ENDRENDRUM RAJA

Jaya TV organized a musical extravaganza on 28th December 2011 at Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai. I was told that the show is fully sold out and there are no tickets available when I checked on 24th December 2011. I still decided to go to the venue and try my luck as I had confidence in getting a ticket through the black market which is very famous in Chennai. As expected there were some people selling the tickets and I managed to get a Rs.500 ticket at Rs.1000 though I was mentally to prepared to pay even Rs.3000 to get a chance to hear the concert live.

The Concert started at sharp 7 p.m. and ended at Midnight. It was five hours of non-stop music with the Maestro Ilayaraja at centre stage throughout. The arrangement of the orchestra was very good with two rows of violin. There were no interventions or intermissions as Ilayaraja decided to provide wholesome musical treat to the audience. It was a five hours non-stop Ilayaraja show and at the end of it I was wondering why it came to an end. Ilayaraja has tuned the music for so many songs and there are so many hit songs that even 50 hours may not be sufficient.

The Indoor stadium was full of people and all the seats were fully occupied. The excessive people who managed entry were forced to occupy the aisle. I also sat on the aisle on the floor for four hours and then last one hour managed to get a proper seat. Almost the entire audience was there till 12 ‘o Clock and every song was appreciated by the audience. There were “once more” calls for some of the songs and there was also roaring applause for the “solo violin” in couple of songs. The highlight was the appreciation of the crowd with non-stop clapping and standing ovation for the joint performance of Yesudas and SPB for the Thalapathi song “Kaattu Kuyilu manasukkulle kaatrukendrum panjam illai”. The entire audience was clearly die-hard fans of the great Maestro Ilayaraja.

Ilayaraja brought some musicians from Hungary to perform. He also had more than 50 musicians on the stage. The musicians did a fantastic job and enhanced the quality of songs with the feel for the original score. Ilayaraja himself sang a few songs and was backed by an army of singers which included Balamuralikrishna, Yesudas, S.P.Balasubramaniam, Hariharan, Chitra, Uma Ramanan, Deepan Chakravarthy and Yuvan Shankar Raja.

Shri.Balamuralikrishna rendered the popular number “Chinna Kannan Azhaikiraan”. The ease with which he sang made one wonder whether he is really 81 years old. His golden voice is still intact and it was a real treat to listen to him. Yesudas is 71 years old and SPB is 65 years old and it was a real treat to listen to both of them. They sang very well though in three songs Yesudas forgot the original tune and managed some parts on his own. Chitra sang very well all the duets that were givne to her and showed her true quality and excellence in “Putham puthu kaalai”. Deepan Chakravarthy and Uma Ramanan sang “Poonkadave thaazh thiravai”.

The following is the list of songs performed at the Concert of 5 hours of non-stop:
1. Janani Janani by Ilayaraja
2. Amma endrazhaikkaatha uyir illaye by Yesudas
3. Naanaga naan illai thaaye by SPB
4. Symphony demonstration by Ilayaraja leading upto “Idayam Pogudhe”
5. Paruvame pudhiya paadal paadu by SPB and Chitra
6. Idayam Oru Kovil adhil udayam oru paadal by Ilayaraja
7. Nee paartha paadal from Hey Hariharan
8. En Iniya pon nilave by Yesudas
9. Kanmaniye kaadhal enbathu karpanayo by SPB
10. Aayiram malargale malarungal – Ilayaraja explained the style in which Kannadasan writes songs for tunes
11. Putham puthu kaalai by Chitra
12. Chinna kannan azhaikiraan by Balamuralikrishna
13. Vizhiyile malarnthathu uyirile kalandhadhu by SPB
14. Poove senpoove un vaasam varum by Yesudas (the audience appreciated the violin bit before unai pola naanum oru pillai thane malar vanthu konjum siru pillai thane)
15. Oru jeevan azhaithathu by Ilayaraja
16. Yetho mogam yetho dhaagam by Karthik
17. Madai thiranthu paayum nadhi alai naan by SPB
18. Oru raagam padalodu kaadhil kettatho manathodu oonjal aadutho by Yesudas
19. Sundari neeyum sundaran nyaanum
20. Naan thedum sevanthi poo ethu oru naal paarthu andiyil poothathu by Yesduas & Chitra
21. Gum Sum Gum from Hindi film Pa
22. Aayiram thamarai mottughale
23. Symphony by Hungary musicians
24. Poonkathave thaazh thiravaai by Deepan and Uma Ramanan
25. Sundari Kannal oru seithi
26. Ilam kaatru veesudhe
27. En mana vaanil siragai virikkum vanna paravaigale by Hariharan
28. Raja kaiya vecha athu wronga ponathille by Yuvan Shankar Raja
29. Ninaivo oru paravai by Yuvan Shankar Raja
30. Vacha paarva theerathadi machan kuri maarathadi by Yesudas
31. Kaattu kuyilu manasukkulle by Yesudas and SPB
32. Idhu oru nila kaalam
33. Medley round – Keladi kanmani by SPB; Poonkatru pudhithaanadhu by Yesudas; Manadhinile yaar thoorigai thanda oviyam by Ilayaraja
34. Kannan Oru Kai kuzhandai by Yesudas and Chitra
35. Ilamai itho itho inimai itho itho by SPB (wishin Happy New Year and concluding song of the Concert)

