Sangeetha Mananam – Reflecting Upon, and Celebrating Carnatic Music

On Sunday, July 25, the halls of the St. Matthew’s Church in Acton, MA resounded with blissful Carnatic music as the students of Sri K.V.S. Vinay played their hearts out for the families and artistes in attendance. The event, labeled Sangeetha Mananam, was in observance of the Annual Day of Sri Vinay’s students from across the USA in a hybrid event with virtual and in-person attendees. Sri K.V.S. Vinay lived in the Boston area for many years, enriching the community with his tutelage and performances. In 2016, he moved to South Bend, Indiana, but continued to teach his Boston students and expanded by teaching students from other geographies. Featuring a mix of first-time performers and seasoned students, this performance was an engaging display of talent at all levels of skill and experience, a testament to Vinay’s passion for teaching and attention to detail.

Why Sangeetha Mananam? In Vinay’s own words:

“I feel that the unprecedented time we are going through has induced a sense of reflection (Mananam, in Sanskrit) for all of us – about what is REALLY important to us in various spheres of our lives. I was similarly confronted with the question of what my fundamental relation to music is. I realized that at its core, reflecting on the joy of music (literally Sangeetha Mananam) in the company of others is an ultimate source of strength for me through the thick and thin of life.  Everything else about music is at best in second spot.

As I started to prepare for a personal trip to Boston, I realized I had a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to experience this very joy in some of the most cherished company I have. My senior Boston students were all going to be in town despite being in different parts of the world pursuing their careers. I also have a set of young students in other locations with whom sharing musical time has given me some of my most fulfilling moments during the pandemic. I felt it would be great to bring this community together in one event, taking advantage of my stay in Boston. This way, my junior students would also get to see the seniors, their accomplishments, and their continued love for music.

I also wanted to use the opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the Boston Carnatic music fraternity which has been the big reason for my continued involvement and growth in music. I was fortunate to be able to execute on this thought in two ways – by honoring some of the senior most teachers of the area and by having the finale event being a laya vinyasa by students of the 3 mridangam teachers of the area. I’m very grateful to young mridanga vidwans Hari Shanmugham, Saketh Jayanthi and Varun Chandramouli for brilliantly rising to the occasion. To give an ode to my current home, I requested Dr. Shriya Srinivasan – one of the Midwest’s finest exports to the Boston area – to sing as a lead up to the finale. I am very grateful to her for the same and for having my students join her in performance impromptu.

No words are enough to thank my students for their hard work. I am particularly indebted to Dr. Ramachandran Balakrishna and Mrs. Savithri Kaundinya. They are the ones who made the execution of such a complicated exercise possible, staying positive and steadfast even when I was feeling doubtful.”   

The Proceedings of the Afternoon

After a warm introduction from Giridhar Vinay, the show began with a set of Boston area students. Srimedha Erramili had a cute and precise debut performance of “Dhatu Varisai” in two speeds in Sankarabharanam. Next, the father-son duo Dr. Eswar Sundar and Srinath Sundar performed a beautiful rendition of “Raga Ratna Malikache” in Reetigowla. Srinath’s love for music and the difference he is out to make in the autistic community and the world at large through his music, and his generous spirit is an inspiration to all.

The next set of performances was by Vinay’s online students from all over the United States. On vocal, 8-year-old Shruti Cheruvu from Granger, IN, presented a very charming “Sri Rama Sri Rama” (Sahana). Pranav and Manvi Kallavi from Pittsburgh, PA, played a crisp “Paluke Bangaramayena” (Ananda Bhairavi).  Anoushka Rangan from Schaumburg, IL, played “Dhatu Varisai” in 3 speeds in Mayamalavagaula with precision and clarity. Srivibha Hariharan from Naperville, IL, performed “Garuda Gamana” (Nagaswaravali) very melodiously, and Sujay Raghavan from San Diego, CA, played the geethams “Sri Gananatham” (Malahari) and “Vara Veena” (Mohanam) in two speeds with much aplomb and precision. It was inspiring to see such young talent, and the hard work that the students put in to overcome the challenges of the online learning environment.

