T V Shankaranarayanan at Fort

I attended TVS Kutcheri yesterday at Fort High school, infact my first one this season(curse my lack of time management,my IPod which has better concerts than what we can ever get now and ofcourse Anand Ganapathy whose music sharing virtue is beyond words),not considering Nityasree's concert as a concert that is. More on that some other time. In short Nityasree is not appealing at all(pity the great DKP-DKJ baani), for some reason no josh in her singing.

Coming back to yesterday's concert,the concert list is as follows :-

1. Vinayaka kriti(I forgot the kriti,damn!) - Hamsadwani
2. Sogasujooda Tarama - Kannadagowla
3. Sakala graha bala neene - Atana
4. Paramapavana Rama - Purvikalyani
5. Abhaya Varade Sharade - Hindolam
6. Maa janaki - Kambhoji

I could not stay longer than this due to the lashing rains. Infact,hindolam was not so enjoyable because of the rains lashing and pitter-patter sound :( But somehow,the atmosphere was one of gaiety and his enthusiasm to sing without the rains affecting him in the least was exemplary. TVS stands tall as an artiste who continues to sing in orthodox style in this age of neo-carnatic-classicism.

Personally,it was an hour and half of 'peace of mind',something I'm willing to pay for also.. The mandali has changed quite a bit in the years,wooden floors which creak and irritate ,especially when you are engrossed in a complex alapanam or niraval and an electronic ticker that shows the next day's programme all the time. Nice lighting also. The pandals leak a bit still when it rains. The chairs are placed too close to one another. Space, space... I want to hear the artiste and not my neighbour's breathing :) Anyways, idols of Lord Sri Rama,Sita,Lakshmana and Hanuman prostrating is still the same, resplendent and colourful.The arati-giving tradition continues and the fragrance of flowers near the VIP entrance obviously there. One thing missing was the snacks stall - the guy selling potato chips,etc :(
On the whole, Sree Rama Seva Mandali,Fort High School is always dearest to my heart.
Next week is full of excellent concerts. Hope I don't miss!