or reply at all. Instead he said "Oh I will argue with you later". It really is not appropriate as the idea is to turn the stage over completely to the stalwart.

Well, I would also think Shri Srikantan should have spoken to the interviewing Ravi Kiran alone and not address some arbitrary member of the audience in between. But it is OK, even commendable, for a senior musician like Shri Srikantan to take interest in a young musician like TMK and offer him his advice.

When someone is addressed by someone else, it is expected that they give some response. It would have been bad manners for TMK to simply keep quiet, it's as if telling Shri Srikantan that he can as well have addressed a brick wall.

Shri Srikantan could have simply stated his views on varnams in between concerts, without referring to an artist who sings them that way. That would have been impersonal, and not calling for any response.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 14 Sep 2009, 10:39

To offer an example, if Always_Evolving enters a hall during RKS's concert, in between flowing svarams in saveri, would Always_Evolving "keep quiet" and go take a seat if RKS suddenly stops singing, and says, "What delayed you, Always_Evolving?" or would he/she have the courtesy to give a reply?

Always_Evolving · Post by **Always_Evolving** » 14 Sep 2009, 11:30

Srikant I think you are misinterpreting. I don't mean keep quiet as in a rude silence but perhaps a courteous deferential shake of the head or other non-verbal gesture, or even "not at all sir please continue" would have been appropriate.

(edited to add): Pls try to see where I am coming from -- the context given in the first paragraphs was to show how Sampradaya interviews traditionally were done, giving the interviewee space to express himself freely. Visiting them in their homes, in their own settings, perhaps amid their students ... made for a very relaxed flow of thought, without ripples caused by opinions of others coming into the picture. SO the response I was hoping for -- in this case from not just a younger musician but the organizer himself -- was to reflect and preserve that spirit. That's all.

Stopping mid-swaras in a flowing Saveri!! I would go red with embarassment. Not a very good parallel and one I hope that never happens. Good that I'm married to someone who hates to miss even the sruti tuning before a concert!

Rasika911 · Post by **Rasika911** » 14 Sep 2009, 15:11

I think both of them could have handled the situation better. To be fair RKS didnt have to refer to TMK while making his statement about varnam singing and I dont TMK's statement would have really upset the flow of the conversation.
Did anyone on this forum actually attend this conversation and if so maybe they can provide us with further insight/a review of sorts about some of the topics touched upon. Perhaps the hindu article was a very brief summary?

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 14 Sep 2009, 15:46

A shake of head or "not at all sir" could have indicated to RKS that TMK subscribes completely to his opinion. He has his objections but still courteously didn't raise them as the stage belonged to RKS. Perhaps he could have said he'll "talk" later instead of "argue" later, but it actually is the same thing: he has his own views, but wants to put them forth later as that time was RKS's.

By addressing TMK at that point, RKS sort of "lent" the stage to TMK, but TMK didn't want "borrow" the stage at that time, so said "later". That's about it! No need to make a big fuss at all!

Always_Evolving · Post by **Always_Evolving** » 14 Sep 2009, 16:13

Rasika911 wrote: Did anyone on this forum actually attend this conversation and if so maybe they can provide us with further insight/a review of sorts about some of the topics touched upon. Perhaps the hindu article was a very brief summary?

I am giving these opinions only because I did attend!

Rasika911 · Post by **Rasika911** » 14 Sep 2009, 18:15

Can you give us any imformation we dont know yet? Any topics the hindu didnt cover?

Always_Evolving · Post by **Always_Evolving** » 15 Sep 2009, 07:52

I think the Hindu covered most of it though not in the same order and has abridged it. I found some of Shri RKS's views way too limiting. For instance on the "hindustani raga" question and so on. But its food for thought -- analysing his views could lead to some good insights. Take the Hindustani raga point... We all know that major Dikshitar kritis are set to some of these "imports" and are part of the core repertoire. But some things take longer to communicate than one interview can perhaps do justice to -- and a newspaper recap of the same leaves out even more. He particularly emphasised the Tukkada portion of kutcheris and wide variety of compositional types available as post-main items. He seemed to be lamenting that instead of the javali, tarangam, devarnama, thillana, tiruppugazh and so on, why focus so much on Meera-bhajans or Abhangs which anyway you (CM artists) can't do justice to?

Yes he was quite candid about his traditionalist view of many things including some modern trends in RTP singing (some of which have also been castigated on the forum by our resident curmudgeon!).

I'll leave it there as its been a couple of weeks and I don't recall all the points v clearly.

rajaglan · Post by **rajaglan** » 15 Sep 2009, 09:28

arasi wrote:Rajgalan,
You are saying: geTTi mELam (congratulatory drum roll--and signalling for blessings) for expanding our listening horizon
How we forget that those whom we call stalwarts today were game for singing rAgams whose names no one had heard of in those days. Supposing they hadn't done that, we will be criticizing today's vidvAns and vidUshis for trying to introduce kApi nArAyaNi, vijaya nAgari and AndOlika!

