Rajagopalan: Multifaceted personalities of the Rasikas forum

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 06 Mar 2012, 12:50

My article on western music and indian music is enclosed

https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwvhLR ... bWVUaXVTZw

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 27 Mar 2012, 20:18

something lighter

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwvhLRZ ... 3RfZw/edit

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 27 Mar 2012, 20:53

I get an error message when I try to access the document.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 28 Mar 2012, 15:33

i hope this time it may work. I suppose computer zeo is one of my multiface

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BwvhLRZ ... 3RfZw/edit
rajagopalan

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 28 Mar 2012, 19:53

Ponbhairavi,
Title-il Arambithu, apAram, pOm!
pirabala pathirigaigaL paDippavargaLukkuk koDuthu vaikkavillai, avvaLavudAn!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 28 Mar 2012, 21:05

PaditthEn rasitthEn Pon ezhutthukkaLai!

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 11 Apr 2012, 00:11

ஒரு NRI இன் குமுறல்

நானும் உன்னைப்போல் நாடு விட்டு வந்தவன்தான்!
ஆனாலும் இராமா உன் பாடு தேவலாம்

பத்து திக்கெங்கும் வெற்றியுடன் செல்லும்
உன் தந்தையின் ரதத்திற்கு, உன் சிற்றன்னை
அந்தப்புரத்தில் ஏனோ அச்சாணி முறிந்ததுவே
அந்தக் கூனியின் சூழ்ச்சியால் மகுடம் பறிக்கப்ட்டு
நீ காடேக நேர்ந்திட்ட போதினிலும் கூட
பிதுர் வாக்ய பரிபாலனம் எனும்
நற் பெயராவது கிடைத்தது

ஆனால் அரசியல் கூனிகள் கழகம்
ஒரு பட்டத்தை சூட்டி எமை
நாட்டை விட்டு துரத்தியது
“முன்னேறிய சமூகத்தவன்”
எனும் முள் கிரீடம் வைத்து .
கிரீடம் எனக்கு மட்டுமல்ல
வரப்போகும் என் சந்ததியினருக்கும் சேர்த்துதான்.
அதைச் சுமந்த எம் முகத்தில் வழிந்த
இரத்த காயங்களை விட உள்ளத்தில்
ஏற்பட்ட புண்கள் ஆறாது.
பிறப்பின் வழிவந்த பழி சுமந்த நாங்கள்
கர்ணனைப்போன்றவர்கள் .
பிறப்பை குறைசொல்லி எம்
ஆற்றலை புறக்கணித்தார்
எம் அறிவிற்கும் ஆற்றலுக்கும்
அங்கீகாரம் அளித்தவர்கள்
துரியோதனர்களாகவே இருந்தாலும்
எமக்கு ஒரு விலாசம் கொடுத்தவர்கள்.

ஆனாலும் இராமா உன் பாடு தேவலாம் !
உனக்கு இளவலும் மனைவியும்
கானகத்துக்கு உடன் வந்தனரே !
நான் வந்ததோ தனி மரமாய் !
இள மனைவியின் கண்ணீர் விழிகளை
நான் கண்டது கற்பனை கனவுகளில்தான்

இன்னும் சொல்லப் போனால் இராமா உன்
வன வாசம் அப்படி ஒன்றும் கொடியது இல்லைதான் !
நிழல் தரும் மரங்கள் குளிர் தரும் பொழில்கள்
ஆர்க்கும் புள்ளினம்.ஆடும மயிலினம்
உன் மனைவிக்கு துணையாய் மருள் விழி மானினம்
ஆதரிக்க அன்புமிகு முனிவர்கூட்டம்
முன் சென்று முட்பாதையை
செப்பனிட்டுச் சீர் செய்த தம்பி
பர்ண சாலையும் அமைத்து
அதற்கு காவலும் நின்றானே !
மூன்று மாமியார்களிடமிருந்து
தப்பிய உன் மனைவிக்கு
13 ஆண்டுகள் வாய்த்தது கணவனுடன்
தேனிலவும் தனிக்குடிதனமும்.!

எம்போன்று தனியாய் விரட்டப்
பட்டோற்கு உற்ற கதி இரண்டு வகை
சுட்டுபொசுக்கும் பாலைவனப் பொட்டை காட்டில்
வியர்வை துளிகள்கூட ஆவியாய் போக
16 மணி நேரம் உழைத்து களைத்து
உறங்கும் பொது கூடத்தில்
உற்றோரை பெற்றோரை காண்பது கனவில் தான்
பெட்டிக்குள் ஒளித்திருக்கும் பட
தெய்வத்தின் அருள் இருந்தால்.

வேறு ஒரு வகையார் கண்டது
வெட வெடக்கும் குளிர்
உடலும் உணர்வும் சில்லிட்டு மரத்துப்போக
உதறிய பஞ்சு மூட்டை யென
வான் பொழியும் பனிகட்டி மழை
பூமித்தாயை வெள்ளை போர்வையினால் போத்தி
மனத்தில் இனங்காணா சோகத்தை நிரப்பிவிடும் .

ஆனாலும் இராமா உன் பாடு தேவலாம்
தந்தை இறந்த தகவல் உன்னிடம்
வந்தடைநதது பல காலம் கடந்து
மனைவியை பிரிந்த பெருந்துயர் கடலில்
தந்தையை இழந்த துக்கத்தை கரைத்துவிட்டாய்

ஆனால் நாங்கள்
மனைவி பெற்றோர் நோயுற்ற தகவல்களை
அப்போதைகப்போதே அறிந்து பதைக்கின்றோம்
தூண்டிற் புழுவாய் துடிக்கின்றோம்.
பறவையாய் பறந்து கடல் தாண்டிச் சென்று
காணத் தவிக்கின்றோம்
பச்சை அட்டை கொடுமைகளும்
விசா சட்ட விபரீதங்களும்
எம் சிறகை ஒடித்து போட்டுவிடுகின்றனவே !
எங்கள் ஆற்றாமை துயரை யாரிடம் சொல்லி அழ ?

