என் இனிய தீபாவளி

Having (re)started to blog... not putting a post for Diwali is considered
crime and not fulfulling your social responsibility. So, here i am :)

I hope everyone had a blasting and a colorful Diwali. I hope my friends
in India got time to spend this Diwali with their families and relatives
and not with their laptops and PM/PLs. For my friends here in the US,
well we dont have much option other than going to a temple :)

Though i missed my family and relatives bigtime, this Diwali was really
special for me. This is the first time i am spending a Diwali in the US.
(Nothing much to cherish in this). But what made it really special was
the live concert of "Sudha Ragunathan" that i attended. This was on
the eve of Diwali (Friday evening/night)

Ppl in the field of Carnatic music know that she is a Living Legend but
even for "gnana soonyams" like me who dont know "C" of Carnatic
music, she doesnt need any intro. I have seen her in Vijay TVs
"சிகரம் தொட்ட தமிழர்கள்" (and offlate in some "பரம்பரா பட்டு"
ad).

It was one of the items in my wishlist to be @ a live concert (though
not necessarily carnatic) and so i was really happy making it to her
concert. Just to add a small note, she is one of the very few ppl who
got good appreciation from the famous critic Subbudu
(குறை கண்டுபிடித்தே...)

It was organized by the Univ of Cincinnati students via their SABHA
community. First, hats off to them for putting up a great show.
I happened to c this Ad in a poster @ an Indian restaurant just hrs
before the event.

Myself and my friend Maniprakash decided to start early.Luckily we didnt
loose directions and were in the Univ auditorium pretty early. Show was
delayed by 30 mts but it was worth a wait ;-) (U know what i mean....
Come on, didnt i tell u that it was arranged by Univ students??)

She started at 7 PM with a keerthana and i should say the next 3.5 hrs
will be in my memory for a long time. The keerthanas and the bhakti
songs in her voice was simply divine. Man, what a talent. High Pitch,
Low pitch, Side pitch.. she just plays with those nuances... She also
accepted some "Song Requests" and sang some popular ones like
"குறை ஒன்றும் இல்லை" , "சின்னஞ்சிரு கிளியே" etc. We
were blessed to hear all this when ppl in India wake up for Diwali.
What timing :)




The folks on Violin/Mridangam and Morsing
who accompanied her were not newbies either.
They were simply superb too. I dont have
much words to say. I could feel that my mind
was light !!!

After the show, she spent a good 30 to 45
minutes signing autographs, talking casually
with all students/audience and posing for
pictures. Just made us wonder 'how come
someone with such talent can be so down-to-earth' ...

We had our share of snaps too. Something to cherish for a lifetime.
(Mani with the close-up smile and Yours Truly -- enna bavyam)


Another line item that made my Diwali special was the function @ the Hindu
temple here. Atleast some 400 ppl would have made it to the temple.
Crackers were arranged by the temple org free of cost.

It was a very pleasing sight to see ppl in all
traditional outfits and a LOT of kids (including
us, haha) bursting crackers. Overall, it was a
very new and a special Diwali experience for me.

Signing off. Have fun until i blog next time :)