You thought you knew all about Carnatic music, this might add to it
Did you Know?
• The finest compliment anyone can pay for a musician came from Jawaharlal Nehru. After a concert by M.S. Subbulakshmi, he exclaimed, “Who am I, a mere prime minister, before this queen of song?”
Did you Know?
The legendary Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar once gave a concert in Bombay, as the city was then known. He dedicated each song to a temple town about which ancient composers have sung. A local fan stood up and asked him to sing about the city, knowing full well there could be no song on Bombay. Chembai didn’t think for a second. He sang: “Aadu Bombay, vilayadu Bombay,” slightly changing the Tamil word “pambe” in a song that refers to the serpent around Lord Shiva’s neck. He converted that to a song dedicated to Goddes Mahalakshmi.
Iconic singers G.N. Balasubramaniam and M.S. Subbulakshmi came together to act in a few films. They fell in love and were about to be married, when Congress leader T. Sadasivam came in to her life. Decades later, 20 letters written by MS to GNB were unearthed.
Concert Etiquette
• Men: dress in veshti (a la P. Chidambaram) and shirt. Women: Wear silk sarees and accessorise with bangles and jasmine flowers
• Switch off your mobile phone
• Don’t get up or walk out during the concert. It is insulting and distracting to the artists
• Pay attention to the rhythmic part of the concert called Thani Avarthanam
• Don’t stand and hold up the concert if the singer has disregarded your request for a particular song
• Don’t tap the beat on your lap unless you are experienced. If you miss half a beat, you will not only look ridiculous, you will distract your neighbours.
• Don’t sing loudly. A gentle hum below the radar is okay.
Filmi ragams
Use film songs to understand ragams, but beware. Composers take liberties and bend the rules. Only classical concerts can give you an authentic feel of the ragams.
• Karaharapriya
Kali Ghodi Dwaar Khadi
Chashm-e-Bud-Dur
• Sindhu Bhairavi
Mile Sur Mera Tumhara
Doordarshan song
• Mohanam
Dil Hoom Hoom Kare
Rudali
• Shivaranjani
Mere Naina Saawan Bhadon
Mehbooba
• Hameer Kalyani
Bekas Pe Karam Kijiye
Mughal-e-Azam
• Kalyani
Amma Endru Azhaikkada
Mannan – Tamil
• Shankarabharanam
Omkara Nadanu
Shankarabharanam – Telugu
• Senjurutti
En Veettu Thottathil
Gentleman - Tamil
Online Resources
• sahityam.net — A wiki of Carnatic lyrics
• carnaticindia.com — Audio and video clips to learn Carnatic basics