Happy birthday!

 

S. Rajam

Shri Rajam was a great man - simple, unassuming, kind and helpful. I knew him from 1987 when I returned from Delhi and got associated with Sruti. I shall remember the many hours spent with him discussing articles for Sruti etc.

The collage above shows Rajam wirh Ramya at Ramya's wedding and a couple of snaps taken in his ouse when Vimala and I visited him.

The Hindunoted his passing in its issue of the 30th January 2010 (see copy below).

"Musician S. Rajam passes away
Special Correspondent
CHENNAI: Senior musician S. Rajam, who drew the commonly recognised portraits of the Carnatic Trintiy, died here on Friday. He was 91 and is survived by two sons and two daughters.
Rajam was the elder brother of S. Balachandar, renowned veena player. Musician, teacher and an artist, it was Rajam who popularised the compositions of Koteeswara Iyer, who composed a song in each of 72 ‘melakartha ragas.’
He also promoted vivadhi ragas and popularised kshetra keerthanas. He had also acted in three films.
He was closely associated with the Music Academy and was a member of the expert committee. A recipient of Sangeetha Nataka Academy award, he was also conferred the Sangita Kalaacharya award of the Academy."

Jayaraman

Happy Birthday , Priya

All the best to Priya on her birthday today 30 Jan. Happy birthday,Priya.
Many Happy Returns of the day.
Ramu

Happy birthday

 

29 January

Best wishes to Ravi

Best wishes to Ravi who will be celebrating his birthday on 29 Jan. Ravi, all the best and many happy returns of the day.
Ramu Sarada

From Ramu

1. Gayathri, all the best to you for the Karpagam Gardens concert. And have a nice trip to Muscat. It will be really nice to visit a place where you have lived for a long time. We could not attend Ramya`s programme and will not be able to attend K.Gardens concert also.
2. I am unable to activate the songs, Jayaramanna. I will ask Koushik and do it tonight. I am sure I will like only Aruna Sairam`s.
Ramu

Bon voyage, Gayatri

Gayatri, you are leading a busy life indeed! Best wishes for you Karpagam Gardens concert. And have a fine trip to Muscat. How long will you be spending there? Look forward to your impressions on rediscovering Oman!

Jayaraman

Hi! Our Yatra to temples in Karnataka was more tiring than our previous trips, but still worth it as we had good darshan at all places. The main problem was the bad roads that took us longer to reach places, and also made our bones take a beating.
My stomach is still in a twirl - I will have to read Akila's recipes after a day or two when my taste buds start working again!
I will be singing in Karpagam Gardens the day after tomorrow. I prepared a new set of MS songs with 'Sruti' Janaki's commentary. But this morning we decided to go back to our original set of bhajans since this new set did not lend itself to any single strand linking them together; somehow the script was not working out meaningful.
I will be leaving for Bombay on 29th morning, S will join us the next day. After seeing off Ramya, we both will visit our sambandhis in Muscat. I am quite excited about seeing the place after two decades!
Hare Ram
Gayathri

Vishamakkara Kannan

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

Two versions of "Vishamakkara Kannan" - by Sudha Raghunathan and Aruna Sairam. Which do you like more?

From Ramu

Our Tata Indicom telephone has been giving trouble of late. Some people complain that they do not get our line. We are trying to change our instrument. We also have Airtel landline - 4201 6064.
Ramu

Wishes and some baking news

A very very happy anniversary to perippa and perimma and many many more.

That ad was just too good perippa. lol.

Right now as I am typing out this post, am baking some cookies for the week's snacks. I found this real yumm and simple basic cookies recipe here http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/607380. I made some slight modification to it and tried a few variations. First time, i made them as suggested, then added some mixed fruit jam at the center. Now, instead of adding maida completely, I included some ragi flour too. And it has come out amazingly well. I want to try savoury biscuits next, with omam, pepper etc. Will let you know how they turned out.

Best wishes

 

20th January was Ramakrishnan/Saradam's wedding anniversary. I missed posting our good wishes on time. Here's wishing them all the best and many happy returns!

