By PNV Ram

S Kedarnath was a talented opening batsman who performed consistently for the State Bank of India team in the 1970s and 80s. He was thought of highly by some illustrious teammates like GR vaViswanath, and could not go beyond a handful of first class appearances because the Tamil Nadu scene was dominated by some excellent openers who rarely gave even half a chance to would-be successors. After retiring from active cricket, Kedar has been constructively associated with the game as a sought-after coach, with his Kedar Academy in T'Nagar attaining high standards and producing several promising players to the state. Kedarnath is a man with a nice sense of humour and an excellent mimic. His take-offs on players and umpires can be hilarious and very convincing. He is musically talented and trained as a mridanga vidwan with a top-notch guru of his day. He also has nice sense of sruti and a ringing voice, with which he can imitate singers as varied as MD Ramanathan, Semmangudi Srinivasier, KV Narayanaswami and DK Pattammal. He has this habit of ringing you up and launch a fair rendering of Giripai, the sahana song made famous by MDR. On many a similar occasion, I have almost died of laughter.

Kedar's mentoring inclinations have not stopped with cricket coaching. Last year, he started a sabha of the name Kedaram under whose auspices he has been conducting Carnatic music concerts of quality, insisting on traditional renderings true to their pathantara by mostly young musicians, but also the occasional veteran. He stipulates some rules of decorum including one on a 'whites only' dress code! Today, Kedar celebrates the first anniversary of Kedaram at Raga Sudha Hall, Luz, Mylapore, in the presence of some luminaries of the Carnatic music world. The three-day programme kicks off with a concert by Swetha and Raamya, a young duo accompanied by VV Ravi (violin), Mannarkoil Balaji (mridangam) and H Prasanna (ghatam). The programme will continue with vocal concerts by Karthik Narayanan (accompanied by MR Gopinath, B Ganapathyraman and Alathur Rajaganesh) on Saturday, and N Vijay Siva (accompanied by Embar Kannan, J Vaidhyanathan and S Krishna) on Sunday.

Sangita Kalanidhi

FROM THE EDITOR The Music Academy of Chennai will soon announce the name of the next Sangita Kalanidhi. Many sabhas will also announce similar awards and honour musicians with comparable ceremony, but the Academy’s title is still considered the highest honour in the world of Carnatic music, even if there have been a few hits and misses in the eight decades and more of the institution’s life. We hear talk of the existence of a rotation policy and quota system, considerations of youth alternating with those of experience, vocal versus instrumental, concessions to demands for inclusiveness, so on and so forth. Because last year’s Kalanidhi was a woman violinist, for instance, we may surmise that the next one will be neither female nor an instrumentalist. It is of course easier to criticise these so-called errors of omission and commission than to sit down and select a worthy claimant to the title. What is more, during the good times of abundant talent, some excellent artists are bound to miss out, especially those not blessed with longevity. Examples abound from the past, when an artist of such eminence as Lalgudi Jayaraman had to refuse to be considered for the award as a mark of protest, and giants like T.N. Rajarathnam, Palani Subramania Pillai and M.D. Ramanathan were left out. A few living maestros, especially instrumentalists who strode the Carnatic music stage like colossi (yes, that is the dictionary plural of the word), have even expressed anger and unwillingness to accept the award if it comes their way late in their lives. We have also heard that some stalwarts of the past have bullied or lobbied their way to the coveted title. None of this is unique to music awards or the Sangita Kalanidhi in particular; they are true of awards in general, and it is of course impossible to satisfy all constituents of the music world as to the genuineness of the claims to greatness of all the awardees. Sruti has been advocating the broadbasing of the Sangita Kalanidhi award to offer at least three classifications: vocal, instrumental (wind and string), and percussion. We are convinced such a move will not dilute the award, while taking a step towards recognising the contribution of a greater number of outstanding musicians. While the actual Sangita Kalanidhi conferment date is months away, another event in the cultural landscape of the state and indeed the country looms much closer ahead: the selection of the new director of Kalakshetra. Will it be an eminent artist or someone with credentials as an arts administrator? The prescribed age limit of 60 (or 65) will keep out a number of distinguished artists and teachers, who might otherwise qualify for the position. The process of calling for applications also rules out some worthy prospective candidates who are not comfortable with the idea of applying for a post. This can of course be dealt with by the selection committee making a short list and finding out if the shortlisted persons are interested in applying. Regardless of who makes the cut, we hope for a worthy and controversy-free choice to be made to helm this remarkable institution. V. RAMNARAYAN