முதியோர் இல்லம் பற்றி வக்கணையாய் பேசி
சற்றே வசதிப்புகலிடம் கண்டவர்கள் மனத்தில்
ஆறி வரும் புண்ணில் சொல் வேல் பாய்ச்சி
கிளறிவிட்டு உணர்ச்சி வசப்பட்ட கண்ணீர் துளிகளை
காசாக்கும் வாய் வீச்சு வியாபாரிகளே!
உள்ளுரில் வாழும் நன்றி கெட்ட தனையர்களையும்
தொலைக் காட்சி தொடர்மூலம் கொடுமைகள்
பல கற்ற கல் நெஞ்சு நங்கைகளையும்
எங்களுடன் இணைத்துப் பேசுவதை விட்டு விடுங்கள்.
உங்களையும் விமானசெலவு தந்து அழைக்கின்றோம்
இசைக்கலைஞர்களைப்போல –நேரில் வந்து பார்த்து
இவ்வாழ்கையினால் நாங்கள் இழந்துவிட்டவற்றையும் இவ்வாழ்கைக்கு நாங்கள் கொடுத்த விலையினையும்
எங்கள் பன்முகத் தியாகத் தினையும்
புரிந்து கொள்ள முயலுங்கள்
நம் நாட்டுக்குத் திரும்பிச்சென்று
நீங்கள் ஆற்றும் உபன்யாசம் மாறுதலாக இருக்கட்டும்
வாடிடும் முதியோருக்கு ஆறுதலாக இருக்கட்டும் .
உண்மைக்கு புறம்பானதாக இல்லாமல் இருக்கட்டும்

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 11 Apr 2012, 19:17

உள்ளத்தை உருக்கும் உண்மைகள்!

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 12 Apr 2012, 02:26

Ponbhairavi............Amen!

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 04 May 2012, 18:13

About our T.V. serials.

பாராட்டு மடல்
சபையோர்களே ,
சின்னத் திரை தாரகை சுபமங்களாவிற்கு இந்த பாராட்டு வழங்குவதில் பெரு மகிழ்ச்சி கொள்கிறோம்
ஐயோ! என்ன அழுகை !, என்ன அழுகை !சாமானிய அழுகையா அது. கழுத்திலே 3 inch ஆழத்திற்கு குழி விழ உதடுகள் துடிக்க, கேவி கேவி இவர் அழுவது !அடாடா !!
நம் தமிழ் நாடு மிகவும் பாக்கியம் செய்திருக்கிறது . டஜன் கணக்கில் உள்ள எந்த தொலைக்காட்சி channel களை திருப்பினாலும் சரி வாரத்தில் எல்லா நாட்களிலும் குறிப்பாக வெள்ளி செவ்வாய் கிழமை தவறாமல் ,தினமும் மாலை 6 மணி முதல் 7 மணி வரை விளக்கு வைத்தவுடன் இவர் பிழிய பிழிய அழுவதைதான் வீடுதோறும் கண்டு களித்துக் கொண்டு இருக்கிறார்கள்.நம் இல்லத்தரசிகளும் சேர்ந்து போடும் அலறலில் அழும் குழந்தைகள் கப் சிப் என்று அடங்கிவிடும். சமீப காலத்தில் மூக்குத்தி திருகுகள் அதிக அளவில் காணாமல் போவதற்கு என்ன காரணம் என்று யாராவது ஆராய்ச்சி செய்திருக்கிறார்களா?
விவரம் புரியாத சிலர்வெள்ளி செவ்வாய்களில் திருமண விழாக்கள் வைத்து விடுகிறார்கள் ! வைக்கட்டுமே !reception க்கு வருவதற்கு முன்பாக ஒவ்வொரு பெண்ணும் (மணமகள் உள்பட) இரகசியமாக T.V இல் இவர் அழுவதை கண்டு தானும் "கண்ணார " ஒரு கோஸ் அழுதுவிட்டு தான் அறையை விட்டு வெளியே வருகிறார்கள் என்பதை யார் மறுக்க முடியும் ? வந்த சில கிழட்டு விருந்தினர்கள் மணமகளின் வெளிறிய முகத்தைகண்டு beautician மேல் குறை கூறுவது என்ன நியாயம் ?
தமிழ் நாட்டில் தண்ணீர் பஞ்சம் இருக்கலாம் அனால் கண்ணீர் பஞ்சமில்லை.Hollywood நடிகைகள் எத்தனையோ பேர் இருக்கலாம் . ஆஸ்கார் விருது பெற்றவர்கள் பலர் இருக்கலாம் . ஆனால் நம் சுபமங்களாவைப் போல் அவர்களால் மணிக்கணக்கில் அழமுடியுமா ? இவருடைய அழுகையை ஒளிப்பதிவு செய்து Hollywood நடிகைகளுக்கு பாடமாக வைக்கப்படும்வரை நமது தொலைக்காட்சிகளின் கலாச்சார சேவை தொடரவேண்டும்
தமிழ் கூறும் நல்லுலகெங்கிலும் கடந்த 5 ஆண்டுகளாக தொடர்ந்து ஒலித்
துகொண்டிருக்கும் இவருடைய அழுகுரல் உலகெலாம் ஓங்கி ஒலிக்கவேண்டும் அதற்கு நம் தொலைக்காட்சி அமைப்பாளர்கள் தம்மால் இயன்ற பணியை செய்யவேண்டும் அது வரை நம் சுப மங்களாவின் அழுகை ஓயக்கூடாது என்று வாழ்த்தி மகிழ்கிறோம்

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 04 May 2012, 18:37

Great!

kaDaisi line-il maTTum,
vAzhthi 'azhugiROm'--enRirukka vENDumO? Just kidding...

nalla vyangak kalavai--viLakku vaithadum inda azhugaik kaliyANam!

Oppanai viRpanaiyaich chERndadenRu ninaithEn--adu Subha muhUrthathukkum inRi amaiyadadAgiviTTadE?
kaliyANap peN kaNNil kaNNIr, innum ati visEsham!