After the online segment, distinguished guest speaker Smt. Ranjani Saigal, senior dancer and a leader in New England’s Indian community, offered her congratulations at the annual day celebration, and recalled her initial interactions with K.V.S. Vinay.  “When you hear his violin, you will just sway in the melodious music,” she commented.  In her final comments, she invited Vinay to return to Boston, but aptly observed that Vinay will always be a part of the Boston music community no matter how far away he physically lives.

Next, the Boston senior students performed a selection of krithis, along with percussive accompaniment. Kicking off this segment, Anantha Kaundinya played the rare Syama Sastri kriti “Himachala Tanaya” prefaced by a competent and complete raga sketch. His mother, Savitri Kaundinya followed next. Her alapana brought out the essence of Kaanada and Thyagaraja’s “Sri Narada” was rendered with ease. Both were pleasingly accompanied by Saketh Jayanthi, senior disciple of Dr. Pravin Sitaram. Mahima Vinay presented a competent “Nada Tanumanisam” (Chitta Ranjani) with the able accompaniment of Hari Shanmugham, senior disciple of Sri Gaurish Chandrashekar. Sisters Amrita Krishnakumar (vocal) and Kirtana Krishnakumar (violin), traveling from Atlanta to attend this event, performed an aesthetically pleasing Kalyani alapana followed by “Ethavunara” (Kalyani) with the understanding accompaniment of Varun Chandramouli, senior disciple of Sri Mali Santhakrishnan. Dr. Ramachandran Balakrishna, a core contributor to the Boston Carnatic community, showcased classic sangatis in his Bhairavi alapana and followed it up with “Upacharamu Jesevaru,” in the company of Varun Chandramouli. Brothers Siva Emani (Vocal) and Vishnu Emani (Violin) performed a mellow Mohanam alapana followed by the magnum opus “Mohana Rama”, accompanied crisply by Hari Shanmugham.

The finale event was a combination musical extravaganza featuring a laya vinyasa. As a leadup, Shriya Srinivasan and Mahima Vinay sang a Todi alapana and followed it up with the varnam “Eranapai” in a multi-nadai format combining slow tisram and 2 speeds of chatursra nadai in each avartanam. They were accompanied by Sri Vinay on the violin. Hari Shanmugam (mridangam), Varun Chandramouli (mridangam), and Saketh Jayanthi (mridangam) coordinated and combined very well to present a brilliant tani avartanam that had the audience in raptures.  A mellifluous rendition of “Sharada Bhujangam” (lyrics of Shankaracharya, tuned by Vidwan R.K. Shriram Kumar) by Shriya Srinivasan and Anantha Kaundinya brought the curtains down on the evening.

The music of the day brought boundless joy to the performers and the audience alike. Through his mentorship, Vinay has brought us all so much power: the power to express ourselves through this beautiful art form, the power to bring joy to others through music, and the power to engage in this wonderful Carnatic community. 

Honoring Boston area Carnatic Music Stalwarts

In remembrance of his grandfather and renowned Carnatic music artiste Sangeeta Kalanidhi T.K. Jayarama Iyer, Sri K.V.S. Vinay presented the TKJ Appreciation award to the following senior musicians of the Boston area:

-        Smt. Durga Krishnan, the eminent veena vidushi, director of the New England School of Carnatic Music, and mentor to many established artists in the Boston area, including Sri Vinay. 

-        Smt. Tara Anand, a treasure of New England, founder of Anubhava School of Music, and also Vinay’s “elder sister” as budding artistes in their younger days in New Delhi. 

-        Sri Vaikom Gopalakrishnan, one of the most senior ghatam vidwans in the field, who is fortuitously in the Boston area on a personal visit presently.

-        Smt. Aparna Balaji, founder of Abhyaas School of Music, a close collaborator of Sri Vinay for a decade, and someone whose work ethic epitomizes the name of her school.

-        Sri Pravin Sitaram, Sri Mali Santhanakrishnan and Sri Gaurish Chandrashekar, the Trinetra of Boston’s mridangam legacy, close friends and collaborators of Sri Vinay for over a decade.

|