T.P.Anand
Chennai, India
29th December 2011

LORD SHRI VENKATESWARA

I went to Tirupathi (my native place) on 27th December 2011 with my wife, my sister-in-law and co-brother. The four of us had “Break Darshan” at around 8 p.m. that night. There was a huge crowd in Tirumala and the Rs.300 queue was more than a kilometer away from the temple. They had closed the issue of tickets due to the heavy rush. We were able to go into the temple and have the darshan in less than one hour due to the influence and recommendation of some high level officials. It was an excellent darshan and a very satisfying experience.

Visit to the Balaji Temple is always possible only if the Lord wishes. It cannot be planned and executed by us unless we have the blessings of the lord. I strongly believe in this and seen it happen in my life several times. The huge turnout of crowd at the temple also means having the right connections and influence to see the Lord quickly. I was fortunate to travel with my co-brother who was able to get some influence through his contacts.

I saw the first pillar that was erected during the construction of this world renowned temple. I have passed through that side after darshan of Yoganarasimhar but never knew that this pillar is the first one to be erected. I was glad that I came to know about this through by co-brother.

The contact and influence worked for the second time the next day morning as we were fortunate to have a good Darshan of my family deity Lord Venkateshwara again. This time we were able to stay in front of the lord for a few seconds extra and after the darshan we were taken to the Rangaranga Mandapam. They gave special blessings to us and put an angavastram around my shoulders. Whenever I go to Tirupathi I have been telling my wife that we are not getting the Vada which is so special and tastes so good. It has been a long cherished wish to get vada but has remained an unfulfilled wish for the last couple of decades. This time after the special blessings the priest gave me a very big laddu and vada. This is the first time that I have stepped into the Rangaranga Mandapam and it is also the first time that I have received the special blessings with the big laddu and big vada. I felt overwhelmed and very blessed to have received this special blessings and also the excellent darshan, that too twice in a space of 12 hours.

The volunteers inside the Lord Balaji Sannadhi normally push people so that the crowd can get the Darshan without too much of waiting. On both the occasions we had a very good Darshan and were not pushed and pulled. We were given enough time to stand in front of the Lord and offer prayers. We were also allowed to go around the dwajasthambam and it is for the first time in my life I had this rare opportunity.

We then went to Thiruchanur to have the Darshan of Alamelumangai Thaayar. We were made to sit in the sannadhi in front of the goddess and the priest did the archana and gave the special prasadham. This is the first time that I had the opportunity to sit in front of the Goddess and have a Darshan for a long time without being pushed or pulled by the volunteers.

The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam is doing a fantastic job in maintaining the place so well. The queue system and facilities around the temple are a standing example of proper organising and maintaining of a facility. They also have free shuttle service in Tirumala for people to move around. There are hundreds of cottage buildings for the pilgrims to stay and there are also guest houses built by large Corporates and various mutts. The entire hill is very neat and nicely maintained with least destruction to the nature.

This was a very unique and very special trip to Tirupathi and Tiruchanur as I had such a good Darshan with my wife and received special blessings of the God and Goddess. This trip shall remain very special in my memory for ever and I will remain grateful to my co-brother and sister-in-law for arranging this wonderful trip.