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 07 May 2012, 12:59

.
ரசிகர் கூட்டம்

சின்னத் திரையில் சிணுங்கல் கண்டோம்!
கண்ணீர் கண்டோம்; கதறல் கேட்டோம்!
சாப்பாட்டு நேரத்தில் கூப்பாடு கேட்டோம்!
ஒப்பாரி கேட்டோம்! அருமையோ அருமை!

வேறொரு கூட்டம்

அழுகை கண்டோம், எழுந்து ஓடினோம்!
விசும்பல் கண்டோம், விழுந்து ஓடினோம்!
ஒப்பாரி கேட்டோம், அப்பாலே ஓடினோம்!
சிணுங்கள் இல்லாத சின்னத்திரை வேண்டும்!
.

sankark · Post by **sankark** » 07 May 2012, 17:22

pratyaksham bala - believe it would be சிணுங்கல்.

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 07 May 2012, 17:23

Yes. Thanks.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 12 May 2012, 16:56

Should have booked in advance.

-when did you book?
-to-day early morning.
-where is the ticket?
-here it is.
- oh… third class.that is gate B. Turn right and go behind.
-“maalai maatrinal kodai maalai maatrinal “ came blaring from the adjacent kalyana mandapam.
Two women were crying and sobbing desperately in a T.V. serial from the second floor. of another adjacent flat .
-some one from the house behind shouted;” dai… Out. da - cricket commentary
-We came to gate B. He asked" what about the materials and ancillary services.?
- I have brought the priest and the materials.
-incense smoke,heaps of flower garlands,boisterous band music and macabre dance.
-can we go in?
-no just wait. Your time is only 3 oclock.
-but it is already 3-30.
-the previous party has not vacated –a bulk booking-
-Pl sir everyone is waiting can you pl go in and ask them to expedite it is late by more than
one hour I begged.
-You have not paid the water charges extra Rs.575.
-I gave a thousand rupee note and did not expect any balance.
- He murmured : “ you should have booked in advance…” and went in.
_It was a long wait---punctuated by the strident ringing of the cell phone of our priest with its
characteristic dial tone of Nadaswaram music, every 15 minutes reminding him of his next engagement of nitchayadartham.
-when the gate keeper came back it was 6-30 pm.
The dead body was lying in the roadside for 4 hours.
City's cremation grounds too are very busy.
-What a civilization!Mother earth's bosom is getting narrowed down by flats. a multistoreyed cremation ground?.

nadhasudha · Post by **nadhasudha** » 16 May 2012, 02:03

Based on a request from a friend of mine, my father(Ponbhairavi) wrote the article below for a souvenir recently.

MUSIC AND PAINTING; ABSTRACT AND VISUAL ART FORMS

HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

Both are fine arts whose origin is lost in the earliest epochs of human civilization. Drawings in cave walls which sheltered prehistoric man from wild animals, and Egyptian hieroglyphics are testimony to human ingenuity and their urge to pass on the information of warning to their fellow beings. These visual signals remain etched on rocks. Unfortunately evidences of the earliest forms of vocal outputs have vanished in the atmospheric air. The fact that primitive savages could have used some form of vocal shouting or rhythmic thumping to forewarn of some impending danger could not be ruled out.

Two thousand years old tamil epic Silappadikaram speak of musicians, musical instruments the stage on which they performed in good detail. Sanskrit literature also talks much about music. Still earlier puranas attributing flute to Krishna and veena to Saraswathy reveal prevalence of pipe and string instruments. Ramayanam talks about expertise of Ravana in handling veena and his mastery over a certain raga (sankarabharanam). Naturally vocal music should have preceded this. Sama ganam is music to the ears even to-day. Our veda is anchored in four swarams (udattam, anudattam, swaritham and dhirka swaritham).

Paintings at Ajanta, Ellora, Sithannavasal, Tanjore Big temple and Thirupudaimarudur near Tirunelveli show an evolved form of painting as compared to the human figures found in Egyptian, Greek or Roman ruins of the corresponding era. Temples over 1200 years old have sculptures depicting musical instruments.

In Tamil Nadu over 1200 years back very advanced and codified form of singing known as pann was used to sing the thevaram hymns(over fourteen thousand verses by Gnana Sambandar alone). These panns were fortunately preserved intact by incessant oral transmission in temples by generations of oduvars. The vaishnavaite prabandams appear to have adopted a derivative of sama veda chanting. In the 16th century Arunagirinathar had composed thousands of lilting songs with remarkable chandam (alliteration and rhythm) set to very complex talas unsurpassed till date. Muthuthandavar (1560-1640), Papavinasa Mudaliar (1650-1725) in the seventeenth century, Oothukadu Venkatakavi (1700-1765), Arunachala Kavirayar (1712-1779) and Marimuthapillai (1712-1767) have handled with wonderful ease carnatic ragas and thalas which form a rich tamil corpus of our music system. It will be wrong to think that carnatic music came to Tamil Nadu only after the Trinity. In the 18th century, a wave of telugu songs came to be added to the repertoire with the advent of Thyagaraja (1767-1847), Shyama Sastry (1762-1827) and Muthusamy Dikshithar (1775-1835) known as Tiruvarur Trinity whose telugu and sanskrit compositions occupy the centre stage in carnatic music platforms to-day.

Indian paintings mostly depicting religious themes and portraits of illustrious kings are preserved in royal courts and temple vaults. In the west, paintings of the great masters like Da Vinci, David, etc from the 15th century onwards are meticulously preserved in Churches and museums .Western paintings mostly depict biblical legends and some immortalize great historical events of the past when photography was not invented.

ARTISTIC CREATION:

Both music and paintings are art forms which address the sense organs.
Paintings give pleasure to the eyes whereas music gives pleasure to the ears. Painting is a visual art form resulting from the combinations of seven colors. Music is an abstract art form which results from the combination of seven swaras.

