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To enjoy unlimited reading of Sruti online LETTERS Subscribe to Magzter GOLD For queries, contact [email protected] or log in and chat with a representative on www.magzter.com SRUTI BOX Chat lines are open 24x7. Ragamalika mangalam signature ‘Sri Krishna vinuta’ at the A young Krishnamurthy had beginning of the last charanam. accompanied his guru for the latter’s I read with interest the article on concert at the Sringeri Sarada Mangalam by Sivapriya Krishnan in S. Sankaranarayanan Peetham in Karnataka. Barely a the July issue of Sruti. It is a good Mettupalayam couple of hours before the concert, informative essay on the subject. Nellai Krishnamurthy Muthiah Bhagavatar was inspired to Several years ago, All India Radio, compose a kriti on the Jagadguru of Chennai, had broadcast a feature on The article on Nellai T.V. Krishna Sringeri and taught it to his disciple ‘Ragamalika’ which included five murthy by C. Ramakrishnan deserves . The kriti was Jagadguro dayanidhe ragamalika compositions, all rendered compliments for its well compiled Sree Sankara Siva krite (Athana raga, in chorus. The last piece was a biographical account, elegantly Roopaka tala), which the duo sang unique ragamalika mangalam in portraying the many facets of the in the concert in the presence of the eleven ragas composed by artist. Sringeri pontiff Sri Chandrasekhara Krishnaswamy Iyer (better known as Bharati. After the concert, the The maestro was once honoured by the composer of Amba Paradevate). Jagadguru enquired about his disciple T.N. Seshagopalan, under the aegis of He has dedicated it to his ishta devata, from Muthiah Bhagavatar and the Gurukrupa Trust at the Bangalore Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai. blessed young Krishnamurthy, Its pallavi, anupallavi and the first Gayana Samaja, in Bengaluru. Despite predicting a bright future in his charanam are set in Khamas, and his illhealth, Nellai Krishnamurthy musical journey. the following ten charanams in attended the event and delivered a Anil Murthy Nata, Gaula, Varali, Sree, Arabhi, short speech, reminiscing his guru Bengaluru Neelambari, Vasanta, Surati, Muthiah Bhagavatar’s prowess as A query Saurashtram and Madhyamavati— a vaggeyakara. He recounted an the last four ragas are traditionally incident which in a way seemed like Who wrote Radhasameta Krishna considered mangala ragas. The pallavi a spiritual grace behind the valuable popularised and recorded by GNB? starts with the words ‘Mangalam, opportunities he got in future to mould My usual guide Index of Songs in mangalam Meenakshikku jaya his musical career in a constructive South Indian Music by Prof. Gowri mangalam’. He has mentioned his manner. Kuppuswamy and Dr. M. Hariharan (R.R. Publishing Corp. Delhi 110052, 1981) says it is Jayadeva’s, sourcing it to the collection of songs with the UBSCRIBERS LEASE OTE editors. This is wrong, it is not in the S , P N Geeta Govinda. v If you do not receive Sruti by the 25th of every month, Decades ago, GNB’s son G.B. Dorai inform us immediately by email at swamy identified the composer but [email protected] unfortunately I cannot recollect it now. He added a rider: “Many so that we can send you a replacement copy. think it is a composition of GNB, but v it is not. He composed many songs For complaints received within the next month, the and he taught a few to some of his replacement copy will be sent after deducting postage. students, but he never sang them v Please note that postage and the cost of issue on stage.” will be deducted It strikes me now. Is it possible that if complaint is received after two months. GNB tuned another’s lyric? I wonder who can unravel this mystery now! 6 l SRUTI September 2019 The recording companies of that day, Wodeyar was an exceptional musician from Yadu originated the Yadu HMV and Columbia, omitted the and a patron of Western classical dynasty aka Yaduvamsa. Lord lyricists’ and tunesmiths’ names for music. Krishna hails from this lineage. A classical recordings to skip paying Ashok Madhav number of Saurashtra royalty like royalty. This continued till the time by email Kutch, Gondal, Morvi, are Kotada of Annamacharya Sankeertanams Sangani are Yaduvamsi. For the recorded by M.S. Subbulakshmi. For the record record, the Wodeyars of Mysore hail I read the articles published in from this lineage. The community V.A.K. Ranga Rao which abounds in north India with Chennai Sruti, on the Maharaja of Mysore, Jayachamaraja Wodeyar as a birth Yadav surnames does not belong to Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar centenary tribute. The articles by the kshatriya clan of either race as S.N. Shastry, V. Raghavan and delineated above. I enjoyed reading the centenary tribute Sudharani Raghupathy were well Thus the aspersions cast on the