It is with deep regret I am writing about the demise of Shri P.N.Krishnamoorthy- P.N.K. as he was fondly called by one and all- in the early hours of Monday ,16th November, 2009 in Mumbai. He was 82.
Shri P.N.Krishnamoorthy was a scientist who had held top scientific and administrative positions in the fields of atomic energy and electronics both in India and abroad. But throughout his career he had kept up his interest in various systems of music (Carnatic, Hindustani and Western classical). He was a rare combination of a music critic,musician,music teacher, composer and a wonderful human being. He has been associated with Carnatic music for over seventy years.
Shri P.N.K. has been a wonderful guru, and all his students(I am one of them) will miss him.His demise has created a big void in the music circle.
Much as I want to write more about my guru, who has been a friend,philosopher, guide and father figure to all of us, I am so numbed with grief; my mind refuses to think. I am all the more sad because I am so far away from Mumbai and not in a position to bid farewell to my revered GURU.
May his soul rest in peace.
End of An Era- Shri P.N.KRISHNAMOORTHY
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PUNARVASU
- Posts: 2498
- Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42
Yes arasi, when I think of him, I am reminded of the song
vAngum emakku iru kai, aruLai vazhangum umakku panniru kai'
Yes he gave with so many hands, he gave so much, and all for the love of music.
Such people are rare to come by.Such was his passion to music and to teaching music, at the age of 82 , he was teaching for more than 6 hours per day ;that too at different venues.
We really feel orphaned.
Thanks VKR, cienu,ravi for your kind messages.
vAngum emakku iru kai, aruLai vazhangum umakku panniru kai'
Yes he gave with so many hands, he gave so much, and all for the love of music.
Such people are rare to come by.Such was his passion to music and to teaching music, at the age of 82 , he was teaching for more than 6 hours per day ;that too at different venues.
We really feel orphaned.
Thanks VKR, cienu,ravi for your kind messages.
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narayan
- Posts: 383
- Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 07:43
Would like to add a few words in memory of one of the most committed musicians that I have known, and also a rasika, organizer, music critic, teacher, musicologist and mentor rolled in one. PNK was quite a remarkable personality, with an influence on so many of us. He has seen us through beginning stages and shared his amazing range of musical insights through what I think is the most effective way - through participation, demonstration, listening and instruction, all rolled in one - in live music sessions. He would host or participate in such sessions at his house or anywhere else where the atmosphere was right, with participants ranging from the two of us (on occasion, in the mid 1980s) to ones where there would be several musicians, including instrumentalists.
In his house, I have met people of the caliber of KVN and Dr S.Ramanathan who 'dropped in', and there would occasionally be guest participants from his old circle from Delhi and elsewhere. The variety we got was stimulating. The great thing was that PNK would listen to us beginners sing with the same attention and courtesy that he would listen to the stalwarts at the numerous concerts that he was associated in organizing.
He himself was a versatile singer and especially in laya control both in patterned swaram singing and in execution of pallavis, his tanam singing (occasionally with mridangam accompaniment), range and voice modulation in alapana, he was outstanding. The number of things we were exposed to in his sessions was substantial, and many of us bit our teeth on so many different things for the first time in those weekend afternoons. It was an opportunity to try new ragas, sing a little bit of kalpana swaras for new songs, try some neraval for the first time, and of course hear so many others, including PNK in very relaxed and creative surroundings. Some talk, sometimes, but mostly music.
He must have trained dozens of children and elders in the basics, which I have seen very few senior musicians are willing to do (unless a child is exceptionally talented). With this, he has increased the informed listenership in Mumbai (and i think in the Albany area in the U.S. and other places he used to visit), many fold, single-handedly. In the early years, he has been associated with the landmark institution, Bhakta rasika Ranjani Sabha, in Anushakti Nagar, which most rasikas in mumbai would agree has been the venue of some of the most memorable experiences in the concert format, in Mumbai. The surroundings, the ground seating, the lack of intrusive speeches, reasonable acoustics even in an open hall, and the cultivation of serious listeners made this a place that I am sure most musicians enjoyed performing in. PNK had a big role in this. I think he was continuing to teach till a few months ago.
In the last few years, apart from steering the music schools in both Shanmukhananda and Chembur Fine Arts, he constantly innovated in styles of teaching and gave his time freely to anyone who he felt was genuinely interested in music.
PNK used to write reviews, under a couple of pen names, one of which was Vivaadi, for Indian Express, back in the day when newspapers in Mumbai carried classical music reviews. He had an extensive and useful library for us youngsters. PNK's enthusiasm for the glorious music of his generation did not dim his efforts at encouraging musicians of today, and he achieved that mix of appreciation for a grand tradition with the energy of creativity in the present time, which I think made him such an inspirational figure to so many of us.
In his house, I have met people of the caliber of KVN and Dr S.Ramanathan who 'dropped in', and there would occasionally be guest participants from his old circle from Delhi and elsewhere. The variety we got was stimulating. The great thing was that PNK would listen to us beginners sing with the same attention and courtesy that he would listen to the stalwarts at the numerous concerts that he was associated in organizing.
He himself was a versatile singer and especially in laya control both in patterned swaram singing and in execution of pallavis, his tanam singing (occasionally with mridangam accompaniment), range and voice modulation in alapana, he was outstanding. The number of things we were exposed to in his sessions was substantial, and many of us bit our teeth on so many different things for the first time in those weekend afternoons. It was an opportunity to try new ragas, sing a little bit of kalpana swaras for new songs, try some neraval for the first time, and of course hear so many others, including PNK in very relaxed and creative surroundings. Some talk, sometimes, but mostly music.
