Thai Pushyam Day

February 8, 2009 was Thai Pushyam and we at Veenavaadhini celebrated the event with a musical offering to Lord Muruga. The programme commenced with a group rendering of some of Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s krithis, namely Sri Mahaganapathi (Gowlai), Srinathadi (Mayamalavagoulai), Balasubramanyam Bhajeham (Suruti), Manasaguruguha (Anandabhairavi). Since it was a Sunday, Suryamurthe Namosthuthe (Saurashtram) was also sung. The group rendering concluded with Brahmasri Ananthakrishna Iyer’s composition “Valli Devasenapathe” in Kamas and the Mangala Krithi of Dikshitar “Sri Abhayamba”. This was followed by Sangitanjali by Veenavaadhini students who enthralled the audience with various songs ranging from Sri Guruguha to Varasikhi Vahana to Darisittalavil Muktiperalam, etc.

This musical presentation by students was followed by a grand Lecdem by Shri B Karthikeyan of Kolkata who had the audience at the edge of their seats with a spellbinding and educative lecture on the sthala Tiruvarur. He gave an elaborate account of the association of Tiruvarur with Muthuswamy Dikshitar and how so many of his compositions are extolling the deities enshrined in Tiruvarur. In fact some of his major group kritis like the Kamalamba Navavarana Krithis, Nilotpalamba Vibhakti Krithis and Thyagaraja vibhakti Kritis are all about the respective deities in Tiruvarur.

After this pleasant and enlightening musical evening, sakkarapongal and sundal prasadam was distributed.