Latest news with #Bhairavi
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Sufiscore and Namyoho Studio's album, ‘RaagRaanis', features an all-woman music ensemble
Sufiscore and Namyoho Studios present 'RaagRaanis', an album by an all-woman music ensemble. It features Grammy-nominated vocalist Varijashree Venugopal, along with Bollywood singers Pratibha Singh Baghel, Kalpana Gandharv, Prajakta Shukre and Himani Kapoor. There are five songs in the album that blend melodies based on ragas, composed in the traditional bandish style, with contemporary sounds. Pratibha 'knew Himani and Prajakta for over a decade and collaborating with them for this album has been an absolute delight. This was also possible because of Sufiscore, which provided us with a platform that gave us the liberty to express music with our own interpretations.' According to Kalpana, each song holds a different emotion and shade of the feminine spirit. 'The song, 'Saayan na aaye', touched my soul the moment I heard it. It is set in one of my favourite ragas — Bhairavi — and speaks of longing, love, and everything in between.' The album opens with 'Jiya Naahi Laage', written by Himani, composed by Prajakta and rendered by Pratibha. Prajakta shines as a singer and composer with 'Bairi Chhaliya', while 'Tere Bina Saawan' highlights the voice of Himani. The vocals were recorded at Laya Digi Studios, Bengaluru and the project is supported by Namyoho Studios. The singers are accompanied by Varad Kathapurkar on the flute, Arshad Khan on the esraj, I.D. Rao on the saxophone and guitarists Swapnomoy Chowdhury and Madhavan. 'Raagraanis' has now been officially released.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ICAI boosts fund to support needy CA students to s 400 crore
Ahmedabad: The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) is committed to supporting every child in India who wishes to pursue chartered accountancy but faces financial or personal difficulties, said Ketan Saiya, chairman of the Western India Regional Council (WIRC) of ICAI. He said that any student in need can approach any ICAI branch for assistance. After proper verification, ICAI will offer all possible support to help them continue their CA studies. To strengthen this initiative, ICAI increased its education support fund from Rs 100 crore to Rs 400 crore this year. Additionally, ICAI is actively conducting career counselling programmes in districts across the country to promote awareness and opportunities in the CA profession. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad Saiya also highlighted that ICAI submitted a proposal to the govt to simplify and reduce the number of Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) sections in the Income Tax Act to ease the burden on common citizens. In view of global economic growth, ICAI plans to open a new office at GIFT City in Gandhinagar. On July 10-11, over 100 CA students from across India will visit GIFT City to explore opportunities for their future careers. ICAI is also promoting AI awareness through certificate courses and launched several public welfare initiatives. These include cyberfraud awareness for housewives, MSME support, startup seminars, investor meets, and educational programmes for schoolgirls on safety awareness through the Bhairavi programme.
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
M.L. Vasanthakumari's melodious voice and innovative approach made her music unforgettable
She came, she sang, she conquered. July 3 marks M.L. Vasanthakumari's (MLV) 97th birth anniversary. It's a good time to look back at my guru and an extraordinary vocalist's life and art — a combination of melody, vidwat and dynamic stage presence. MLV was not only adept at singing both shudha Carnatic ragas such as Thodi and Bhairavi but also desya ragas like Behag or Sindhubhairavi. She may have imbibed this talent from her father vidwan Koothanoor Aiyaswamy Iyer, who was trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Along with her mother Lalithangi, he also specialised in Purandaradasa kritis. MLV followed suit. MLV expanded the repertoire she inherited by adding compositions by Kanaka Dasa (disciple of Purandaradasa) and other Dasa Koota composers. It could be said that the family brought Dasarapadas to the concert stage. Mysore University acknowledged MLV's efforts in this regard by bestowing upon her an honorary doctorate. A versatile vocalist, MLV was trained early on by none other than G.N. Balasubramaniam, who was also a close friend of her father. It was GNB who boldly ushered in a new voice-culture based on Hindustani akaaras and nagaswaram glides (jaarus), and lightning-fast swara clusters (brighas). She carried forward his innovative approach. She was one of the first Carnatic vocalists to sing abhangs. Her kutcheris often felt wholesome with the inclusion of padams, javalis, Tevarams, Tiruppugazh and complex RTPs. She was well known for introducing rare kritis in each and every concert. Rasikas waited with bated breath to hear a new song, alapanas of rare ragas such as Sekarachandrika, Gamansrama, Revathi and Natabhairav, a pallavi in a difficult setting or a Purandaradasa ragamalika. They also enjoyed the tukkadas she presented. MLV was adventurous as a singer. For instance, at the Sangita Kalanidhi concert in 1977 at the Music Academy, she courageously took up a tricky pancha nadai (five varieties of rhythm) pallavi and executed it beautifully. Her singing drew lavish praise even from one of the sharpest critics of the time — Subbudu (P.V. Subramaniam). I began learning from MLV in 1963 at the age of 12. My mother Alamelu Viswanathan took me to her house. The singer was then getting ready for a concert. I was awestruck by akka's (as I used to call her) personality. She was wearing a beautiful silk saree, diamond ear studs and stone-embedded gold bangles. Her long well-oiled hair was neatly braided and adorned with fragrant jasmines. She heard me sing a short kriti, paused for a moment and accepted me as her disciple. My mother was overjoyed. She had a cheerful-casual disposition as a teacher. It was a 27-year-long association between the guru and the sishya. MLV's music was different from that of her contemporaries — D.K. Pattammal and M.S. Subbulakshmi. Though MLV was younger than the other two legends, she rose to great heights and the three were referred to as the 'female trinity of Carnatic music'. They began their career as gramophone-record sensations and gained unprecedented popularity in the early 20th Century. MLV was just 12 when she cut her first vinyl with 'Sarasija nabha murare' (Charukesi , Swathi Tirunal). Later, the trio forayed into singing for the cinema, with M.S. even acting in a few. As for MLV, she sang for the top heroines of the time, including Padmini, who was also her neighbour. Both shared a warm relationship. MLV divided her time among kutcheris, travel and studio recordings. One often saw her practising during her commute or in the little free time she got. Despite her hectic schedule, she was always available for her sishyas, willingly sharing her knowledge and guiding them. MLV's music was three dimensional — she had a great voice, a creative mind and a generous heart. The writer is a well-known Carnatic vocalist.