He must have trained dozens of children and elders in the basics, which I have seen very few senior musicians are willing to do (unless a child is exceptionally talented). With this, he has increased the informed listenership in Mumbai (and i think in the Albany area in the U.S. and other places he used to visit), many fold, single-handedly. In the early years, he has been associated with the landmark institution, Bhakta rasika Ranjani Sabha, in Anushakti Nagar, which most rasikas in mumbai would agree has been the venue of some of the most memorable experiences in the concert format, in Mumbai. The surroundings, the ground seating, the lack of intrusive speeches, reasonable acoustics even in an open hall, and the cultivation of serious listeners made this a place that I am sure most musicians enjoyed performing in. PNK had a big role in this. I think he was continuing to teach till a few months ago.
In the last few years, apart from steering the music schools in both Shanmukhananda and Chembur Fine Arts, he constantly innovated in styles of teaching and gave his time freely to anyone who he felt was genuinely interested in music.
PNK used to write reviews, under a couple of pen names, one of which was Vivaadi, for Indian Express, back in the day when newspapers in Mumbai carried classical music reviews. He had an extensive and useful library for us youngsters. PNK's enthusiasm for the glorious music of his generation did not dim his efforts at encouraging musicians of today, and he achieved that mix of appreciation for a grand tradition with the energy of creativity in the present time, which I think made him such an inspirational figure to so many of us.
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PUNARVASU
- Posts: 2498
- Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42
narayan, thanks for writing about our revered GURU; there are so many students of music in mumbai who have benefitted from training under PNK;.I am sure more will share their experiences and feelings about this great human being. For me, the picture that is vivid in my mind is his brisk walking , and starting the class the minute he sits down and the punctuality which he kept up till the last day of his class. I attended the last class he took some time in the last week of August, before he fell ill.A truly great man!
He was visiting the USA twice a year for nearly 10-15 years and then once a year till 2006 I think.
He was visiting the USA twice a year for nearly 10-15 years and then once a year till 2006 I think.
Last edited by PUNARVASU on 17 Nov 2009, 22:06, edited 1 time in total.
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shriranjani
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 23:14
I will not say "End Of An Era"-for our Guru lives on in the music and values he left with us.There have been musicians,great teachers,who taught a lot of students.But there never has been a teacher like him,who gave of his best,without any expectations-neither in terms of money nor in the hope that we would bring him a name through our performances.He wanted all of us to be exposed to the best in music,so that we became good rasikas.The need of the hour is a band of good rasikas who will be able to appreciate good music and thus ensure that an accomplished musician is not compelled to play to the gallery.He recognised this need about 3 decades ago and thus began teaching all those who were interested in learning.He demystified the pallavi for most students,so that even the young children in our classes could handle pallavis,neraval & swara-singing with ease.He did not teach us songs,but taught us music.This helped us compose songs,set songs to music etc with confidence.He also wanted us to listen to the greats of yesteryears.He had a huge collection of music of the old stalwarts,which he would play for us and bring to our attention the special features of each maestro's music.He also brought friends who played the mridangam ,to class,to explain the intricacies of a tani avartanam.This ensured that atleast WE did not go out for a coffee break the minute the tani started!He exhorted us to attend kucheris regularly and the next day we discussed the salient points.This exercise helped us hone our musical sensibilities.Like Narayan has written,he took every student seriously and encouraged all students alike.He was very disciplined and punctual.You could set your watch by his timing!He would be present in class at the appointed hour,but for us housewives,it was not always possible to be on time.He never minded that,just happy that we had made it to class despite mundane hurdles!!How many students can boast of such an indulgent mentor?He kept emphasising about developing the right attitude towards music and everything else.The patience with which he taught had to be seen and experienced.As a critic,he saw to it that his criticism was always positive,never harsh.Artistes took his views seriously and implemented his suggestions eagerly.He was not just a music teacher-he was our friend-philosopher -guide and a much-revered father-figure. I am sure he will continue to inspire,encourage and applaud our humble efforts from wherever he is.
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vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10956
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
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msakella
- Posts: 2127
- Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 21:16
Dear b/s-members, narayan & shriranjani, Since a long time I have been searching to find an efficient, sincere, impartial, loyal, dedicated and committed music-teacher to learn something from him as, always, there will be something to learn if we remain inquisitive and receptive. But couldn’t. After going through your posts I am impressed very much on your detailed account of this great person, Shri PNK and felt very bad for not having known and met such a great teacher. I recollect, many years back, after having accompanied Shri Maharajapuran Santanam in Dombivli I had been to Anushakthinagar, Mumbai, may be, to accompany Shri K.S.Gopalakrishnan (Flute) and stayed in the quarters of the Secretary (unfortunately forgot his name now) of that Sabha for 3 days and met so many people there. At that time I might have met him there but can’t remember. However, I thank you a lot for the excellent depiction of your great teacher and request you to kindly convey my hearfelt condolenses to his family members. amsharma
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Ramasubramanian M.K
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33
I was shocked to hear about PNK's demise. he was a good family friend in Mumbai--his father-in-law was my father's older cousin. In the mid-fifties after he got married and was working with the Atomic Energy,my father used to attend impromptu chamber concerts--once I remember my brother playing for his Guru(Pallavur Mani Iyer) and PNK gave vocal support. He was a great organiser--I did not know he taught--had lost touch with him for over 40 years. Once he had come to Albany--I think in the late seventies and was working on a musical project and contacted me but somehow we could not meet.
My father because of the Shanmukhananda connections plus the family connections interacted with him even after my father migrated to Chennai and used to tell me how tireless PNK worked on anything that he undertook.
Please convey my condolences to the family.
My father because of the Shanmukhananda connections plus the family connections interacted with him even after my father migrated to Chennai and used to tell me how tireless PNK worked on anything that he undertook.
Please convey my condolences to the family.
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shriranjani
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 23:14
I have the scanned photograph-but how does one upload it ?I would be happy if somebody could help me out.Cut & paste did not work!
( Mod note: upload it to http://www.tinypic.com and copy and paste the link here. )
( Mod note: upload it to http://www.tinypic.com and copy and paste the link here. )
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shriranjani
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 23:14
This is a photograph of our Guru PNK.
Last edited by shriranjani on 18 Nov 2009, 11:53, edited 1 time in total.
