Blog Posts

NEELAKANTA SIVAN KRITHIS

7/19/2020

Neelakanta Sivan (1839–1900) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music. Although he did not receive any formal musical training, his compositions exhibit deep technical brilliance. Neelakanta Sivan was born in 1839 at Vadiveeswaram, a part of Nagercoil, he stayed at Padmanabhapuram, the capital of the old Travancore.
He had no practical training in music. Mysticism and erudition innate in him probably got released after his contacts with Kodaganallur Sundaraswamigal. The rulers of Travancore and Cochin and the Rajahs of Ramnad and Pudukottai honoured him. He is credited with bringing rains by invoking God and he anticipated his death and breathed his last at Trivandrum amidst bhajans. Sangita Kalanidhi Papanasam Sivan was his disciple and no wonder the two Sivans have been beacon-lights in Carnatic music with their immortal compositions in Tamil which have been the delight of the musician and the music-lover.
The grandeur of conception, the inspired divine ecstacy revealed in them, the mastery in the art of composition and the felicity of expression have rendered the songs of Nilakanta Sivan highly popular.

Dr. G.Baby Sreeram was born into a musical family in Thiruvananthapuram. Her first Guru was Smt.Ananthalakshmi Venkitaraman, who was the direct disciple of her grand father Sri Bagavatheeswara Bhagavathar. She then went on to receive the Cultural Scholarship instituted by the Govt.of India. She continued her studies in Music under Sangita Kalanidhi T.M.Thiagarajan and later on under Sangita Kala Aacharya Sri.P.S.Narayanaswamy.

She received DIRECT "A" from AIR, Trivandrum in 1997, and then opted to settle in Chennai since 1992.
She did her M.A.Music (Rank holder in the year 1994), from Kerala University.
She has completed her Ph.D, in music on the topic "An analytical study on Bhashanga Ragas" under the guidance of Dr.B.Pushpa, from Kerala University in the year 2004.

Artist : Mrs. Santhala Raju.
Velaayudhane
Ragam Kamboji/Adi talam/Neelakanta Sivan

Artist :Sharmila Sivakumar.
Song:Sankaranai dinam thuthi maname
Ragam: Yamunakalyani.
Thalam : Adi talam.

VOCAL: Smt. Bhavani Natarajan.
Saravana bhavaa
Ragam - Kedaram
Talam - Khanta Chapu.

Artist: Ms. Priyamvada Sastry
Dinamum Ninai maname
Ragam : Sourashtram
Thalam : Adi

Artist : Bharath Narayan
Shodhippadhenna Nyaayamaa - Dhanyasi - Adi Talam

Artist : Bharath Narayan
Shivanandam - Reethi Gowla - Misra Chaapu

Artist : Lakshmi Radhakrishnan
Neelakanta Nithyananda-Ragam Hamsanandi/ Thalam Adi

SANJEEVANI 2020 PRESENTS SRIRANGAM PANCHARATNAM

6/11/2020

With the blessings of the Sri Ranganatha Swamy, disciples of Guru Neyveli Sri Santhanagopalan will be presenting the Srirangam pancharatnam by Saint Thyagaraja as a part of Sanjeevani 2020.
Our heartfelt thanks to Guru Santhanagopalan sir for his support.

Here is the introduction speech by Guru Neyveli Sri Santhanagopalan

Song 1:
Srirangam Pancharathnam Krithis
cUtAmu rArE
rAgam - Arabhi
tALam - Adi
Composer - Saint thyAgarAjA

Song 2:
Srirangam Pancharathnam Krithis
Vinaradana
rAgam - Devagandhari
tALam - Adi
Composer - Saint thyAgarAjA

Song 3:
Srirangam Pancharathnam Krithis
Karunajuda
rAgam - sArangA
tALam - Adi
Composer - Saint thyAgarAjA

Song 4:
Srirangam Pancharathnam Krithis
Rajuvedala
rAgam - Thodi
tALam - Roopakam
Composer - Saint thyAgarAjA

Song 5:
Srirangam Pancharathnam Krithis
O Rangasayee
rAgam - Kambhoji
tALam - Adi
Composer - Saint thyAgarAjA

SANJEEVANI 2020

5/12/2020

Hamsadhwani Carnatic music Academy's Sanjeevani 2020 proudly presents live music concerts by talented young artistes around the globe. Visit our page to enjoy the live concerts.
Sanjeevani, as described in Hindu epic Ramayana, is a cure-all plant that can reverse even death. This holy medicine also called as ‘Sanjeevani Booti’ was extracted from the Himalayas by Hanuman for Lakshmana(Lord Rama's brother) who was fighting for his life during the last part of the Battle of Lanka.
Our sincere thanks to all the artistes for their support and dedication.
STAY HOME. STAY SAFE. STAY HEALTHY.

