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50 Articles for 2019 Number 16 part 01
May Rama bestow an Iphone 11 on me...
Our talented admin Sheela Raman put out a request for me to resume writing this series with a carrot dangling that if i or anyone completes the 50th she will bestow a brand new Iphone 11.! Hence the renewed enthusiasm to write.
The Ramayana Theme in Carnatic music is something intriguing and can be split into songs in praise of Rama, Ramayana Story set to music and indirect references to stories based on the same. Lets briefly touch each of them
Tyagaraja : Emphasises Rama's musical proficiency by addressing him as Ragarasika (Ninnuvina Sukhamugana) Sangitha Rasika ( Sri RAghuvaraprameya) and Rasika Siromani (Dasarathe)
Other characters who are made mention are (Anjaneya and bharatha) Vinasakoni, four ladies (Ahalya, Kausalya, SAbari and Swayamprabha) in Enduki Chalamu, (Chamara the Deer) Vachama Gocharame . We can conclude that Tyagaraja was proficient in other interpretations of Ramayana. He included the folklore of south as in a squirrel helping Rama build the bridge in his song (Endukku Nirdaya)
Dikshatar has given majestic krithis in Sanksrit especially on Hanuman and Rama. While the usual ones are well known i am giving below specifically on Hanuman :which are Pavanatmaja agacca (chala naata), Ramachandra Bhaktham (geya Hejjaji), Veera Hanumate (karnataka Kapi) and Pavanatmajam (Sankarabarana)
Arunachala Kavi composed Ramanatakam following kambans version of Ramayana closely. The work is 235 songs and 283 verses as links. the ragas used were Saveri, Asaveri, Mohanam and rare ones like Dwijavanthi, Saindhavi and Mangala Kaisiki.
Yet another long composition is Bhavayami Raghuramam by Maharaja Swati Tirunal. The song was originally composed only in Saveri and with the permission of the Royal Family Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer made it into a ragamalika.
To be continued if readers find the above interesting

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