to maharaja Jayachamarajendra written and nostalgic too! However, private life of the royal couple is a Wodeyar in the July issue of I was deeply distressed after reading figment of the mind. Sruti. S.N. Shastry has written an the article His Life was not a bed of The separation between the first informative article on the life, music roses, written by Sriram V in the July couple took place after a few years of and contributions of the composer 2019 issue. king. happy married life during which they Though it is below my dignity to had a long European sojourn with It is interesting that Jayachamarajendra traverse what has been said in the the rest of the family in 1939 and she Wodeyar and his sister, article, yet I would be failing in my became the Maharani in 1940. There Vijayarajammani Devi grew up duty if I don’t do so at least for the are romantic accounts by Mysore in an environment surrounded by sake of the great soul! The writer Vasudevacharya in his books about Carnatic, Hindustani and Western says: “First Her Highness it was the jugalbandi of piano and violin music. Wodeyar became a good rumoured, refused to consummate between the couple, wafting down the composer in Carnatic music having the marriage on discovering that the corridors of the palace daily. composed close to 100 kritis. Wodeyars were of the Yadava caste, Lastly, when for personal reasons they and therefore inferior to her....” This Before his coronation, Wodeyar made separated, she was given a mansion in comment is in bad taste! a trip to Switzerland. There he met Jaipur, popularly known as Mysore Sergei Rachmaninoff and expressed In Hindu mythology, the Lunar House. She never lived in the Summer an interest to become his student. dynasty (Chandravamsi or Soma Palace after separation as stated in During this trip, Wodeyar happened vamsi) is one of the three principal the article. She came to Mysore only to listen to the works of Nikolai houses of the kshatriya varna, or after the privy purse was abolished, Medtner, a Russian composer. warrior–ruling caste. Wadiyars are due to financial constraints, and it was Though Wodeyar never met the Chandravamsi. According to the then she stayed off and on. She left composer, he was so much enamoured puranas, Brahma is selfborn in the Mysore and returned to Jaipur after a of his music that he sponsored lotus flower which grew from the while only to return when Maharani recordings of his works. In fact, he navel of Vishnu at the beginning of Tripurasundarammanni passed away in 1982, but she died before she formed the Medtner Society in 1949 the universe. Brahma created by reached the palace. to popularise his music. the power of his will the Saptarishis to assist him in the creation of the More such kitsch is written but I will Another interesting episode is that universe. Atri Muni was one of them rest my case without much more the aging Richard Strauss wrote Four and his wife Anasuya, bore three ado. This should, to some extent, Last Songs, and expressed his wish famous sons: Dattatreya, Durvasa and make amends to the damage done in 1949 that the prominent soprano, Soma. The handsome Soma and Tara to the immortal memory of the late Kirsten Flagstad should render it. had a son called Budha. Suryavamsi Maharaja. However, Richard Strauss passed Manu’s daughter Ila fell in love with Raja Chandra away soon after. Coming to know of Budha, and they had a son named by email the composer’s last wish, Wodeyar Pururuva who later became emperor was magnanimous enough to send a and established Prayag as his capital. Sangita Kalanidhi title generous amount for a live recording The Pururuva dynasty was called Sangita Kalanidhi award—how of the soprano to perform under the “Yela” (derived from mother Ila). Nobel? The editorial on the Sangita baton of Wilhelm Furtwangler. Yadu is one of his descendants and Kalanidhi award in the August 8 l SRUTI September 2019 issue of Sruti was timely. The award Chennaibased musicians because the present generation, which includes instituted in 1942, is considered as an many times the significant contribution more than 30 Sangita Kalanidhis. Oscar for Indian classical music and of musicians from the neighbouring R.K. Padmanabha, an able teacher, at par with the Nobel prize. Sangita states of Karnataka, Kerala and administrator, organiser and the main Kalanidhi, like any other award Andhra have gone unnoticed. The architect behind the tamburashaped of its stature, is also fraught with last time the Sangita Kalanidhi title temple at Rudrapatna (a tiny musical controversies. was conferred on a musician from village near Hassan) who has a huge Karnataka, was in 1995, when vidwan The Nobel Committees, while following of fans and students across R.K. Srikantan received the award. honouring many meritorious the globe, richly deserves the title.