The
weather may have been damp on the evening of December 30, 2000 but
the atmosphere inside Chowdiah Memorial hall was electrified. Music
lovers from all over the city had converged here to witness a wonderful
musical evening with the Gundecha brothers, singer Kavita
Krishnamurthi Subramaniam and violinist Dr L Subramaniam enthralling
the audience with their mesmerizing performances.
The concert was a three-hour long musical fantasy which unfolded
in parts -the dhrupad kind of music, bhajans and violin. As each
piece was presented the audience listened in hushed awe.
The Drupad kind of music is known for its ability to
create a deep feeling of peace and contemplation. Umakant Gundecha
and Ramakant Gundecha brought it alive with their performance
that started with aalap, followed by Gayathri manthra and Gayathri
Sanjeevini Manthra, both composed by Gurumatha Amma. Their rendition
in raag Shivaranjani, which was set to 12 beats, was an exquisite
presentation of the drupad style of music.
Later, Kavita Krishnamurthi Subramaniam took the stage and
stole the hearts of the audience with her bhajans, drawn from traditional
compositions and films. A traditional bhajan composed by Pt.Ramnarayan
was the first of her six bhajans, followed by Om namah Shivaaya
and O rasiya main to sharan. The rendition of the beautiful
bhajan 'Karunaakshi kaalungura', composed by 'Amma' in Kannada,
was a testimony to Kavita's well known modesty. She delighted the
audience
with devotionally catchy numbers from a film composed by Jaidev 'Prabhudevo
tera naam' and 'Dhanya bhag seva ka avaser paaya'. The
audience were mesmerized while listening to the final part of the
last bhajan, where she recited 'Hare Krishna, Ram Ram...'
Violin maestro Dr L Subramaniam treated the seven hundred-odd
listeners to excellent musical compositions on his violin. Starting
with Vaatapi ganapathi, he rendered other three compositions,
each having different styles, transforming the chill December night
into an exhilarating one. His accompanists also succeeded in entertaining
the crowd with individual performances. Srikanth (on Thavil), Gopinath
(on Mridangam) Satya Sai (on Morsing) and Somi (on Ghatam) accompanied
by Seetha Subramaniam (on Surmandal) enthralled the listeners.
The concert was organised by theJeevana Dharma Yoga trust as a part of its founder Gurumatha
Amma's 50th birthday celebrations. Earlier in her inaugural address,
Amma called on people to inculcate music as their way of life. She
said, "It is not just musicians who, with their ability to perform,
become devotees of Goddess Saraswathi, but the audience could also
become devotees if they enjoy music wholeheartedly." And that
was the feeling that the contented audience displayed after enjoying
a fabulous evening, which aptly came as a year-end treat.
4:05:31 AM 
he
weather may have been damp on the evening of December 30, 2000 but
the atmosphere inside Chowdiah Memorial hall was electrified. Music
lovers from all over the city had converged here to witness a wonderful
musical evening with the Gundecha brothers, singer Kavita
Krishnamurthi Subramaniam and violinist Dr L Subramaniam enthralling
the audience with their mesmerizing performances.
to
create a deep feeling of peace and contemplation. Umakant Gundecha
and Ramakant Gundecha brought it alive with their performance
that started with aalap, followed by Gayathri manthra and Gayathri
Sanjeevini Manthra, both composed by Gurumatha Amma. Their rendition
in raag Shivaranjani, which was set to 12 beats, was an exquisite
presentation of the drupad style of music. 
audience
with devotionally catchy numbers from a film composed by Jaidev 'Prabhudevo
tera naam' and 'Dhanya bhag seva ka avaser paaya'. The
audience were mesmerized while listening to the final part of the
last bhajan, where she recited 'Hare Krishna, Ram Ram...'
Jeevana Dharma Yoga trust as a part of its founder Gurumatha
Amma's 50th birthday celebrations. Earlier in her inaugural address,
Amma called on people to inculcate music as their way of life. She
said, "It is not just musicians who, with their ability to perform,
become devotees of Goddess Saraswathi, but the audience could also
become devotees if they enjoy music wholeheartedly." And that
was the feeling that the contented audience displayed after enjoying
a fabulous evening, which aptly came as a year-end treat. 
