There is no doubt that ragam and thalam form the foundation for Indian classical music. However, what is unique about our Carnatic music is the emphasis based on lyrical compositions. Throughout the centuries great poets such as Thyagaraja, Dhikshithar and Shyama Shastri have, largely as a result of divine inspiration …more
What happens when a 1000 year old, highly traditional, highly complex music is transported and replanted 10,000 miles away in a completely different soil and cultural conditions? Can that music survive in the new environment? Can it retain its beauty, grandeur and its pristine purity in a land where the …more
Growing up in North America, one would expect the generation of Indian-American children to take interest solely in Western pop and classical music. However, a group of dedicated youth Carnatic musicians grow up in this continent. Being a student of Carnatic music is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever …more
As I was thinking of a topic for an article to write for the Dhvani souvenir, I wondered what Saint Thyagaraja would have thought about ‘Dhvani’. So I started exploring the true meaning or essence of ‘Dhvani’. So here goes! Dhvani is a Sanskrit word meaning Naadam or sound. It …more
“namo namaH sri guru pAdukAbhyAm. Salutations and salutations to the sandals of the Guru.” These words, coined so beautifully by Adi Shankaracharya himself, are the essence of the Guru Paduka Stotram, which epitomizes the role of a guru in our lives. To understand the significance of the guru, it is …more
IBM’s Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1996, and Watson handily won Jeopardy in 2011. Watson BEAT, their newest machine, generates Western music scores and inspires musicians with creative ideas. Can the days of auto generation of Carnatic Music (hereafter referred to as CM) be far away? …more