T.P.Anand
Chennai, India
29th December 2011

DECEMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL

I am in Chennai on a short holiday. Sunday, 25th December 2011 turned out to be a “Triple Treat” for me. I went for three different concerts in Chennai by three great singers – Smt.Vishaka Hari, Smt.Aruna Sairam and Sri.T.M.Krishna.

Morning at 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. I heard Smt.Vishaka Hari on “Andal Kalyanam”. She started the discourse at exactly 10 a.m. and ended it at exactly 12.30. It was 150 minutes of extraordinary discourse on the birth, growing up and marriage of Andal. The ease with which she narrates with a slight tinge of humour is a real treat to the ears. She sings very well and I find traces of the great legend Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi’s voice in Smt.Vishaka Hari.

After lunch and a two hour break I went to Kamaraj Arangam on Mount Road for Smt.Aruna Sairam’s kutcheri. There was a huge crowd outside the auditorium. I was telling my wife it looks like we have come for Ilayaraj’s concert. I was stunned by the huge crowd that had gathered. The auditorium was full and people started occupying the aisle and since the aisle was full people started filling up the stage itself. There was continuous clapping when Smt.Aruna Sairam was singing “Maadu meikum kanne”. She also rendered my other favourite song “Enna kavi paadinaalum”. There were so many requests from the audience and she was quite responsive to the audience.

From Kamaraj Arangam we dashed to Vidya Bharati to listen to Sri.T.M.Krishna. Though we were late and arrived only at 8 p.m. we were lucky to be there as the concert was till 9.45 p.m. He is a fantastic singer and has tremendous amount of energy. The Violin, Mirudangam and Gatam support was very good and he gave them enough opportunity to demonstrate their individual skills. He would develop into a legend and will be one of the greatest singers of Carnatic Music. At the age of 35 he has already touched great heights as a musician and has a long career ahead of him.

The Music Season is Chennai is really an exciting opportunity for music lovers. The katcheri at various locations starts at 8 a.m. in the morning and goes on till 9.30 p.m. You can hop on from one sabha to the other as there are plenty of Autorickshaws operating at every sabha. Each location has a tie up with some catering company and there is excellent vegetarian food that is available throughout the day.

Most surprisingly the audience is a mix of all age groups which is a very good sign as a decade ago there were doubts on the popularity of Carnatic Music. It is a good sign to see so many youngsters at the Katcheri and it is also a great treat to watch the youngsters perform. Though the television was blamed a decade ago for pulling the audience I feel it is the same Television which is now helping to strengthen the popularity of Carnatic Music. Television programmes like Ragamalika, Thakadhimithaam, Airtel Super Singer, etc., have really done the trick to kindle the interest in people for classical music.
In summary for music lovers Chennai is THE DESTINATION to be in during December.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, U.A.E.
27th December 2011

SELF RENEWAL

Swami Dayananda Saraswati delivered a special lecture on 19th December 2011 in Dubai for Professionals on Self Renewal. I was fortunate enough to attend the lecture which was very useful. I am sharing here below some of the highlights of the speech:

When an individual crosses 40 years of age there is a certain numbness that develops within and life becomes very mechanical. In the western countries this is called as Middle Age Crisis. We need to challenge ourselves to stay positive and achieve more.

Everyone has certain vulnerable zone and it is important to know the areas of vulnerability. We have to be conscious of our own vulnerability. One of the emotions that we express is Anger. Anger is not an action, it happens when our vulnerable area is touched. Thus it is a reaction which is triggered by another person or an incident.

During the first 4 ½ years of our existence we face certain situations which gives us pain and discomfort. These get etched in our mind and is carried throughout the life. Thus pain undergone by a child in the first 4 ½ years of age gets triggered and is the cause for anger. An individual gets angry when that vulnerable area is touched and hence bursts out. After the bursting of anger the individual feels sad. There is absolutely nothing wrong is getting angry or feeling sad. But it is very wrong to victimize some one because of our anger. In order to ensure that we do not victimize some one it is better to say “I am angry, I will talk to you later”. We cannot victimize a person just because the other person is either our spouse or child thinking that we can take such liberties. You have no right whatsoever to victimize the other person whoever he or she may be.