Why should a poet compose a poem? Why should an artist paint a picture? Why should a vaggeyakara sing? Well they cannot refrain from doing that. Artists in general are endowed with a sensitive soul. A beautiful scenery impresses an artist. A deep emotion shakes the heart of a poet. A mystical experience of bliss of bhakthi urges the inner self of a vaggeyakara to sing. Then they give a form, an expression to that feeling and then they communicate their experience to others. Thus any work of Art has three stages- The individual experience which is the source, giving a shape to that experience which is the artistic production and an urge to communicate that feeling.

When a person reads a poem, the same feeling that the poet had at the time of composition is communicated to him. A painting similarly makes us share the impressions of the painter when he saw the scenery. The quality of the paper or canvas, the type of brush used the quality of the colors and their combinations are all factors which ensure the quality of communication. Music not being visual, aural factors come into play. In music even without any knowledge we are sometimes carried by a song and we enjoy listening and/or repeating it .The enjoyment is in the song and is communicated to us even when a child sings it; we enjoy our own singing (in the bathroom at least ) or in a group bhajan irrespective of the quality of reproduction. But if a person who has mastered all the grammar of proper musical reproduction sings, the enjoyment is sublime. Art is thus the tool which enables the conversion of the emotion into a form which can be communicated to others. In the case of poetry and painting, the art consists in converting the emotion into a visual form which enables instantaneous communication with those who see them. But music is not a visible form. Therefore art is needed first to transform the emotion into an abstract form and then the same art code is needed to reconvert this abstract form into an audible form (something like MP3 or conversion software)which enables reproduction and communication with others. In all cases “others” or an audience is sine qua non for any art as it is the receptor side and any art without an audience dies in course of time. (In the case of a lone vaggeyakara the producer is himself the receptor). The practicing musician is one who possesses that tool. Bharathanatyam goes one step further .It gives visual representation to music when the dancer transforms herself into a tool which provides straight visual communication with the audience:
- In poetry the poet uses words as tools to communicate with the reader.
- In painting the artist uses color combination as tools to convert his emotion into a visual form which reproduces the source of his emotion.
- Music being an abstract form, a technique, a software is needed to convert personal emotions into a communicable form which the same technique or software reconverts into the original source of emotion.
- In Bharathanatyam, the dancer transforms herself into the tool or software and recreates the source of emotion which created the musical form and communicates it to the audience

ART FOR ART’s SAKE:

In Indian context we say that bhakthi should be for the sake of bhakthi which means that we should not expect any reward or boon and the act of doing bhakthi itself provides the inner peace. A poet, an artist, a sculptor or a vaggeyakara certainly enjoys bliss during the process of creation .The first three can stop and quit after the process of creation as their creations are physical and they will provide joy to any spectator even centuries later. But if a vaggeyakara stops at the level of creation, his output cannot perform the essential function of art which is communication with others. In order to complete this act he has to provide written or oral (through disciples) tools or software indications of raga, thala, eduppu etc( the grammar) which would enable later generations to enjoy the same bliss by decoding with the same tools. Needless to say that the tools of grammar and the codes have to be meticulously preserved in purity avoiding any adulteration if the reproduction has to have the same effect after several centuries.

Let us see a little about the origin of this phrase. The expression of art for art’s sake first originated in French poetry of the later nineteenth century. The classical poetry (17th and 18th century) categorically forbade the poets from giving vent to their personal emotions (“the self is despicable” they would say) they were allowed only to express the emotions of their heroes, heroines or characters of the play. The 19th century romantic school relaxed this restriction. Soon the literature was flooded with millions of verses lamenting love, separation , sorrows etc. When it reached a super saturation level, the theory of art for art’s sake came into being. Poetry should not be sullied with the “transient emotions.” they said. The inflexible rules of versification should be used only to talk about Nature and neutral things (deserts, animals, fruits and flowers). Sentiments and emotions having been proscribed, only the skeleton was left and poems became mere descriptions which photography could do better. As could be expected it was very short lived and was replaced by symbolism which tried to perceive some hidden symbol in the material objects. Later this gave room to surrealism. This trend proclaimed that no reason or logic or meaning is necessary in works of art (cubism modern art). It produced meaningless poems and incomprehensible paintings (why should the nose of a girl be between the eyes? The surrealistic painter would place it on the shoulder or in the stomach, because he is bent on breaking away from the clutches of “reasoning” or logic” two words which they abhorred.). Surrealism which was prevalent in the beginning of the 20th century was an aberration due to extreme frustration. Humanity helplessly bore the absurdity of 2 world wars, nuclear holocaust, and concentration camps. “What then is the use of logic or rationalism or common sense?” They would say.

Our music system is not a mere combination of pleasant sounds to be heard in an entertainment program. It is a form of worship “Nadopasana” one of the 64 offerings (Upacharam) prescribed in a puja. It is given the status of Veda “Ghandharva Veda”. Maharishi Yagnyavalkiar who codified the Dharma sastra says that “one who is doing nadopasana need not do any dyanam, any yoga any thapas any puja. Nadopasana itself will lead him to Moksha”—Kanchi Paramacharya- translated from Deivathin kural Vol -1 p.435.
Our music sampradaya was born in the altar of bhakthi and God worship and grew up to the present stature in religious environment. 99 per cent of all our musical compositions have a content of intense love of God and religious allusions. Unfortunately some people even contend that personal conviction of theism is not necessary to give a carnatic music concert. The truth is that so much of concentrated bhakthi emotion is built in the compositions that even if the musician is a non believer some portion of bhava is transmitted PROVIDED the artist follows strictly the grammar of the art.. If the musician has devotion and conviction the communication of sukhanubhavam (inner peace) is increased multifold even if his knowledge of the grammar is deficient. This is what we observe in bhajanai sampradaya. This will continue to be the state of affairs until a new generation of atheist composers come forward and make compositions on secular themes such as for example a recipe on how to make cauliflower pizza in yadukulakamboji or secret tips on how to predict share market fluctuations in kiravani.

