Mohini Attam

Mohini Attam which is older than Kathakali is a semi-classical dance which is mainly performed by women from Kerala. Mohini Attam was mainly performed in the temples. The word 'Mohini' means a maiden who exerts desire or steals the heart of the onlooker. There is a well known story of Lord Vishnu taking on the guise of a 'Mohini' to enthrall people, both in connection with the churning of the milk ocean and with the episode of slaying of Bhasmasura. Thus it is thought that Vaishnava devotees gave the name of Mohini Attam to this dance form.

The first reference to Mohini Attam is found in the composition of Mazhamangalam Narayanan Namboodiri (16th century AD). Swati Thirunal, the king of  Travancore (19th century) encouraged and stabilised Mohini Attam. However, the dance degenerated to only entertainment. Poet Vallathol was responsible for the revival and development of the dance. He founded the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1930.

The theme of Mohini Attam is love and devotion to god. Vishnu or Krishna is often the hero. The spectators could feel his invisible presence when the heroine or her maid details dreams and ambitions through the circular movements, delicate footsteps and subtle expressions. The dancer in the slow and medium tempos is able to find adequate space for improvisations and suggestive bhavas (expressions). In format, this is similar to Bharatanatyam. The movements are graceful like Odissi and the costumes sober and attractive. It is essentially a solo dance, but in present times it is performed in groups also. The repertoire of Mohini Attam follows closely that of Bharatanatyam.

Mohini Attam maintains a realistic makeup and simple dressing. The dancer is attired in the beautiful white and gold bordered Kasavu saree of Kerala.

Mohini Attam like many other forms follows the Hastha Lakshanadeepika, as a text book for Mudras, or hand gestures. The style of vocal music for Mohini Attam as is generally seen, is classical Carnatic. The traditional instruments have been replaced in recent years by Mridangam and Violin.

  
Bharati Shivaji

Born in 1948 in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, Bharati Shivaji had  her training in Mohini Attam first under Radha Marar and later under the guidance of Kavalam Narayana Panikkar. She is also a proficient Bharatanatyam dancer, trained over several years by Lalita Sastry. An outstanding  exponent of the Dance of the Enchantress,  Bharati has contributed towards the development of  the dance-form through research and creative application.  Supported  with a research fellowship from Sangeet Natak Akademi, she  worked with Kavalam Narayana Panikkar to expand  the format and repertoire of Mohini Attam. She has performed extensively in India and abroad, bringing popularity  to the dance. She is also  a teacher at her own Centre for Mohini Attam in Delhi. She has authored the book titled The Art of Mohini Attam and produced a film on the dance. 

From www.cyberkerala.com

 
Maestro Shiv Kumar Sharma

"According to me, Music is not for
entertainment. It was my life-long dream to play
such kind of music which will make
the listeners forget to clap;
which will make them silent.
My dream came true, once.
I played one raga,
while the listeners
immersed deep into meditation
and I experienced a state of thoughtlessness.
This silence was so nourishing,
so fulfilling,
there was no need to play anything else".

Santoor, the folk instrument from the valley of Kashmir, owes its classical status to Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Santoor or Shata-Tantri Veena as it was called in the ancient times, was used as an accompaniment to a specific type of singing called Sufiana Mausiqi. When Pandit Uma Dutt Sharma, a renowned vocalist from Jammu, and a disciple of Pt. Bade Ramdasji of Benaras spotted it, he was convinced of the potentialities of the instrument. After extensive research on the instrument he bestowed the responsibility of establishing it on the concert platform on his only son Shivkumar. The rest, as they say, is history.

However, the road to success was far from smooth. After several radio broadcasts and performances he appeared for his national level concert in Mumbai in 1955. This was a turning point in his life where he received applause as well as was severely criticized by the orthodox sections of musicians and listeners. Santoor according to them was not a complete instrument on which one could play classical music. Instead of getting disheartened or discouraged, in his characteristic manner he took these criticisms as a challenge. After in-depth research, he made some important modifications on this hundred stringed instrument, like a new chromatic arrangement of notes and increased the range to cover full three octaves. Besides, he also created a new technique of playing with which he could sustain notes and maintain sound continuity. Today Santoor is at par with any classical instrument, well established not just all over India, but across the globe.