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naarayanan
- Posts: 178
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 19:01
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Hreemkarini
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 01:25
dear sriranjani and my other musicmates in revered guruji"s class,i was shocked to know about his sad demise.when i came to know his illness i wanted to come and meet him and wanted to play veena infront of him.he was allways encouraging me to pursue my veena along with vocal. He used to tell me that" playing veena is not easy,it is a divine art.dont neglect"later when i told him that i found a good veena teacher and learning under him he felt very happy. Really i wanted to play whatever i have learnt .But unfortunately i missed the opportunity.
He was really a father figure and taught us the human values along with music .he used to tell us to learn music for the sake of music but not with an intention of giving performances.i feel people must have the reqired capacity in order to understand his concept and philosophy in music.I feel myself very fortunate that i could attend some of his classes and interact with him personally. i feel very sad and emotional when i think he is no more with us. My heart felt condolences to his family
He was really a father figure and taught us the human values along with music .he used to tell us to learn music for the sake of music but not with an intention of giving performances.i feel people must have the reqired capacity in order to understand his concept and philosophy in music.I feel myself very fortunate that i could attend some of his classes and interact with him personally. i feel very sad and emotional when i think he is no more with us. My heart felt condolences to his family
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veeyens
- Posts: 37
- Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 04:25
As a friend of late Sri P.N.K and who had the privilege of meeting him during his frequent visits to Albany NY , I cannot find a better tribute than one penned by my daughter Punarvasu on his eiightieth birthday which I am reproducing hereunder TO A GREAT TEACHER WHO IS SHORTLY TO SEE THE PROVERBIAL
THOUSAND MOONS
Who had music and science as his two eyes
"¢
And after sixty who took music as his life force
Who gave us this divine art with both his hands
It will be no exaggeration to say 'we receive with two hands
but you give with many hands' (altering a popular song slightly)
There is a saying in Tamil' To extract fibre from a rock'
Some of us did not know any music,some had just learnt the 'ABC' of music'
You have transformed us -some as good musicians, some as
very good teachers and most of us as good rasikas
Many of us have not taken music as our life,but have learnt to take
our life as music,learnt to love it like music
You have been a good friend,philosopher,guide and a father figure
To all of us and led us in the path of music and in the path of life
There are many sangathis in your music -in your krithis-but not only that
You have also taught us many 'sangathis' which are very useful for our life
Today each and every one of us can say one thing for sure
We have learnt a lot from you, Sir,
Not only music but also how to lead a better life with a better ATTITUDE
On this auspicious day, all of us have this prayer on our lips
May the Almighty bless you, your wife and your family with
A long life,Health,Happiness, Peace and Prosperity The above
This hearfelt prayer is our humble 'Gurudakshinai'.to You, Sir.
May his soul rest in peace
THOUSAND MOONS
Who had music and science as his two eyes
"¢
And after sixty who took music as his life force
Who gave us this divine art with both his hands
It will be no exaggeration to say 'we receive with two hands
but you give with many hands' (altering a popular song slightly)
There is a saying in Tamil' To extract fibre from a rock'
Some of us did not know any music,some had just learnt the 'ABC' of music'
You have transformed us -some as good musicians, some as
very good teachers and most of us as good rasikas
Many of us have not taken music as our life,but have learnt to take
our life as music,learnt to love it like music
You have been a good friend,philosopher,guide and a father figure
To all of us and led us in the path of music and in the path of life
There are many sangathis in your music -in your krithis-but not only that
You have also taught us many 'sangathis' which are very useful for our life
Today each and every one of us can say one thing for sure
We have learnt a lot from you, Sir,
Not only music but also how to lead a better life with a better ATTITUDE
On this auspicious day, all of us have this prayer on our lips
May the Almighty bless you, your wife and your family with
A long life,Health,Happiness, Peace and Prosperity The above
This hearfelt prayer is our humble 'Gurudakshinai'.to You, Sir.
May his soul rest in peace
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pushyami
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 22 Nov 2009, 06:20
Note from a student in Albany
Only 3 words to describe PNK: Integrity, Dedication and Generosity. He was called a musical missionary by some students here and the husband of one student went so far as to say "It rains because people like PNK walk among us". PNK was a karma yogi of a high caliber and as others have pointed out already, he taught a lot more than music to his students. No better tribute to him than to sit and sing daily and listen to great musicians. Can't even think about Bhajare Re in Abheri and Aarirandu Kaaveri in Neelambari, without tears in my eyes.
Only 3 words to describe PNK: Integrity, Dedication and Generosity. He was called a musical missionary by some students here and the husband of one student went so far as to say "It rains because people like PNK walk among us". PNK was a karma yogi of a high caliber and as others have pointed out already, he taught a lot more than music to his students. No better tribute to him than to sit and sing daily and listen to great musicians. Can't even think about Bhajare Re in Abheri and Aarirandu Kaaveri in Neelambari, without tears in my eyes.
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prashant
- Posts: 1658
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:01
Shri PNK's affection and selfless encouragement is one of the main reasons why I am back to singing these days after taking a long hiatus from music in my teens and early 20s. He had a profound influence on me, and was instrumental in inspiring me to continuously try and improve myself. I just found this thread and am reading the replies. I will try and write a bit more about Sri PNK once I have a chance to compose myself...
Last edited by prashant on 22 Nov 2009, 14:29, edited 1 time in total.
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prashant
- Posts: 1658
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:01
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to sing a short concert at Sri PNK's 75th birthday celebrations [Narayan also sang that day]. I can never forget that the main piece I chose was mAyUra nAtham anisham in dhanyAsi. After the concert Sri PNK took me aside and in the middle of his birthday celebrations, gave me 5 minutes of valuable tips on dhanyAsi that I still remember and value to this day.
