Travelling by bus at 7:00 in the morning through the roads of T.Nagar, which, by the way, is where I stay now, I pass by some of the once-very-familiar streets and roads. My memories go back in time to when, as a kid, I travelled on the same roads on a rickshaw to go to school. North Usman Road, Habibullah Road, Periyar Road, Thirumalai Pillai Road, G.N.Chetty Road, Jeeva Park, Dr. Nair Road, cutting across Pondy Bazaar to reach Thanikachalam Road. The roads would be as empty back then as they are at 7 in the morning now. I used to commute in a non-motorized rickshaw when I was studying in kindergarten and later in a motor rickshaw, that too in what was called a ‘kooNDu rickshaw’. Today, rickshaws are almost extinct.
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iniya puttANDu nalvAzhttukkaL!

If you thought this countdown is for yet another Sanjay’s or a T.M.Krishna’s concert or the release of an ARR’s album or something related to Mani Ratnam’s movies, you are wrong. If you are one of those long-term readers of this blog and are smirking thinking that this is going to be one of those once-upon-a-time-frequently-posted cryptic posts where till the end I never revealed what or whom I was writing about(I miss writing posts like that! They were good stress-busters indeed!), then you are wrong too.

This countdown is for something that is going to bring a big change in my life. The moment I say change, I know the direction some of your thoughts will immediately turn to and yes, for once, you are right. I am getting married on March 24th! It is yet to really sink in that I am now about begin a new chapter in my life with a new family, new relationships and a lot more changes!

There are a lot of things that I want to write about the wedding preparations, the loads of shopping that I have been doing for the last few months and lots more. Bidding adieu to you all till I get back with all that in a few weeks time!

I recently had to take up some certification. Which meant there was quite a bit of studying to do and that meant what else but having Rahman’s songs for company! The best part about studying for exams for the last several years has been experiencing not just the beauty, but also the motivating power of Rahman’s music! As I listened to song after song uninterrupted, as always, I was transported to that blissful, magical state which only Rahman’s music does and which you can only experience & not describe ever!
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On 26th December at Rani Seethai Hall (Kalarasana)

Accompanists:
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam
K.V. Gopalakrishnan – Khanjira

Concert Duration: 3 hrs 20 min

List of Songs:
1. evvarE (varNam) – sahAnA – aTa
2. marivErE – Anandabhairavi – swarams at marivErE
3. tyAgaraja pAlayASumAm – gowLai – AlApana
4. vENugAna – kEdAragowLai – AlApana; neraval and swarams at vikasita
5. vA vElavA – tAnarUpi – khanDa cApu
6. dhArini – suddha saveri – adi – swarams at dhAriNi
tani Avartanam
7. tAyE EzhaipAl – bhairavi – Adi – rAgA outline
8. rAgam tAnam pallavi – pantuvarALi
kANAmal vITTilE kAlam kazhippOmE sEnADar pORRum tillaiyai – khaNDa jAti tripuTa 2 kaLai
swarams in mALavi, suddha danyAsi, priyadarshiNi, nAgavalli, jOg
9. kANa vENDum – suruTTi – misra cApu
10. kanduga (viruttam – verses of Thaiyumanavar) – kAmbhOji, kAnaDA, mOhanam, senchuruTTi angai koDumalar – rAgamAlikA (senchuruTTi, nAdanAmakriyA) – misra jampai
11. tillAnA – sindhu bhairavi – Adi – MDR – rAgA outline
12. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram
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On 25th December, 2010 at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha

Accompanists:
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Patri Satish Kumar – Mridangam
Bangalore Rajasekar – Morsing