SIFAS Festival 2017: Ravikiran in sublime form

Arriving at Changi Airport, Singapore, on 1st April, I was happy to be received by Sushma and Shruti. Shruti left with my co-passenger Mannargudi Eswaran, while I stayed back with Sushma to await the arrival by another flight of Satyajit Talwalkar the tabla ustad who was to accompany Kaushiki Chakrabarty (vocal) and Rakesh Chaurasia (flute) in a concert on the 2nd at Esplanade on the Beach. Satyajit turned out to be a cool character, easygoing and confident in his self, the legacy of his tabla maestro father Suresh Talwalkar sitting lightly on him. We were taken straight to the SIFAS premises, where we freshened up in the guest house and had a breakfast of idlis and coffee, before we trooped to the auditorium to listen to Kauhsiki Chakraborty and Rakesh Chaurasia in conversation with a sizable audience. Moderated by the American accented Ganesh Anand (a Hindustani vocal student of SIFAS), the session proved lively and entertaining, even if Kaushiki spoke of how divine her father's (Ajay Chakraborty's) music and nature were in typically traditional tones of guru worship. Both she and Rakesh, who is flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia's nephew, spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of their inheritance, though even the so-called negatives did turn out to be positives in the long run. For Kaushiki the child, music was play, and growing up, she revelled in translating every song she learnt into sargam syllables, and pushing herself to extremes while traversing the octaves. Rakesh, in contrast, was lazy about daily riyaz, but Hariprasad overcame this obstacle in his nephew's musical path, by leaving blank cassettes with him in the morning and demanding that they be filled with his practice exercises by the time he returned in the evening. Both confessed to their openness to the idea of collaborations and fusion efforts.in particularly, gave a strong reply to a member of the audience who suggested that some of these attempts to take classical music to the common folk would result in dilution of the art. Kaushiki drew parallels from the history of music, by referring to the Persian influence on Hindustani music, and even traced the raga Bhoop to the Chinese pentatonic scale. Kaushiki proved an articulate and confident champion of her school of music, and gave some lovely samples of the incredible range of her voice and her amazing virtuosity. He reached out easily to the young in the audience, though she tended to go on a bit too long. Rakesh showed several glimpses of his uncle's sense of humour and repartee, but he fooled no one into believing that he was playful in his pursuit of musical excellence. Like Kaushiki, he spoke of the collaborative work he enjoys doing. Chitravina N Ravikiran’s concert that evening was as good as his best concerts in India. Every raga and every kriti he played was rooted in the traditional mode, and the sound of his instrument resembled some ancient cry to the beyond, giving you goosebumps with its purity and magnificent reverberance. Is there a better Carnatic musician in the authentic tradition? Ravikiran had great support from Akkarai Subhalakshmi (violin) and Mannargudi Eswaran (mridangam) who was celebrating his 72nd birthday. Both of them complemented the chitravina with their sometimes subtle, sometimes dynamic playing. It was also an opportunity for the versatile local percussionist who was playing the ghatam this evening. Charged by the brilliance of his mridangam playing senior, he perhaps got away on occasion. All in all, it was a most memorable concert. By V Ramnarayan (To be continued)