Sri PNK used to visit my house every Tuesday - 7 PM [one could set one's watch by him]. He would walk in, sit down, take off his watch, keep it in front of him, adjust the shruti and start singing. No preparation, no 'what are you in the mood for' today. One day it would be sAvEri, one day it would be ranjani: I could never tell what Sri PNK would challenge me with during each session. His kalpanaswaras would flow smoothly and seamlessly, raga alapana would uncoil leisurely starting with short and crisp sanCAras and moving to long nAdaswara piDis. A raga hitherto unknown would be introduced in a loving, intimate, unintimidating way. Sri PNK single-handedly demystified kEdAragauLa, varALi, dvijAvanti, saurASTra, sArangA, bEgaDA for me. I can never forget a 2-hour RTP session in bEgaDA once which completely altered my hitherto linear concept of this rAgA.
This was what Sri PNK did: he opened doors to hidden treasures in music. He did it with integrity, with passion and commitment, and without compromise. He gave freely and expected nothing at all in return. How can I forget that Sri PNK would not even accept a return auto fare to his home after our sessions at my home? As I started singing concerts, Sri PNK would attend unobtrusively, sitting in a corner, but would never leave before the end of the concert. So many artistes in Mumbai have been encouraged and energized by his attendance at their concerts, and have given of their best thanks to him.
I can recognize that I am rambling, a quality Sri PNK always warned against in music. I can only say a big thank you to Sri PNK for all he did for a young person who was not sure whether Carnatic music was something that interested him any longer. If I am passionate about this art today, Sri PNK is one of the reasons why. Thank you, PNK Sir, and rest in peace. You are missed.
Sri PNK used to visit my house every Tuesday - 7 PM [one could set one's watch by him]. He would walk in, sit down, take off his watch, keep it in front of him, adjust the shruti and start singing. No preparation, no 'what are you in the mood for' today. One day it would be sAvEri, one day it would be ranjani: I could never tell what Sri PNK would challenge me with during each session. His kalpanaswaras would flow smoothly and seamlessly, raga alapana would uncoil leisurely starting with short and crisp sanCAras and moving to long nAdaswara piDis. A raga hitherto unknown would be introduced in a loving, intimate, unintimidating way. Sri PNK single-handedly demystified kEdAragauLa, varALi, dvijAvanti, saurASTra, sArangA, bEgaDA for me. I can never forget a 2-hour RTP session in bEgaDA once which completely altered my hitherto linear concept of this rAgA.
This was what Sri PNK did: he opened doors to hidden treasures in music. He did it with integrity, with passion and commitment, and without compromise. He gave freely and expected nothing at all in return. How can I forget that Sri PNK would not even accept a return auto fare to his home after our sessions at my home? As I started singing concerts, Sri PNK would attend unobtrusively, sitting in a corner, but would never leave before the end of the concert. So many artistes in Mumbai have been encouraged and energized by his attendance at their concerts, and have given of their best thanks to him.
I can recognize that I am rambling, a quality Sri PNK always warned against in music. I can only say a big thank you to Sri PNK for all he did for a young person who was not sure whether Carnatic music was something that interested him any longer. If I am passionate about this art today, Sri PNK is one of the reasons why. Thank you, PNK Sir, and rest in peace. You are missed.
Last edited by prashant on 22 Nov 2009, 17:00, edited 1 time in total.
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shriranjani
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 23:14
He had told us,his students,that he did not want any big public celebration of his 75th birthday.When we asked him if he would perform for us that day,he suggested asking a few talented youngsters instead,to perform on that evening.He had seen and heard these young musicians and felt their dedication and attitude would take them places.And how right he was!He and my dance Guru Mahalingam Pillai were 2 great souls who honoured every invitation and encouraged upcoming talent always.Many teachers are annoyed that I do not demand a Guru dakshina from my students for arangetrams,programmes etc.When I have trained under PNK Sir how can I ever think of doing so!He taught us so much in life-maybe,I have not amassed huge sums of money,but the amount of goodwill and respect I have earned is a far greater compenstion. He was a teacher who practised what he preached and we have been very fortunate to have been with him. He wanted us to learn music for its own sake .Many who came to class (when they were at a low point in their lives)found a new purpose in life and are ever grateful to him for the pleasure and solace music gave them.Like Prashant says,he made every raga look so easy-we would return from some kucheri & talk in awe of a difficult raga handled by the musician.He would then take that raga up,for RTP & effortlessly get all of us to sing it at varying levels of confidence & prove that nothing is impossible even for a rank amateur!He never looked down upon anybody's inability to sing-instead he went all out to make him/her feel comfortable.Music was his passion & he breathed that into every student who came under him.
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Thiyagarajan
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 22 Nov 2009, 22:16
Dear Fellow students of PNK,
I share with you the great grief and sorrow at the sad demise of our beloved GURU.
I live near Albany, NY. Until a couple of years, our revered GURU, Shri. PNK ,was a regular visitor to this place. He used to stay with one of our friends. Since 1999, I have been very fortunate to have learnt the appreciation of music under him. I was personally very attracted by his method of music being 'karna parampara', aka 'music by listening'. He did not believe in the use of book during classes. Some moments from the classes wereextraordinary. My classes with him used to start at 8 AM and he would be just ready and waiting for me to start. He is an epitome of 'punctuality'. One day we started with HarikAmbhoji and it went on for 2 hrs. The next class got cancelled and he enthusiastically asked if we could continue. HarikAmbhoji went on for 2 more hrs! Other days it would be with KhamAs, ChArukesi, MAyAmAlavagowlai, and so on...
Although we might have heard it elsewhere, he is the first one who triggerd me to the 'realization' that one birth is not enough to appreciate music!
Every interaction we had, he has always amazed me - be it music or otherwise. I was stunned at the spirit and endurance he had.
As Shreeranjani rightly pointed out, he will ever be with us and bless us all!
- Thiyagarajan
I share with you the great grief and sorrow at the sad demise of our beloved GURU.
