Remembering The Maestro

Hello friends, Being a Music fanatic, I have always had a great passion for Carnatic Music.Understandably,Not everyone can get 2 enjoy the symphonies' of this form of music. Just like any other form of music, carnatic music is also artist driven. For eg. U might like listening to guitar riffs ,it's because u might have been inspired by artists like Pink Floyd and Dire Straits ( just an e.g) In a similar manner, when i say that I enjoy listening to carnatic music, it's simply because I was inspired by the man in the picture below.Thanks to my parents that did a great job by instilling stuff of this caliber right from my younger days. Madurai Mani Iyer- The Nada Yogi Popularly known to his fan group as Madhura Mani , Ganakaladhara Madurai Mani Iyer is not just another Carnatic Musician. Despite his physical ailment, he has captured the hearts of many people by his style of rendering krithis.So,what's so special about the music of this person ,a quality that even forces a pass by rikshawala to stand by and listen to his Kutcheri (concert)? 1. Simplicity In these days when it is not hard to find even highly trained musicicans struggle a lot to render the simplest of the krithis, U are awe-struck when u listen to Madurai Mani as he non-chalantly renders even the toughest of raagas. 2.Shudham (Purity) One remarkable quality MMI possesed is his ability to preserve the Raga Lakshanam(Quality of the Raga). U wudnt't find him let go of the swaras' haywire(abaswaram). 3. Swaras Playing around with the Saptha Swaras(Sa ri ga..) while preserving the quality of the raga is not an easy task. MMI is a master of weaving swaras.His Sarvalaghu style(principal basis of a tala) of rendering swaras is a quality possesed by very few artists like M.S Subbulakshmi. Some of my favorite songs of MMI include 1.Kana Kan Kodi Vendum ( Kamboji raga) 2.Vallabha Nayakasya (Begada) 3.Yochana Kamala Lochana (Durbar) 4.Meenakshi Memudum Dehi (Purvi Kalyani) 5.Sahasrakara Mandithe (Vachaspathi) 6.Kaa Vaa Vaa (Varali) ...the list keeps going A note to Gen-X: Appreciating the value of traditional and pure carnatic music takes some time. Initially, u wudn't like the sounds because ur ears might have got tuned to lots of different adulterated forms of music. Hence, U need to be patient to truly admire the masters like MMI.Try to get the hang of it. U can read more about MMI here. Don't fail to check out the music downloads. U can also find more downloads over here and here Have Fun bloggin out krishna Related Artists: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagawathar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Alathur Brothers, Maharajhapuram Viswanatha Iyer.