Therefore art for art’s sake is an oxymoron and has no raison d’etre in the domain of our music system as it is a tool for communication of bhakthi emotions and feelings. A telephone or a car which are 2 common communication/commuting tools of to-day cannot exist for their own sake. Talking for talking sake produces only gibberish. In the contemporary musical scenario, when we hear of art for art’s sake, let us assume that it means complete dedication to the art form and commitment to its purity and without any contamination by alien trends (hindusthani or western elements) which were not there at the time when the compositions were originally created. This would augur well for the future of carnatic music in modern times when we find its growth explosively exponential.

nadhasudha · Post by **nadhasudha** » 16 May 2012, 02:10

Weird - although my post is shown here, the topic page to this discussion thread does not show my entry and my userid as the last post on this thread. A glitch perhaps?

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 06 Jun 2012, 11:28

Old Age Home.

In the central hall of an old age home, the inmates were watching a bhakthi program in the T.V. The famous upanyasakar was discoursing eloquently cursing the people who go abroad leaving their parents in old age homes. This is the favorite topic much in vogue now.This program was recorded long time back but very often repeated because of its popularity. It never fails to flood many eyes with tears.
Meenakshi-Alamelu, do you know, this very same upanyasakar has now come to our home. I have just now seen him in the manager’s room. If you come we will go and see him before the crowd collects there...
Alamelu- I wonder why he should come to this home..
Meenakshi- may be to give some big donation, he is terribly rich now...
Some one came and announced: Janaki mami is wanted at the manager’s office.
A frail old lady hurried to the office
The manager told her: your son was here As usual he paid your one year's boarding charges and he gave this money for your pocket expenses.
The frail lady started to rush to the adjacent reception room very eager to see her son
The manager said: No No he is not there. He said he has no time as he is on his way to the air port to catch a plane for a trip abroad: a 4 months pravachanam tour. He requested me to hand over this money to you.
"4 months! That is 120 days!! That is quite far off" she mumbled, her fragile lungs coughing vigorously.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 06 Jun 2012, 15:50

Ha! Ha! This clearly explains the proverb ' Preaching is very easy '
Thanjavooran 06 06 2012

VK RAMAN · Post by **VK RAMAN** » 07 Jun 2012, 03:11

Probably everyone must have experienced how the siblings fight each other who will take care of the age old parents and the sibling who keeps them in their house take away the freedom, liberty and independence away from the parents and parents live like prisoners? - Is this a common phenomena in tamil brahmin families or such cases are isolated ones?
In Vijay TV they repeatedly broadcast a discourse on Taay and they focus the cameras on so many old men and women who shed tears listening to him.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 09 Sep 2012, 17:08

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 09 Sep 2012, 17:17

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 09 Sep 2012, 18:18

Ponbhairavi:

Excellent analytical presentation!

That someone has copied your writing proves how well you have written this article! Check this: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!msg/m ... rbyCylgzQJ

Click the first post dated 10 December 2009 by Sh..... N, who has copied verbatim important portions, and sheepishly mentions: (ஓர் இலக்கியக் கூட்டத்தில் கேட்டபோது எடுத்த குறிப்பிலிருந்து...) !!
.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Sep 2012, 19:33

PB
Are you sure ஷைலஜா was not the pen name of Ponbhairavi

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Sep 2012, 19:48

surrealism = automatic writing—spontaneously writing without censoring their thoughts
I like your interpretation better.
மீநடப்பியல் - a nice rich addition to my vocabulary!
Did you coin that Tamil term ?
Your இலக்கிய நடை simply sparkles!
Thx

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 09 Sep 2012, 20:06

.
Here is one more site where I find that 'Sh..... N' has copied Ponbhairavi's article:-
Check the first post dated 11.12.2007 at
https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgr ... XJ8tyOrYoJ
.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 09 Sep 2012, 20:23

Interesting!
Let us hear from Ponbhairavi!
Perhaps Plagiarism
(or subconscious 'surrealism'

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 09 Sep 2012, 22:31

cmlover wrote: ... Perhaps Plagiarism ...

AhA!
We are witnessing scores of examples here !
.

sridhar_ranga · Post by **sridhar_ranga** » 09 Sep 2012, 23:14

Shylaja is the daughter of Writer / novelist shri A.S. Raghavan who passed away recently, and is a writer in her own right. I have also read somewhere that she is related to another writer, Indira Parthasarathy.

So far as I have followed her writings in the mintamil group, she is NOT the type given to plagiarism and always comes across as a humble and honest person.

In this instance, she has clearly indicated that this piece was written based on notes she made in a literary meeting ((ஓர் இலக்கியக் கூட்டத்தில் கேட்டபோது எடுத்த குறிப்பிலிருந்து...)

It is highly probable that the speaker she heard in that ilakkiya kooTTam did not bother to cite his source, which is the article by Ponbhairavi sir in Manjari. Had she come across the Manjari issue with shri Ponbhairavi's writeup, I am sure she would have had no hesitation in quoting the original author.

As for the writings looking identical in many lines, it can only be surmised that she made verbatim notes of whoever the speaker was who quoted Ponbhairavi sir without adding credit.

All this does not excuse her for not putting in the effort to trace the original and make a proper acknowledgement.

Disclaimers: 1) I do not personally know Ms Shylaja. 2) I abhor plagiarism and any dishonest attempts to appropriate credit for someone else's work. I fully understand how shri ponbhairavi must be feeling.

Pratyaksham Bala · Post by **Pratyaksham Bala** » 09 Sep 2012, 23:51

I made a reference, as it is copied verbatim, including paragraph breaks.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 10 Sep 2012, 13:06

Thanks CML The word மீநடப்பியல் was NOT coined by me.It is an accepted one in tamil literary circles.
Many thanks Bala.But for your expose , I would not have come to know about this.
We should probably feel happy that we are living in an era when:
- there are literary talkers and writers with prodigious memory power ( Eka santha grAhi )as to recount word by word, sentence by sentence, complex concepts they have read or heard "somewhere". years before including para changes but manage to forget names both foreign and indian.
-there are also people like P.Bala with Extraordinary Sensory Perception, who smell plagiarism anywhere in the solar system and have the know-how to excavate mummified facts however much they are camouflaged and buried
I quote Ponbhairavi's verses which appeared in Kavithaigal thread :
திருட்டே திறமையென துதி பாடும் திருநாட்டில்
முறைமை யையும் நேர்மையையும் எதிர்பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருத்தல்
பாலை வனத்தின் பொரி மணல் நடுவே ஓர்
கோலப் பங்கயம் மலர காத்திருப்ப தற்றே

.