I live near Albany, NY. Until a couple of years, our revered GURU, Shri. PNK ,was a regular visitor to this place. He used to stay with one of our friends. Since 1999, I have been very fortunate to have learnt the appreciation of music under him. I was personally very attracted by his method of music being 'karna parampara', aka 'music by listening'. He did not believe in the use of book during classes. Some moments from the classes wereextraordinary. My classes with him used to start at 8 AM and he would be just ready and waiting for me to start. He is an epitome of 'punctuality'. One day we started with HarikAmbhoji and it went on for 2 hrs. The next class got cancelled and he enthusiastically asked if we could continue. HarikAmbhoji went on for 2 more hrs! Other days it would be with KhamAs, ChArukesi, MAyAmAlavagowlai, and so on...
Although we might have heard it elsewhere, he is the first one who triggerd me to the 'realization' that one birth is not enough to appreciate music!
Every interaction we had, he has always amazed me - be it music or otherwise. I was stunned at the spirit and endurance he had.
As Shreeranjani rightly pointed out, he will ever be with us and bless us all!
- Thiyagarajan
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shriranjani
- Posts: 44
- Joined: 12 Apr 2009, 23:14
We would love to share the recordings we have,as soon as time permits(am tied up with projects at the moment).They have been recorded in an informal manner in class,so audio quality etc need to be checked.
We are touched by the messages we have received from fellow members.I have forwarded the condolence messages to the family.
We are touched by the messages we have received from fellow members.I have forwarded the condolence messages to the family.
Last edited by shriranjani on 23 Nov 2009, 15:51, edited 1 time in total.
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Rasika911
- Posts: 521
- Joined: 09 Mar 2009, 06:11
Condolences to the students and family members. Yet another great loss to the music world this yearshriranjani wrote:We would love to share the recordings we have,as soon as time permits(am tied up with projects at the moment).They have been recorded in an informal manner in class,so audio quality etc need to be checked.
We are touched by the messages we have received from fellow members.I have forwarded the condolence messages to the family.
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Thiyagarajan
- Posts: 2
- Joined: 22 Nov 2009, 22:16
I have about 50 cassette tapes - all his class recordings. Some of them may be repeats and audio quality needs to be checked. I also have one video recording of a house concert he gave when he was here (Albany, NY) in 2005. I will try to get them in about 2 weeks. Any suggestions about where to upload?
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ssrivats78
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 20 Nov 2009, 20:36
Fellow students of Shri PNK sir,
I share my grief with all the music lovers who had the wonderful opportunity of being associated with PNK sir. I learnt carnatic vocal under Shri PNK and also have accompanied him on Mridangam on various occasions in Mumbai. He always used to stress the importance of being a good listener and "Rasika" of carnatic music as opposed to being a performer. He used to say, "A music school might produce only 10 vidwans but it can be instrumental in producing thousands of rasikas". He advocated the idea of free concerts in BRRS music school, encouraged the artists to sing Ragam Thanam Pallavis in concerts, preached the importance of learning & understanding vocals for aspiring instrumentalists and ability to appreciate the accompaniments for the aspiring singers. It never failed to amaze me how much energy and commitment he had towards dissemination of wonderful musical nuances to the music lovers.
I would like to share with you a few video recordings from his 2007 Navarathri concert at Anushaktinagar, Mumbai. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... B79F9A9075. (Apologies for background noise in videos)
~Srivatsan
I share my grief with all the music lovers who had the wonderful opportunity of being associated with PNK sir. I learnt carnatic vocal under Shri PNK and also have accompanied him on Mridangam on various occasions in Mumbai. He always used to stress the importance of being a good listener and "Rasika" of carnatic music as opposed to being a performer. He used to say, "A music school might produce only 10 vidwans but it can be instrumental in producing thousands of rasikas". He advocated the idea of free concerts in BRRS music school, encouraged the artists to sing Ragam Thanam Pallavis in concerts, preached the importance of learning & understanding vocals for aspiring instrumentalists and ability to appreciate the accompaniments for the aspiring singers. It never failed to amaze me how much energy and commitment he had towards dissemination of wonderful musical nuances to the music lovers.
I would like to share with you a few video recordings from his 2007 Navarathri concert at Anushaktinagar, Mumbai. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p ... B79F9A9075. (Apologies for background noise in videos)
~Srivatsan
Last edited by ssrivats78 on 24 Nov 2009, 02:44, edited 1 time in total.
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PUNARVASU
- Posts: 2498
- Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42
Srivatsan,
thanks for the clip; I watched 'unnaDiyE gatiyenDraDainthEn'; I have,earlier ,written in this forum about the various sangatis he sings for 'munnamE unniDam'; the various moods of that one particular statement are reflected so beautifully in the sangatis.
Fellow members, I would like to inform you that, every year year on vijayadasami day, he used to give a concert at the temple at Anushaktinagar.After the vijayadasami functions in the various venues where he took classes, he will give the performance and the next early morning he would leave for the USA for a two months trip.This has been going on for years. This year-2009- is the first vijayadasami he did not give a concert as he was unwell.
AkellagAru, as shriranjani said, many of the lessons were taped in the class; one of us will definitely try to upload some of them.
thanks for the clip; I watched 'unnaDiyE gatiyenDraDainthEn'; I have,earlier ,written in this forum about the various sangatis he sings for 'munnamE unniDam'; the various moods of that one particular statement are reflected so beautifully in the sangatis.
Fellow members, I would like to inform you that, every year year on vijayadasami day, he used to give a concert at the temple at Anushaktinagar.After the vijayadasami functions in the various venues where he took classes, he will give the performance and the next early morning he would leave for the USA for a two months trip.This has been going on for years. This year-2009- is the first vijayadasami he did not give a concert as he was unwell.
AkellagAru, as shriranjani said, many of the lessons were taped in the class; one of us will definitely try to upload some of them.
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pushyami
- Posts: 12
- Joined: 22 Nov 2009, 06:20
Would it be possible to upload as many lesson sessions as we can get and also encourage advanced students of PNK to upload one new lesson a month or so? This would be in the spirit of spreading the music and making it available to a lot of people. Sri PNK may well be the teacher of Carnatic music with maximum number of students. We can keep his lessons and his spirit alive for future generations. This is a tribute PNK would appreciate. He wanted all of us who have reached some level teach others.
