After a long time, I attended a concert recently. It was in a temple some distance from the house. It reignited the long buried excitement and feelings on going for a kacheri.
The concert I attended was by the Bangalore brothers. I never had the privilege to attend them before. It was really mesmerising especially because of the bhakti bhava shining through out.

Still remember, during childhood, we had the privilege of having Annual Thyagaraja concerts every year conducted by my late guru. Besides, which also could attend concerts where and when it happened in other temples. Am so grateful to my parents that they gave this opportunity. I starve for such opportunities here.

It is always exciting to attend a carnatic concert. To see people around you with whom you share the different feelings you experience as you listen and enjoy the various kritis, compositions being expounded. No two concerts would be the same, even by the same person. The challenge is to make some new element every time.

I just love entering the hall with the strains of the tanpura and the shruti box playing. It creates the environment necessary and silences voices, which is a pre-requisite for enjoying a concert. It also creates a very auspicious feeling and creates a meditative state in you.

Usually most concerts may start off with an invocation in some form or other followed by some small song or a varnam in a bright ragam to get people on their feet. Many times it can be Hamsadhwani, Kalyani and so on.The concerts are interspersed with a combination of different types of compositions and ragas with varying mood effects. There is usually one or maybe more than one centrepiece which is very elaborately done. Towards the end, you may have lighter compositions and winding up with a mangalam. There are excellent synchronicity and understanding between the singer, the violinist and the mridangam. All gets to share and shine in the experience. One of my favorite parts is the thaniyaavarthanam which is performed by the mridangist and violinist..

The concert I attended had very many pieces on Lord Shiva, as it was in a Shiva temple. Started off with Vachaspathi ( Paratpara Parameswara), one extremeley delightful composition by Papanasan Sivan. There were others in revathi, shanmukapriya, Chakravagam (Guruvayoorappa ~ very moving) Sahana (Sri rama jaya rama), kaa vaa vaa (varaali), also an Ragamalika (Aarabhimaanam) and many others, which I cannot recall as of now..

Hoping to attend more concerts to get the feeling of bliss and joy when listening to exposition from the heart..