-

PuduvaiSivam · Post by **PuduvaiSivam** » 12 Sep 2012, 10:28

Shylaja has written thar she has forgotten the name of the french poet.The names are Apollinaire and Andre Breton.4 of Apollinaire poems( text and audio) are available at
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/tbindia/ ... rench.html
at serial no 47,48,49,50 in the table
Besides a lot of information can be gathered by visiting http://frenchliterature.angelfire.com

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 15 Sep 2012, 12:14

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 15 Sep 2012, 12:20

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 15 Sep 2012, 19:43

Dr Faustus would have lamented:
ஆவிக்கு தனமு தீசேனே...
(sells his soul to the devil for wealth)

Nice moralistic story...

maduraimini · Post by **maduraimini** » 16 Sep 2012, 00:12

Very funny. Felt like reading old time funny stories of Devan or Kalki. Thanks for a Humor Break!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 19 Sep 2012, 19:50

Sir
If you have published a short story collection, I would love to buy it!
If not please start posting short stories here as your imagination soars.
I will start a new thread for short stories in Tamil. I am sure our Arasi will join too (time permitting). She is an outstanding Novelist too!
Others may also join. Let us all enjoy..

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 19 Sep 2012, 20:01

Here is the new link
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19978
I have moved your latest over to the new thread...

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 20 Sep 2012, 11:35

My grateful thanks to CML. it is encouraging. I have not published any book of short stories. I will try to rise up to your expectations
rajagopalan.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 12 Oct 2012, 12:48

NOBEL PRIZE FOR MUSIC

Why not? Do not be too surprised if in this year’s list you find one..To convince you, I have to reveal a great secret, much greater than the amount of black money deposits in foreign banks by our politicians. Believe it or not, I am the chairman of the High Power Selection Committee for the award of Nobel prize. To convince you still further, I am going to give below verbatim the concerned proceedings of our Selection Committee, so that you can appreciate better what I am doing for our music. In these proceedings, Me is myself and N indicates any of the other members of the committee whose name I am not at liberty to reveal.

PROCEEDINGS OF A SECRET MEETING HELD IN A SECRET PLACE ON A SECRET DATE.

Me—Dear members, I have a revolutionary proposal to make. From this year onward, we must institute a Nobel Prize for Music.
N-Yes a very good idea.!Music is a domain which embraces Yoga religion philosophy,international tourism and M. L. E. that is money laundering economics too.
Me- It is a pity that such a widespread and important activity has not been recognized by us so far.
N- I object to this. Music is not a scientific activity.
Me- No music is a highly developed science dealing with vibrations frequencies, .acoustics intervals ,beats cycles etc .. on which whole lifetime has to be devoted but still many do not meet with success.
N- I feel that it falls in the domain of arts.We cannot give Nobel Prize for anything other than objective science which ultimately uplifts mankind
Me- we are giving Nobel Prize for Peace which is neither objective nor scientific.
N- peace is as much needed as science for the welfare of humanity.
Me- we are giving Nobel Prize for Poetry which cannot be termed as indispensable for the survival of humanity.
N-Poetry is ennobling and ubiquitous.
Me-So is music. There are music in all the parts of the world which includes most backward tribes who do not have a decent dress to cover themselves let alone a language.
N. Exactly that is going to make our selection highly difficult. What common yardstick can we adopt?
Me- What about poetry? There are innumerable languages but we still have a Nobel Prize
N- For languages we have English and we get translation and
decide.
Me-Does it mean that anything which is not translated into English is bad poetry or not poetry at all?
N- naturally.because English is supreme very old and mother of all languages.
Me- No there are languages which are older, and which can be called as grand mother and great grand mother like Sanscrit Tamil.
N- They are all dead languages.
Me- Not at all.They are alive and kicking.In fact the number of people talking tamil is greater than the population of England .
N- May be . But they have no literary tradition whereas English has Shakespeare and is 800 years old
Me- Literary tradition ? A poet called Kamban has composed brilliant poetry which is much bigger than Shakespeare’s total output and that too 900 years back when English was hardly a means of communication with guttural sounds between primitives living in caves.
N- I feel too bad for such languages. Kamban could have written in English or arranged to have it translated. We cannot recognize anything that does not come to us through the portals of English.Anyway, we cannot give Nobel Prize for someone who lived 900 years back
Me- Of course not.But there is a grievance that a poet called Bharathi who comes in Kamban’s tradition and who lived in the last century was ignored.
N- who prevented him from applying in the proper form along with copies of English translation of his poems duly attested by a gazetted officer.
Me-He lived too short a life and had better preoccupations. Anyway there is a common opinion that any award be it Nobel Prize Bharath Rathna kalaimAmani or Sangeetha kalAnidhi is wrought with infirmities and has glorious exceptions.
N-- that is inevitable.
Me-What I mean to say is that if there can be a Nobel Prize for poetry which is so dependent on languages why not a Nobel prize for something which is beyond language. From personal knowledge I can tell you that there are more people in tamil Nadu who go into raptures when listening to Abhangs which is in Marathi and which they do not understand than Oothukadu whom they consider too simple to understand. This is a proof that Music has universal appeal irrespective of race, colour, language, young or old

The committee totally disarmed by my inexorable arguments has approved my proposal for instituting a Nobel prize for Music.
Now you want to know who is the AWARD WINNER for music ?