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

List of Songs:
1. varNam – hamsadhwani – Adi
2. karikaLAbha mukham – sAvEri – rAgA outline
3. sarasa sAmadana – kApinArAyaNi – Adi – AlApana; neraval and swarams at hitamu mATalentO
4. ennEramum (with extra caraNams pancAkSara, sIla maruvum) – dEvagAndhAri – brief AlApana
5. kaligiyuNTE – kIravANi – Adi – AlApana; swarams at bAguga
tani Avartanam
6. telisi rAma – pUrNacandrikA – swarams at rAma ani
7. RTP – hamsadhwani
pallavi: bagavan mudaRRe ulagu Adi – Adi
8. karpUram – khamAs – khanDa cApu
9. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram
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On 23rd December at The Music Academy

Accompanists:
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Guruvayur Dorai – Mridangam
Trichy K. Murali – Ghatam

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

List of Songs:
1. sariyO nI seyyum (varNam) – bEgAdA – adi – rAgA outline
2. vinAyakA vigna nASakA – vegavAhini – rUpakam – swarams at vinAyakA
3. ninnu sEvincina – yadukula kAmbhOji – misra cApu – AlApana
4. appA nAn – pUrvi kalyANi – khaNDa cApu – AlApana; neraval at tappEdu nAn seiyinum nI poruttal vENDum
5. mahA tripurasundari – bhairavi – rUpakam – AlApana; neraval at amba kamanIya maku bangAruvamma kApADuTakipudu samayamamma; swarams at kApADuTakipudu
6. Emani – vIravasantam – Adi
7. rAgam tAnam pallavi – suruTTi
Pallavi: jAlamE seivadazhagAgumA vadivelA en mEl – Adi (2 kaLai)
pallavi in hamIr kalyANi, sahAnA, shaNmukhapriyA
tani Avartanam
8. Srtva guNAt (Slokam) followed by bansi wAlE – mOhanam – Adi
9. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram
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On 22nd December, 2010 at Balamandir German Hall (The Indian Fine Arts Society)

Accompanists:
V.Sanjeev – Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam

Concert Duration: 2 hrs 15 min

List of Songs:
1. siva lOka – mAyAmaLavagowLai – rUpakam – rAgA outline; swarams at siva lOka
2. evarikai – dEvamanOhari – misra cApu
3. kAru bAru – mukhAri – Adi – AlApana
4. tiruvaDi saraNam – kAmbhOji – Adi – neraval at aDuttu vanda ennai
5. nAgagAndhAri – nAgagAndhAri – Adi – brief AlApana
6. RTP – bhahudhAri
Pallavi: kandanaDi avar enakku sondamaDi vaLLi manALanaDi – Adi 2 kaLai
swarams in varALi, yAgapriyA, hamsAnandi
tani Avartanam
7. pAyum oLi (viruttam followed by the song) – miSra khamAj – Eka
8. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram
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On 20th December, 2010 at Narada Gana Sabha

Accompanists:
S.Varadarajan – Violin
Neyveli Venkatesh – Mridangam
S.Karthick – Ghatam

Concert Duration: 2.5 hrs

List of Songs:
1. maguva (varNam) – nArayaNagowLai – aTa
2. sAmagIta – gowLai – Adi – swarams at sAmagIta
3. rAga ratna – rItigowLai – rUpakam – AlApana; neraval and swarams at pADe kIrtanamu
4. ennaDu – kalAvati – Adi
5. buddhi rAdu – SankarAbharaNam – misra cApu – AlApana; swarams at bhaktula, amrita, vAgamrita
6. RTP – hindOLam
pallavi: Ananda naTana prakASam citsabhESam AshrayAmi – Adi 2 kaLai
pallavi in Anandabhairavi, hamsAnandi, kEdAram
swarams in hindOLam alone
tani Avartanam
7. pAril uyarnda (viruttam) – kAmbhOji, danyAsi, sahAnA, paTdIp
en tAi vAzhenum – paTdIp – Adi
8. kANi nilam – rAgamAlikA (hamsadhwani, bhAgESri, sindhubhairavi) – Adi
9. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram
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Wishing A.R.Rahman a very happy birthday!