Tyagaraja Aradhane 2012

Today is the fifth day of the day dark half of the lunar month of Pushya. This is the day Tyagaraja passed away in the year 1847. Since I started blogging, I have been making a post on this day. Not to break this tradition here I am with two chaupadis (four-liners) in Kannada, that I wrote today:

ಐದುಹೊಳೆಯೂರಿನಲಿ ಇದ್ದನವ ಮಹನೀಯ
ಹೆಸರವನದಾಗಿತ್ತು ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ;
ಬಗೆಬಗೆಯ ರಾಗದಲಿ ನೂರಾರು ರಚನೆಗಳ
ಮಾಡಿ ಇತ್ತಿಹನೆಮಗೆ ಯೋಗಿ ರಾಜ!

ತ್ಯಾಗರಾಜ ವಿರಾಗಿಯೇಕಾದೆ ಹೇಳು ನೀ
ನಾಗಿರಲು ರಸಿಕ ಮನವಾಳ್ವ ರಾಜ;
ಭೋಗಗಳ ಬೇಡೆನುತ ನಿಲೆನಿಂತೆ ಹಾಡುತ್ತ
ರಾಗಗಳ ನೀ ನಿಜದಿ ರಾಗ ರಾಜ!

(ಐದುಹೊಳೆಯೂರು = Literally, “the town of five rivers” – Tiruvaiyyaru, where Tyagaraja lived)

Here are links to posts I wrote in previous years around this time:

Tyagaraja Aradhane 2011

Tyagaraja Aradhane 2010

Tyagaraja Aradhane 2009

Tyagaraja Aradhane 2008

-neelanajana

Raga Tweets

Since the music season is upon us, here is old one: a list of tweets I’ve been posted on Twitter earlier.

A few of them may be lame, some of them repeats but hopefully good for a read!

I should acknowledge some of these are from my ideas of my friends too.

Some knowledge of Samskrta and/or Kannada might help.

Q: Name a raga that is liked by male snakes
A: PunnaagavarALi ’ಪು’ನ್ನಾಗವರಾಳಿ

Q: Name a raga that is sung by snakes
A: nAgadhwani

Q: Name one raga that can be played even in a ‘broken’ instrument?
A: ‘bhinna’ shaDja

Q: Which raga is the favorite for hypnotists?
A: Mohana

Q: Which is a raga that might be liked by a street seller?
A: ‘mAruva’ dhanyAsi ’cause it has the word ‘sell’ in it :

Q: Which is the best raga to sing on November 1st?
A: Kannada

Q: Which raga is best to sing in a Court?
A: Darbar

Q: Which raga is very aptly sung during the Fall season?
A: Hemanta

Q: Which raga is apt to sing in the spring season ?
A: Vasanta

Q:Which is the best raga to sing on a road?
A: bahu’dAri’ ಬಹು’ದಾರಿ’

Q: What is a really funny tALa?
A:Mathya tALa, Because it goes like: LOL. One laghu (l),one drta(o), followed by laghu(l) (Courtesy @p6)

Q: Which raga most film makers can’t do without?
A: Nayaki

Q: Which is the raga bore well diggers sing?
A: tODi

Q: Which raga do folks from Norway, Sweden or Iceland wish for during their long winter days?
A: Suryakanta

Q:Which is the favorite raga for KPC (Karnataka Power Corportation) employees?
A:Sharavati ಶರಾವತಿ

Q: Which is the raga liked by those working in armed forces?
A: Senagrani, a.k.a. Senapati/Senavati

Q: Which raga do theater artists like best ?
A: Nataka Priya

Q: Which raaga do school teachers hate most?
A: Kaapi

Q: ಚಿಕ್ಕಮಗಳೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಕೇಳಿಬರೋ ರಾಗ ಯಾವುದು? Which is the raga often heard in Chikkamagalooru town?
A: ಕಾಪಿ Kaapi
(Chikkamagalooru is a big producer of Coffee in India)

Q: Which is the favorite raga of thieves?
A: Takka

Q: Name two ragas observational astronomers dislike most?
A: Suryakanta, Purnachandrika

Q: Which raga amateur astronomers hate most?
A: Chandrajyoti

Q: Which raga does a high school physics teacher like most?
A: Andolika
(Andolika = pendulum)

Q: Which raga do they sing at an Ayyangar Bakery?
A: Vansapati

Q: Name 3 of the most favorite ragas for astronomers?
A: mangaLakaishiki, budhamanohari, gurupriya

Q: Which raga did P T Usha listen to before her athletic events?
A: Vegavahini

Q: Why was the musician’s wife angry?
Q:Because he sang “ni mama dapa, ni mapa dapa, nee dapa’
( for non-kannadigas – this means “your mom is obese, your dad is obese, you’re obese)

Q: Which is the favourite raga of ENT specialists ?
A: There are two : Karnaranjani and Nasikabhooshani

Q: Which raaga did Gouthama Buddhya sing in Bodh Gaya under the pipal tree?
A: “Calm” Bodhi

Q: Which ragas does Abhinav Bhindra listen to before his gold medal?
A: Mararanjani, Charukeshi, Sarasangi, Harikambhoji, Shankarabharana & Naganandini ( May be a bit technical)

Q: Which is the best raga to sing on a solar eclipse day?
A: Ravichandrika

Q: Name the most favored raga at Procter and Gamble?
A: Dhavalambari

Q: Which ragas should not be sung by people suffering from allergies, asthma etc?
A: Vasantha, hindolavasanta, vasantabhairavi etc

Q: Which are Shiva’s favorite ragas?
A: Gouri and Gangatarangini

If you haven’t read earlier, here is an old post of mine, with my memories of a music season I attended.

Lot of water has flown through Kaveri, but I am glad some things have not changed!

Enjoy the music season.

-neelanjana

@tworupeesoul I must have definitely sung Tyagaraja Gurum of #BMK..#Ithinkso

19th Ragashree Sammelanotsava

Click on the screenshot for a better view.

On a Full Moon Day

Ever wondered what would you  see on a Full Moon day, if you were on the Moon?

Answer: It depends.

It depends on where you are standing on the Moon.  If you are on the far side of the Moon that is always turned away from the Earth, then you would be standing in the lunar night. Pretty much you’d see what you would see from Earth in a dark night sky. Except that there won’t be the Moon. And of course, there won’t be Earth too, because you are on the far side.

If you are on the near side of the Moon that always  faces the Earth, then it is your daytime!  So you would see the Sun, and you’d see a New Earth – which actually can’t be seen, unless of course, it is a solar eclipse occurring at your location on the Moon (which in turn means it is a lunar eclipse for your friends on the Earth).

Since there is no atmosphere, and no dispersion of light, you could see stars and planets, if you can somehow block the sunlight!

Stellarium makes it easy to visualize that. Here is a screenshot from a time few hours from now, when the Moon appears full for earthlings.

View-from-the-moon

You can see the “New Earth” pretty close to the Sun, but not close enough to cause an eclipse.  As an aside, there are three planets, and parts of three constellations of the zodiac visible in the screen shot. Click on the image for a better view.

Any guesses?

-neelanjana