...Anugraha

According to India Tribune, India has decided to honor six heroines of Bollywood cinema by printing them on stamps. After sleuthing a bit, yours truly is here to give you the scoop. The earliest of these six is Padmashri Devika Rani who dominated the early silent film era. She is better known as the co-founder of Bombay Talkies. She is well known for the movie Achhut Kanya, 1936. She is also known for her discovery of the actor Dilip Kumar. She studied architechture in London where she set designed for her first husband. Later on, she became a member of the Central Government Audio Visual Education Board. She was also nominated to the National Academy of Dance, Drama, Music and Films, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi, as a nominee of the Central Government. She was a member of the Executive Board of the National Academy, Member of the Lalit Kala Akademi and the National Handicrafts Board and Member of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Equally invaluable is the prestigious Sovi...

Chicago Academy of Indian Fine Arts is a new found organization interested in promoting quality arts at affordable prices. Comprised of several different families in Chicago, this organization strives to bring something 'fresh' to society. Their website is www.caifausa.org. You can also find them on Facebook under CAIFA Please do support and encourage thier efforts!

So i'm not sure whether or not i'm the only one who feels this way, but really, what in the world is the hype about Sun TV? Honestly speaking, how can one benefit from watching Sun TV? Dwelling deeper, the program schedule on weekdays goes something like SERIALS from sun up till sun down. Maybe thats why they named it Sun TV; you know, the same type of show..?! no?! Well, you get my point...Then there the 2:00 movie. Oh My GOD! ITS A SARATHKUMAR MOVIE...again. Seriously! Ever heard of variety?! Say, one magical afternoon, they play a fairly decent movie, a rareity, something about that movie wouldn't be appealing; it could be that specific copy, or the fact that its been played too many times. Either way, people sit and watch it. Why?! Same with the mentioned seirals, WHY?! What satisfaction does one get from watching horrible actors/actresses cry, shout, kill, etc. Why does one waste time watching someone walk from the bathroom to the living room while wailing music plays ...

The already crazed streets of Chennai become louder and faster than ever before during the month of December. Not only residents of India, but Indians from abroad add to this pleasant chaos. Why? Whats so special about this month? To summarize in 2 words: December Season. The annual festival of classical music and dance has come to be known as the 'December season'. High class concerts are held in December through into January in major venues throughout Chennai. Being the Tamil month of Margazhi, a time for devotion - the dawn of the Gods, December Season is celebrated in astonishing splendor. The December Music season came to stay when The Music Academy began holding concerts during its first annual conference in 1929. They then decided that the concerts could be held during the week of Christmas. The courts were closed during that period and many were having several rounds of merrymaking. The native society leaders were at a 'break' and this gave them something ...

The term Intonation in music means, put simply, producing notes that are in tune. It is what we would call śruti śuddham. The most important factor for producing a note in tune is possessing an accurate outlook of that note. Once this is present, intonation is developed by practicing to match the note we produce with this standard. In Carnatic music, of course, we do not have an "absolute note" -- they are all relative to the chosen reference ṣaḍjamam. Thus, for perfect intonation, a keen sense of hearing is absolutely essential. When performing in large halls, musicians hear their own instruments only very faintly. And there isn't enough echo either. So, intonation becomes a big challenge. Now, an accompanying Carnatic artist has a tougher problem -- he needs to be able to hear the main performer as well. Furthermore, an instrument that is initially tuned perfectly to the taṃbūrā, may go out of tune during the course of the concert; and the musician needs to be able t...

From his signature to the involvement on the stage, Saxophone Kadri Gopalnath surely states that his one and only obsession is music. 56 year old, Kadri Sir was born in Mangalore to Sri Taniappa and Srimathi Gangamma. Sri Taniappa was a great nagaswaram artist so music was not something new for the young Kadri Sir. He started learning the nagaswaram under his competent father at a young age. His path, however, soon took a sharp turn. Seeing the shiny, curved saxophone played in the Mysore Band Set, he immediately fell for the strong and beautiful sound it produced. It took him 20 years to win over this and earned him the title Saxophone Chakravarthy. Ever since then, Kadri Gopalnath has been a great asset in the field of carnatic music and a great person in the era of humanity. On October 7, 2006, Chicago, IL had the privilege to listen to an outstanding concert by him and his team. They consisted of Sri Kadri Gopalnath, Sri Tripunithura Radhakrishna on the Ghatam, Sri Vittal Rama...