Latest news with #SKR
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Remembering virtuoso vocalist Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman
To connoisseurs of Carnatic music, Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman was many things — a virtuoso vocalist, visionary composer and a bold innovator. SKR, as he is widely known, was an illustrious disciple of the legendary G.N. Balasubramaniam. His most distinctive contribution to the Carnatic canon was the creation of the 36 dwi-madhyama panchama-varja melas — derived by excluding the panchamam and employing both shuddha and prati madhyamas in tandem. He not only ideated these ragas, revolutionary in theory and demanding in practice, but also gave several of them form and soul through his own compositions. On his 95th birth anniversary, Madhuradhwani paid a homage to SKR with a commemorative event at the Arkay Convention Center. The evening also featured a violin concert by Nagai R. Muralidharan, who was accompanied by Srimushnam V. Raja Rao on the mridangam and K.V. Gopalakrishnan on the kanjira. On the occasion were also present Cleveland Sundaram and Bhushany Kalyanaraman, among other dignitaries. Born on June 2, 1930, in Thiruvengadu near Mayavaram, kalyanaraman belonged to the lineage of vidwans — Komal Muthu Bhagavathar (great grandfather) and Madhirimangalam Natesa Iyer (grand uncle). While his father N. Srinivasa Iyer initiated him into the art, musicologist Kittamani Iyer played a crucial role in bringing him under the tutelage of GNB, shared Muralidharan, quoting family sources. Muralidharan recalled his first concert with SKR at George Town, Madras, in 1970. His guru R.S. Gopalakrishnan had requested that his student be permitted to accompany the maestro, alongside himself. That opportunity blossomed into a cherished association. 'People often link SKR with vivadhi ragas because he sang them with finesse,' he noted, 'but his renditions of mainstream ragas were equally compelling.' He cited SKR's Thodi as an object lesson in raga development and breath control, evoking the grandeur of T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai's music, and played recordings of SKR's Thodi and Arabhi alapanas, which brought those memories alive for the audience. The list of those who accompanied SKR reads like a roll call of Carnatic royalty — Lalgudi Jayaraman, T.N. Krishnan, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, M. Chandrasekaran, Palghat Mani Iyer, C.S. Murugabhoopathy, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, T.K. Murthy, Palghat Raghu, Karaikudi Mani, Mannargudi Eswaran, Raja Rao, and more — underscoring the esteem in which he was held, added Muralidharan. Raja Rao fondly recalled SKR's love for scooters, cars, gadgets, and surround sound set-ups long before they became a commonplace. It was SKR, he reminded, who first perfected and popularised the Tyagaraja kriti 'Enta muddo' in Bindumalini. Subbudu once, in his review, likened SKR's sangatis to a bountiful cascade of parijata flowers tumbling down when the branches of the tree are shaken, Raja Rao said. Sundaram reflected on his 18-year-long association with SKR, through his sister, who was his student. 'SKR faced many challenges in his personal life. His wife, Bhushany, was his pillar of support andinstrumental in his several accomplishments. He was incredibly hard-working. It was a frequent occurrence that he would take up a single raga and kriti and practise for four hours, mostly in the company of MSG and Karaikudi Mani. He was neversatisfied with himself and always looked for improvement. Never one to complain, he once lamented — words that not only saddened but left a lasting impression on me: 'uzhaikka kathundane thavira naan pizhaikka kathukkala' (I learnt to work hard, but not how to make a living). SKR was unrelenting in his pursuit of perfection, said Sundaram. 'Once, I gave him a recording of his concert. The next day, he returned it with the pallavi erased, saying it had not come out well. I argued that it was fine. He replied, 'If that is your idea of good music, and you are promoting it, then God save music!' This, he said, about his own music, which is rare to come across.' Sundaram recounted how SKR, on the advice of K.V. Narayanaswami, took a six-month break from sadhakam to regain his voice. Such was his discipline and respect for peer wisdom. Ever the innovator, SKR even performed a whistle concert — dubbed 'a flute concert without a flute' — accompanied by Raja Rao in the U.S. Music was his life; yet, recognition often eluded him. The Kalaimamani award came only on the eve of his demise — he passed away on January 9, 1994. The evening then segued into a violin recital by Muralidharan — an offering that resonated with the spirit of SKR. Assisted by his disciple D. Badrinarayanan, Muralidharan opened with Papanasam Sivan's 'Tatvamariya tarama' (Reetigowla), followed by 'Tolijanmamuna jeyu' (Bilahari). Neetimati and Vagadeeswari — two vivadhi ragas dear to SKR — were lovingly explored, the former through Koteeswara Iyer's 'Mohanakara Muthukumara', and the latter in Tyagaraja's 'Paramatmudu velige'. The tani avartanam, featuring Raja Rao and Gopalakrishnan, sparkled with vibrant and absorbing rhythmic interplay. SKR's own Darbari Kanada thillana in Misra Chapu served as a fitting signature from the master himself.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Solana's Seeker Phone Coming in Early August Along With SKR Token
Solana Labs' mobile team shared Wednesday that it plans to ship its Seeker phone starting Aug. 4, in addition to sharing new information about some of its infrastructure framework as well as a new token for its mobile users. The news comes as the new iteration of Solana's mobile, has been in the works for months, with over 150,000 units so far, according to a press release. Seeker was introduced after the phone's first model, Saga, was originally having a hard time selling, creating some uncertainty for its future. But Saga did eventually sell out after crypto users realized they could collect certain token airdrops. The Solana Mobile team also said that in addition to the phone coming soon, it is launching the SKR token that will be integral to the Solana Mobile ecosystem. 'SKR will power economy, incentives, and ownership across the ecosystem, while aligning users, developers, and hardware manufacturers towards growing the web3 mobile ecosystem,' the team wrote in the press release. At the core of the network's architecture is TEEPIN, the Trusted Execution Environment Platform Infrastructure Network, a decentralized framework consisting of three layers that will allow users, devices, and developers to interact in a secure and trustless environment. "TEEPIN represents the next evolution in mobile — a framework where trust isn't granted by a central authority but verified through cryptography," said Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder and CEO of Solana Labs, in the press release. Read more: Solana Unveils Details of Second Crypto Phone 'Seeker' An earlier version of this story said that the Saga phone failed, but the phone did in fact sell out after crypto traders realized they could collect certain airdropsError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Japan Times
14-05-2025
- General
- Japan Times
34-year memorial held for victims of Shiga train collision
A 34-year memorial ceremony for a train collision killing 42 people in Shiga Prefecture was held near the site of the accident in the city of Koka on Wednesday. In front of a monument near the site, 21 participants, including bereaved family members and the heads of Shigaraki Kohgen Railway (SKR) and West Japan Railway, or JR West, observed a moment of silence and laid flowers. "We will do our best to advance our work to achieve train safety," SKR President Seijiro Masaki said in a memorial address. "We will engrave the tragedy of the accident and the preciousness of life in our hearts and continue to pass on the facts, remorse and lessons of the accident to future generations," JR West President Kazuaki Hasegawa pledged. "I would like to keep demanding that the nation and railroad operators take further safety measures," said Seiji Shimomura, 66, who co-headed a now-disbanded group for train safety set up mainly by bereaved family members in the 1991 accident. Shimomura lost his 2-year-old son in a July 2001 crowd crush on a pedestrian overpass in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture. On May 14, 1991, an SKR train and a JR West train collided head-on in Shigaraki, now Koka, killing 42 people and injuring more than 600.
