Tag: ragamalika
Carnatic in Corona Times – Episode 11
Sometimes it seems like solace doesn’t come from people around us and we may have to seek it elsewhere. When I was talking to a friend’s mom (who’s in her eighties) she spoke of “kali yuga” as the cause of our travails. It reminded me of a song by Purandaradasa about Dasavathara, the ten incarnations of Vishnu. The song is presented as a ragamalika with … Continue reading Carnatic in Corona Times – Episode 11
Carnatic in Corona Times – Episode 10
As we are now staying home, many of us are reading while others are listening to stories. One of the stories that have stayed with me from childhood is that of Anjaneya or Hanuman. Just as the armies of Rama reached the southern tip of India and wanted someone to cross the ocean towards Lanka, Hanuman stood there for a moment doubting himself. Then he … Continue reading Carnatic in Corona Times – Episode 10
Rama Nama Ratnahara (Ragamalika) – Purandaradasa
Thiruvaimozhi – First Four Verses
Like the sun dispels darkness in the world, Nammalzhwar’s Thiruvaimozhi shines a light that dispels the darkness of ignorance within us. Here are the first four verses from the 1st decad of the Thiruvaimozhi rendered as a viruttam. Continue reading Thiruvaimozhi – First Four Verses
Kaalai & Maalai – Morning & Evening
In this Tamil poem by Bharathidasan, the poet describes the beauty of nature in the morning and evening. Continue reading Kaalai & Maalai – Morning & Evening
Dancing with Krishna
Dasa Sahitya refers to the songs composed by the devotees of Krishna or Hari in Kannada. The word “dasa” means servant and the Haridasas (servants of Hari) spread the word of God through their musical compositions. Here is a composition of PrasannaTheerth in the form of a ragamalika. Continue reading Dancing with Krishna
In Pursuit of Lord Krishna
“I came running towards you Kanna” In this beautiful composition in raga Dharmavati, the 20th century composer Ambujam Krishna describes a devotee’s love towards Lord Krishna. The lyrics are nuanced and rich in imagery. The ragamalika preceding the song is a verse taken from the paasurams of Thiruppaan Alvar where the saint describes the beauty of Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam. Continue reading In Pursuit of Lord Krishna
Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words. Robert Frost In this series of blog posts on Tamil poetry, we will look at the works of different poets beginning with Subramaniya Bharathi. The word that comes to my mind when I think of Subramaniya Bharathi is fireball. His poetry reflected the fire burning in his soul. His powerful words … Continue reading
Shri Chakra Raja Simhasaneshwari – A Ragamalika
This post is about the song, Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneshwari praising the mother Goddess. It is a ragamalika composed by Agastya and the words are in Sanskrit and Tamil. The story perhaps apocryphal is that Agastya was initiated into the Srividya tradition (Devi worship) by the deity Vishnu appearing in the form of Hayagriva. The practice of Sri Chakra involves the worship of the … Continue reading Shri Chakra Raja Simhasaneshwari – A Ragamalika
Chitra Srikrishna 