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Re: ATTRACTION TOWARDS SRIRANGAM - An article in "Hindu"

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Sampath Rengarajan • February 26, 1997 


On Feb 26, 12:46pm, M K Sudarshan wrote:
> Subject: Re: ATTRACTION TOWARDS SRIRANGAM - An article in "Hindu"
> At 12:24 PM 2/23/97 -0500, Lakshmi N.Srinivasan wrote:
>
> >Rangarajan's family has been playing for the Lord for 43 generations. Every
> >morning Ranganathanswamy is woken up by a male member of the family playing
> >the veena. During Uthsavams, several of them walk in front of the deities
> >with their veenas strapped across their bodies almost like guitars, playing
> >and singing. Rangarajan himself retired as the principal of a college in
> >Trichy. His four sons were educated there and all of them live and work in
> >close by places.
>
> Thanks for taking so much trouble putting the 'Hindu' article on the list.

I thank Sri Srinivasan for his thoughtful effort and I would want to add to Sri
Srinivasan's efforts in adding glory to Sri Rengarajan's services.

This family of Sri Rengarajan is very close to my uncle (father inlaw's) family
and they always play these 5 songs in the eKaantha sErvai during our
irAppaththu
5m thiru naaL ursavam.

Those songs are

1. O, Ranga saayEE
2. ArAvamudhE
3. meenaay pirakkum vidhi yudaiyEn avEnE
4. one from Thondar adip podi
5. One as per my wife's choice ie "EN paLLi koNdeer iyaa ?" in love for Lord
Ranganatha.

Even these years we call on our uapayam day to remind them to sing this song
for my wife's choice in praise of Lord Ranganatha.

The first 3 songs are sung for generations and when my grand father who is from
kumbakonam inherited this upayam was thrilled it seems when this arAvamudhE was
played in his upayam. When i first heard these veenai i really cried in emotion
and couldnot control my tears. I have quoted some more edtails on this in my
post on SriRangam.

**************************************************************************

Thanks to Sri Sudarshan for writing about sheikh cinna mowlaanaa. I would like
to add that I was surpirsed when my uncle inctroduced his daughter as the
nAdaswara vidhwan for our marraige ! Ms Begum was so excellent even in playing
our kruthis and was so informal. We never treated them as an outsider in our
marriage as she and her troupe was given a special "stage" where they would
perform for each and every part ot the marriage. She came to the temple with us
and played the nadaswaram for the jaanvaasam too ! On the marriage day just
after the muhoorththam,  As a tradition perumaal maalais and maalais from all
srivaishnava achaaryaaLS  will arrive from various temples and will be
garlanded for the married couple. When 48 such maalais arrived for me and my
wife on our marriage (from duvya desams and ah, periyasramam, and pp mutts),
there was a commotion at the podium and as desired Sri Ranganatha perumaaL
maalai was first garlanded by the temple EO and head priest and ms Begum played
the nadaswaram for that with one of the Ranganatha song. She surprised me with
that and I was mentally moved at this instant to a very great extent. I cannot
forget their devotion and I and my wife and our family are very thankful to
them for making my marriage so memorable by playing many perumal songs also.
When we offered the protocol in honoring these vidwans she accpeted our seer
and prasadhams and kumkumam (respecting our protocol) as well.

Thanks once again Sri Sudarshan for writing about these ardent devotees of Lord
Ranganatha. Music is the only language that can touch anyone's (irrspective of
religion and caste) heart and tune it to the frequency with Lord. And you are
so gifted to be born to one of the  great musician (Mrs Mani Krishnaswamy) of
our times.


Sri Ranganaayikaa samEtha sri Ranganaatha swami paadhukE charaNam
Sampath Rengarajan