Smt Savithri Ganesan ( Late)

[venkatakailasam]

For long, I am in search of the music files of the late Smt .Savithri Ganesan who was killed in a train accident in late 1956 near Arialur..

you will be aware she had training with Shri Madurai Mani Iyer along with Vembu Iyer and TVS.

As student, I have listened to her music program-me over AIR during
Late 40s and early 50s when there were no recording facilities. She was a singer with a melodious voice.
Judicious selection of songs, perfect sruti alignment, energetic presentation -The spontaneous flow of swaras melodic voice and presentation skills makes one feel more than satisfied.
I have requested Shri TVS and also Savithri Ganesan's daughter Smt. Ranjani Ganesan Ramesh, a well known Barathanatiam artist without any result.

I could come across the information that she
had a performance at Music Academy on 23-12-1949 with accompaniments of
Smt Komalavalli on violin and Kanaka on Mirudhangam .

This is a source I could not explore so far due to my movement limitations as I am now 75.
This is what is understood from a member in a forum discussion.
Quote.
None of her Recordings are available as she passed away during 1954 by when spool recording was not so popular and was possessed by only very big shots. I am
also looking for her gramophone recordings. None of the known sources of old gramophone plates like santhanakrishnan or Ali Khan are aware about such a musician. I have one photo of MMI with his disciples Savithri Ganesan and Vembu Iyer. Unquote

If by chance you have any files with you or through your contacts, can I request you to share the same?
Shri Ramasubramaniam who has very old files may perhaps help.
Please help to dig it out for posterity!
venkatakailasam

[cacm]

Dear Sri Venkatakailasam,
Any chance you could send a jpg. copy of Savitri ganesan PIC to:vkv@juno.com? I am collecting stuff for MMI 100th birth centenary material in 2012. Where do you live? I live in USA & will be in Chennai late nov to early march. I will try to look for her recordings from persons I know when I am there. Regards, VKV

[venkatakailasam]

[quote="cacm"]Dear Sri Venkatakailasam,
Any chance you could send a jpg. copy of Savitri ganesan PIC


I had some paper cuttings of her images which I have lost during transportation.

I understand Shri Vishnuprasad has one photo of MMI with his disciples Savithri Ganesan and Vembu Iyer.

I stay in chennai. My e mail addresses are:

venkatakailasam@gmail.com

vkailasamv@yahoo.com

Regards
venkatakailasam

[VISHNURAMPRASAD]

Dear sir,

I have the photo in hard copy, shall scan send across. VKV sir, the photo is very much there in the bunch of materials that i had shared with you. However i am scanning all the documents so that a soft copy can also be maintained. I have lots of radio program announcements in vanoli and other issues of naradar of her. I am also trying to collect some reviews of her music. My grand father used to tell me that she was becoming a star musician when fate took her off. I have heard from my grandpa about the rendering of sudha saveri, atana, bhairavi much to the appreciation of alathur subbu iyer who was also present during a trichy concert in early 1950s.

[cacm]

Dear Vishnuprasad,
Hope to see you & balummi by end of November......As you know MMI was so upset he did not sing for a month after Savithri Ganesan passed away ithe Ariyalur train accident. He was very fond of her & had very high hopes for her musical career. I have heard her several times myself & the only instance of her voice I have is one concert where she sang "Pinpattu" in a MMI Concert...Regs, VKV

[Balummi]

I am surprised to find a page opened for Mrs. Savitri Ganesan . When she passed away in Ariyalur train disaster in 1956 I was only 9 years old , hence I can not recollect many things that happened during that time. Her father was my headmaster in Native High School , Kumbakonam , where I studied till 1962 before shifting to Madras . He lived very close to our house and everybody in our surroundings were all in great praise of his daughter's music for a very long time after she passed away. In one or two concerts of Mani Iyer that I have , there is a very clear female voice that can be noticed as "pin Pattu".Obviously the recordings must be before 1956!
Many may not know that Mrs.Savitri Ganesan's husband got down from the train to get some water at dead of night . And before he could get back to the train , it started moving and could only get into the last compartment. As fate would have it , he escaped unhurt in the accident!
Balu

[VISHNURAMPRASAD]

Giving below the link for the photo of Late Smt. Savithri Ganesan, along with her mentor Madurai Mani Iyer and Vembu Iyer.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/snik8e

[venkatakailasam]

Giving below the link for the photo of Late Smt. Savithri Ganesan, along with her mentor Madurai Mani Iyer and Vembu Iyer.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/snik8e

Thank you so much for the image.

venkatakailasam

[venkatakailasam]

Shri Balummi

Sir ,

I am providing a few information about Smt Ranjani Ganesan Ramesh.



http://www.ranjaniganesanramesh.com/rprofile.html -

Provides her profile where in it is stated that Ranjani, was initiated into Bharatanatyam at a very young age by her mother Smt.Savithri Ganesan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUyThbRvl3Q

Indian Classical Dance Bharatnatyam -by Ranjani Ganesan Ramesh
Her address at Bom bay
Ranjani Ganesan Ramesh
"Padam Dance Company"
# 101, The Ranes, 195, 7th Road
Khar (W), Mumbai 400052
Ph: (022) - 26482329 / 65765431
Mobile: 0 - 98193 - 50022
e-mail: ranjani_ramesh2004@yahoo.com

With all the above I am not 100% sure that she is the daughter of late Savithri ganesan.

