Bharatakalanjali organised a music education session on 30th Nov Sunday from 10 to 12 noon

It was open to all. Apart from Bharatanaatyam and Carnatic Music students and professionals, all Naatya enthusiasts benefited by this lecture demonstration. With regards, V.P.Dhananjayan

Title: "God is my customer - Demystifying The Sringara Padams of Kshetrayya" ,
Venue: Baratha Kalanjali, 6, Jeevaratnam Nagar, 1st street (Near Shanti colony-Lister Lab), Adayar Madras 20; Contact: 24911125

The talk examined what a Padam is - how it differs from a keerthanai and a Javali. It looked at some of the famous composers and focussed on the greatest of them Kshetrayya, and some famous singers (with audio clips).

Using parallel evidence from art and sculpture, the talk explored possible reasons on why Padams became increasingly erotic in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The lecture ended with an audio presentation of a few padams in the T Brinda, T Mukta style. The talk was specifically for those who seek to be initiated into the metaphor and music-laden world of Padams and also interested to understand the socio-political milieu in which they were created.

Specific effort was invested in keeping the talk free of jargon and academic minutiae - those are best left for expert musicologists! - an exploration of this genre and composer by a devoted rasika and not a comprehensive and deeply scholarly study.

Speaker - Pradeep Chakravarthy is the author of Thanjavur - A Cultural History and other books. Pradeep is one of the cities' much sought after heritage speakers. Combining music and his experience as a management consultant, he links the past to emotions and behaviors today. He was educated in Madras, Delhi and London and has several years of experience in HR and especially Leadership development. In addition to writing books on Thanjavur, Vahanas, lesser known temples and Kodaikanal, he writes frequently and has pioneered heritage walks on temples in Madras.

Singers - Bhargavi, a disciple of Chitravina maestro N Ravikiran, is a talented and committed performer and Guru, both in vocal and Chitravina. She has been actively performing Chitravina and vocal concerts in India, USA and the Gulf countries. A recipient of the title "Satya Sunada Sundaram", she is also the architect of the acclaimed website on Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi - venkatakavi.org

Vishaal R Sapuram, a disciple of Chitravina maestro N Ravikiran is a proficient Carnatic Chitravina artiste and vocalist. He has been performing from the early age of nine and has performed in many prestigious venues in India, Malaysia, Europe, and the U.S.A. He has also been teaching music from the age of ten, and he has won accolades like Music Academy’s ‘Spirit of Youth Best Instrumental Solo’ and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha’s ‘Gottuvadyam Narayana Iyengar Award’.