The season that was

Yet another music season has come and gone. Strangely, another new season seems to be already upon us, if we look at the engagements page of the newspaper. There are at least three concerts on everyday, sometimes more. Be that as it may, the end of the December festival gives us a breather. Personally, my experience of it was restricted to concerts at the Madras Music Academy, with the rare exception or two. As I have said elsewhere, many of the senior vidwans and vidushis disappointed, some of them to such an extent that it made you angry that the listening public was being shortcharged. Thankfully, the craze for some of these stars as recently as a couple of years ago has apparently diminished. I say this with much feeling, not because I enjoy the fall in their popularity, but because this year plastic chairs were no longer dragged to and fro in the auditorium to accommodate star-gazing crowds to the annoyance of regular supporters of quality music. (The phenomenon destroys the listening experience during concerts that precede those of our superstars, as people troop in fifteen minutes before the end, in order to clinch seats for the concerts that follow. I have been advocating a change in the programme schedule to feature the concerts of the superstars before those of lesser mortals, not after, but no sabha or organiser will pay any heed). Some of our young musicians made a special mark this season with their sterling performances at the Academy, obviously fighting the nerves inevitable on such occasions. A more detailed account of some of the better concerts I attended will follow in a later blogpost. The arrangements at the Academy were excellent as always, with the whole auditorium and facilities maintained in tip top condition, the seating arrangements very comfortable, the service at the canteen and parking lot excellent, and quite possibly the best acoustics in the city, though there were a few complaints this time about slightly overloud amplification during some concerts. While the Music Academy deserves an A plus rating for the conduct of the season, it may be time to take a serious look at the selection of performers. Some of the regulars seem out of place, while more deserving artists aree left out. One reform that strikes me as due is to offer shorter duration recitals in the nine am slot, so that two seniors may be accommodated each day. This will also enable the freeing of the prime slot through some promotions to the morning recital.

Trends and refinements

By V Ramnarayan

From MADRAS MUSINGS (March 1996)                                     

At the start of the Wills World Cup, I had expressed the hope that it might be dominated by bowlers rather more than its predecessors. My hope has not exactly been fulfilled. The bat has so far maintained its sway over the ball and there have been some devastating innings of power and productivity.

The one encouraging aspect of the tournament from a bowling point of view has been the influence the spinners have exerted on the matches. Of the leg spinners, the ever-smiling Paul Strang of Zimbabwe has emerged as an exciting prospect with ability to turn the ball and bowl a very Impressive googly. What is more, Strang has shown a refreshing willingness to toss the ball up, unafraid of being hit for a few, as happened at Kandy when the Sri Lankans went on a rampage. He came back from that mauling well enough to trouble opposing batsmen in the remaining matches.

Leg spin, in fact, has been prominent throughout this tournament India, Pakistan and Australia have used it as their trump card. Anil Kumble has come a close second to Strang at the end of the league stage in the number of wickets taken, while Mushtaq has won at least two matches for Pakistan off the back of his hand. Even after South Africa and the English openers had shattered his bowling analysis, the Pakistani managed to bounce back with match-winning spells.

Kumble has been accurate on the whole except when Mark Taylor and Mark Waugh gave him stick. He has learnt to mix them up a bit, more than he used to in days past, and that has made him a harder nut to crack.

Increasingly, the leggies are coming on fairly early m the innings, sometimes in the first 15 overs. Shane Warne, though not exactly among the wickets, has commanded the greatest respect from every batsman, with his control and variety.

The increased use of spin for strategic advantage has not stopped with leg spin in this World Cup. Venkatapathy Raju has led the left arm spin brigade, in spite of being in and out of the team. He has succeeded in arresting the run rate as well as obtaining breakthroughs almost at will, as he did against the marauding Australians. Both Richard Illingworth and Aamir Sohail have proved economical (till the quarter-finals and both have picked up a few wickets for England and Pakistan respectively. Asif Karim of Kenya returned some splendid figures and generally bowled in a beautiful arc that did him and Kenya proud. Among the off spinners. Aashish Kapoor did not disgrace himself on the solitary occasion he was tried, while Mark Waugh twice provided vital openings to win matches for his side.

