Lakshmi Sreeram
On that Note: Sanjay Subrahmanyan presents engaging stories about Carnatic music in an effortless manner
What would be an ethnographer’s delight, the socio-cultural history that On that Note explores is not projected deliberately. It lurks in every incident Sanjay Subrahmanyan narrates and every note he sings, but is never spelt out.
In Finding the Raga, Amit Chaudhuri reflects on his experiences with the learning, practice and thinking of Khayal
Chaudhuri's essays are autobiography, poetry, history, musicology flitting in and out, drawing from each other.
Chaitanya Tamhane's The Disciple foregrounds the fundamental universal conditions of man as artist
In its depiction of the quest, not always hopeful, and ultimate non-success of its protagonist, a Hindustani classical vocalist, The Disciple projects a relentless, dull and gritty unrest.
The Satyasheel Deshpande interview | 'Gharana is not ghee that it should be pure; there is really no such thing'
Satyasheel Deshpande's has been a musical journey that is not only about performing but also about questioning and exploring newer frontiers.
2020, a year in Indian classical music: How the pandemic impacted patrons, practitioners and the art itself
Cyberspace — the space where most of this new normal is playing out — has never before had so much happening; musicians and audiences approached the space with a mix of hope and misgiving.
TN Krishnan's music is a lesson in the aesthetic value of restraint, for Carnatic artistes to reflect on and emulate
Noted violin maestro and Padma awardee TN Krishnan passed away in Chennai at the age of 92, on Monday, 2 November.
As COVID-19 halts live performances, an opportunity for musicians to engage more deeply with their art
Concerts may be hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but it also offers musicians a chance to reach for their own light and find their roots without the demands of an audience and organisers.
TM Krishna's The Edict Project is a stunning endeavour that doesn't fully transcend its technical challenges
In the stunning Edict Project, TM Krishna has sung the lines that Ashoka engraved in rock and pillar millennia ago.
The experiments and flamboyance of Pandit Jasraj: Examining the celebrated vocalist's Khayal legacy
Pandit Jasraj handled well known and rare ragas with mastery which revolved around something that was a wondrous rarity in the world of Khayal – pronouncing the text of the composition right, and presenting the composition as if it mattered.
On identifying ragas, and how the intoxicating and often frustrating challenge for a lay listener can become an obsession
Raga is a crest jewel in the world of melody, each raga offering possibilities for endless exploration with their limited melodic material.
Kamal Haasan-Tyagaraja row: Carnatic community's ire is symptomatic of its insularity and excessive conservatism
The response to Kamal Haasan’s remark concerning Tyagarajar could have been more measured. The unbridled uproar is puzzling and reflects on the Carnatic world.
The Pavlova Project: A unique exhibition presents the life and work of legendary ballerina through her costumes
In a unique exhibition, Peggy Turchette of Boulder, Colorado presents the life and work of legendary ballerina Anna Pavlova through Pavlova’s costumes and couture mounted on dolls.
Dhrupad, across borders: American musician Jody Stecher on learning under ZM Dagar, taking up the sursingar
Jody Stecher is one of the very few Dhrupad exponents of the sursingar, the baritone predecessor of the sarod. His collection of instruments also features the beautiful sursingar that originally belonged to Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, his guru
On embracing national pride in its many manifestations, and the notion of 'India, that is Bharat'
One should leave cultural pride open for anyone to celebrate while making no urgent calls for political action based on it. Like a flower, culture will bloom in its own time or not at all.
TM Krishna on the importance of small sabhas in sustaining Carnatic music, performing pro bono
'I am convinced more than ever that it is these small hubs in smaller suburbs that need support and need to be kept alive. The big show will go on but unless these clusters of musical interest and energy are kept alive, sustainability and a larger reach for the art form will disappear,' says TM Krishna
Poignant Song: Lakshmi Shankar's biography is affectionate but let down by its ordinary, casual storytelling
Lakshmi Shankar’s life holds great interest and Poignant Song outlines its broad contours, but the picture that emerges has not the excitement of light and shade, or depth and perspective.
Telling composers apart from posers
Some musicians don’t seek the creative spark. They find a success formula, and stick to it
Odissi on High: A transnational production displays the dance form's synergy between male and female elements
Odissi is a young dance form, though it has assimilated and is born of ancient temple dance traditions, music, poetry, and devotion to Jagannatha. At a recent performance of Odissi on High, an all-male ensemble achieved striking masculine vigour with quintessential movements – movements that only easily lend themselves to execution with feminine grace.
The Musician and His Art: Deepak Raja's essays on Hindustani music deserve serious consideration
Deepak Raja's book, The Musician and His Art, is a collection of essays and lectures published and delivered at various forums over the past seven years.
Death, be not proud: Finding a philosophy for life in the finality of its ultimate, universal end
Some of us are destined to know death more than others.