Well for that you have to wait for part 2 of this article which will follow.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 12 Oct 2012, 20:43

A very imaginative flight of fancy!
..but worth being taken seriously...

awaiting part 2

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 12 Oct 2012, 21:28

A by the way: is it a requirement for literature prizes to be translated into English? I think it has been given to authors from all over the world, including, most recently, a Chinese author.

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 13 Oct 2012, 08:09

Ponbhairavi
Actually your thought has to be seriously considered . For eg when some one gets it in literature there is only a handful who has read, whereas music it reaches practically everyone. In the last 20 years , people flock more music as none of us have patience/time/real interest to read literature or poems.Looking forward for your part 2. Sir U have as usual very really great idea

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 13 Oct 2012, 12:03

NO- BELL PRIZE FOR MUSIC- II

Proceedings of a very highly secret meeting held in a very highly secret place on a very highly secret date.

Me- Because this is the first ever Nobel prize for music I propose the name of Thyagaraja of Tiruvarur( here is the file ) who is celebrated throughout the world.
N-I object to this and I veto the proposal. This man was dead and gone centuries back.
Me – but his spirit lives every where.
N-We cannot give Nobel prize for spirits. We can consider only the names from last century But if the chairman wants to propose the name of Thiagaraja bhagavathar of manmatha leelaiyai who lived in the last century I see no objection.

Me-O.K. I withdraw that name and Now I play for you the videotape of a great carnatic musician who is universally acclaimed and about whom no one would object. This is M.S.Subbulakshmi. She would bring credit to our prize.

N-we hear only one voice. Even the single violin accompaniment and the drum beat merge and sound as one. Only polyphony can be good music-- simultaneous hearing of several incongruous sounds.
N-I see no sparkling lights. No flashing of colour illuminations. Even a simple rock concert will be more electrifying.
N-Her attire too is very simple not catchy at all. Her dress does not reveal her talents.
N- Not even the minimum facials: no make up no rouge on the cheeks no lipstick no colour coating for the eye lashes, nothing except a single red dot on the forehead.
N- she is sitting quiet and singing. How can emotions be aroused like that. See Michael Jackson. He swings, whirls, turns, jumps; that is what I would call lively.
Me-.I beg your pardon. I have understood your requirements. Now I will play a videotape of a performance called Abhang bhajan in which people sing dance in circles jump high with both hands thrown up. They cry, they weep they swoon and embrace each other in ecstatic trance.
N- I said music is polyphony not cacophony.
Me- Since music is only for the ear- I will now play an audio tape -no video which distracts our concentration-This music has all the characteristics desired: several sounds –really polyphonic Let me tell you the background: the setting is a rural atmosphere in an open cattle grazing ground where there are statues of elephants, horses, warriors with big moustache and swords drawn yet in sitting posture ; all more than double the life size.
N- Great! Nice folkloric settings for native music.!Anything folklore must be encouraged.
Me- Let us listen attentively. I want each one of you to say what you think about each sound which impresses you.
{ the tape is played. Unfortunately our readers cannot hear but I request you all to please take the words of our Honorable committee members for granted.}
N- I hear a confused vague sound of several vocal chords yet none is clearly discernible
N-this is blowing into a pipe and beating on leather.! Not bad
N--Now a terrible voice long drawn going up and down in a staccato with intermittent pauses ! superb
N-what a voice which mimics exploding crackers!\ marvelous
N- crackling sounds fusing in unison with shrieking laughter of kids!
N- the main voice growing in amplitude with accelerated hiccupping!- oh my God ! vocal acrobatics!!
N- which reflects a sense of desperation- wonderful
N-and also a revolt- this is amazing
N- now dragging and gradually vanishing into silence.
N- a perturbed soul finding solace in Eternity.
N-What an amazingly gifted vocal chords- unparalleled and we have never heard before.
N- This is the music which deserves the prize as it reflects impulses of fear agony, pain and ultimate relief.
This is our unanimous decision--A thunderous ovation.-
N- We request the Chairman to give suitable citation with the award.
Me- Of course It is my pleasure.. Here it is;
This polyphonic music is a harmonious fusion of guttural emissions of exceptionally gifted vocal chords. It translates best the vociferous aspirations of a soul which desperately seeks to free itself from devils which come behind chasing and exploding .Ultimately the soul realizes that the explosions are not in the outer world but attached behind its own SELF. This realization leads to deliverance which epitomizes all human endeavors.
N—very apt citation,! May we know now what is the name of this WINNER?
Me- GARDABHA
N— GARDABHA[/i]? Funny name. Anyway what is there in a name ?.

Post-scriptum; a mischievous village boy who happened to hear the Nobel prize winning music identified it with the day of a village festival when he caught a donkey and tied crackers on its tail. He then fired them to the delight of the little kids who came chasing the poor rattled donkey which ran desperately braying and straining its vocal chords to the limit.

