Charulatha Mani

It was a memorable evening on Monday 14th September 2009 when I was recognized as one among the nine Top Women Achienvers of 2009 and was honoured by Pothys , one of the leading silk manufacturers. I was asked to walk the ramp and given a beautiful Vastra Kala pattu saree (violet with gold border, and a lot of Kundan and Jaipuri work), the new range of which was launched on Monday. The “dream girl” of Bollywood, Hemamalini ji is their brand ambassador for the "Vastra Kala Pattu" collection, and shared the stage with us, and standing by her side and posing for all the press photographers is something I will never forget for a long time. I was amazed at the crowd’s response during my cat-walk, and still more stunned as all others by the evergreen beauty of Hemaji. Her professional approach and natural friendly disposition was something I admired even though ours was a brief meeting. I was given a citation by Mr Ramesh, MD of Pothys and the event was fully covered by Vijay TV. ...

Sankarankovil is a small town near Thirunelveli. This is where around the 10th Century, a Lingam was unearthed in a “Putthu” i.e sand dune, and was established as the “Sankaralingam” deity. The temple built around this presiding deity is called Sankarankovil. The consort of this Shiva form is the beautiful Gomathy Amman. A petite statue with pleasing facial features, not more than 3-feet tall in appearance, Gomathy Amman, our family deity is indeed the pride of this place. During the month of Aadi Gomathy Amman does a penance “Aadi Thavasu” and at the end of the 10 days the lord presents hiumelf in the “Sankaranarayana” form, half Shiva and half Vishnu, and this alankara is unique to witness. I had the good fortune of visiting Sankarankovil yesterday, the third time after my wedding. I made the customary “Maavilakku”, in which one mixes rice flour and jaggery with coconut water, pours ghee and lights a “deepam” at the centre. A very tasty offering, the “maavilakku” is offered to all f...

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On Saturday 29th Aug, 2009, Isai Payanam DVD Volumes 8, 9 and 10 were released at a function held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mylapore. This release function was followed by my Isai Payanam concert.  The DVDs produced by Giri Trading Agency were released by well-known singer Sri P. Unnikrishnan and the first copies were received by noted music director Sri Dhina. Actor Sri ARS was also present on the occasion. Volume 8 contains ragas Subhapantuvarali , Madhyamavati , Brindavani and Brindavanasaranga . Volume 9 contains Abhogi and Kapi ragas and Volume 10 contains ragas Kaanada and Darbari Kaanada .  Sri Unnikrishnan congratulated the effort of Isai Payanam to promote classical music among a greater cross- section of audience. Sri Dhina stressed the importance of classical music and highlighted the role that classical singers like MS, Madurai Somu and others have played in enriching film music from those days till today. He also stated that he liked watching the television episodes...

Hi friends, Hope you all had lovely Krishna Jayanthi celebrations, despite the minor hassle that the swine flu scare created. On 13th I performed at the IKSCON Temple here in Valmiki Nagar Chennai for a private audience, very calm experience.  On 14th was the day I have been looking forward to for the past few months now. Isai Payanam Trust, founded by me, was officially launched on the 14th of August. On this occasion I presented a Janmastami special concert dedicated to the life and stories of Lord Sri Krishna. I presented well loved kritis, bhajans and abhangs, interspersed with interesting anecdotes from the Bhagavatam and some verses with meanings from the Bhagavat Gita. I was totally taken in by the spiritual power that prevailed on the stage that day, and my audience were also drawn in. It was a warm, and fulfilling experience. Some of the most memorable renditions were that of "Ganamurthe" - Thyagaraja in Ganamurthi raga, "Sri Parthasarathy" by Dikshitar i...

The past week has been an eventful one. On Wednesday Balaram Jayanthi Celebrations went off in full swing at the Hare Krishna Temple, and I sang kritis and bhajans in praise of Narayana after the abhishekam. It was very fulfilling, I experienced ecstasy as Harinama escaped my lips and took the form of music. On Friday, the 7th of August I performed a concert "Tribute to the legends MS, MLV and DKP" dedicated to the memory of Smt D. K. Pattammal who passed away recently. The concert was held at the Tchaikovsky Music Club, Russian Cultural Centre, and was very well received. "Eppadi Padinaro" and "Bhaja Govindam" were the highlights. Prior to the concert Mr. Simakov, Consul General of Russia, and myself inaugurated an exhibition of the paintings of the great Russian painter Repin. Lovely paintings, "The Unexpected Visitor" and "The Lady in the Fields" are masterpieces. Very natural. Saturday was spent at Kagithapuram, Karur district where...

Cyberian music lovers, I am very happy to announce that I have founded the "Isai Payanam Trust" to promote music among all those who have the slightest interest in it! Right now I'm gearing up for the workshop "Isai Payanam Trust" is conducting. It is for children from ages 8 to 12 and teens from 13 to 17 and includes classical and film singing, differences in modulations for various styles of music, voice culture tips, diction and pronunciation, and celebrity guest lectures as well. It is to be held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mini Hall on the 1st and 2nd of Aug. Interested persons may register by calling 24412744 or 98410-88141. Nice to share tips with kids...hope they benefit from it. We performers have to certainly tune into the frequencies of the new-gen so that we don't get left behind and at the same share with them many beautiful things about music that we may have had the opportunity to seek out and learn. That's all for now...