A Thank You to my Rasikas
The Isai Payanam Trust was started after the success of my Isai Payanam TV show on Jaya TV bridging ragas in Classical and Film music. I started the trust to promote musical awareness among all age groups and all sections of society as well as with the aim to support charitable causes through my music.
Our ecosystem of sabhas today comprises largely a recommendation-driven nepotistic patronage network. Recommendations of senior "vidwans", critics, and self-styled "musicologists" are taken more seriously than the calibre of the artiste itself while allocation of "slots" in the Music Season. Some artistes with absolutely no voice control or even a barely serviceable singing voice are given prime-time slots at so-called prestigious venues.
Professional artistes like yours truly have to contend with such a raw deal, that it is no wonder that today Carnatic Music is fast becoming a vocation for bored housewives and girls waiting to be married. It is no wonder that professional male artistes of my generation are an endangered species. It is a pathetic situation and in nowhere else in the world are professionals forced to take stage along with a motley collection of amateurs as is done in the much hyped up "December Festival", the quality of which is deteriorating with every passing year. This is the truth about the Music Season.
The enthusiastic crowds that come to my concerts and the love I get from my rasikas is all I value and cherish; in fact it's all I have. I don't have bigwigs recommending me as their student, my respected gurus have all passed over and all I have left is their rich musical legacy, their blessings and their teachings.
The numerous emails from visitors to my blog, YouTube channel, website are instrumental in persuading me to continue performing and preserving for posterity my humble contributions to our glorious music tradition.
Thanks for being there for me.. :-) and thanks to those few organisations that have believed in me always and supported me throughout...
Dear Charu,
ReplyDeleteYou have made immense contribution to the carnatic music via Isaipayanam. You are the maanaseegha guru of many. You have the knowledge equals that of our masters, vocal cords of Violin and heart of gold. You lay no barriers, hide nothing, full of devotion, approachable and have a charitable mind. Can you name another vocalist with all of these qualities? That is why you are part of us "the rasikas". I often wonder why MMU or other December festival venues often not include the greatest. Then again these have now become pure marketing events for all-sorts, biased by sponsorships and recommendations.
Hello maam. Your work is awesome and am a big fan of yours.I watch all your isaipayanam programmes and it helps me increase my awareness towards carnatic music.Thanks a lot maam and pls continue your great work in enlightening us!
ReplyDeleteSiddharth
Hello CLM.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your programs.
In fact, your advises to padava duet padalai
participants were so nice. Why not HOST that program?
Cheers.
FROM CANADA to SINGARA CHENNAI----Karuppiah Rasaiah
Dear Ms Charulatha Mani,
ReplyDeleteThe set of Dvds which you have released correlating the classical carnatic heritage and contemporary movie music are of extraordinary value.
One keeps wondering why anyone earlier didn't take up this task of interpreting both channels of music in a parallel dimension as you have painstakingly done.
It is indeed a great task; and as a rasika of both carnatic and hindustani vocal music systems, I would request you to carry on your comparative work on the several parallel ragas that are available in both systems of music.
May the Almighty bless you with continuous success in life.
Best regards,
Dr. Murthy,
Consultant Hematologist,
Bangalore.
Dear Madam,
ReplyDeleteI was seeing today your dvd on Ananda Bhairavi, which was excellent.
Two things crossed my mind:
1. Saint Thyagaraja Swamy's promise to Krishna Leela drama troupe manager that he won't compose anymore songs in Ananda Bhairavi so that the episode of the Saint visiting the drama performance will be remembered for long (song performed by the drama artistes being Madhura nagarilo).
2. Correct wordings of Rama Nana paayasake ( Krishna naama Sakkare, Vittala naama thuppava, kalasi baayi chapparisiro) which means for the dessert or paayasam of Rama's name, add Sugar of Krishna's name, ghee of Vittala's name, mix and enjoy the taste.
Your demonstration of characters of a Raga and its interpretation by the great composers in their varied moods are really excellent.
God bless you.
Best regards,
Dr. Murthy,
Bangalore.
Dear Charulatha Madam,
ReplyDeleteYou work & approach to muscic & utmost p[assion is most important & tnhe encouragement you fgiove to layman & all age group people is geat. I was very fortunate to meet you atleat once and share a few words in one of the Isai Payanam programmes. wish to learn a lot from you. Your taste & devotion, intrest in musci & analysis is excellent. Please continue to showe your Nadam,Sangeetham& Sruthi,Laya & Bhavam to all the people to relaise how wonderful is Carnatic Music in this Kali Yuga