Thursday, January 21, 2010

Thillana - Raagam Bindumalini

[UPDATE as of August 2018: Click here for a spunky recreation of this piece with an amazing team for IndianRaga.]

Here's a new composition from mom and me- a thillana in Bindumalini. Thillanas have always attracted me and needless to say, Lalgudi thillanas have been some of the most inspiring ones, as I'm sure any Lalgudi rasika would agree. I feel blessed and fortunate to have learned some of his pieces from his own sister.

I was under the impression that there was no thillana in Bindumalini- it was only after I finished this piece that I got to know (thanks to Jayanthi akka) that there were at least three more, one of them by the maestro Lalgudi himself! Still haven't had a chance to listen to any of them though, and I hope to do so sometime soon. (Links/ references in this regard most welcome!)

This piece was done a couple of months ago and I wasn't planning on blogging this anytime now, but the abundant, incessant rains in San Diego now prompted me to :) The lyrics by my mom are about rain- a tribute to the Rain God, if you will. As always, loved collaborating with amma :) This is my first attempt at composing a thillana - feedback with pointers/ critiques most welcome. Please do let us know your thoughts!

Special thanks to my Guru and Jayanthi akka for their constant encouragement for my compositions!

And rain on, San Diego!

Thillana
Ragam: Bindumalini
Thalam: Adi
Tune (Jathis, swarms): Self
Lyrics: Vijayalakshmi Bhakthavatsalam

Charanam verse (with some edits over many iterations):

mAriyE nee vAri vazhangum vaLLal anRO un
aruL inRi ivvulagil uyirgaL uyvathuNDO
vAzha ulaginil peythiDAi kOdhai solpaDi
aLavAi pozhinthiDuvAi vaLamAi vAzhavaippAi
pORRi unai pADiDuvOm poitthiDAmal parinthu varuvAi

gumugumu venRu vAnam kumurudhe taDa taDa venRu mAri varugudhe
manamum thuLLudhE mazgizhchikkoLLudhE vaazhi



33 comments:

Diya said...

So mesmerizingly beautiful!! Hard to believe a vocals only rendition can sound so complete!

Pradip Somasundaran said...

brilliant Sindhuja! just a suggestion. You could have kept the adi thalam on while singing:"thalam pottu paadina romba naannayirundathu" :)

Unknown said...

brilliant piece of work!!!am ur fan!

Unknown said...

Too good !! May be a background music with rain and thunder will go really well with this song. The lyrics is so good, and the blend of jathi and swarams is truly brilliant.

Ramya said...

Awesome Sindhu!! Divine! I have explored a lot on this raga jus after listening to ur piece. Thanks:)

Pavithra said...

awesome! very crisp and beautiful! :)

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Diya, Pradip, Sathish, shoby, Ramya, Pavithra- thanks very much for your f/b! Really appreciate it!

Vikimac said...

Very very beautiful Sindhuja !
Pallavi amazingly blends with the thillana .. Pray - this amma & ponnu combo give more such treats :)

Srividya Kasturi said...

Agree with the above! Absoultely brilliant, Sindhu! Loved the jatis and swarams!! Keep treating us with more such gems!

Meera Manohar said...

That was very nice... your voice as always sounds like a bell, crystal clear :)

Jo said...

Awesome as always Sindhu! Why don't you think about a collaborative album with your Mom?

Jenni said...

That was excellent. I enjoyed it immensely. Keep it up!
Also, I've sent you some links regarding the thillana in bindumaalini.

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Vivek, Srividya, Meera, Jo, Jenni- thanks a lot guys! Really appreciate it :)
Jo- who doesn't wanna cut an album :) Wish it were as easy as it sounds. But then you know, as always, before I go too far with the idea, self doubt springs up in front of me in all its glory :) Thanks for the thought though!

Unknown said...

Great job Sindhu! Keep the spirit alive!! Is inspiring:)

Pete something said...

Just wanted to say i luv this piece, downloaded it and listening to it everyday.Though i'm a more contemporary artist, carnatic always had its influence on me.You have a blessed voice and i hope u grow by the day and achieve whatever you wish.

Best Regards
Praveen Lakkaraju.

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Thanks a lot, Deepa and Praveen.

SUMI said...

lovely, but honestly, it sounded better you recorded it last time (when I heard the one you emailed me when amma was still here). this seems to be very fast... why?

aandthirtyeights said...

Very nice!

(There's a tillana by Ramani sir in Bindumalini. Will link it here if I find it somewhere.)

Unknown said...

Excellent rendition of one of the rare ragams. I stumbled on your page searching for Bindumalini and the thillana was very divine.........

Karthik Nagarajan said...

Simnply amazing jathis as is the composition..I guess this is what keeps you above many of us who just reproduce already existing compositions... keep producing and post more :)

Karthik Nagarajan said...

listening to this again...stellar!

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Sumi: it's the same.... wonder why you felt that way
aandthirtyeights: would be great if you can find the link! thanks!
Rajesh: thanks a lot!
Karthik: aah, thank you thank you!! :)

Sowmitha Suresh said...

Brilliant!!:)) Excellent lyrics!!

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Thanks a lot Sowmitha.

muraleeam said...

My search for Bindumalini raga took me to your blog and I enjoyed listening to all your songs.I write blog just out of my interest in music as well as in getting an experience in blogging. I would be giving a mention of your blog muraleeam.blog.com. I write blog based on my collections from various internet resources only.

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

@muraleeam: you have a very informative blog there, thanks. And thanks very much for mentioning my blog!

Manju said...

Beautiful composition, mellifluous voice and singing. Bindumalini has always been one of my favorite ragas. Thanks for providing a download link. Looking forward to more from you.

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Thanks very much Manju!

Manju said...

Sindhuja, i have been listening to this every day since i heard it first. You are truly gifted girl..Your voice and composition can create a positive impact in people!

I hope you release an album of your works very soon. My prayers for that :)

Sudha said...

Hi i have the Lalgudi version with me .. if yu share with me yur mail id i sha mail yu

Sudha

Sindhuja Bhakthavatsalam said...

Thanks again Manju.
Sudha: that would be great. My email is sindhuja dot b at gmail dot com. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Sindhuja, first time in your blog. What a pure voice and an excellent rendition. I came here following link from muralee's blog. Muralee, your blog has been not accessible.

Unknown said...

I should really say this was one of the most brilliant thillanas I listened…i thought it was a composition by some renowned composer but i was stunned to know this is a self creation. Beautiful lyrics as well. Urges me to learn it and i have been hooked on to it for the last couple of days