There are many facets to love and when we talk about the special bond between a mother and child, Yashodha and her famous son Krishna comes to mind. The stories that describe the relationship and interplay between them are well-known. There are several songs in different languages by famous composers centred around this theme that I had a hard time picking out a few. In … Continue reading Yashodha & Krishna – Mother & Child
Annamacharya on Advaita “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players” said the bard of Avon in the 16th century. Nearly a hundred years earlier, Annamacharya in one of his songs nAnATi patuku nATakamu says this life is a play. The 15th-century Telugu composer lay down the structure of carnatic songs or krithis that we hear today. His devotion to Venkateshwara, the presiding deity … Continue reading Annamacharya, Anandabhairavi, Adi Talam
From Annamacharya to Kshetrayya, Narayana Teerth and Purandaradasa, pre-trinity composers have created a corpus of compositions that resonate with both audiences and musicians all over the world. Let us celebrate the works of these great composers on the 14th of December in an event organized by Shruthi Laya. I will be giving a concert on the works of these composers at 5 pm. Details of … Continue reading Concert on Pre-Trinity Composers – 14th Dec NYC
I will be giving a concert on the compositions of pre-trinity composers on Saturday the 14th of December 4 pm in New York. This concert is part of an annual day celebration of the composers organized by Shruti Laya. Details are available here. Continue reading Concert in NYC – Pre-Trinity Compositions
Recently I was reading Pavan Verma’s Adi Shankaracharya which gives an account of the life history of the mystic and a glimpse of Shankara’s Advaita philosophy. “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players” said the bard of Avon in the 16th century. Nearly a hundred years earlier, Annamacharya in one of his songs nAnATi patuku nATakamu says this life … Continue reading Advaita in Annamacharya’s words
Here are some popular Carnatic compositions on Goddess Lakshmi. Mahalakshmi – Dikshithar 2. Shri Varalakshmi – Dikshithar 3. Mathim Dehi – Vaanamalai Jeer Swamy 4. Bhagyada Lakshmi Baaramma – Purandaradasa 5. Mahalakshmi – Papanasam Sivan 6. Ksheerabdhi Kanyakakku – Annamacharya 7. Varalakshmi – Mysore Vasudevachari 8. Hiranmayim Lakshmim – Dikshithar A beautiful Kannada dasapada on goddess Lakshmi in the Hindustani raag Patdeep. Continue reading Carnatic Songs on Goddess Lakshmi
Chitra Srikrishna 