Yes, correct . On a long term most of these vidwans settled to what people expect from them than what they want to give.

munirao2001 · Post by **munirao2001** » 15 Sep 2009, 13:45

Just like Shri Ramasubramanaian.M.K., I was fascinated with the highly imaginative explorations of the vivadi and rare ragas by Shri BMK, S.Rajam , Kalayanaraman , M.S.balasubramanya sarma, Pinakapani, Voleti Venkateswarulu. I was requesting my Guru and father, Late Sandhyavandanam Srinivasa Rao to plan such vivadi and rare ragas in his future concerts. He told me that pickle and chutney(hot & spicy) form part of the kalyana sappadu, with other quality spread/fare. No doubt, they kindle your taste buds, but you can not make a meal out of pickle and chutney, alone. If you want to make it still, generate and be prepared to attend to the Gases!
What Shri RKS , with his well over 75 years of concert experience and listening experience, is advsing that for RTP, which has to be litmus test of your vidwat, rakthi ragas only are useful and helpful. With other ragas, you can offer sizzlers only.
All the Great Maestros/Maestros, did take up some of the rare ragas and rare krithis, for offering variety and novelty values. They were/are of the opinions that these have a very limited appeal and do not create sowkhya bhavam in vocal music.
munirao2001

munirao2001 · Post by **munirao2001** » 21 Sep 2009, 12:09

I am posting once again here, my post in the thread " Balance sheet of Wealth in CM in Perl'

I am getting disturbed and deeply worried with the lack of clarity and understanding on some of the vital aspects of Music. In my thread,'Style is not Tradition', reply/posts in other threads -CM and enlightenment and Music & Mysticism, I have attempted to bring clarity and understanding. With your consents, taken for granted, let me attempt to dwell on these vital aspects, once again:

1) Experience become knowledge. Knowledge becomes Tradition. Tradition becomes immortal, with enrichment. Novelty and Excitement values etc, not capable of enrichment, die or fade away, many a times, leaving a stain or stench. Enrichment happens only with fresh, new, creative, innovative experience and knowledge, which meets the requrement of classical excellence, undisputedly and clearly. Tradition-classical excellence-does not shut out rich additions, which have demonstrated quality of time tested and ever lasting and truly delivers total satisfaction, meeting the goals of the music.

2) In the ideal of acquistion of very good knowledge of both Lakshya and Lakshnana gnanam, primacy is always for lakshya, over the lakshana. But, lakshana is also well structured to train, equip and deliver
emotional satisfaction. The factor of differentiation vests, solely on the degree of deliverance of satisfaction. Choice is made on the strength of capability for repeatability, higher potential for recall experiences deliverance and consistency in delivery. The critical factors of character , trait, and talent - derivatives of instinct and intution and the strength of practce, makes or contributes for the determination of difference. The lack of quality or low quality is definitely not reflection on the theory or it's perceived or attributed limitations.

3) The evolution of Classical Music, growth and development, in perpetual continuity, stands testimony to the fact, that there will be no dearth of Great Maestros. Constant comparitions, relation, fortified thought of unsurpassable( which leads to the statements -'One and one only' 'Not born before and not going to be borne, herein after-Na Bhooto, Na Bhavishyati), are the results of weakness of the mind-sense of insecurity or fear for the change( loss of memorable experiences, immensely satisfactory).
Vidwan/Vidushi-Maestro become Great Maestro, when they achieve and deliver the ultimate goal in music-Chitta Sudhi-striking and intellectually satisfying. Competencies levels of others , will be on deliverance of satisfaction of excitement, pleasing, stimulating, scincillating and admirable qualities of music. Great Maestros music will also have most of these qualities, with good sense of proportion. Maestros also become Great Maestros, with the quality of setting the trend, proving to be inspirational and role models.

4) With vast majority of us, unwilling to think independently and unconditionally, inquire, to seek, determine, being decisive and own it, we take the escapist route or easy route of accepting the popular choice. We support the choice with full strength, to make the choice unique, one's own and even glorify to overcome the guilt of our inaction or limitations. Only few dare to be different. They guarantee and ensure the continuity of real and proven excellence.

5) Weakness for success-acceptance of the majority of the attributes, is real. Competition and to win/consummate is nature's order and is fact. The judgement on actions, positive and negetive, are only the result of influences and product of the end result. To retain the sucess or to get over the failiure, with minimal effect or ideally with equanimity, is determining factor of character. Truly, one's own making and attainment. Excuses and finding fault with others, are the results of weakness in the character.

I now urge all the rasikas to strive for clarity and understanding. Truly, enjoy. Factually and really support the idea with dedication, committment and action- the cause of Classical Excellence in Tradition.
munirao2001

carnaticignorant · Post by **carnaticignorant** » 05 Oct 2009, 13:15

I have his interviews in mp3 format.They are in kannada.Dont know whether i can post it here or not.

vinsim · Post by **vinsim** » 07 Oct 2009, 03:03

carnaticignorant wrote:I have his interviews in mp3 format.They are in kannada.Dont know whether i can post it here or not.

Why do you hesitate? Please go ahead and post it, for the benefit of those who understand Kannada.