You may be able to tell knowing her family details.

venkatakailasam

[Sundara Rajan]

I distinctly remember hearing recently a female voice accompaniment in one of MMI's recordings available in Sangeethapriya and was wondering "who that could be", since I was not aware of the fact that late Smti.Savithri Ganesan was his disciple. I should try to relocate the recording and listen to it again.

[rajeshnat]

I distinctly remember hearing recently a female voice accompaniment in one of MMI's recordings available in Sangeethapriya and was wondering "who that could be", since I was not aware of the fact that late Smti.Savithri Ganesan was his disciple. I should try to relocate the recording and listen to it again.

Post that recording.

[VISHNURAMPRASAD]

Most of us must be thinking about the recording of Sri kamalamba sahana of MMI where we can hear a distinct female voice singing the charanam lines in the thara sthayi while MMI sings the phrase in the manthra sthayi. But I found that the recording was from the Music Academy 1960 concert which is 6 years after Savithri Ganesan's death. i have also heard that Shri Vembu Iyer had a powerful voice and he could sing in tharasthayi and athi tharasthayi of MMI's sruthi ( to justify this i have another recording-1962 where he accompanies MMI singing Chethashri Balakrishnam on the higher octave, his voice sounded like that of female). What am trying to convey here is there are recordings where Vembu Iyer takes to the higher octave for certain krithis which gives us an impression of a female voice accompanying MMI. If at all there is a recording of Savithri Ganesan it should be before 1954 which i doubt very much as I have personally not come across MMI's concert recordings dating before 1956 so far.

[Sundara Rajan]

The recording that I referred to was from the Sangeethapriya site and should still be available, I hope. Since I only listened to it and did not download I cannot easily locate it now. Sri. Vishnuprasad may be right in his asssumption in view of Savithri Ganeasan's demise in Ariyalur accident in 1956.

[venkatakailasam]

"I could come across the information that she
had a performance at Music Academy on 23-12-1949 with accompaniments of
Smt Komalavalli on violin and Kanaka on Mirudhangam ."

Shri Vishnuprasad ;Will you be able to verify the above source ?

In view of my movement restrictions I am not able to go there and find out.

After all nothing is going to happen to me if I do not hear it again in my life time. But that sweet melody will not be available for the posterity. And, that is sad!!

venkatakailasam

[venkatakailasam]

With Madurai Mani Iyer-Her Guru ( image provided by Shri Vishnu Ram Prasad )


I am sorry. Even a single concert of yours , could not be provided to posterity.
Efforts have proved to be futile.
I vividly remember seeing seeing at Trichy Junction in early 50s, when my mother shown you as Savithri Ganesan. You with a thanbura -helped to enter the train to Madras by some body.
Myself with my mother used to enjoy your concerts over AIR-the National program during nights.
The melody will linger for a long time.
Sorry. I could not complete the task set for myself.

venkatakailasam

[thanjavooran]

Shri Venkatakailasam avl,
A very touching tribute.
Thanjavooran 17 03 2011

[VK RAMAN]

It is disappointing AIR did not maintain archives

[venkatakailasam]

Nightmare in Ariyalur, a brave tale from 1956
pdated: March 2, 2014 00:47 IST

By Joyce Philomena Vernem..
read at...
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-pa ... 740973.ece

[Lakshman]

My oldest brother, who worked as an officer in the merchant marine, was a passenger on the train and was one of the lucky ones that survived the derailment. Needless to say, our whole family was on pins & needles until my brother showed up at our door the following day. Unfortunately he passed away in 1965 at the age of 39 of silicosis.

[kunthalavarali]

I had listened to one of her last concerts held in Secunderabad in 1956. She was accompanied by MSG and Palghat Kunjumani (If my memory is right). She had developed her own style of singing by then.

[cmlover]

An irreparable loss to CM.
She was the gift to CM by MMI and had she survived she would have dominated the field even above the Women Trinity (MS, DKP, MLV)

[cacm]

MMI was so upset he did not perform in public for a month. VKV

[madhuramachandran]

Hello all,

My grandmother's sister is savithri ganesan and my patti used to sing along with her. We are trying to find out if anybody has her songs and are not able to get any. I was very surprised to find out this page when I did a search for my savithri patti.
One small information, I can confirm that dance ranjani ganesan is not savithri patti's daughter. She had two children and one of them died with her in the accident and her son died much later.
If you do have any recordings of savithri patti, please let me know.

Thanks
madhu