APRIL 05 2020 SUNDAY

2/21/2020

MARCH 21 2020 SATURDAY

2/21/2020

January 28th, 2020

1/28/2020

Anirudh Venkatesh started learning carnatic music from Smt.Padma Kutty in California, U.S.A. He is learning also from vidwans P.S. Narayanaswamy and Palai C.K. Ramachandran, both spreading the legacy of Sri. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. Anirudh’s singing carries the briskness and vitality of the Semmangudi bani.
Equally fascinated by mridanga beats, Anirudh has been learning to play the mridangam from vidwan A.S. Krishnan of Chennai. As early as 2004, Anirudh won two prizes in the junior category at the competitions conducted by the Cleveland Tyagaraja Aradhana festival. In 2009, he bagged a total of six prizes (five of which were first prizes) in different categories in the competitions conducted by the Madras Music Academy. To top it all, he has been equally brilliant in academics and is an undergraduate student of engineering in the prestigious Stanford University.

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

1/22/2020

NAMASANKEERTANAM

1/22/2020

Nama Japam or Nama Sankeertanam is the japa (repetition) or Sankirtana of nama (name) of the Almighty.
Great Saints have proven that Namasankeerthanam (Bhajan) is the easiest way of attaining Moksha. Namasankeerthanam involves singing and chanting the glory of Lord, individually or in chorus. Namasankeerthanam was propagated by Great Gurus in ancient times across South India and North India and the tradition is still being followed with a little improvisation.

INTRODUCING OUR ARTISTES-SRUTI SARATHY

1/9/2020

Sruti Sarathy is a versatile artist in the South Indian classical violin tradition. She is trained in the Lalgudi style of Carnatic violin under the esteemed guru, Smt. Anuradha Sridhar, Director of Trinity Center for Music in the Bay Area. Sruti is also a student of Hindustani music under the tutelage of Vid. Kala Ramnath and receives advanced training in layam (rhythm aspects) from renowned mridangam artist Mannargudi Sri. Easwaran.
Sruti has performed with leading Indian classical musicians, such as Sangita Kalanidhi Chitravina Sri N. Ravikiran, Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan and Dr. Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam. Sruti has been featured in several prestigious venues and festivals across the world, including the San Francisco and Chicago World Music Festivals, Music Academy (Chennai), Shanmukhananda Sabha (Mumbai), Chowdiah Hall (Bangalore), the American Folk Festival (Bangor), the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the International Arts Festival (London), the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA), the Indian Embassy in Paris, and the American Consulate in Chennai.
Having trained for over ten years in vocal music, Sruti often lends her voice and violin to collaborative projects and jugalbandhis. In 2018, she composed and sang the music for "Krishna!," a Bharatanatyam fundraiser for Chinmaya Mission directed and choreographed by Smt. Kanchana Venkat of Isha Dance Company. Sruti also recently composed and performed the original score for "GRID," a percussive dance theater work (featured in the San Francisco World Percussive Arts festival) directed by Bruce Mui-Ghent that reflects on the complexities of immigration.
Sruti is the recipient of many accolades. She is the recipient of the “Best Junior Violinist” award from the Madras Music Academy in 2018. She was awarded the titles “Parivadini Pratibha” by Parivadini in 2017 and “Yuva Pratibha” by Naadharpana in 2016. Sruti also won the “Best Violinist” award at both the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha (2014) and the Spirit of Youth Festival conducted by the Madras Music Academy (2012). Sruti won the best violinist award from the music academy in 2019.
In 2016, Sruti was granted the Fulbright Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State to perform and research cross-genre violin technique in Carnatic Music. She is a graduate of Stanford University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Master’s Degree in French Literature.

INTRODUCING OUR ARTISTES-GOPAL RAVINDHRAN

1/7/2020

Gopal Ravindhran started learning mridangam at the age of 6 years and was under the tutelage of Shri Ravindra Bharathy Sridharan until College. When he visits India he is under the tutelage of vidwan Sri Neyveli Narayanan. Gopal has won many prizes in competitions conducted in Bay Area, Chicago and Cleveland. In 2009 he had his Mrudangam Arangetram accompanying Sri Delhi P. Sunderrajan on vocal,Sri Vittal Ramamurthy on Violin and Sri A. Mahadhevan on Morsing. He has accompanied several leading artists across US and also performs regularly in Chennai during the December music festival. In December 2014, Gopal was conferred the title of "Laya Kala Ratna" by the prestigious BKS Trust founded by Shri Issai Mazhalai Ramjhi.