One of the most gifted Carnatic Musicians will be in Auckland for a triple engagement later this month.
Dr Radhakrishnan Ganesh will be here at the invitation of Auckland Bhaktha Sangeerthana Samajam (ABSS) and the New Zealand Carnatic Music Society (NZCMS) to present a series of heart-melting songs and Bhakti Kirtans.
ABSS is organising the first two events on October 25 and 26 at the Shanti Niwas Hall located at 14 Spring Street (next to Dolphin Theatre) in Onehunga.
The programme on October 25 will commence at 630 pm with Sampradhya Bhajan, followed by Divyanamam and Deepa Pradakshinam.
Rukmini Kalyana Utsavam will be the highlight of the festivities on October 26, starting at 930 am.
His third appearance will be on October 27 at Mt Roskill Intermediate School auditorium located at Denbigh Avenue in Mt Roskill.
The Concert (called, ‘Katcheri,’ in Tamil) will be held under the auspices of NZCMS.
Musical tributes
According to the Organisers, Dakhshina Bharatha Sampradhaya Bhajan conforms to the South Indian tradition of musical tribute to God.
“Bhajan denotes any type of devotional song, not confined to any fixed format. It could be simple Mantra, an elaborate Kirtanam or a sophisticated ‘Dhrupad’ or ‘Kirti,’ based on Classical Ragas and Talas. They subscribe to ‘Namavalis,’ extolling Hindu Deities, especially Lord Rama and Lord Krishna,” incarnations of Vishnu,” they said.
Impressive lineage
A disciple of the late Maharajapuram Santhanam, one of the stalwarts of Carnatic Music, Dr Ganesh is an exponent in rendering songs that inspire piety in people.
Udayalur K Kalyanaraman Bhagavathar initiated him into ‘Nama Sankeerthanam,’ while Sethalapathy Soundararaja Bhagavathar trained him to become a professional singer of devotional songs.
Born into a family of musicians in Mettur (Salem District) in Tamil Nadu, Dr Ganesh evinced interest in Carnatic music at an early age. His father M Radhakrishnan is a singer and drama artiste, while his mother Vasantha is a creative handicraft artist and Carnatic music critic. His wife Deepa is also a professional Carnatic music performer and teacher.
His lineage goes back to great composers Kavikunjara Bharathigal and Koteeswara Iyer, who was the first to compose Kirtanams in all the 72 melakartha ragas.
Dr Ganesh is currently under the tutelage of Vidwan O S Thiagarajan and learnt Veena from Ranganayaki Rajagopalan.
“A regular performer on All India Radio and the Government-owned Doordarshan (Television), Dr Ganesh has presented concerts in Australia, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. He would be visiting New Zealand for the first time this month,” the organisers said.
Dr Ganesh has also several audio releases to his credit.
Pious Group
Established about four years ago by a group of devotees in Auckland, ABSS is committed to respecting cultural diversity and encouraging people to follow the Hindu religion, its practices and the rich Vedic heritage of India.
“We celebrate Hindu festivals on such dates and times as they fall as prescribed by the Hindu scriptures and rites. We are also committed to inviting theologians, Bhajan and spiritual singers to give lectures on render songs on Hinduism,” they said.
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Photo :
Dr Radhakrishnan Ganesh
