Today a reflective morning mood prompted me to think up and ask three pointed questions to the Perplexity AI engine. The three questions and the Answers obtained are given below in seriatum. Question No. 1 Saint Thyagaraja composed more than a thousand “kritis” out of intense Bhakthi. He was not a musician nor was CarnaticContinue reading “The Debt (“Rishi Rnam”) of ‘noblesse oblige’ owed to Saint Thyagaraja by the Carnatic Music world”
Category Archives: carnatic music , arts
Sri Thyagaraja, the undeclared Sri Vaishnava “prapannan”
Like millions of Rasikas all over the world , I too consider myself an ardent Sri Thyagaraja bhakth who loves so many of the saint’s exquisite kritis and often, whenever swept away by the mood, I do sing a few of them in the privacy of my home purely for the delight of my ownContinue reading “Sri Thyagaraja, the undeclared Sri Vaishnava “prapannan””
What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?
A.R.Rahman is without doubt a great popular musician. But he is NOT a classical musician. The MMA is an institution whose main mission is to preserve and promote classical Carnatic music . A.R. Rahman’s skill or depth in Carnatic music has no third-party independent endorsement. No doubt he has notably incorporated many elements of CarnaticContinue reading “What notable contribution to Carnatic Music has A.R. Rahman made that made Madras Music Academy invite him to preside over its prestigious 2025 Music Festival?”
Readers disagree with my blogpost yesterday on A R Rahman @ Madras Music Academy Annual Music Festival inauguration : Dec 16, 2025 … and my reply
At the Madras Music Academy yesterday, A.R.Rahman’s sickening hypocrisy.
He was careful not to displease either the “traditionalist” reactionaries of Mylapore or the eminent revolutionaries of the Carnatic Music world who were seated beside him on stage. So in one breath A R Rahman spoke from both sides of his mouth … and with the forked tongue within. If you read his quoted wordsContinue reading “At the Madras Music Academy yesterday, A.R.Rahman’s sickening hypocrisy.”
AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)
(Below are AI assisted translations in Kannada and Tamil of the original speech rendered in English: please view at https://mksudarshans.blog/wp-admin/post.php?post=16122&action=edit ) ಮೊದಲು ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವರ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಕೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಗೌರವನೀಯರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ರಸಿಕರೂ, ಕಲಾವಿದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಉಳಿದ ಭಾಷಣವನ್ನು ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾಗಿ ಬರುತ್ತದೆ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನನಗೆ ಇನ್ನೂ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಲು ಆಗುತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ. ದಯವಿಟ್ಟು ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ. ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. (ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್Continue reading “AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)”
AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)
ಮೊದಲು ಸ್ವಾಮೀಜಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ ಮಾಡಿ ಅವರ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದ ಕೇಳುತ್ತೇನೆ. ವೇದಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇರುವ ಎಲ್ಲ ಗೌರವನೀಯರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ರಸಿಕರೂ, ಕಲಾವಿದರೂ ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ನನ್ನ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ. ಉಳಿದ ಭಾಷಣ ಇಂಗ್ಲಿಷ್ನಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇನೆ, ಕನ್ನಡ ಸುಲಭವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಲು ಇನ್ನೂ ಬರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಕ್ಷಮಿಸಿ. ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು. (At the outset I offer my humble prostrations to the Swamiji to seek his blessings. I wish to offer my greetings to all the eminent persons onContinue reading “AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY AT RAGA SUDHA RASA 2025: Music and Dance Festival Dec 13-20, 2025 @ Surathkal, Karnataka – “Mani & MK ANNUAL AWARD-2025 for OUTSTANDING YOUNG TALENT in Carnatic Music”(instituted by the Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai): Full Text of Speech by the “Guest of Honour”, Sri. M.K. Sudarshan (Managing Trustee Dr. Smt. Mani Krishnaswami Foundation, Chennai)”
Kannada’s parentage: Kamal Haasan won’t apologise for his comment because he’s so intellectually lazy
On a day when Kamal Haasan was nominated by his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) to the Rajya Sabha, after the DMK in Tamil Nadu charitably allotted one seat in the Upper House to MNM in return for its support in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the ageing actor made a thoughtless comment about theContinue reading “Kannada’s parentage: Kamal Haasan won’t apologise for his comment because he’s so intellectually lazy”
REMEMBERING TODAY ON HER 95th ANNIVERSARY THE FUNNY SIDE OF MY MOTHER SMT MANI KRISHNASWAMI’S PERSONALITY
REMEMBERING TODAY ON HER 95th ANNIVERSARY THE FUNNY SIDE OF MY MOTHER SMT MANI KRISHNASWAMI’S PERSONALITY My mother Sangitha Kalanidhi Smt Mani Krishnaswami would have turned 95 years of age today Feb 3 2025 . She was a musician with a very warm, friendly heart that endeared her to one and all in the CarnaticContinue reading “REMEMBERING TODAY ON HER 95th ANNIVERSARY THE FUNNY SIDE OF MY MOTHER SMT MANI KRISHNASWAMI’S PERSONALITY”
Reading “Tiger” Varadachari’s brief history lesson fills me with grim foreboding for the future of Carnatic Music
For me reading the above account of the great Sri “Tiger” Varadachari (one of the gurus of my mother Smt Mani Krishnaswami) was like virtually being taken on a fast-track tour of the brief history of the Carnatic music world . What struck me most forcefully from “Tiger’s” reminiscences was that in those days itContinue reading “Reading “Tiger” Varadachari’s brief history lesson fills me with grim foreboding for the future of Carnatic Music”