The Hindu
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Conveying the poignancy in Bhadrachala Ramadasu's songs
Shruthi S. Bhat made a statement with both intent and content right at the outset of her concert, which was devoted exclusively to the compositions of Bhadrachala Ramadasu. It is rare to come across a kriti in Bhairavi as the opening number of a concert, and rarer still when it includes a niraval segment. Accompanied by G. Kailasapathy on the violin and G.N. Bhuvan on the mridangam, Shruthi presented this endowment concert under the auspices of The Music Academy at the Kasturi Srinivasan Hall. Shruthi's voice was in fine fettle from the very first note, as she opened with the shloka 'Srirama sitagaga' from the saint-poet's 'Dasarathi Sathakam' in Bhairavi. The full range of the raga's facets emerged even in the short rendition, which was a prelude to the composition 'Rama dayajudave'. The refinement lingered through the rendition of the song, particularly in the niraval and kalpanaswaras at 'Rajeeva dala lochana', creating immersive bhakti. Rendered with zest 'Bhadrasaila rajamandira' in a lilting Kuntalavarali was sung zestfully, offering a lighter and contrasting shade. Chakravakam was the first raga Shruthi explored. While the delineation stayed true to the raga's mood and structure, it occasionally veered into repetitive passages that could have been more tightly sculpted for greater coherence. Kailasapathy's version on the violin complemented that of the vocalist. Here, Shruthi narrated a moving anecdote from the life of the 17th-century composer, which related to the kriti 'Abbabba debbalaku' in Misra Chapu. Ramadasu, a staunch devotee of Rama, had been imprisoned by the Mughal ruler Tana Shah on charges of misappropriating funds to construct the Bhadrachala Rama temple. In this composition, he pleads with the Lord: 'I promise upon your feet, please do listen. I have not laundered a single penny to anybody'. After listening to his prayers, Rama and Lakshmana appeared as messengers, paid the money, and secured Ramadasu's release from prison. The song was rendered with the poignancy the context warrants, and the swarakalpana at 'Prema tho' displayed synchrony from the ensemble. 'Hari hari nama' in Kanada carried forward the devotional fervour leading into the main suite in Kamboji and the best-known composition by Ramadasu in the raga — the evergreen 'Emayya Rama' in Khanda Chapu. Shruthi began by hitting the high notes shortly before ebbing into the lower octave, and then gradually shaped the melody, revealing its splendour through gamaka-laden phrases. Kailasapathy's presentation was equally rich with melodic depth. The rendition of the kriti was replete with Kamboji's grace before Shruthi rounded off with niraval and swara exchanges at 'Paramatmudu ani ninnu' in the charanam. Bhuvan's rhythmic support was steadfast throughout, and his tani was marked by verve and tonal precision. A shloka, 'Sriramachandra karunakara', in Yamunakalyani was followed by the song 'Naraharideva', and the concert concluded with a mangalam in Madhyamavati.
New Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
Bird flu scare: Death of a tigress lead to closure of zoos in Uttar Pradesh
LUCKNOW: The death of a tigress in Gorakhpur zoo led to the closure of Lucknow, Kanpur and Gorakhpur zoos along with Etawah Lion Safari for a week on Tuesday evening following the bird flu scare in the state zoos. The decision to shut the zoos came after the death of a tigress Shakti at the Gorakhpur zoo as bird flu was confirmed as the cause of the death of feline. Meanwhile, all the Tiger reserves, including Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri, Amangarh Tiger Reserve in Bijnore, Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Chitrakoot and Suhelva Tiger Reserve in Balrampur, in the state have been directed to be on high alert. The wildlife authorities got alerted after the death of tigress Shakti at Gorakhpur zoo on May 7. Its viscera samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, which confirmed bird flu as the cause of death on Tuesday. The tigress, Shakti, was over two years old and was brought to Gorakhpur after her rescue from Lakhimpur Kheri's Mailani in May, 2024. Also, the viscera examination of the tigress by NIHSAD confirmed the presence of a rare Vibrio bacterial infection. This bacterium, typically found in aquatic life including fish and seabirds, is a potential risk of spreading H5N1 (avian influenza) through direct contact. Infection in several big cat species, including tigers, leopards, and others is common as they feed on infected poultry carcasses. Cats are also prone to infection because of their risk of exposure to poultry or wild birds, say the wild life experts. Moreover, female wolf Bhairavi also succumbed at the Gorakhpur zoo and its viscera samples were sent to IVRI Bareilly. Bhairavi's results are awaited. Meanwhile, a sick tiger named Pataudi was recently transferred to the Kanpur zoo, raising concerns about the potential spread of the virus there. 'The monitoring of all animals in the zoo is being done. They are being checked for symptoms of bird flu or other illnesses. Keepers have been made aware of the symptoms,' said the senior forest official.
