CARVA @ Thiruvaiyaaru 2007

One again this year as part of CARVA tradition we set out to Thiruvaiyaaru to the jeeva samadhi of Saint Thyagaraaja to pay musical homage. It was yet another soul filling experience. All this amidst the scotching heat. On the first day we were out visiting nearby temples until lunch. This time the smaller temples in and around thiruvauyaaru, unlike last year when we went for big ones.

Since we were not blessed by rain god, the afternoon went without any plans. Of course no restrictions on road cricket ;), while others beat the heat staying indoors.


Like we did last year, there was Nadaharam on saturday evening followed by vocal recital for all those who wished to.

Nandu & Deepu (darlings of CARVA) were back again with 3 songs this time. One of them (set to kamaas) was my favourite and turned out to be a treat. Amazingly crisp as they reached high pitch. Nandu's mazhalai voice was an added attraction.

As to how good they were, listen and decide for youself ;). But trust me, you wouldn't be even a wee bit disappointed :).

1. seetApatE nA manasuna (kamaas) powered by ODEO
2. nAradamuni veDalina (pantuvaraaLi) powered by ODEO
3. vandanamu raghunandanA (sahaana) powered by ODEO

Unlike last time we had three groups this year. The junior group played -

1. girirAja suthA (R:bangaaLa) powered by ODEO
2. thelisi rAma (R: poornachandrika) powered by ODEO
3. sarasa sAma dAna (R: kaapi naaraayaNi) powered by ODEO
4. ananda saagara (R: garuDadhvani) powered by ODEO
5. sara sara samarai (R: kuntala varaaLi) powered by ODEO

And then it was turn for the group to which I belonged. Although our guru had apprehensions that most of the songs were quite well paced and we as to whethere we could keep up, the accompanists came to our rescue and it turned out much better than anticipated ;). Here are the songs we played.

1. rama bakthi (R: sudda bangaaLa) powered by ODEO
2. brOva bhAramA (R: bahudaari) powered by ODEO
3. bhavanuta nA hrdayamuna (R: mOhanam) powered by ODEO
4. niravadhi sukhada (R: ravi chandrika) powered by ODEO
5. anaathuDanu gaanu (R: jingala) powered by ODEO

And finally the senior students who played the main section of the event. nagumOmu was the main piece a must listen for carnatic fans. Its a very rare opportunity to listen to our guru play and turned out to be a treat to the ears for one and all. The following were the songs played by the senior students -

1. raghunAyakA (R: hamsadwani) powered by ODEO
2. saadinchanE (R: aarabi) powered by ODEO
3. bAgAyanayya (R: chandrajyOthi) powered by ODEO
4. marugElarA O rAghavA (R: jayanthashree) powered by ODEO
5. manasA shrI (R: eesamanOhari) powered by ODEO
6. nagumOmu ganalEni (R: aabhEri) powered by ODEO
7. nenaruncinAnu (R: maaLavi) powered by ODEO
8. gandhamu puyyarugA (R: puNAgavarALi) powered by ODEO
9. seetha kalyaaNa (R: shankaraabharaNam) powered by ODEO
10. jO jO rAma (R: reeti gowLa) powered by ODEO

It is yet another memorable experience for us all. Had the sun been more relenting we could have visited more temples. Nevertheless it was loads of fun with so many kids around. The best part of this program is how much it motivates us to play much better than we do ;).

Right now I am just totally lost in this phrase from jO jO rAma - N2 S N2 D2 M1 G2 R1 P M1 G2 R2 S (not sure if I deciphered it correctly, of course with help from lil swarna). Its been running in my mind all evening :) and listened to that song countless times today. Simple, yet so mesmerizing. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to earn for a living :D to enjoy such blissful things in life, but thats far from life. Guess i'll cut it down to this for now. Loads of work to catch up. Do listen and enjoy the music (Click on the title link or here for the entire set) . Adios for now.

CARVA 2006 - A Snapshot

Group I


Group II


Group III


Group IV


Group V


Final Ensemble

CARVA to please Mr.Yeega Thandham Yaanai

CARVA offers Music to Lord Ganesha

Its Ganesh Chathurthi and the world is in celebrations with kozhakattais, bholi and other savouries on excuse of the occasion. With just a week to go for their grand violin program, CARVA is back again this year to enchant its audience. So I thought of giving a recap of the violin program performed today in honour of the birthday baby :).

The CARVA Troupe

With just eleven violins and the senior students playing all by themselves it was a very neat rendition to all present. Without a preset queue of song to play it was impromptu choice made by them which is a rare opportunity for them. The program did not go without glitches (but for one), but the spirit of taking the embarassment with a smile and making up for it was what counted in the end, esp considering it was an unrehersed event.

Engrossed to deliver

It was best part of Vinayaka Chathurthi for me, more so of the enthuse with which the whole event took place. This was followed by dinner, which I had skipped owing to other things in queue :(.

Just 6 days to go for the Grand event with the full strength of CARVA performing at Mahodhaya Hall (Stree Seva Mandir, 36, 4th Avenue, Ashok Nagar from 6:01pm) on Saturday September the 2nd. From little angels brought onto stage by elders to wield their small violin (which is awesome cute to watch) to the seniors playing krithis and one of my favourite thillana it would definitely be a treat to watch and listen in person. Of course the final ensemble with little over 100 violins is once again geared to overwhelm the audience. This is one event into which over a month's practice having gone into; you'r sure to witness them all perform at their best.

