Music I admire 06: Residing in Mylapore reverberating with the sound of music (“san-gItamE muzhangum tirumayilApuri uraiyum”)

Mylapore, Marghazhi, music … a trifecta that for Carnatic music aficionados embodies the adage carved in the Divan-e-khas of the Red Fort .... “agar firdaus bar roo-e-zameen ast, hameen ast, hameen ast, O hameen ast!” (“If there is a heaven on the face of the earth, it is here, it is here, it is here!”). The three are so intertwined that Papanasam Sivan refers to the presiding deity of Mylapore - Siva as Kapalisvara - as he who resides in Mylapore, which reverberates with the sound of music. 

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQ6booj9dFTXqIlooYgBgRoKGzfcBPNAm  

Music I admire 05: How I wish to sing like the greats (“eppaDi pADinarO aDiyAr appaDi paDa nAn Asai konDEn”)

Shuddhananda Bharati (1897 to 1990) was an interesting mendicant philosopher and composer of fairly recent vintage. While he wote extensively in several languages including English and French (!!), in the Carnatic world it is as a Tamizh composer that he is best known. It is said that his first composition was eppaDi pADinarO in karNATaka dEvagAndhAri, which came out spontaneously at the Chidambaram Nataraja temple.

And what poetic insight for a first composition, expressing his desire to sing in praise of the lord, much as the great devotees before him (the great nAyanmArs for instance) had done. And he is clear - it’s not enough to sing like them. He wants to sing like them having gained insight into the deepest meaning of the Lord (“poRuluNarndu unnayE eppaDi pADinarO!”)

 https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxHwWMx1VwmskiF08uUYQBXY1x_8t5ocLS