While he never compromises on the purity of music, Pt. Sharma’s open minded approach has resulted in some of the most popular, innovative experimental albums like Call of the Valley, Feelings, Mountains, etc. In fact he is among those rare musicians who have been able to create successfully in the world of film music as well. Now for over forty years Santoor is an indispensable part of Indian film music. His compositions for blockbusters like Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni, Darr, etc. are all time favourites across the country.

Naturally, a musician with such a vast spectrum of achievements has a long list of National and International awards conferred upon him like the Honorary Citizen for the City of Baltimore, USA (1985), Sangeet Natak Academy Award (1986), Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar (1990), Honorary Doctorate from the University of Jammu (1991) Padmashree (1991), Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Award (1998), and Padma Vibhushan (2001), to name a few.

Born in 1938, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, a musician par excellence, a great composer, an understanding, kind guru, a sensitive and aware citizen, this living legend is truly a personification of the Indian ethos and values. The world of music will forever be indebted to him for his incredible contribution.

From www.santoor.com

 
Dr. L. Subramaniam

"Music is a vast ocean and no one can claim to know it all. The more you know, the more you realise how little you know. It is an eternal quest."

"I find nothing more inspiring than the music making of my very great colleague Subramaniam. Each time I listen to him, I am carried away in wonderment," said Lord Yehudi Menuhin.

Subramaniam, India’s violin icon, "The Paganini of Indian Classical music", "the God of Indian Violin" is the serenity of an Indian musician combined with the magnetism of a western "star". Constantly propelled from Singapore to Paris, from Delhi to Los Angeles, he has conquered every audience with the elegance and virtuosity of his style. His career as a childhood prodigy brought him into contact with the greatest musicians and he soon imposed himself as a master of the violin. At a very young age, he was honoured with the title "Violin Chakravarthy" (emperor of the violin). No other musician can boast of such diverse repertoire and collaborations, or even such mind-boggling techniques. Till date, Dr. Subramaniam has produced, performed, collaborated, conducted and released over 150 recordings.

Dr. L. Subramaniam is the only musician who has performed/recorded Karnatic Classical Music, Western Classical Music, both Orchestral and non-Orchestral, and also composed for and conducted major Orchestras, collaborated with a wide range of some of the greatest musicians, from different genres of music including jazz, occidental, jugalbandis with North Indian musicians, world music and global fusion. He has established himself as a force that is strongly Indian, but universal in nature and approach.

His insatiable musical curiosity made short shrift of all kinds of technique, of all types of form (he has composed for several western classical orchestras and ballets) and of all new experiences (he was a musical advisor to Peter Brook about the sound concepts for his "Mahabharata"). He has composed music for a select few films, including "Salaam Bombay" and "Mississippi Masala" and was the featured soloist for Bernardo Bertolucci’s "Little Buddha" and "Cotton Mary" of Merchant – Ivory Productions). This total receptivity towards the world, this polymorphous talent, this technical mastery all however find their truest experience in the service of Karnatic music, the tradition he has inherited from his Father and Guru, Professor V. Lakshminarayana. Dr. L. Subramaniam’s parents Prof V. Lakshminaryana and V. Seethalakshmi were the driving force behind their son and the reason he chose a life in music.

Passionate about music, Subramaniam was also dedicated to Science. He studied medicine, finishing his M.B.B.S at Madras Medical College and registered as a General Practitioner. Subsequently he did his Master’s Degree in Western Classical Music in California and he finally decided to dedicate his life to music. From then on, his artistic activity was to spread in many directions. No one else is as qualified as Dr. L. Subramaniam to experiment with new concepts and different ideas because of his stable foundation in Carnatic Classical, Western Music, Orchestration and rhythm. He is the creator of the Global Music concept.

