• Why is it that every time I want to catch a MTC bus, I reach the bus stop just in time to see the bus leaving?

• Why is it that every time I go to a shop where a sale upto 50% is on, the dresses I choose have only a 5% discount or worse, no discount?

• Why is it that some people forget that two people are actually supposed to sit in a two seater in a bus? If you are sitting on the window seat and move a little to give place, they sit so comfortably that you will eventually find yourself squeezed in narrow space.

• Why is it that some people who have their umbrellas open, hold it at such a low height that every time a person under an umbrella passes by you, you need to bend down in fear of getting hit by it?

T M Krishna – Vocal
Akkarai Subhalakshmi – Violin
Arun Prakash – Mridangam
B S Purushottaman – Khanjira

Where & When? – Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium (Brahma Gana Sabha) on 5th December

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

Songs List:
1. Terateeyagarara – Gowlipantu – Swarams at Terateeyagarara
2. Sri Valli – Natabhairavi – Started at Anupallavi (Devata saarvabhouma)
3. Amba Neelayadakshi – Nilambari – Alapana
4. Sabapathikku – Abhogi
5. Enduku Dayaradura – Todi – Alapana, Neraval & swarams at Tyagaraja Vinuta taaraka charita (Main piece of the concert)
6. Bogeendra Sayeenam – Kuntalavarali
7. Janaranjani RTP – Pallavi: Paahimaam Sri Rajajeshwari in Kandajathi triputa Taalam – Swarams in Varali, Sahana, Mukhari, Janaranjani
8. Rama Jogi – Khamas
9. Pittham theLiya – Senchurutti
10. Vande Mataram – Desh – Raaga outline of Desh
11. Mangalam/Nee Naamarupamulaku – Sowrashtram
12. Shriya Kaantaaya – Surutti
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T M Krishna – Vocal
Ganesh Prasad – Violin
Mannargudi Easwaran – Mridangam
Purushottaman – Khanjira

Where & When? – Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on 3rd December

Concert Duration: 2 hrs

Songs list:
1. Nada Tanumanisam – Chittaranjani – Swarams at Sadyojatadi
2. Paahi Sri – Ananda Bhairavi – Raaga outline, Swarams at Paahi Sri
3. Manavyala – Nalinakanti
4. Tyagaraja Palayasumam Sri – Gowlai – Alapana, Neraval at Yogadi Sri
5. Sevikka Vendum – Andolika
6. Mohanam – Ra Ra Rajeeva Lochana – Alapana, Swarams at Ra Ra (Main piece of the concert)
7. Shatakaram (shloka) – Ragamalika (Varali, Kapi,?, Behag)
Smarajanaka – Behag
8. Kaana vendaamo – Sri Ranjani
9. Krishnam Kalaya Sakhi – Mukhari
10. Vaazhiya Senthamizh – Madhyamavati
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T M Krishna – Vocal
Sriram Parasuram – Violin
Umayalpuram K Sivaraman – Mridangam
Sree Sundarkumar – Khanjira

Where & When? – Narada Gana Sabha on 2nd December

Concert Duration: 2 hrs

Songs list:
1. Varnam – Sri Raagam
2. Munu Ravana – Todi – Raaga outline – Swarams at Raja raja
3. Tyagarajaya Namaste – Begada – 7 min Alapana, Swarams at Tyagarajaya
4. Velaiyya Dayavillaya – Saveri
5. Upacharamulanu – Bhairavi – 11 min Alapana, Neraval at Kapata nataka (Main piece of the concert)
6. Modijesi Velara – Khamas
7. Sringaram (viruttam) – Ragamalika – Mayamalavagowlai (Veeram), Sahana (Karunyam), Hamir Kalyani (Hasyam), Atana (Rowdram), Jonpuri (Shantam)
Sapashya – Jonpuri
8. Nadandha KaalgaL nondha – Sindhu Bhairavi
9. Was a raaga outline of Surutti sung by TMK at the end??
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Sanjay Subrahmanyan – Vocal
S Varadarajan – Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam
Anirudh Athreya – Khanjira

When & Where? – Music Academy Mini Hall on 1st December

Songs list:
1. Sami nee rammanave – Kedaram
2. Bhavanuta naa hridayamuna – Mohanam (Swarams at Bhavanuta)
3. Nee madhi – Ananda Bhairavi
4. NaaDaaDina maata – Janaranjani (Neraval & Swarams at talaku vaccina bAdha talapAgaku – hope the lyrics is correct)
5. Korina Varamosagu – Ramapriya (Neraval at Sari Vaariko)
6. KaaNa kaNNaayiram – Nilambari
7. Raa Raa Raghuveera – Atana
8. Shantamulekha – Sama (Swarams at Shantamu) (Main piece of the concert)
9. Vishweswar Darshan kar – Raagamalika (Sindhu Bhairavi and two other raagams I couldn’t identify at that time)
10. Haritasulu vedale – Yamun Kalyani
11. Pittam theLiya – Senchurutti
12. Mangalam – Sowrashtram
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“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that took our breath away!”

– This quote that almost all of us would have got in forward mails, is a favourite of mine.

Since I wanted to know whose quote it was, I did a Google search came to know from here that the original quote was:

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by every moment that takes your breath away”

The original is good too.

Akkarai Sisters – Subhalakshmi & Swaranalatha – Violin duet
Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan – Mridangam
S Karthick – Ghatam

When & where? – Dakshinamurthy Auditorium on 29th November

This happens to be the first concert of the Sisters I am going to. I went to this concert too only an hour after the concert had started. In complete contrast to the previous concert, this time I was the only one sitting on a whole row. So I was able to enjoy the concert without any disturbances. The sisters were playing swarams in Latangi when I reached. Here’s the partial song list: (As usual, in case anyone knows the full list, please do let me know)

1. Mariveregati – Latangi
2. Manavyala – Nalinakanti
3. Mariveregati – Ananda Bhairavi
4. Sankarabharanam – (didn’t know the song!) – the main piece of the concert
5. Kalai amudam – Neelamani – composed by the sisters’ grandfather, Sivasubramania Pillai
6. Sindhu Bhairavi (don’t remember the song)
7. Tillana – don’t remember the raaga

While all the alapanas were played by Subhalakshmi, Swarnalatha joined her in playing the songs and occasionally swarams. Apart from Sankarabharanam and Ananda Bhairavi alapana, a raga sketch was played for Nalinakanti and Sindhu Bhairavi.

The Sisters played quite well and I am looking forward to attending more concerts of theirs in the future.

Nithyasree Mahadevan – Vocal
Raghavendra Rao – Violin
I. Sivakumar – Mridangam
S Karthick – Ghatam

A few years back, I used to look forward to attending Nithyasree’s concerts. But the last season, I found her concerts boring! So this concert on last Wednesday was the first concert of hers that I went to this year. I reached the venue (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan) at 8 pm, a good one hour after the concert started, knowing well that I won’t get a place to sit. Nithaysree had just started singing an alapana of Abheri, yet another favourite raagam of mine.
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