To get a feel of the grandeur and size of the event, check out pictures of CARVA 2005 festival. Best of all, the event is free for all to attend. As for music enthusiasts, I am sure this ain't an event you can miss. So spread the word and be present for an enchanting evening with these young artists.

♫ Musically Yours ♫
SamY

NadaHaram at Thiruvaiyaru

I believe its the 6th year in a row CARVA is making it to 'Saint Thyagarajar's Jeeva Samadhi' at Thiruvaiyaaru (every year during the 1st weekend of May, at the onset of agni natchatram :D this time) where during the aAradhana all the mavens of Carnatic Music pool in to express their gratitude to the saint. It was a double treat - we got to play music under the shelter of the saint's jeeva samadhi annnnd we had a mini summer vacation \:D/.

Senior Students Performing Pancharathna Krithis

The main objective of the whole trip was to play in front of the saint himself (in whatever way we could). Quite honestly it ain't all that feasible to have the experience we had during the Aaradhanai that takes place in january.

The heat was totally on but that didn't dampen, NO didn't dry up the spirits of the people. The enthusiasm was high all through the two days amidst the scortching heat. It would have been much more easy on us had the cauvery been flowing, for all that was left was the sands of the river bed.

Post dusk on the 6th was the NadaHaram (garland of nAdam), being done for the 1st time at Thyagarajar's samadhi. About 40+ students sitting around the praharam, played "hare rama hare rama" in kAnada-kalyAni-dEsh in sequence for about 15 minutes, followed by an amruthavarshini piece and then recital of a virutham - "Jayathu Jayathu' in sanskrit. This was followed with singing by students of carnatic singing.

In my opinion, these kids nandu (just 5 years old) and deepu (proly 8 years old) were the best of the lot. The confidence with which they sung was astounding, maybe not immolate but definitely fraught with confidence. Don't be surprised if you see the tabaloids talking of 'Ashok Nagar Sisters' in a decade.


This short proram was a really great experience. And then we were sitting on the sands on the shores of the cauvery, right where the Aaradhanai is conducted. Oh yeah the kids were playing kabadi and more, with their own rules ;)).

The following morning (7th) was the main event. I was part of the junior group of about 15 students, to play basic krithis. I'd say it was quite an ordinary performance. Here is the list of songs we played -

1. girirAja suthA (R: bangaaLa)
2. thelisi raama (R: poornacandrikaa)
   
3. ninuvinaa naamadi (R: navarasa kannaDa)
4. ananda saagara (R: garuDadhvani)
5. shara shara samaraika (R: kuntala varaaLi)

And then it was a display of deftness by our seniors. This was the best part of the two days. It almost felt like being at a kutcheri ;) I esp. luv'd the improvizations my guru did for the bantureeti gOlu, very enchanting it was!!! Here is the list of songs they played.

1. rAmabhakti saamrajya (R: sudda bangaaLa)
2. thuduku gala (R: gowLa)
3. banTu reeti kOlu (R: hamsanaadam) ****
4. sobillu sapthaswara (R: jaganmOhini)
5. saamajavaragamanaa (R: hindOLam) - splendid percussion
6. sseetha kalyAna (R: kurinji) ***** - amazingly pleasing rendition
7. jO jO raama (R: reeti gowLa) - I almost went into sleep

And yes, apart from all this the food was so sumptuous it felt like ambrosia. Esp. I loved that asoga sweet, an halwa which is a thiruvaiyaaru speciality *yummmmmmmmmmmmmy*. Don't miss it if you ever get to make a trip. Watching all the kids play was so satiating to the heart. Not just the kids, even their parents joined them in a cricket match. You'd have proly only heard of a walk-over, I witnessed a talk over ;)). Jeeez such cricket craze #-o.

Brihadisvara Temple

The biggest attraction was the thanjavur temple. It is said that this gOpuram is built such that its shadow will not be seen on the ground #-o. The aAvadayaar (the pedestal on which a siva lingam is mounted) was close to 6 feet and the lingam was about 25 feet, the serpent taken into considerttion it would span upto 30-35 feet. Another speciality was of course the wall paintings, which depict stories of the ancient periods, unfortunately tarnished with peoples scribblings. More than it being a temple, it almost looked like a fort to me.

And finally the Panchanadeeswarar temple, the place surrounded by 5 branches of cauveri. Enroute to the temple u'll find thavil makers all the way. Yet another one of the massive temples of marvel in the thanjavur district by the cholas. Another interesting point to note is this particular spot in the temple where from you shout the word 'aiyAra' (on of lors shiva's name) and it would echo distinctly 7 times. Unfortunately its utsavam time (over a 10 day period), so not quiet enough to notice it well. The kids had a lot of fun once they started shouting :D.

Guess a full account is gonna take me over a week to write, but time is at premium so let me cut this down here :). Adios for now ...

Gurukulam - Vijayadhasami Spl

C.A.Rajasekhar on his custom made silent Violin during our vijayadhasami preps

A feature comming up :). so keep watchin ...