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msakella
- Posts: 2127
- Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 21:16
Thiyagarajan: Very nice dear. Please try to digitise all of them, at the first instance, and later to upload them to one site or other to be accessible to the interested persons to download.
ssrivats78: What Shri PNK told is absolutely true. But, my view differs a little bit. I never teach anybody to make him a Vidwan but an efficient, sincere and reliable teacher. While a Vidwan is a selfish fellow and always works hard for himself only a teacher is very noble and strives hard for the society and builds up a generation itself. If we produce more such teachers they inturn produce such teachers again and by that all become reliable teachers and knowledgeable rasikas also at the same time. A healthy society always needs mostly knowledgeable rasikas only.
Punarvasu: Everybody is interested in collecting the concerts more as by listening to that music many can repeat it as music could be acquired by constant listening. But, it takes a lot of time to acquire music in that manner like in our so called Gurukulas. In one way, like my friend Shri TRS tells, I hate the Gurukulas as in most of them the disciples acquired only the bad habits of their Gurus but not their music. There are some easy methods through which music could be acquired within a very short time and one in hudreds, like Shri PNK who does self-less service, knows them and serve truly. If these methods are propagated properly we can produce knowledgeable teachers and rasikas within a very short time. To tell the truth, now, having the facility of video, we have to record all such things for preservation and propagation. This is the real service we can do in respect of such great souls. amsharma
ssrivats78: What Shri PNK told is absolutely true. But, my view differs a little bit. I never teach anybody to make him a Vidwan but an efficient, sincere and reliable teacher. While a Vidwan is a selfish fellow and always works hard for himself only a teacher is very noble and strives hard for the society and builds up a generation itself. If we produce more such teachers they inturn produce such teachers again and by that all become reliable teachers and knowledgeable rasikas also at the same time. A healthy society always needs mostly knowledgeable rasikas only.
Punarvasu: Everybody is interested in collecting the concerts more as by listening to that music many can repeat it as music could be acquired by constant listening. But, it takes a lot of time to acquire music in that manner like in our so called Gurukulas. In one way, like my friend Shri TRS tells, I hate the Gurukulas as in most of them the disciples acquired only the bad habits of their Gurus but not their music. There are some easy methods through which music could be acquired within a very short time and one in hudreds, like Shri PNK who does self-less service, knows them and serve truly. If these methods are propagated properly we can produce knowledgeable teachers and rasikas within a very short time. To tell the truth, now, having the facility of video, we have to record all such things for preservation and propagation. This is the real service we can do in respect of such great souls. amsharma
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sivapriya
- Posts: 105
- Joined: 16 Feb 2007, 23:06
Sri.PNK's demise is yet another void created in the music world.
I still remember, in Mumbai, when he used to attend concerts, hold classes and concerts at his place, write in the papers about the concert. His tall , proud personality with a very erudite face and demeanour is still in my memory.
He was an example to me of how one can balance love and involvement for an art from even with specific engagements in an other career and I guess somewhere , deeply unconsciously I must have been influenced by this.
We used to wait for his reviews and then cross check our own impressions of the concerts, way back in those glorious Mumbai days, where carnatic music was a way of life to many of us. My father and he used to exchange and share notes and impressions and discuss music and other facets of the carnatic world.
Any art form lives and grows through souls like this who , give themselves for the art, even though they are not performing musicians, as encouragement, propagation , building of knowledge and dissemenation of the same, is as much important as performing on stage.
I still remember, in Mumbai, when he used to attend concerts, hold classes and concerts at his place, write in the papers about the concert. His tall , proud personality with a very erudite face and demeanour is still in my memory.
He was an example to me of how one can balance love and involvement for an art from even with specific engagements in an other career and I guess somewhere , deeply unconsciously I must have been influenced by this.
We used to wait for his reviews and then cross check our own impressions of the concerts, way back in those glorious Mumbai days, where carnatic music was a way of life to many of us. My father and he used to exchange and share notes and impressions and discuss music and other facets of the carnatic world.
Any art form lives and grows through souls like this who , give themselves for the art, even though they are not performing musicians, as encouragement, propagation , building of knowledge and dissemenation of the same, is as much important as performing on stage.
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msakella
- Posts: 2127
- Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 21:16
Dear brother-member, VK RAMAN, Thank you for your response. But no professional musician likes this definition as each and every musician, irrespective of his stature, thinks himself the best teacher and goes on teaching for ever producing as many impotents as he can. If a person is suffering from headache and expresses it, immediately, every person near him tells to apply one balm or other to get relief. In fact, in homeopathy, in a book titled ‘Headaches’, 200 medicines are furnished to give relief and going through this book itself is a headache. However, everybody may have acquaintance with one medicine or other among them and prescribes it to any person suffering from headache. But, that does not mean that he is a doctor. In the same manner every musician, irrespective of his calibre or titles or degrees, is not a teacher at all. But in the absence of a yardstick no aspirant is able to recognise this but becomes a prey to each and every musician. In general, for anything, for example for studies or for journeys or to do any work, while there is and must be a time limit, funnily, there is no time limit for learning music. No music teacher even likes to put a time limit for teaching music as it hinders his earnings. More over, in any educational institution, in general, while the students are not more than 30 years, in the Music Colleges or in the music departments of universities we find the aspirants of all ages. Thus, irrespective of his/her age everybody is interested in learning music and becomes a prey. More over, having no time limit or yardstick to assess the level of music, it is a boon for musicians to earn as much as they can. At the same time, no musician even wants to discuss about the teaching methods or even encourages any organisation to hold conferences or seminars in this respect as they all spill out his beans only. I have never heard of any organisation among so many Sabhas in Chennai had every organised any such conference or seminar on ‘easy methods in teaching music’. As I have given up my active-artistic-field long long ago and been taken up the propagation of easy methods in teaching music as my mission I am able to speak out these facts and figures. I very well know that nobody even appreciates this post. But, as I only can bring out the facts, I am doing so.