With Manoj Prabhakar resorting to off spin. Sachin Tendulkar doing a more than useful job in that style and now Phil Defreitas switching to off breaks in the quarter final against Sri Lanka, there is a sudden explosion in readymade off spinners. The great Jim Laker must indeed be turning in his grave at this slight to his art, but this
is a trend brought on by the flat nature of pitches in the subcontinent and the massacre of the quickies on them. In addition, almost every fast" bowler of any merit has now added to his repertoire an off break as a slower ball.

Of course, another popular ploy in the tournament is now almost standard practice with many teams. Sri Lanka leads the way with two pinch hitters opening the innings. Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana have blazed a trail of attacking batsmanship in this tournament which for sheer audacity and entertainment, value can have few parallels in recent cricket history. Sachin Tendulkar has played so many electrifying innings at the top of the order that a more conventional approach by the Indians has now become virtually unthinkable

The South Africans have been the most flexible in terms of strategy and they have not hesitated to replace their 'agriculturist' opener Palframanan with the more orthodox Andrew Hudson, who too has scored rapidly but in a more refined manner. They have studied their opponents very closely and adapted their game plan to suit each individual opposition team.' Against Pakistan for instance they swept their way systematically to success, but adopted more orthodox tactics in other encounters. They have kept Paul Adams largely a secret, perhaps the best kept one of this contest. By the time you read this, the value or otherwise of this particular tactic will have been there for all to see. If memory serves me right, no bowler of 'chinamen' and left am googlies has figured in a World Cup match before Paul Adams, proof in itself that the mega event has come a long way from its exciting but relatively unsophisticated beginnings in 1975.

Cup for bowling stardom

By V Ramnarayan

(From Madras Musings, February 1996)

The Wills World Cup promises to be a bowlers' contest for stardom more than any of its predecessors, with a number of exciting new talents emerging in the recent past. Veteran of 200 Test and 87 one-day international wickets, Shane Warne will certainly figure at the very top of the popularity charts unless he decides to skip India as well as Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Easily the most glamorous spinner of the Cup, the Aussie will face the sternest test of his career if and when he comes up against the Indians who have, in the past, succeeded in collaring him. The other wrist spinners, Anil Kumble and Mushtaq Mohammed, will almost equally be the cynosure of all eyes as they spring to their task to the accompaniment of deafening local roars.

The spin department may even draw more attention than all the others with Paul Adams of South Africa and his extraterrestrial bowling action providing drama of a kind not witnessed before. Muthiah Muralitharan will be another centre of attraction and his bowling action will be debated, until the cows come home, at cricket grounds and in drawing rooms across continents. For Aashish Kapoor of India, who learnt his cricket in Madras, this will be a great opportunity to display his flair for instant cricket. Besides his offspin, Aashish can bat attractively and innovatively. If the young man grabs his chances, he may achieve international celebrity status before the end of the championship. And let us not forget Venkatapathy Raiu, who may surprise the lot.

Among the quickies, it will be every Indian's fond hope that Javagal Srinath will enhance his reputation as one of the fastest improving bowlers in the world. His stint with Gloucestershine in the English county circuit was an education that helped the' Karnataka paceman's graduation into the ranks of the world's leading speed merchants. With experience has come the maturity to bowl within himself in limited overs competition. Perhaps Azharuddin will feel emboldened to bring him on in the slog overs instead of turning to his second string as he did last season. Venkatesh Prasad too is an improved bowler while Salil Ankola, if he finds a place in the playing eleven, may prove the surprise package of the Indian attack, to go by his recent track record.

I cannot escape the feeling that the World Cup may mark the beginning of the end of the road for veteran all- rounder Manoj Prabhakar, to judge from the decline in pace and accuracy noticed in the series against New Zealand. With Prabhakar, however, you can expect always the unexpected and he may well bounce back, stung by suggestions that he may be over the hill.

