Colourful kolams

Call it kolam or rangoli, the patterns drawn through the slits of the fingers are wonderful and exclusive to our country.
Rangoli is known by different names - Alpana, Aripana, rangavali, chowkapurana.
But what I know well is 'Kolam' - the traditional Tamil Nadu kolam.
I distinctly remember my childhood days when we used to get up early in the morning (at 5am?) during Margazhi, after Dec. 15, especially during Christmas holidays. Our mom used to wake up before us and get the front yard cleaned and keep ready for us. Us? - My sister and I!
Our dad also used to get up and be with us at the entrance, keeping an eye on the passers by at the wee hours.
We always put up a traditional kolam with white powder. Sometimes two coats of lines and patterns to make the kolam look brighter!
I could rewind my memories of drawing big kolams during the Mylapore festival, where we see only the traditional while powder kolam.

But the announcement in the paper about the longest, record breaking rangoli at the Marina beach, made me curious. The competition was to be held on Jan. 28 between 8 and 11am.

At 8am in January, when one would expect a chill in the air, the Sun was up and the women who participated in the contest were sweating!
Yet, the long trail of rangolis was nice to watch. The colour powders made a few rangolis clumsy though.
At 11am, the jeep carrying the judges, S. Ve. Shekhar (the Mylapore MLA), dancer Chitra Visweswaran and TV anchor Uma Padmanabhan started moving from rangoli no 1. The trail started from the lighthouse and went up to the swimming pool in the north.
A few rangolis I loved are here. But none of these won a prize!

Amazing kids!

The title would remind us of Pogo Amazing kids!
I happened to see a giant advertisement board near Besant Nagar beach, during the December music season in Chennai. That was about the Amazing kids award by Channel Pogo - the kids' favourite channel!
That was 'Keyboard' Satyanarayanan - the child who is globe-trotting with his western instrument playing Carnatic music!
But, in my opinion, all kids are amazing. In their talents, enthusiasm, curiosity to learn things on their own and even in observing the elders like parents and teachers.
It is the amount of exposure they get or the parents introduce them to.
Yes, for example, introduce a kid to various kinds of music - Carnatic, Western, folk and Hindustani. Take the kid to performances in all the types of music. If possible, introduce them casually to learn the basics of different kinds of music. Watch the kid for a few months.
You would be amazed at the open mindedness of the kid to all types of music. He will listen to melodic Hindustani as well as enjoy a rock concert.
Later he would choose his kind of music to pursue. But will never, never look down on the other types of music!
It's my personal experience!
But, watching the kids a s a group, to do anything - music, dance, drama or just evening time playing in the apartment complex - is just fun.
I happened to be at the anniversary celebrations of a music school, Hamsanadam, run by singer Subha Ganesan. I have seen this school with a board drawn on a hard board with the name written by her students (they were a handful at that time). It was around 1996 - 97.
I could not believe that the school has now about 250 children in various age groups. The senior children presented a set of kirtanas with rich sangatis - typical of Subha Ganesan's school.
The 'kutties' presented beautiful small pieces.
Look at one such group! Aren't they amazing?

The Carnatic spirit lives here!

If you have not got it, here is what it is.
The town is Tiruvaiyaru.
You are right, the famous Thyagaraja Aradhana takes place here every year.
The building seen in this picture is the samadhi of Bangalore Nagarathnam Ammal, who was instrumental in making this festival happen.
The small raised structures in front of the building are the two stages on which musicians pay homage to Saint Thyagaraja during the aradhana.
These platforms are decorated with a backdrop and temporary green room for the musicians to assemble before the concert and align their instruments to sruti.

I am not going to talk much about what happens beyond all these things, at this place, during the aradhana. One has to experience. Some pluses and some minuses. A few people who visit this place during aradhana, share their experience with the world.

The sandy banks of river Cauvery is a beautiful place to just unwind, have a darshan of Thyagaraja and if you can sing or play an instrument, bring it to the place and pay your homage to this saint peacefully!
You will feel good

Happy New Year!

A belated wish to the readers of my blog!
I know I should not be boring with what is over now. Yet the videos, photographs are just tempting. If you have missed it, you have to wait for another year!

January is the season of many more things! Apart from Pongal, some important events people look forward to in the new year are already up.

Here is a quiz!
Identify this place.
Clue: A major event, Doordarshan telecasts every year takes place here!
If you got the answer - Congrats!
If no, do wait for my next post!