Jayaraman

The auction

The Auction !
.A Chinese Ming vase is up for auction. The bidding
opens at half a million Euros. Bidding is brisk and
each bidder is clearly identified as each raises the bid by 100,000 Euros.

Within seconds, the bid stalls at one million Euros, and
the gasp from the crowd indicates the excitement that prevails in the
room. The successful bidder is the last one who bid one million, and
the auctioneer counts down the bid,

"Going once, going twice, and sold to the gentleman
sitting in front of me for one million Euros."

Now, you are going to have to see the video
for yourself. The auctioneer
is exuberant. The pace is fast. The conclusion?
WATCH

Kittu

The news of Kittu's passing is very saddening. As Ramakrishnan says, we had his pleasant company in Vellore. Even then he used to get filarial fever now and then but remained cheerful and friendly. A simple soul with a lot of affection for us all. We will all miss him.

Jayaraman

MANNARGUDI KITTU

Kittu has passed away. He was our uncle Ramamurthi Mama's son about Jayaraman's age or slightly younger. When Appa was sub-judge in Vellore Kittu stayed with us and went to school with us for some years. We had a very good time with one more person in the house to play with. He was a lively person and even when I met him many years later when he was suffering from arthritis and filariasis he used to present a smiling face.

-Ramakrishnan.

-

KITTU PASSED AWAY

Kalyanam ( Thambaram ) informed that Kittu passed away in Bangalore on Wednesday 20 Jan.
Our heartfelt condolences to his family.
Ramu

From Ramu

1. Best wishes to Ramakrishnan Saradam manni ( wedding day 20 Jan) and to Mani ( birthday 22 Jan). Wishing them good health and peace. Many happy returns of the day.
2. Quite sometime since I checked my mail. The computer had gone for repair .
3. Nothing special from our side. Sarada and I plan to go to Cbe just for two days on 06 & 07 Jan, to see Ramakrishnan.
Ramu

Happy birthday!

 

Best wishes, Mani. Many happy returns!
Vimala and Jayaraman

Happy birthday!

Vimala and Jayaraman

Sorry to inform late - Nameeta's birthday falls on Jan 10.
Gayathri

PONGAL PAANAI

Nice to see Brindavan seniors celebrating Koottu-pongal!

On my first Pongal after marriage, Jangamma wrote a letter explaining how I should go about keeping the Pongal paanai. She says: apply arisi maavu on the sides of the vengala paanai (so that it doesn't become black from the fire), apply chandan-kumkum, tie the manjal & inji kothu-s at the neck, pour milk-&-water in the paanai & heat; when the milk boils & rises, she says, my husband and bro-in-law Viswanathan should be there with me, and we should all three cry out in unison "pongal-o-pongal" !
She goes on to give the recipe for sakkarai pongal. And then wonders how I will do all this with my "kunju kai"!!!!

With pressure cooker convenience, we do not even think of the traditional method now. Possibly the next gen uses microwave? As long as the end result is mouth watering, ghee dripping sakkarai pongal, does it matter?!!

The solar eclipse is at its peak as I write this. On Ponnakka's advice, we had some venpongal at about 8.30am & after 3.15, will bathe & have idlis. I have also made my super-salad.
I am leaving on a week's yatra tonight - Karnataka this time, covering TalaKaveri, Udipi, Dharmasthala, Sringeri and many more.
Hare Ram
Gayathri

Pongal

It is nice to see Ramakrishnan's post. Here in Brindavan, Pongal was celebrated with a special lunch (sakkarai pongaal, prasadam of ven pongal, kari, kootu, pachadi, vadai and curd). In the evening there was a patti manram (or paatti manram?) on whether it was the women or the men in Brindavan who were the happier lot. Vimala, Mythili and Rukkau attended but we men abstained.

Earlier, in the morning, the pongal panai was set up on ground in front of the dining hall and many of those present put in a little rice - a custom new to me. (See the two pictures above.)

Rajani is coming tomorrow morning on a brief visit.