Dominic Cork, the new Botham whom England supporters want so desperately to live up to that expectation, is the only English paceman with the ingredients of charisma, though his relatively workmanlike colleagues may ensure yet another semi-final berth for their team with their professional competence. Even little fancied Zimbabwe can boast of a more colourful attack with the young Heath Streak improving by leaps and bounds. Dion Nash and Danny Morrison of New Zealand are worthy performers in both kinds of cricket, but fall short of the aggression and precision of their trans-Tasman counterparts, McDermott, McGrath and Reiffel.

Pakistan has Akram and Waqar Yunus and New Zealand has Chris Cairns. These are three pace bowlers who can be expected to turn matches upside down with their aggressive bowling.

Man to man, however, no other side in the competition appear capable of matching the South African combination of Allan Donald, Fanie De Villiers, Shaun Pollock and Brian McMillan. Young Pollock, one of the world's most exciting young fast bowling prospects, some say he's the fastest bowler in the world, will be keenly watched by the critics to see how he fares on the placid wickets of the subcontinent.

"Never make the mistake of writing off the West Indians", is probably the most sensible piece of advice you can offer anyone going into the World Cup. The old firm of Ambrose and Walsh, supported by new partners, can wring life out of the deadest of playing surfaces. Smarting under recent reverses, the West Indians will be thirsting for success in the Cup. With Lara back in the side, their fast men will be bowling with their tails up.

Sri Lanka has a sharp new pace attack consisting of Vaas, Wickremasinghe, and Pushpakumara. While Wickremasinghe came into his own in the WSC matches in Australia after a relatively indifferent Test series, Pushpakumara has impressed one and all with his persistent pace. But their left-handed partner, Chaminda Vaas, has been the pick of the Lankan attack. If I were to pick the one quickie likely to emerge as the strike bowler of the World Cup, I'll put my money on this talented left armer. It will be a shame if the threat of violence denies this fine young athlete the chance to bowl Sri Lanka to glory in the Wills World Cup.

The best of two worlds

By V Ramnarayan

(From Madras  Musings, June 1995)

Jayakrishna Ambati has a string of achievements to his credit, achievements that put him in the prodigy class. This 24-year·old physician, medical scientist, artificial intelligence expert and electronics engineer rolled into one has been recognised as outstanding and lionised in the US where he now lives. 

If on reading of Jayakrishna's exploits. you think they are hard to better, wait till you read about his younger brother's. By now it is common knowledge that 17 -year-old Balamurali Krishna Ambati has become the world's youngest doctor, with honours in all basic sciences, medicine, paediatrics, psychiatry, neurology, emergency medicine, community medicine, ophthalmology, otolaryngology and neurosurgery. Bala has been featured in newspapers and magazines in four continents and appeared in several TV and radio programmes worldwide.

I had the pleasure of meeting the parents of these gifted brothers. To meet proud parents Murali Mohan Rao and Gomathy on their recent visit to Madras was to catch a brief glimpse of the well-directed love and guidance responsible for the growth and development of the two gifted brothers.

A few minutes after I reached their newly built home in Mahalingapuram, where the Ambatis were staying, the family arrived after a hectic round of visits. It was 8.00 p.m. and pitch dark, thanks to a power breakdown. "I thought the power cut was confined to the morning," remarked Bala, innocent of the ways of Tamil Nadu's power supply agency. After a few minutes of desultory conversation, we decided to go ahead with the interview in the dark! Unknown to us, Jayakrishna had gone walkabout, in search of candles, as I learnt later, a search that took him as far as T Nagar.  Bala was by then resigning himself to yet another press interview only to be reassured that I'd talk to his parents. Obviously grateful for this reprieve, he gave a wonderful, boyish smile that said it all.

It is pretty obvious to even the casual bystander that the Ambatis are a closely knit, old-fashioned family where traditional South Indian values are respected. Much of the conversation within the family is in Telugu, without a trace of an American accent. In attire, too, the family is difficult to tell apart from the average Madras family. Murali Mohan Rao takes pride in the way his children have been brought up to be truly Indian in their cultural outlook.