It is good to have a Home Rule “Nobody victimizes anybody when angry”. This can be followed by everyone at home be it elders or parents or children. If any family member gets angry the other person can tell “you seem to be angry now let us talk it out later”. If we implement this Home Rule and if everyone at home follows this rule consciously then it will bring about a major change.

We need to then have a process of letting this anger go out of our system. This is a two step process, viz., Damah and Shamah. Damah means control of senses – You don’t express anger by victimizing another person. Shamah means control of mind – express your anger by writing out on a paper whatever you want to say and then destroy the paper. Thus you can control your anger through Damah and Shamah. If you control your anger you will be a master of every other emotion.

We need to learn from our actions as we can never learn from reactions. When we talk we should give primary importance to the “Topic” by asking ourselves is it worth talking about this “topic” and will be of use. We can avoid gossip if we are conscious and cautious about the “topic”. Second in importance is the person we are talking to. Is that person ready to listen to us? We need to value the time and privacy of the other person.

Watch your words. Do not say what you think. Say what is true. Do not use words that can hurt the other person. Live a conscious life as everyday can make you wiser.

T.P.Anand, Dubai, 20th December 2011.

An Objective View & Way of Life

An Objective View & Way of Life - this is the topic on which Swami Dayanand Saraswati gave a series of lecture from 12th to 16th December 2011 in Dubai. I attended the lecture on three days and give below some of the points highlighted by Poojya Swami during the lecture:

We have a confused self identity and lead life with lot of subjectivity. Reducing subjectivity marks growth. We have to live life with an Objective View on everything that we do. Be objective to be sane.

Cow will remain vegetarian even when it is sent to America. It is programmed to live as a Vegetarian biologically. There is no immoral cow. A human being because of the choice made available decides to become a non-vegetarian.

We are all born related – we have grand parents, parents, brothers, sisters, etc. – and all of them were already in this world before we came in. We are connected at birth to various people and to Eshwara.

Purushaartha comprises of four elements Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha.
Dharma – Duty, Profession or Vocation performed in a proper way without hurting others. Artha – Security – economic freedom. Kaama – Pleasure including ego satisfaction. Listening to classical music is one way of deriving pleasure. People also listen to other forms of music and today the whole world is listening to “why this kolaveri di”.

Dharmaarthakaama – Achieving economic freedom with ego satisfaction by adopting religion without hurting others.

In a TV Interview one of the callers asked Swamiji “Why are you growing a beard”. Swamiji said “I am not growing. It grows”. If you ask me “Why are you not shaving your beard” I might have a reason to explain.

You grow by giving to others. By grabbing from others you become small. Swakarma means my contribution. Duty is a thing to be done by you while Responsibility is enforced on you.

Bhagavad-Gita Chapter 18, Verse 46 –Yathah pravrithir boothaanaam yena sarvam idham tatham sva-karmanaa tham abyarcya siddhim vindati maanava – the literal translation of this verse is – From whom is the existence of all living entities, by whom all this is pervaded; through worshipping Him, by ones own actions prescribed according to qualification, a man achieves perfection.

At the beginning of every action you invoke with a prayer to the God and at the end of every action you dedicate the result to the God.

Duty is the word used frequently by Indians to denote what they do for a living. When a person is going for office work he says “I am going for my duty”. When you travel out of India and go abroad you see on landing in the foreign country at the Airport – Duty Free and when you come out of the Airport you see signage of “Heavy Duty Vehicles” and “Light Duty Vehicles”.

Symphony is made up of several people each playing different musical instrument and each one of them plays a significant and important role in the Symphony. The entire society in which we live is like a symphony. We have to play different roles. We assume the role of an employee when we are at work and when we get home we have to assume the role of a son, father, brother, husband, etc., with respect to various individuals in the family. In role play the person never undergoes a change it is only the role that keeps changing.

Drama Artist acts as a Beggar and enjoys begging on the stage. He enjoys crying while begging and gets the satisfaction when the audience appreciates his acting. Though he is not a true beggar in life he does the role of a beggar very well on stage because he knows that he is playing that role which is not his true self. There is a distance between the person and the role and the knowledge of such distance in the mind of the person does the trick. You need to know how to distance the person from the role. Enjoy the role. There is no role without problems and hence face the problems and find solutions. A drama without a plot is not a drama. An objective way of enjoying role play is the way of life.

