The Hindu :Friday, January 07, 2005

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Friday, January 07, 2005

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Will the Conqueror win here?
The Greek hero, who conquered most of the known world before he was 25, is the latest subject for director Oliver Stone. ANAND PARTHASARATHY recalls past screen treatments of Alexander the Great and wonders whether the latest venture will sell.

Letters To The Editor

Listening matters

Cinema

Lined up for Feb.14
WITH "RAMAKRISHNA" doing more than expected business, its hero Jai Akash is all geared up for his next venture, Sri Chella Muthu Kumara Movies Pvt. Ltd's "Guru Deva," to be released on February 14. Paired with Pranathi, who was earlier seen in ...

Film stars seek spotlight on stage
A number of screen actors have been doing plays. Except for cinema-cum-theatre personalities like Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher, Farooque Shaikh or Paresh Rawal, they are performers out of the limelight. V. GANGADHAR analyses the trend.

Message, subtle and clear
THE HELPLESSNESS, exasperation and anger of the peace loving common man are succinctly showcased in the 25-minute short film, "December 6," produced by Sai Surya Enterprises and written and directed by `Kavya' Pugazhendhi. The title is a clear ...

On Location

Uniting the lovers
THE SET was at AVM studio. It was a full-fledged Dabha where Rambha was dancing to the tune of the new music director Vijay Anthony. Dance master Ashokraj was giving instruction to his junior artists performing in the background. Director ...

Personality

Vani Jairam — accolades as a way of life
Vani Jairam, the multi-lingual playback singer who has proved her prowess in many a genre of music from films to ghazals and bhajans to classical, was recently honoured with the Kamukara Award, in Kerala. MALATHI RANGARAJAN in conversation with the veteran ...

Music

HAMSADHWANI

Echo of vintage Balamurali
AT HAMSADHWANI, Raghavan Maniyan's recital came as close as one can hear Murali dhvani from a disciple. Few would disagree with the proposition on hearing Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna's young student delineate a moving alapana in ragam ...

SRI PARTHASARATHY SWAMI SABHA
Lively swaras, imaginative alapana
T. V. SANKARANARAYANAN IS known for his lively swarakalpana. His aalapana too, is marked for creativity and when he indulges in expansive sancharas, the outcome is memorable. His Purvikalyani aalapana for ``Indha Paramukam Edu" and ...

Accent on traditional sancharas
P. VASANTHAKUMAR gave an in-depth veena recital, marked by regard for traditional sancharas and raga bhava. GNB's "Karimukhavarada" (Hamsadwani) and Purandara Dasa's "Sakalagrahapalaneene" (Atana) were briskly rendered. "Naaradamuni Vedalina" ...

Stalwarts impress with their classicism
N. C. Soundaravalli, senior exponent of vocal Carnatic music, has had Maharajapuram Santhanam's guidance for many years. Valajapettai Venkatramana Bagavatar's "Nenarunchi" in Chakravaham was a worthy version, while Papanasam Sivan's "Gajavadana" ...

MUSIC ACADEMY

Ragas shine with pearly lustre
ENDOWED WITH a pleasant voice that imparts an aromatic flavour to her singing, Lakshmi Rangarajan presented the raga alapanas of Saveri (``Kamakoti-Peeta-Sthithe") Simhendramadhyamam (``Rama-Rama-Guna Seema") and Sankarabharanam ...

MUSIC ACADEMY

Subtle imagination, delicate touch
ONE AMONG the musical progeny of Pt. Ravi Shankar, Janardhan Mitta is also the link between Maihar and Madras. He proclaimed this twin lineage in his recital at the Madras Music Academy, drawing on his wide repertoire of ragas and compositions ...

HAMSADHWANI

Silken voice
TRANQUIL AND tasteful music were the highlights of Rajarajeshwari's concert for Hamsadhwani's NRI Festival. A silken voice enabled the vocalist to showcase the raga bhava to its fullest extent. A bright start was made with the popular ...

MUSIC ACADEMY
Kapi in lyrical edifice
ON HEARING Bombay Jayashree's cutcheri, beneath her apparently angelic simplicity in raga alapanas and rendering of kirtanas, there was a deep flow of musical intimacy. She has the talent to impart luxuriance of mellifluity bringing out the ...

Musicological aspects in focus
AT THE Music Academy during the second week of the morning sessions, the focus was on various musicological aspects mentioned in the ``Sangeeta Sampradaya Pradarshini." On the first day of the week, Prof. S. A. K. Durga presented a lecture ...

THYAGA BRAHMA GANA SABHA

Adherence to classicism
SRIVIDYA GANESAN'S vocal recital was underscored by her firm resolve to stay true to the tenets of traditional classicism. The pursuit of this ideal led her to handle weighty ragas and krithis with composure. Presenting a mature profile of Varali ...

RASIKA RANJANI SABHA
Mellow flute
VIJAY GOPAL charmed the sparse audience with a tuneful and mellow flute recital, avoiding gimmicks and jugglery. ``Manasa etulortune" followed a restrained and soulful alapana of Malayamarutam, crowned with attractive neraval and kalpana swaras. ...

