Musings on a Republic Day

Here is a link to the rendering of the full text of Vandemataram by Bankimchandra Chatterjee. This was recorded in 1947 and there are very few occasions where the entire text of Vandemataram was being rendered. M.S.Subbulakshmi and Dilip Kumar Roy had sung this duet for a 78 RPM disc and was composed as a ragamalika. This was much before the present day’s popular rendering in Rag Desh was conceived. Much before in 1930s, Pt. D.V.Paluskar sang it rag Kafi and later by Pt. Omkarnath Thakur in Rag Bangiya Kafi. Vandemataram was also sung in Ragas Sarang, Kalingada, Deshkar before Indian independence. On a suggestion by Subhash Chandra Bose, Timir Baran had composed this song for the Indian National Army in raga Durga as a marching song. Master Krishna Rao had also composed it in ragas Jhinjoti and Kafi. It is said that Dr. B.R.Ambedkar loved the composition by B.V.Ambhaikar in Rag Khambavati. ( Bankimchandra Chatterjee wrote this nationalistic lyric on 7^th November of 1875)

Please listen to this rare ragamalika by two legendary singers, M.S.Subbalakshmi and Dilip Kumar Roy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sJg7-lYwSI

Two Jaganmohinis from Carnatic History

Kanchipuram Naina Pillai was just 46 years when he passed away in 1934. But within that short period, he could influence a generation of musicians in Carnatic Music including stalwarts like Chittoor Subramania Pillai, T. Brinda and T. Mukta , D. K. Pattammal, Thiruvizhamalai Kalyanasundaram Pillai, M.S.Subbalakshmi etc. Shri V. Shriram writes: “T. Shankaran, the grandson of ‘Veena’ Dhanammal noted that in later years, the street where Naina Pillai lived was named Sangeeta Vidwan Naina Pillai Street. Later, this became S.V. Naina Street. Such is public memory”

He was famous for his renderings of Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri compositions and it was accidental that I have come across a ‘rarest of the rarest’ kind of recording of Naina Pillai, the well-acclaimed ‘Jaganmohini’ from him, ‘Shobhillu Sapthaswara’. (Thanks to Shri Vijayagopal for sharing this recording in his blog ‘lokabhiramam’)

http://lokabhiramam.blogspot.com/2011/07/kanchipuram-naina-pillai-shobhillu.html

Please do listen to the same composition rendered by M.S.Subbulakshmi as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soVVnPi2KrM