Dharma and Karma are like a coin. One side of the coin is Dharma and the other side is karma. There cannot be objectivity in confusion or error. What cannot be given up is Duty. Swakarma is Swadharma. You can never rub against Dharma without Dharma rubbing against you.

Punya – result of Karma. Paapa – is not sin. Punya and Paapa are both results of an action. It represents the Pleasant and Unpleasant situation respectively. Being at the right place at the right time is Punya. If we are not at the right place or if we are at the right place but at a wrong time it is because of the Paapa. In the western countries they attribute it luck. Conductor of a Bus says “right” and you are “left” and hence you end up missing the bus.

Swami said he prefers to be called as Swami and not Swamiji as there is a scam in India involving the 2G. It was hilarious when he said 2 G, 3 G and hence SwamiG.

Free Will is your choice. You can use or abuse or disuse your Free Will. Use Free Will without causing any hurt to others – that is Dharma. Not abusing free will is Wisdom. Free Will accounts for Punya and Paapa. When we use the Free Will without causing any hurt to others we get Punya and if the Free Will is abused we earn Paapa. When you go against Dharma you face Karma.

Swami made a reference to the recent issue in Australian Cricket and said “Ricky Ponting is doubtful of being selected. Our Harbajan Singh is recommending for his selection – we don’t know if Harbajan is recommending Ricky’s selection in Australian Team or is indirectly hinting at his own selection to the Indian Team”. He also said it is Punya or Paapa which determines the score of a batsman and that is how the batsman will either score a Duck or a Century.

You have to create Punya in your day to day life. Prayer is one of the actions to create Punya. Seeking help is intelligent living. Kaayena, Vaacha, Manasa – Threefold Karma to produce Adhrishta.

To be objective is to acknowledge the hidden variables in life. Nithya karma – daily routines. Poortha Karma – fulfilling the needs of the community. Poortha Karma can earn Punya. Use Free Will to reach out and grow in the form of giving to others.

It takes knowledge to acknowledge. Way of life is not going to be different from the view of life.

I must have done some good deeds in the past and earned Punya to attend the lecture of Swami Dayanada Saraswati. It was highly educative and informative. His lecture was delivered with ease with a sense of humour and he also touched upon current affairs.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
18th December 2011

Why this Kolaveri di

This video is on Sonu Nigam's son Neevan and it is really a treat to watch. I have watched it several times and still feel like watching. Enjoy the video of this kid

DESIRABLE BEHAVIOUR

I have often come across people and places where the desirable behaviour is not being followed. Whatever be the reasons it is important for us to have respect and regard for others particularly when we are in a public place. I thought of listing some of the instances that I have faced over the last few years for the benefit of my blog readers:

Restaurant: I have seen in many restaurants people have a tendency of talk loudly. I have seen this very often in India and recently when I was in New York I had the worst experience of my life. I went with my wife and her niece for breakfast to a popular restaurant “Penelope” in Lexington Avenue in New York. All the tables were occupied and the moment we were seated in a table I felt like running out of the restaurant. The noise level was too much to bear. The people who were having breakfast were talking at very high tone. It was worse than a fish market. People should talk to their friends or relatives who are on the same table at low voice so that they are not heard in the next table.

People look at the food that is being served to others and ask the Waiter about that dish by pointing a finger on that table.

Elevator: Some of us get very restless when waiting for the Elevator. I have seen people pressing both the “down” as well as the “up” button. When the elevator stops they would ask “are you going down or up?”. This is a very annoying experience as people do not even know which button to press to call for the elevator. They think better to press both the buttons so that we can jump into the elevator quickly. If you are going down you should press the “down” button and if you are going “up” button. What is the point in pressing both the buttons and making the elevator to stop unnecessarily?

I have also come across people who carry a lighted cigarette in the elevator. If they are confronted they would say “I am not smoking in the lift”. Little do they realise that the lighted cigarette leaves a stench in the elevator. It is also difficult for non-smokers to stand next to the guy who is holding a lighted cigarette.

Cinema: Watching films in a Cinema is great source of entertainment for many. Some people behave badly in the Cinema and make it inconvenient for the others. I have seen people putting their legs on the seat in front. Many people throw the popcorn container, soft drink cans, coffee cups, etc. below the seat. Some of them talk very loudly and make comments as if they are watching the film alone.