Sudhdha Dhanyasi, MLV and Sudha

My morning commute turned from mundane to sublime when I listened to M.L Vasanthakumari's rendition of Naarayana Ninna Namada smarana. I have long been a big M.S Subbulakshmi fan. Now, my regard for M.L.V is almost equal to my love for M.S.

To me, no other singer's voice can convey bhakthi the way M.S Subbulakshmi's does, and I am also now convinced that noone else's voice can be as sweet and melodious as M.L.V's.

Another big bonus with listening to M.L.Vs concerts is that you can hear snatches of a very young and brilliant Sudha Raghunathan. The harmony between guru and sishya is so evident. Sudha's voice never over powers M.L.V's, and M.L.V generously stops singing occasionally so that Sudha can shine too.

The song Naarayana ninna is a Purandaradasa composition in the Sudhdha Dhanyasi raagam. Different raagams evoke different emotions in the listener's heart. While every raagam is beautiful in its own way, raagams like hindolam and kalyani are sure more easier on the ear than raagams like saveri or mayamalava gowla.

Sudhdha Dhanyasi falls in the former category - it's combination of swarams is dramatic. A seasoned vidhwan can sing complex alapanas in this raagam, but it is also easy enough even for a novice to identify, appreciate and sing along.

Along with Sindhu Bhairavi, Sudhdha Dhanyasi is an apt raagam for conveying feelings of devotion, love and wonder to the glory of God. Other songs in this raagam are Azhaga (in praise of Muruga) and the timeless Himagiri thanaye (G.N Balasubramaniam's rendition of this song is unbeatable).

Moving on to light music, this is also one of Ilayaraja's favorites. Check out some of the songs below -
* Sempoove poove from Siraichalai
* Poondhaliraada from Paneer pushpangal
* Maasi maasam aalana ponnu (Dharmadurai)

Here is the best of all.. .The original Thottal poomalarum from Padagotti!