Jyothi Venkatachalam

Among all the festivals celebrated in India, Navaratri is the longest festival. Navaratri literally means nine nights. It is rich in meaning. This festival dedicates three days in worshipping each deity in its divine form. The first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga or Shakti, the next three days for Goddess Lakshmi (wealth) and the last three days for Goddess Saraswati, Goddess of Knowledge.

Navaratri is celebrated in different ways in India. In the North, they give more importance to Dushhera, the 10th day. In the West, especially in Gujarat, people celebrate Navaratri by dancing to the tunes of traditional devotional songs in praise of all the three goddesses. The amazing part of the dance and celebration is that men, women and children dance through the night for nine nights. This tradition is called Navaratri Garba. Each night begins with the Garba, where mainly women dance in circles dressed in their best traditional Chaniya Cholis and jewelry. The night concludes with the Dandiya Raas danced by men and women.

	Kolu

In the East, more importance is given to days six through10, popularly known as Durga Puja. In the South, the kolu is the essence of Navaratri celebrations. The tradition has been in existence for at least 500 years.

The Navaratri Kolu or Golu is done by constructing wide tiers or steps in any odd number, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11. A variety of dolls are displayed artistically and beautiful arranged on the steps.

The dolls are mostly from mythological characters or icons of various gods and goddesses painted in bright colors. Some families display dolls made of rosewood, sandalwood and ivory.

A Ramayana set, a Dasavatara set, a set of musicians and the ubiquitous pot-bellied smiling Chettiar and his equally plump wife were most common in most arrangements.

Things are a lit bit different these days. The dolls are not restricted to those of gods and goddesses. Now, there are dolls dressed in traditional costumes of Indian states. Fancy lighting and installations and computer graphics too are used as part of the decorations.

Apart from the morning and evening pujas for the Kolu during the nine days with aarti and prayers, ladies are invited and offered haldi kumkum with betel leaves with nuts and fruits. The ninth day is celebrated as Saraswati Puja. All learning tools such as books and musical instruments are decorated with flowers and worshipped. Vijay Dasami or the Dussera is the 10th day. It is believed to be an auspicious day when all fine arts like dance, music or a new venture in learning is begun. It is the `Learners' Day.

On the 10th night after the ceremonial arti and prayers, the dolls are carefully packed in cloth or paper, preserved and put away safely to be used next year.

For any student learning dance, Vijaya Dashmi is of utmost importance. I always offer salutations to my Guru, my teacher, who is a supreme spirit, my guide who is eternal and benign; who is beyond sound, line and art. Salutations to all those Gurus who are wonderful human beings, enlightening their disciples with the right values and awakening them with the strong ability to gauge between right and wrong, good and bad, acceptable and unacceptable norms.

In a world of globalization, when material things acquire luminosity and values are totally non-existent, the teacher who shows the path to eternal values needs to be celebrated.

The Guru is thus vested with responsibility. The best prayer that a Guru can offer is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati "Jnaanam Dehi Smritim Dehi Vidyaam Vidhyaadhidevathe Pratishtham Kavitham Dehi Shakti Shishyaprabodhikaam" (O Saraswati, Goddess of learning, grant me knowledge, grant me memory, grant me learning, reputation and poetry, and the power to enlighten disciples. This is a humble prayer and a sacred offering to all the great Gurus in the world.

Jyothi Venkatachalam, director of Abhyasa School Of Dance, Club Tampa Palms, offers classes in Bharat Natyam, traditional folk dances, Indian percussion instruments (Mridangam, Dholak, Ghatam, Kanjira, Morsingh and Konakol). She can be reached at (813) 977-9039 or (813) 404-7899 or via e-mail at [email protected]

	Lavanya Dinesh

MY CLASSICAL PLAYLIST - PART II
By LAVANYA DINESH

One of the brightest stars in the Indian classical music firmament is Pandit Kumar Gandharva. This late great vocalist was known for his unique forceful voice and compelling rendition. Kumar Gandharva's recordings have always been a musical staple in my household growing up.