Musicians are everywhere but efficient, sincere and reliable music teachers like Shri PNK are nowhere. Since many years the title ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ has been given to many great Vidwans but since how many years the ‘Sangita-kala-acharya’ is being given to great music-teachers? Even honouring him posthumously giving this title to him is a real tribute to him. amsharma
Musicians are everywhere but efficient, sincere and reliable music teachers like Shri PNK are nowhere. Since many years the title ‘Sangita Kalanidhi’ has been given to many great Vidwans but since how many years the ‘Sangita-kala-acharya’ is being given to great music-teachers? Even honouring him posthumously giving this title to him is a real tribute to him. amsharma
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psitaram
- Posts: 11
- Joined: 31 Oct 2007, 07:50
Mumbai has lost an ardent rasika, a connoisseur of music. He was one of the pillars of the Bhaktha Rasika Ranjani sabha and he along with the other core members ensured that the concerts at BRRS were always of the highest musical quality. There are so many innumerable concerts that I have sat next to PNK mama and enjoyed listening to the concerts and also watch him get completely involved in music. I have learnt so much from him - he would quiz me on the ragas in the concert and encouraged all of us to have a notebook during the concerts. Sundays were always special as all the youth of Mumbai's carnatic world gathered at his house for about 3-4 hours of practice. No matter what level you were, he would encourage you and goad you to play better. He provided such a wonderful platform for all of us to embellish our skills, watch our seniors play and listen to wonderful music.
He was a true role model and a picture of dignity. I was indeed very saddened to hear about his demise and Mumbaikars will miss his cherubic presence in all the concerts. There are so many of us that have been benefited by his presence and music.
With deepest condolences to the family.
Pravin Sitaram
He was a true role model and a picture of dignity. I was indeed very saddened to hear about his demise and Mumbaikars will miss his cherubic presence in all the concerts. There are so many of us that have been benefited by his presence and music.
With deepest condolences to the family.
Pravin Sitaram
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hemavathy
- Posts: 20
- Joined: 17 Aug 2009, 20:09
SRI PNKS demise isa great loss to all of us particularly to th students. ( i am one of them )he was such a towering & captivating personality
now in future when anyone goes for the concerts in BRR SABHA they will definetely miss his presence. even a few artists have told him "SIR your presence in the concert gives us so much of enthusiasm to render&your are equivalent to thousand people in the audience. He was such a great rasika & that even a minute deviation from the sruthi or the music it will immediately react in his face. one can never reconcile with his loss. HE was an excellant GURU .
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
now in future when anyone goes for the concerts in BRR SABHA they will definetely miss his presence. even a few artists have told him "SIR your presence in the concert gives us so much of enthusiasm to render&your are equivalent to thousand people in the audience. He was such a great rasika & that even a minute deviation from the sruthi or the music it will immediately react in his face. one can never reconcile with his loss. HE was an excellant GURU .
MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE
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PUNARVASU
- Posts: 2498
- Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 05:42
I am posting a message received from seshaprasadv as requested.
PNK Sir
Sent: 08 Feb 2010 08:08
From: seshaprasadv
To: PUNARVASU
Dear Punarvasu,
I read the entries about PNK Sir and wanted to post my entry. It looks like the particular forum is not reachable even on registration. So please post my entry into the same if possible. Either ways please share this post with other PNK shishyas if possible.
I felt a consummate sense of grief when I heard the news about my Guru's demise. Incidentally I was in India when he passed off, but didn't know about the same before I reached back to Austin, TX. I learnt from him for around 3-4 years while doing my engineering. Used to attend his Sunday special classes organized by BRR Sabha, then the classes on Saturday at Vijaya teacher's house and of course the Sunday sessions at his residence.
Other members have mentioned in length about his virtues of punctuality, compassion and other great qualities. I would like to add that he was no less than a great Karma Yogi full of humility! He lived by his words and I saw him as both as a philosophical and musical guide. Music lessons interspersed with philosophical snippets was the way his classes used to go.
Actually I never understood in reality what I learnt from him while learning from him. I had deep interest in music, however at some point of time during my final year engineering, I was not able to correlate music (notes & talam) with bhakti to God. I started questioning the reason for learning/singing swarams etc as I felt they have nothing to do with the way of bhakti.
That's when I stopped learning music and then finally disconnected myself with music, even listening to it. However I was on a different path, a path to understand philosophy, devotion and self contemplation. I used to spend lot of time listening to Bhagavat Gita etc upanyasams.
After working in Bombay for around 2yrs, I moved to Chennai to work. Here I was staying alone and had lot of time other than work. I came across some writings on Oothukadu Venkatasubbaiyar and his poetry. As his works are primarily on Krishna, my ishta daivam, I felt a deep urge to sing his compositions.
The last three paragraphs seem to be disconnected with PNK Sir, but no it is not!
I started learning again, from recordings and learnt quite a few krithis on my own, letting bhakti be the driving force(for most part of it), as opposed to the ragam and thalam. And this is when PNK Sir's lessons came back to me like a revelation. I realized the importance of the technique that Sir used to employ. It was because of his totally unique teaching technique that I was able to understand ragams and learn krithis myself from recordings.
How? Sir used to have a collection of around 25/30 krithis at a given point of time in his diary. Every class he used to teach around 4/5 krithis and the next class he would take the next 4/5 krithis from his diary listing. As I write I can see his removing his diary and referring...
The difficult part for a student under this technique was he had to remember the sangathis while practicing. To make things difficult he used to teach the most difficult sangathis with brighas etc from day one! When I tried to recreate the sangathis while practicing I never used to remember it as Sir taught, because the same krithi would be taught once in few weeks!
The good part was it made me explore the ragam itself and see how the sangathis are constructed, and incorporate fillers to what was forgotten after the class. In this way I imbibed what Sir taught, the ragam and my own personal flavor to it. And after around 6 months of learning, I used to know around 10/15 krithis! All this I realized after I disconnected and connected back to music. My devotion and love towards Sir became even more profound after this realization.
