An inspiration is drawn by the present generation musician from GNB and it is very evident by almost so many famous artists praising about a single musician which is very rare today. Starting from Mridangam Legend, Sri. Umayalpuram K Sivaraman, T M Krishna, Sanjay Subramaniam, Lalgudi Jayaraman etc, from people who have listened to GNB live to people who listen to his cassettes and CDs talk so much about his intellectual music.  Good narration by Sri. Madhuvanthi Arun, gave a lot of information that added clarity of the viewers of the documentary about the legend.

Yes, there are only two types of singers. One is GNB and the other is rest of the world. He clearly left his foot prints for others to follow. The post GNB Era looks up to him as a bench mark. He was not only traditional but also experimental with his music. He was quick and was the king of his trade. Even before technology era started, he was a brand ambassador for radio manufacturing companies and did leave a reminder a cinema as well.

A musician who was inspired by veterans like Musiri Subramania Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Tiger Varadhachariar made a mark for himself and became a musical legend. The director and the production house deserves a pat as they bring out his musical journey very well. Yes, it indeed changed my mind set of a musical documentary.

Padma’s relationship with dance goes a long way. She has strived to keep the fiery passion of dance alive, hoping the fire would catch on to those around her. But her commitment towards the art is far beyond her talent alone. She has done immense research in this versatile field, the result of which is the well known “Karana Prakaranam”. The “Karana Prakaranam” portrays dance as a language. And by language, I clearly mean it has syntax, semantics, codes, grammar and deep meaning. This language is common to the continent of Asia, especially India.

This particular work of Padma’s, serves as a guide to train the body, through a pedagogy system rooting from the universally followed dance code. The exquisite piece comprises of 108 Karanas (the basic units of dance) and Marga (grammar), portrayed with relevant sculptures dispersed through out it. The superimposition of the sculptures over Padma’s movements seem to convince the viewer that karanas are not mere poses, but intricate and graceful movements, with the ‘conjoining of hands and feet in dance’ in perfect conformity to the tenets of the Natyasastra.

Choreographed by Jatayu Moksham, this piece sends out a distinct message – “One can march from the past to the future, allowing for abundance of creativity without the loss of one’s aesthetic roots”.

Padma’s cross cultural research allows us to perceive dance in a more broader and respectable light. Having received numerous awards for her contributions and talent, she continues to keep the flame of dance burning bright.

Your “I wish I could” days are over because the soothing lighting and aesthetic ambience that attracts us music lovers to theatres has been brought live to you on screen in the name of “Margazhi Raagam”. This special collector’s edition DVD has not only attracted national audiences but international too.

The presentation and digital technology used has given it an elite touch, bringing out the real essence of the concerts performed. The ravishing performance of  T.M Krishna and Bombay Jayashri keeps the viewers aghast. It has been said by the U.S  Consul-General Mr. Andrew T Simkin that “Margazhi Raagam” was one of the most unique ways to kindle the interest in the carnatic music tradition, internationally. He felt the technology that was used in the movie was exceptional and the clarity of the performance was as good as digital films in the making.

The famous director, Mr Mani Ratnam has voiced out that the experience was entirely new and enriching. The most challenging part about creating such a film was to mould the visual element into the music. “ An audio that has high ratings is obviously expected to have an equally if not a better video to support it”, he said.

Feature films are definitely a good way to promote art and performance, this movie being a trendsetter in encouraging more performing arts to take up cinema as their medium of promotion.

GNB

GNB had done nearly 250 compositions in sanskrit, Telugu and Tamil in traditional and his own invented ragas like Chandrahasita, Sivasakti, Amrita Behag, etc., Seventy Five  had been published. Apart from Professional Singing GNB was a perfect gentleman and a man of values and ethics. He used to return the nominal honoraria he got from the Music Academy as donation. A further feature of his concerts was that he would review the performances of his accompanists and his own. His joy would be immense at the excellence of others. He was always a great source of encouragement to budding musicians who got enormous and vital inputs from him.GNB was a multifaceted personality. He played the lead role of Dushyant in the famous Tamil film ‘Sakuntala’ in which another great musician, M.S.Subbulakshmi was the heroine. He had played the role of ‘Narada’ in the films Bhama Vijayam and Sathi Anasuya. Udayanan, Vasavadatha is another film in which he had acted.  He was also an ardent fan of Ustad Bismillah Khan.

Sangeethamrutham is a scintillating collection of GNB’s masterpieces. The album is  further beautified by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman’s Violin and  Palghat Raghu’s Mridangam. An artistic portrayal of Abogi followed by an excellent exposition of Kalyani, are added attractions of this album. The Album encompasses four discs containing several evergreen hits as Ninukori(Varnam) , Vatapo Ganapathim. he Ragamalika Viruttam is soul Stirring. The specialty of this concert is the coming together of the three Legends of Carnatic music. The soul-stirring melodies of Thyagaraja simply purify the heart of the listener thereby rendering complete peace and harmony.

This Album has been facilitated for release by G.B.Bhuvaneswaran (son of G.N.Balasubramaniam) and Krishna Gana Sabha during the Birth Centenary Celebration of G.N.B conducted by the Sabha on 24/10/2009.