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 13 Oct 2012, 20:05

LOL!
I expected a gaana song which can always win over the GARDABHA

Pity, ARR did not compete

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 18 Aug 2013, 12:37

HERE IS AN EDITED VERSION
S K at MMA
The whole city wore a festive look. The occasion is the annual aradhana celebration at M M A .Asyou know M M A is the abbreviation for Mangudy Muthu Aiyar. One of his ancestors took aabhath sanyaas and to maintain the cultural tradition M M A used to do yathi Aradhana on the thithi of his moksham. The celebrations will start one paksham(15 days)ahead and everyday there will be Homa,parayana, abhang bhajan,musical offerings…All the visitors will be fed sumptuously( do not think of the 5 rs meal proposed by our MP.)As the event has been happening for the last so many years many tradition lovers have become patrons and life members, to perpetuate the cultural tradition.
M M A is justifiably proud of the event as it has enhanced his prestige and many people fly from far and near to attend the aradhana which has become an event of international cultural significance. There will be a special sahasra bhojan on the final day. The meal served that day is a hallmark of culinary sampradaya of tamil nadu. The menu will include inter- alia proverbial items such as dangar pachadi poricha kozhambu with floating karuvadams,okkaarai ,paal kozhakattai ,akara vadisal, sarasaparilla (colloquially known as nannari roots) paayasam. The cook selected for the occasion is no ordinary person. M M A has made it a point to honour the chief cook with the title of Samayal kalanidhi .It is also the policy of M M A not to have the same cook for the second time as he thinks that it is his duty to encourage new talents and nurture the art of cooking handed down to us by divine personages like Bhima, Nala.
Thus, the Samayal Kalanidhi has become a prestigious award. It is the ultimate dream of every cook to get it in his lifetime. One who has got the SK award will thereafter be called by his colleagues NOT simply cook ,but called cooker adding the respect suffix R ( so that it sounds like minister, professor, Director…As everybody knows the art of cooking is so complex that a cook ,by the time he gets the expertise expected by M M A will be at least a septuagenarian. So what? Noble tradition has to be preserved, It cannot be made so cheap that any five star hotel chef or a raw doctorate of catering technology could aspire for it. Puli nagam Pichai, mayavaram Seenu,tanjavur Aghoram, Saattai venu, taplampuliyur thaadi are some of the illustrious award recipients of previous years whose photos adorn the dining hall and the true sappadu rasikas while having their lunch look up the walls and contemplate with awe those culinary heroes. This year,s awardee, Sethiyathoppu Rajamani will also find his place in that wall.

By god’s grace and purva janma sugirtham I had once the bhaggyam of attending the aradhana and bhojanam.OH what a bliss! I was flanked by business tycoons on one side and N R Is on the other. While in the dining hall the neighbor showing a photo in the wall asked me:”why that S K is holding a whip on hand.?”
Don’t you know he is the kumbakonam saattai Venu.He was such a terror disciplinarian that he will publicly whip anyone who commits the slightest mistake.
Dishes started arriving One by one in kathanakudhoohalam succession .All eyes were on the entrance. This is the time of arrival of the piece de resistance, the rasam. Sampradaya requires that the SK designate should himself serve the rasam. But a nondescript person holding a bucket full of rasam entered
Someone nearby shrieked “ what ? a deviation from sampradaya at the MMA !! He is NOT the SK of this year
Within seconds, the SK made his appearance armed with a silver ladle in hand.
- I said: here he is ,the other person is the pilot
- No I did not mean that. Look at the head of the SK What a luxuriant hair, without a single white strand ! the envy of many women! I am sure he cannot be more than fifty. How can you confer
- SK to such a young person ?
- I fidgeted uneasily
- The lady continued- the age criteria has been thrown to the winds; He cannot be more than fifty. though I did not expect someone with the head a la veena S. Balachander this man is a la Patri Satish kumar.!!
- Some one knowledgeable said : No Madam this is just make up This is a special wig he wears during his performance in order to prevent his already scanty hair from falling in the dish…
- The assistant carrying the rasa vALi was walking backwards holding the rasam bucket in front. The SK Sethiyathoppu Rajamani ,with a bewitching smile showing his teeth reddened by constant betel leaves munching, was moving with dexterity between one row and the opposite row dipping his silver karandi in the rasam bucket and asking at everyone : aNNavukku “ razam “ . Pl note that heSaid razam and not rasam in order to handle that delicate spl item with extra soft caution. Like R T P in a concert ,rasam is the index to judge the competence of the cook. A person walking on his right was occasionally sprinkling coriander leaves in his master’s karandi.
- After he went past us, my neighbor asked me what is his speciality ?
- I said both rasam and thavittu puNNaku togayal a special togayal which he makes with brawn and dry cake bits which are the bye products of gingili oil extraction. Those fortunate enough to taste this say that immediately after the meal they feel so refurbished that they feel like galloping 10 miles non stop
The arrival of Mangudi Muthu Aiyar put a halt to our conversation. –
-. He announced formally the SK of the year amidst thunderous ovations.He gave him the plaque, and put a pair of heavy gold kundalams in SK’s ears .This is a tradition reminding the kundalams in the ears of Bhima when he was a cook in disguise in the palace of Virataraja'
A pressman asked:
Why did you choose this career?
From my birth I wanted to serve the public and I am serving even now.
Who was your Guru?
I started as a gangamirtham (waterboy) with mu guru Puli nagam( claws of tiger) Pichai.
- Why was he called puli nagam Pichai?
- In a village marriage where he was the cook, a tiger suddenly came into the marriage house. Everybody ran here and there .My Guru with unruffled poise took the bucket of rasam,added something to it and put it before the roaring tiger.The animal drank the rasam and immediately became as docile as a cat and simply walked away. The grateful mirasdar presented him with a gold chain in which were appended 2 bits of the claws of tiger.from that date on he was known as puli nagam Pichai.
- Another pressman asked :” what is the secret of your success”
- The Samayal Kalanidhi', Sethyathoppu Rajamani politely replied: first the blessings of my GURU- second
- The L ieutenant G overnor perungayam(asafoetida)
- What an unforgettable experience!!

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Aug 2013, 13:41

What a genius! Please submit it to The Hindu in December; I am sure they will publish it.

Ponbhairavi · Post by **Ponbhairavi** » 19 Aug 2013, 11:09

Thanks nick, I have understood. I have edited my post.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 19 Aug 2013, 12:41

Your great piece of writing might get more audience if it is posted to one of the SK threads. It is the best thing I have read on "SK" for a long time

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 19 Aug 2013, 13:34

Ponbhairavi Sir,
Our thoughts especially those who stay considerably in india are in our respective domicile and also well grounded in the language(in your case thamizh). You are one of the few in a thousand or even a million who can translate your thamizh thoughts into English language without losing that native sense of humour. I today had to skip the rasam as I was bit worried I will turn bit docile.

Nick
You may have not got everything especially the reference to few initials that he has bolded , kadanakuthoohalam reference , the LG asafoetida (perungayam) etc. When we were growing up in schools , we always used to have a high esteem feeling for certain elderly teachers who taught english from british - pre independence days. Ponbhairavi(rajagopalan sir) certainly fits in there- he has an amazing tempo and a high sense of humour.

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