Not only is he the most outstanding Indian Classical Violinist, but also an exceptional composer who has established himself as the foremost Indian composer in the realm of orchestral composition. In 1983, he crossed other frontiers, that of western classical tradition. "The Double Concerto for violin and flute" combines western scales and micro intervals. "Spring – Rhapsody" is a homage to Bach and Baroque music. Over the years he has written and created works for the worlds greatest orchestras The New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Zubin Mehta ("Fantasy on Vedic Chants"), the Swiss Romande Orchestra ("Turbulence"); The Kirov Ballet ("Shanti Priya") The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra ("The Concerto for Two Violins"); The Berlin Opera (Global Symphony), the live concert of which was broadcast simultaneously over 28 nations for millions of people. His latest orchestral composition is entitled ‘Astral Symphony’ for full symphony orchestra and soloists from different musical traditions, once again emphasizing the concept of Global Fusion.

His compositions have also been used in various stage presentations by leading ballet companies, including the Cleveland San Jose Ballet Company and the Alvin Ailey Company.

He has received several awards and honours, including the coveted Padma Bhushan and Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for "The Most Creative Artist" from the President of India. He has been awarded the "Nada Chakravarti" (Emperor of Sound) from H.H Sri Ganapati Sachchidananda Swami-ji at Trinidad (West Indies). In recognition of his contribution to the World of Music, he has been conferred with Honorary Doctorate (D.Lit) by both Bangalore University and University of Madras.

From www.indianviolin.com

 
Maestro Hari Prasad Chaurasia

"Music is my prayer and each auditorium a temple."

An internationally acclaimed flautist of India, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is a very popular and eminent artiste who is known for his outstanding contribution in popularising Indian Classical Music abroad. His consummate artistry has distinguished him as the greatestliving master of the North Indian bamboo Flute, acclaimed both at home and abroad.

Unlike many other great Indian artists, Pt. Chaurasia does not come from a family of musicians. Rather, music is the path he found for himself. Born on July 1, 1938 in Allahabad, he began his musical pursuit at the age of 15, learning classical vocal technique from Pt. Rajaram. Within a year, however, he had switched to flautist from Varanasi. He tutored under Pt. Bholanath for eight years. In 1957 barely out of his teens, he became a regular staff member of All India Radio in Cuttack, Orissa, where he worked both as a performer and as a music composer.

Transferred by All India Radio to Bombay in 1952, he received further guidance from surbahar player Shrimati Annapurna Devi, daughter of late Ustad Allaudin Khan, sister of Ali Akbart Khan, Under her guidance his music acquired a new depth and he left All India Radio to pursue his performing career.

Since that time Pt. Chaurasia has concertized internationally winning acclaim from the varied audiences and from fellow musicians like Yewhudi Menuhin and Jean Pierre Rampal, among others. In 1984, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to music, he was given the National Award of the Sangeet Natak Academy. Pt. Chaurasia tours regularly in the U.S. and Europe and was a featured artist in the U.S. Festival of India in 1985.

He has made numerous recordings of north Indian Classical Music.

In 1990 the Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar was bestowed upon Pt. Chaurasia. As a musician Pt. Chaurasua is a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. He has significantly expanded the expressive possibilities of classical North Indian flute playing through his masterful blowing technique and his unique adaptation of alap and jor to the flute. He is immensely popular in India. According to the magazine " India Today ", " Chaurasia is among a few but growing classicists who have made a conscious effort to reach out and expand the audience for classical music." Pt. Chaurasia's horizons also extend beyond North Indian classical music to Indian Folk and popular music for many Indian films. The famous "Silsila" which he collaborated on with Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma was a platinum disc in India, as was his experimental album "Eternity" which incorporated many western elements alongside of North Indian Classical ones. Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia has recorded a compact disc at Oslo alongwith Western Artists John Mclaughlin and Jan Garbarek which has gained international popularity and was released by the ECM company.

From www.indya.com