HAPPY PONGAL

Hi all,
Wish you all a happy Pongal and also Happy New Year - I am referring to 1st Jan and not theNew Pongal New Year Day created by politicians. I do not think they are competent to decide such things though if I remember right, our High Court said they can. In the TV channels, some channels like Kalignar and Raj referred to the 1st of Thai as Nw Year Day when announcing their special programs for the holiday but most other channels said only Pongal Vizhavai Munnittu.

Here, in this house , Pongal means freedom from the early morning noise that the next-door temple has been making all Maargazhi in the name of Devotional chanting. An old man ws given the mike and every line was repeated by a group including many children and each had his/her own sruti which again changed from line to line. When I was just back from the hospital, this was really torture in the early morning.

Coimbatore is getting warm already, marching towards its early summer.

-Ramakrishnan.

Kumar and Mala

Picture of Kumar and Mala, taken a couple of days ago. Thank you, Mala for this and the other nice photographs.

Jayaraman

2010!

My New Year Wishes come in more belated than Akila's!!
From the time I returned from Coimbatore, it has been a whirlwind here with Ramya and her rehearsals & programs! It was exciting of course, but also quite taxing!
It was great that Rukku athai & Athimber managed to squeeze in Ramya's dance pgm, Indu also came, though I could not meet her after the pgm. Vidya Ramesh came, & she came for our Bhakta Sakha at Krishna Gana Sabha too on 7th. Vijaya perima & Pappi came. TMS family was present in full strength, as a good number of my friends.
Ramya did well, but we always feel that it could have been better - her main weakness being lack of stamina. As for me, as usual I was tense about my voice, which did give up at a few places. If I want to continue performing, I have to seriously work on proper use of my voice. But I have started feeling "Enough, I don't want this tension".
I am sure God will show me the way :)
Once again, With Hearty Wishes for a Wonderful Year
And for this family blog to flourish,
Hare ram
Gayathri

Anwesha - Bhor Bhaye - Star VOI Chhote Ustaad 2008

A fine performance

Continue this blog

I agree with Akila that this blog should continue though active participation is from a few only. We do not know how many others keep seeing it without posting anything. I think Jayaram should now send one more mail to all the PSC family who have email requesting them to join in and participate and as akila says, post at least one item every month. Recently I have not seen any posting from Gayathri, Ramya, Varshaya who used to come in. Also Indu. Ramaa said some time ago that she is going to participate regularly but has not kept her promise. Everyone can just post once a month giving routine news of what is happening in their family just to keep in touch.

I am recovering from my coronary bypass surgery though I am still at times feeling weak. It will be at least a month before I am back to normal.

N.G.Srinivas, Lux and Aparna have gone to Jhansi (where Kartik is) and will also go to Delhi later to Lalitha's house. From there to Hyderabad, Shirdi and back to Kovaipudur.

Well, I shall close by wishing everybody a happy New Year, already nine days old.

-Ramakrishnan.

Happy birthday!

Best wishes to Meghna on her birthday, 8 January. Here she is seen with her sister and grandparents.

Many happy returns!

Vimala and Jayaraman

As usual, belated

I am as usual late in wishing everybody a very very Happy, peaceful, joyous 2010.

Talking about resolutions, yes perippa, neither have I ever believed in making any. But, this year, should we all collectively, as a family resolve that we will keep in touch?? This blog is such a lovely medium to do so. We all know that there are silent followers to the blog. But why be silent!!! Can't we just make one post per month to say hello!! I am sure we can squeeze that into our schedule!! Please please let us all keep in touch.

The New Year etc.

2010 is five days old now. Years come and go and I think there is not much enthusiasm in celebrating this event nowadays. I wonder if any of us made any resolutions. i did not. In fact, I have hardly ever made any new year resolution - possibly because these are almost meaningless.

Much has happened in the past month. Ramakrishnan had a heart by pass surgery on 12th December and, by God's grace, is recovering normally. Chandru/Mythili returned from Singapore. We had brief visits by Hari and family, Krishnakumar and family and Priya, Prashanth and Shruti. Brindavan celebrated the new year with much fun and some special food.

And our family blog languishes, with hardly any participation. Is it time to pull the plug?