Abhangs — rendered and received with ecstasy
TRADITIONAL MARATHI Abhangs in Varakari style presented in Chennai by a Tamilian! You wondered if this curious mixture will work, especially when there are concerts going on at a feverish pace in most sabhas during the season, but still decided ...

SRI PARTHASARATHY SWAMI SABHA
The history of RTP
PARTHASARATHY SWAMI Sabha's lecture-demonstration session on Ragam, Tanam and Pallavi — a Historical Perspective, by Dr. M. B. Vedavalli, recently, traced the evolution, structure and exposition of these important manodharma facets of ...

NARADA GANA SABHA
The briga blitzkrieg
SHE HAS that indescribable asset called presence, a wide repertoire, an exciting briga style and skill in raga painting. More, her voice has now acquired a deeper timbre even in the upper sancharas. Yet Gayathri Girish's recital at the Narada ...

KRISHNA GANA SABHA

Savouring the Tamil Padam
DANCE IS a deeply processed medium, its expression reflecting both body and mind of the dancer. Even when the theme and aesthetic purpose are defined, the dance interpretation of a Padam, while trying to catch both poetic imagination and ...

CDs for the season
Saranam Ayyappa — Ensemble of Ayyappa Namaskara Slokas — CD — Times Music — Spiritual — TDIDE 283V — Concept: Anand — Composer: K. G. Ranjith — Price:Rs.225. EVEN AS the disc opens with ...

Dance

BRAHMA GANA SABHA
Effective portrayal
AFTER A Ragamalika, Talamalika Thodayamangalam, Jayanthi Subramaniam took up the marathon Ragamalika varnam of the Thanjavur Quartet `Sami Ninne.' The Theermanams in this item spoke of her long years of experience. The lyrics are about the ...

KRISHNA GANA SABHA

Yakshagana presented in typical vibrant shades
IT IS generally described as folk but this theatre form from Karnataka, the Yakshagana or the song of the celestials, possesses a strong classical connection. It is typically the folk art of the region like Kathakali of Kerala, but Yakshagana ...

NUNGAMBAKKAM CULTURAL ACADEMY

Dance on the glory of Muruga
THE DANCE production, ``Om Saravana Bhava" centred round the theme of Muruga, was performed by Revathi Ramachandran and her students for Nungambakkam Cultural Academy. Verses from diverse sources such as Tiruppugazh, Adi Sankara, Kanda Purana ...

BHARAT KALACHAR

Tribute to the goddesses in vibrant colours
THE RESONANCE of the Tibetan singing bowls and gongs, the ethereal sense suggested by the incense carried onto the stage by the dancers in measured paces, and the mystery of the jalatarang together fired the commencement of the dance theatre ...

KARTIK FINE ARTS

Delightful Kuchipudi
SAILAJA PROVIDED a delightful experience of Kuchipudi dance at Kartik Fine Arts. She has established her identity in the dance form with an involved perfection in laya, and tala. She follows the pure line of dance of her Guru Vempatti Chinna ...

Technology comes to the aid of aspiring dancers
NOBODY WILL dispute the fact that performing arts cannot be pursued and perfected without a guru's guidance. But with technology making its presence felt in this traditional sphere, we now have add-on learning methods as well. Though these new ...

An interesting experiment
MEENAKSHI CHITTARANJAN has collaborated with her Brazilian student Adriana to device a short number based purely on rhythm. While exchanging ideas about Bharatanatyam and Flemenco, the Spanish dance, the two had realised that the joy of rhythm, ...

Theatre

Simple themes, straight narration
A HANDFUL of short stories was dramatised by the Koothu-p-Pattarai theatre group recently. "An evening of five short stories" in Tamil (Katha Collage) was presented from December 24 to 28 at the MGR Janaki School at Vadapalani. Sundara ...

Heritage

Festival unique to Margazhi
THE TAMIL month of Margazhi is sacred because Lord Kishna says in the Gita that he is Margazhi among the twelve months. During this month no marriages or homams are performed. The Vedas (four in number) are recited in temples to propitiate Lord ...

A rare phenomenon
FROM TIME immemorial, Sri Andal Nachiyar at Srivilliputhur will be adorned daily with a new parrot made out of leaves of a particular tree. During the Brahmotsavam at Tirumalai-Tirupati on the `Nachiyarkolam day' this parrot, made out of ...

Places Of Worship

A fresh look at the bachelor deity
Hanumath Jayanthi falls on January 10. LAKSHMI DEVNATH gives an account of Vayuputra with His consort at a temple on the Chennai - Tiruchi National Highway.

Devi in the form of lingam
THE DURGAPARAMESHWARI temple at Kateel is invigorating spiritually and delightful visually. Kateel is some 28 km from Mangalore in Karnataka. The temple itself is a small island in the middle of the river Nandini. After the main entrance, one ...

Miscellany

Radha Madhava Kalyanam

Inaugural dance show