In my adulthood, I have come to understand and appreciate the transcendental quality of this stalwart's music even more. Gandharva's inimitable rendition of classic classical raagas such as Purya Dhanashree (an evening melody), Malkauns (a midnight melody) and the folksy Malawati are some of the favorites on my classical playlist. Hailing from the Dharwad region of North Karnataka in southern India, this artist was born with the name Shivputra Siddharamaiah Komkali. He was given the title of Kumar Gandharva (celestial musician) because of the ethereal and other-worldly quality of his music.

	Pandit Kumar Gandharva

Gandharva was a child prodigy with a formidable mastery of raagas and taalas whose performances enthralled both cognoscenti and laymen alike. Later on in life, a bout of illness caused him to lose one of his lungs. He worked around this impediment to formulate a rendering style all his own - a style of grit and sincerity.

When one listens to Kumar Gandharva sing, one is struck by his reinterpretation of traditional raagas, his short but robust and adroit phrasing and the vibrancy of his outstanding taan patterns (speedy note oscillations). His most mesmerizing pieces are Nirguni Bhajans, devotional compositions of Kabir, Meerabai and other poet saints.

In Gandharva's enunciation, they become more than devotional. They are imbued with a spirituality and mysticism that lift you up into a higher plane. Bhajans such as "Jhini Bini Chadariya," "Kehta Hai Guni Gyani" and "Ud Jayega Hans Akela" are unforgettable.

Another sweet yet powerful voice belongs to the doyen of Gwalior Gharana (school of thought) of Hindustani classical music namely Pandit D.V.Paluskar. Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram is one of the most popular bhajans in India. Several vocal and instrumental versions of the above are available. But this bhajan was first rendered and popularized by the young Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar in the 1930s. He even sang it at several Indian freedom movement rallies where Mahatma Gandhi gave his speeches.

	Pandit D.V.Paluskar

This wonderful classical vocalist was the son and disciple of the great Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar - musicologist and an overall musical colossus of the late 19th and early 20th century. In his short life of 34 years, young D.V.Paluskar made a huge impact on Indian classical and devotional music, leaving behind several beautiful recordings. His classical raags such as Marwa, Gaud Sarang, Bhoopali, Multani, Todi, Vibhas are attractive and masterful all at once.

His singing is marked by a syrupy quality, yet it is clean-cut with precise phrasing and succinct taans. They are aesthetically pleasing and technically sound.

The short recordings make you yearn for more. Paluskar's one of a kind rendition of raaga Shree - the composition "Hari Ke Charan Kamal" is an all-time classic inspiring several imitations. But this musical prodigy is better known for his lively, bhakti-filled bhajans like "Thumak Chalat Ramachandra," "Payori Maine," "Chalo Mana Ganga Jamuna Teer" and so on.

One can easily access Pandit Paluskar's film rendition of raaga Desi from "Baiju Bawra," where he has almost outshone the legendary maestro Ustad Amir Khan - in a sequence depicting a musical duel between Mian Tansen and Baiju Bawra set in the 17th-century Mughal court of Emperor Akbar.

A contemporary and more accessible vocalist who might alleviate the pain of nostalgia for a bygone era in Hindustani classical music is Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. This learned musician/musicologist represents a thoroughbred musicianship and sophisticated enunciation of even simplistic raagas.

Kashalkar has a mellow, steady style of vocalism sans gimmicks. His commercial recordings are widely available. While his thumri and tarana renditions are delightful, Kashalkar's raaga rendition harkens back to the maestros of yesteryear. I especially enjoy his raaga Vibhas and Shuddh Sarang.

His "Darbari Kanada" is immaculate. Recordings of ragas Bihagada, Sohini and Kafi are also notable. This musician is a guru at the Sangeeth Research Academy (SRA) in Calcutta. He routinely conducts concert tours all over the world. Ulhas Kashalkar has performed in Tampa as well in 2004.

To be continued.

Lavanya Dinesh is an accomplished performer and teacher of Hindustani classical vocal music and resides in Tampa. Lavanya regularly performs at musical venues both in India and the United States. She has three album releases to her credit. The artist has worked as a music critic and feature writer for The Times of India and Deccan Herald. She can be reached at [email protected].