Author: Ramkumar R

  • Overcoming Fear

    Overcoming Fear

    What is fear? Where does it come from? Fear is an emotion, a kind of an anguish, that arises out of ignorance. Ignorance about the nature of something or about its effect. Ignorance about what will happen. There is so much we do not know. And we fear what we…

  • Crisis time: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

    Crisis time: Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

    Whenever we are in a crisis, it seems like we are caught in a dark tunnel. There is fear because we are in unfamiliar territory. Right now, in the times of the Corona virus pandemic, the fear is global. Remember: The tunnel connects where you were just some time back…

  • Are you in the zone?

    Are you in the zone?

    What is being in the zone? Have you ever had moments in your life where doing something gave you a lot of calm joy? Where the sense of space and time seemed to disappear? And you seemed to be your most authentic self? Welcome to being in the zone! Is…

  • The Qs – Gundecha Brothers

    The Qs – Gundecha Brothers

    Interviewed Dhrupad artists, the Gundecha Brothers, for Aalaap’s The Qs. Gundecha Brothers, Dhrupad Artistes Dhrupad is like the mighty Himalayas. We are literally tiny men in front of it   What is the purpose or intent of Dhrupad? Umakant Gundecha: Dhrupad is the search of the ultimate, the search for a true…

  • The Qs – Ramana Balachandhran

    The Qs – Ramana Balachandhran

    Interviewed prodigious veena artist Ramana Balachandhran for Aalaap’s The Qs. Ramana Balachandhran, Veena artiste “The veena is my second voice” Did you choose the veena or did the veena choose you? I would say the veena chose me. What are your early memories with the veena? What about the instrument fascinated…

  • The Qs – Abhishek Raghuram

    The Qs – Abhishek Raghuram

    Interviewed Carnatic musician Abhishek Raghuram for Aalaap’s The Qs.   Carnatic music seems like an exhaustive encyclopaedia. Is there more to be created? Carnatic music is a vast ocean. The body of work created by the great practitioners of this art form is like an ocean within this ocean. It…

  • The Qs – Sai Shravanam

    Interviewed ace sound designer and musician Sai Shravanam for Aalaap’s The Qs.   Over the years of dabbling in music, both as a musician and an engineer, how would you qualify your relationship with sound? I’m afraid I find it difficult to split my personality into these halves – musician…

  • The Qs – Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman

    Interviewed nadaswaram maestro Vyasarpadi Kothandaraman for Aalaap’s The Qs. Over the years of the Nadaswaram becoming integral to the concept of weddings and all occasions auspicious, what has been its relationship with this space? Nadaswaram performances have increased over the years because of the instrument and its sound being an…

  • The Ethical Vegan Mridangam

    I had the opportunity to interview Dr. K. Varadarangan, creator of the SRI mridangam, for Sruti magazine. Sourcing it from the Sruti magazine blog below:   The Ethical Vegan Mridangam By R. Ramkumar In his path breaking work in the field of Carnatic percussion, Dr. K. Varadarangan, a Bengaluru-based vocalist,…

  • SRI mridangam – a path breaking work by Dr. K.Varadarangan

    If it looks like a mridangam and sounds like a mridangam, it must be a mridangam. Yes, indeed it is one. Meet the SRI (Synthetic Rhythm Indian) mridangam – an “ethical vegan” mridangam that is the product of many years of painstaking research done by Dr. K. Varadarangan, a Carnatic…

  • V Sanjeev for Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust, Chennai

    V Sanjeev for Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust, Chennai

    Organizer: Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust Venue: Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall Violin: V. Sanjeev Mrudangam: Patri Satish Kumar Khanjira: K.V. Gopalakrishnan 1) evari bOdhana (varNam) – AbhOgi 2) praNamAmyaham – gauLa (OS) 3) sArasamukhi – gauDamalhAr (AS) 4) sAmagAnalOla – citrAmbari (A) 5) mama hridayE – rItigauLa (A) 6) shambhO sadAshiva…

  • Abhishek Raghuram at Balavinayakar Temple, Chennai

    Abhishek Raghuram at Balavinayakar Temple, Chennai

    Organizer and venue: Balavinayakar temple, D’Silva road, Mylapore Vocal: Abhishek Raghuram Violin: H.N. Bhaskar Mrudangam: Anantha R. Krishnan List of songs: 1) calamEla (varNam) – darbAr (S) 2) vinAyakA – hamsadhvani (S) 3) Ananda naTana – kEdAram 4) raghuvIra – husEni (A) 5) jagadIshvarI – mOhanam (AN) 6) Ananda naTEsA…

  • Abhishek Raghuram for Vasantha Memorial Cancer Hospital Anniversary

    Abhishek Raghuram for Vasantha Memorial Cancer Hospital Anniversary

    Organizer: Vasantha Memorial Cancer Hospital Venue: Sivagami Pethachi Auditorium, Alwarpet, Chennai Vocal: Abhishek Raghuram Violin: B.U. Ganesh Prasad Mrudangam: N.C. Bharadwaj List of songs: 1) mAl marugan (varNam) – hindOLam (A) 2) vArAhI – vEgavAhini (AS) 3) ninnuvinA – tODi (A) 4) murugA – harikAmbOji  (AN) 5) varanArada – vijayashri …

  • Kumaresh and Jayanthi for Charsur Arts Foundation

    Kumaresh and Jayanthi for Charsur Arts Foundation

    Kanada and kalyani melting the hearts. So much melody! Such great mastery over their instruments! Kumaresh, Jayanthi Kumaresh, Anantha R. Krishnan and Trichy Krishnaswamy for Charsur Arts Foundation’s mid-year music festival Dvayam at Rukmini Arangam, Kalakshetra, Chennai.  

  • Abhishek Raghuram at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai 

    Abhishek Raghuram at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai 

    Organizer and venue: Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai Vocal: Abhishek Raghuram Violin: Akkarai Subbulakshmi Mrudangam: R. Sankaranarayanan Ghatam: N. Guruprasad List of songs: 1) eduTa nunnADu – bhujangini (O) 2) pAlayamAm – kannaDA (AS) 3) gAnamUrtE – gAnamUrti (AS) 4) santAnagOpAlakrishnam – khamAs (ANST) 5) bAlagOpAla – bhairavi (ANST) 6)…