Murali Mohan Rao was the fifth of eight sons born to Ambati Subbaraya Gupta, ICS, the first Indian District Magistrate of Cuddapah District. Ambati senior was an ashtavadhani, or an adept at the simultaneous performance of eight different feats of mental agility. After his schooling at RECC High School, Perambur, Murali Mohan Rao finished his B Tech at IIT Madras in 1969. From then, until his departure for the States in 1980, he taught maths at Voorhees College and CMC School in Vellore, followed by a stint at IIT, Madras. In the US, he studied industrial engineering and operations research.

As Murali Mohan Rao grew up, the atmosphere at home was conducive to learning and academic excellence. Another brother to benefit from this helpful atmosphere was Ramalingeswara Rao,  who recently retired as Deputy Director of Health Services. "He does not even own a house," remarks Murali Mohan Rao, proud of his family's standards of integrity. He strongly believes that the mother's presence at home is vital to the well- being of the children, the reason why his wife Gomathy has not taken up a full-time job, though qualified. "Why should the wives of Indian doctors in the US take up jobs when they are so well off? I call It greed."

Gomathy, who is from Madurai, had a degree in mathematics before she went on to higher studies in Tamil. In the US, she obtained a master's degree in education. She teaches a couple of courses at the University, once she has completed her daily household duties. During the first three years of the Ambatis' stay in the US, it was Gomathy who took care of the boys' educational and development needs at home, while Murali Mohan Rao was settling down in his studies. Jayakrishna was ten and Bala three then.

It was Gomathy who first noticed Bala's precocious talent, his language skills, cognitive ability and mathematical aptitude. Jayakrishna would also participate in honing young Bala's prodigious intelligence and memory. Bala could spell quite well at three and knew the multiplication tables before he was five. Yet the US school system did not permit him to join school until he was six.

It was only after Murali Mohan Rao completed his higher studies and started his teaching career that he started devoting time to Bala's intellectual stimulation. He used his new professional status to repeatedly argue with the administrators to win Bala double promotions.

There were, and still are, several brainstorming sessions in the Ambati home, making learning a pleasurable experience - the word 'fun' is anathema to Murali Mohan Rao. There would be quizzes on maths, physics, the environment and so on, in which all four would take part enthusiastically.

The Ambatis follow a traditional lifestyle at home - respect for elders, humility, our spiritual heritage, discipline are important ingredients. There is much Telugu spoken and an effort to bring the boys up as normal persons. Sport is not ruled out - basketball is a favourite and chess is more than a hobby with both the sons. All four are regular visitors to the Hindu temple where they conduct an Educational Excellence Programme on Saturday afternoons to train middle and high school students to prepare for the National Merit Scholarship and SAT exams.

It is easy to see the close ties of the Ambati family, the parents' affection and pride in their children, tempered by orthodox Hindu parental ideas of discipline. No smoking or alcohol is allowed in the house. The young men are models of good behaviour and excellent manners.

Just as the family was getting ready to leave for elder statesman  C Subramaniam's house for dinner, Jayakrishna returned triumphantly with the candles, to lighten the gloom, but, alas, too late to join the conversation. In a refreshing display of adolescent curiosity, Bala asked me whether I spoke Tamil or Telugu and we exchanged notes on our respective heights. 
I asked him whether he watched the TV serial 'Doogie Howser, MD.', the story of a teenage surgeon much like Bala. He is quick to point out that he has been around longer than the serial. In fact, after graduating in biology at 13, he had declared his intention of completing his medical degree by the time he was 17. The TV serial followed a year later, perhaps even inspired by Bala. Like Doogie Howser, Bala is a brilliant young doctor with a maturity and wisdom far beyond his years. Like Howser, too, he does show flashes of boyish innocence and humour.

Power supply as yet unrestored, I came away seeing in different light the simplicity of a family that finds itself in the limelight, their patience with the irritants of life in Madras after the  luxuries of America, there fierce pride in their Indianness. They appear to have found the right mix of tradition and modernity. They are excellent examples of the merits of the best modern education, aligned with a world-view and nourished by the values of a well-knit, traditional Indian family.