The fact is pure study of notes etc is nothing but devotion to Nirguna Brahmam and music inspired by bhakti is devotion towards Saguna Brahmam. Both paths have been followed forever by people wanting to understand existence. Both are equally correct approaches, its left to the individual what path he wants to take.
I would like to finish off this entry by saying that I have been blessed by him to understand music and that is the ONLY reason why I appreciate and sing to whatever extent I am doing today.
Regards,
Sesha
PS: There are quite a few lines of his that I will never forget, and in fact I keep remembering him and his words quite frequently...
1) A good musician will be able to break down a sangathi into swaras instantly.
2) Good musicians can be counted by fingers, the rest are all rasikas. We all aspire to be good rasikas. (Well he shouldn't include himself with us though!!!)
3) One should be able to sing in his mind, the notes should be in your head, not the throat. (This concept eluded me for years and years. I used to tell him that I get a good feeling only when I can hear my own voice, and he used to tell me that that's because I was not mature in music. After pursuing music in different forms I have come to realize and practice the meaning of his words around 2yrs back. In other words it has taken me around 10yrs to get to some level of maturity in music!)
4) While listening to a concert, keep trying to predict what the musician will sing next.
5) Sing what you feel is good to listen. Don't worry too much and just be creative.seshaprasadv
Posts: 0
Joined: 08 Feb 2010 06:29
PNK Sir
Sent: 08 Feb 2010 08:08
From: seshaprasadv
To: PUNARVASU
Dear Punarvasu,
I read the entries about PNK Sir and wanted to post my entry. It looks like the particular forum is not reachable even on registration. So please post my entry into the same if possible. Either ways please share this post with other PNK shishyas if possible.
I felt a consummate sense of grief when I heard the news about my Guru's demise. Incidentally I was in India when he passed off, but didn't know about the same before I reached back to Austin, TX. I learnt from him for around 3-4 years while doing my engineering. Used to attend his Sunday special classes organized by BRR Sabha, then the classes on Saturday at Vijaya teacher's house and of course the Sunday sessions at his residence.
Other members have mentioned in length about his virtues of punctuality, compassion and other great qualities. I would like to add that he was no less than a great Karma Yogi full of humility! He lived by his words and I saw him as both as a philosophical and musical guide. Music lessons interspersed with philosophical snippets was the way his classes used to go.
Actually I never understood in reality what I learnt from him while learning from him. I had deep interest in music, however at some point of time during my final year engineering, I was not able to correlate music (notes & talam) with bhakti to God. I started questioning the reason for learning/singing swarams etc as I felt they have nothing to do with the way of bhakti.
That's when I stopped learning music and then finally disconnected myself with music, even listening to it. However I was on a different path, a path to understand philosophy, devotion and self contemplation. I used to spend lot of time listening to Bhagavat Gita etc upanyasams.
After working in Bombay for around 2yrs, I moved to Chennai to work. Here I was staying alone and had lot of time other than work. I came across some writings on Oothukadu Venkatasubbaiyar and his poetry. As his works are primarily on Krishna, my ishta daivam, I felt a deep urge to sing his compositions.
The last three paragraphs seem to be disconnected with PNK Sir, but no it is not!
I started learning again, from recordings and learnt quite a few krithis on my own, letting bhakti be the driving force(for most part of it), as opposed to the ragam and thalam. And this is when PNK Sir's lessons came back to me like a revelation. I realized the importance of the technique that Sir used to employ. It was because of his totally unique teaching technique that I was able to understand ragams and learn krithis myself from recordings.
How? Sir used to have a collection of around 25/30 krithis at a given point of time in his diary. Every class he used to teach around 4/5 krithis and the next class he would take the next 4/5 krithis from his diary listing. As I write I can see his removing his diary and referring...
The difficult part for a student under this technique was he had to remember the sangathis while practicing. To make things difficult he used to teach the most difficult sangathis with brighas etc from day one! When I tried to recreate the sangathis while practicing I never used to remember it as Sir taught, because the same krithi would be taught once in few weeks!
The good part was it made me explore the ragam itself and see how the sangathis are constructed, and incorporate fillers to what was forgotten after the class. In this way I imbibed what Sir taught, the ragam and my own personal flavor to it. And after around 6 months of learning, I used to know around 10/15 krithis! All this I realized after I disconnected and connected back to music. My devotion and love towards Sir became even more profound after this realization.
The fact is pure study of notes etc is nothing but devotion to Nirguna Brahmam and music inspired by bhakti is devotion towards Saguna Brahmam. Both paths have been followed forever by people wanting to understand existence. Both are equally correct approaches, its left to the individual what path he wants to take.
I would like to finish off this entry by saying that I have been blessed by him to understand music and that is the ONLY reason why I appreciate and sing to whatever extent I am doing today.
Regards,
Sesha
PS: There are quite a few lines of his that I will never forget, and in fact I keep remembering him and his words quite frequently...
1) A good musician will be able to break down a sangathi into swaras instantly.
2) Good musicians can be counted by fingers, the rest are all rasikas. We all aspire to be good rasikas. (Well he shouldn't include himself with us though!!!)
3) One should be able to sing in his mind, the notes should be in your head, not the throat. (This concept eluded me for years and years. I used to tell him that I get a good feeling only when I can hear my own voice, and he used to tell me that that's because I was not mature in music. After pursuing music in different forms I have come to realize and practice the meaning of his words around 2yrs back. In other words it has taken me around 10yrs to get to some level of maturity in music!)
4) While listening to a concert, keep trying to predict what the musician will sing next.
5) Sing what you feel is good to listen. Don't worry too much and just be creative.seshaprasadv
Posts: 0
Joined: 08 Feb 2010 06:29
Last edited by PUNARVASU on 08 Feb 2010, 14:41, edited 1 time in total.