He gave a lot of attention to all aspects of Carnatic music while singing such as perfect articulation of lyrics, sruthi suddha, bhavam, innovation and creativity. He has given concerts both in India and abroad and has charmed music lovers all over the world with his brilliant spell of music. His hold over the classical music and his sweet voice enthralled his audience and won him a lot of disciples both in India and North America.

Some of his best performances have been compiled in to “Varistha – K.V. Narayanaswamy – DVD”. K.V. Narayanaswamy and the great Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman have come together in this album to take the listeners on a musical journey which leaves them with a sweet after taste.  V.V.Ravi on the violin and T.V.Vasan on the Ghatam support the two legendary musicians in their own individual way giving it an edge.

The songs in this album are Thyagaraja compositions that were sung in a concert held under the auspices of Sri Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam, Mylapore. The song “Sogasuga mridanga” is something to watch out for. K.V. Narayanaswamy and Mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman have surpassed their own musical skills in this master piece. All the songs in this series merit a standing ovation from both the audience and connoisseurs.

This album that presents a collection of some of the best songs in exquisite ragas rendered in the captivating voice of the legendary K.V. Narayanaswamy is truly a treat for all music lovers.

Smt. Nithyasree Mahadevan comes from a family of musicians; her paternal grandmother late D.K. Pattammal has a lot of laurels to her name and her authority on Muthuswami Dikshitar’s kritis and Papanasam Sivan compositions is unquestionable. Nithyasree Mahadevan has carried on her grandmother’s legacy and has sung a lot of Papanasam Sivan’s compositions.

A lot was expected from Nithyasree as a result of her background and she has more than lived up to her audience expectations. Her clear high pitched voice has enabled her to extend her music to various other genres such as devotional music, patriotic music and even playback singing.

Nityashree has always managed to balance her celebrity status in the film industry and her carnatic career. An extremely popular song ‘Kannodu Kaanbadellam’ in the movie Jeans marked Nithyasree’s entry in to playback singing. After such a great start, it was to be expected that she would get many more offers. She has been extremely successful as a playback singer while retaining her strong hold on Carnatic music and has done justice to both.

She has released over a 100 albums which have been a commercial success because of the perfection she imparts in to her music. The latest album by Nithyasree is the Sri Devi Yagna, a series of 8 volumes of songs composed by Sri Yagnesa Maharishi. It gives a lot of knowledge about the universe and praises the various forms and aspects of Sri Devi. Such wisdom rendered in the divine voice of Nithyasree accounts to a delightful experience for a listener.

Nithyasree Mahadevan has been successful in bringing out not just audience satisfaction but delight. She has performed in a number of concerts and sabhas all over the world and has won the hearts of many across the globe. The number of awards and titles that she has received over the years is a proof enough of her accomplishments in the world of music.

It all started in the year 1927, when the Madras Music Academy was opened. It was the Madras Music Academy that came with the idea of a month long musical season which is now famously known as the December Music Season. It is considered one of the world’s largest Music Festival that allows the various musicians to showcase their talents. The events that take place in this season range from traditional Classical Music performance, Harikatha narration to playing various instruments like Saxophone, Mandolin, Flute, Nadaswaram etc.

Every year, a large number of well known and upcoming musicians perform in these concerts conducted by the music sabhas across Chennai. The music lovers get a chance to listen to their favorite krithis and devotional songs being sung live by their favorite Carnatic singers, each in their own style. These concerts also involve interaction between the musicians and the audience where in the audience can ask questions related to music.

This music season is important not only to the music fans but also to the musicians. It gives upcoming musicians a chance to display their hold on Carnatic music. An opportunity to give a concert in a sabha during the December Music season is something no musician would be ready to give up as it is extremely prestigious to perform during this music season.

All ardent Carnatic music lovers eagerly await the beginning of December so that they can get immersed in this music fuelled frenzy. If you happen to be in Chennai during December, do not miss these concerts!

The legent

Besides his professional career, Shri.Sivaraman has also done original research in Mridangam. His analysis of the ingredients of the black patch has given much insight on the overtones produced by different strokes on the mrudangam. Sivaraman was also a regular contributor to Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha’s (Bombay) Journal, Bhavan’s Journal; Vadya Kala. He has also given numerous lecture demonstrations at He has given lecture demonstrations at The Music Academy, Madras; Tamil Nadu Isai Kalluri; University of Madras; National Museum, New Delhi; Sri Shanmukhananda Sabha, Bombay; Indira Kala Viswa Vidyalaya, Khiragarh; The Conservatorium of Music, The University of Sydney; and in the United States of America etc.

He was conferred the award ‘Padmashri’ by the Government of India in 1988. Sivaraman has completed more than 50 years of service to Carnatic music. His Services are ever remembered and cherished and he stands as a perfect epitome to the upcoming Music Enthusiasts.

He had made several foreign tours and had given concerts in the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Egypt and Britain and other European countries.

Suryanarayana was awarded the Karnataka Rajyotsava award by the Devaraj Urs Government in 1976. Among the titles he had received were Nadajyoti, Kalapurna, Veenavadana Gandharva, and Veena Chakravarthi.

Kalakendra has released the Veena Lessons 5 DVD pack of Shri R K Suryanarayana’s Vara Veena DVD. Just visit Kalakendra.com and get the Original DVDs from them and find more Carnatic Music DVDs, VCDs, Audio Cds.