Cricket & Concert trip to Karaikal!

The promise Sridhar anna, Swami anna and Nadas Bala anna made on my birthday - to play Cricket at the beach! - came true, thanks to Karaikal Venkat anna choosing our team to perform for his wedding reception at Karaikal on the 27th Feb'11! It was fun all through out the trip right from the word go! Yes as we left Chennai in the night around 1145pm we decided to watch movie instead of playing UNO! We reached around 530 am and were greeted with a great coffee at that early hour! The rooms were large and we decided to take a nap and be ready by 10am to go for the beach side match!

After having lovely breakfast went to the beach with our cricket kit and made two teams with Suri uncle and Pradeep uncle as the captains! Suri uncle, Sridhar ann, Nandu vikky, Nadas Bala and myself in one side and Pradeep uncle, AK anna, Swami anna and appa on the other side. Decided to play 3 match series naming itself as Kenley Empty plastic bottle Cup!

Having won the toss we decided to put them in! While i started the bowling Swami anna opened their innings! 2 wickets fell and appa came to bat. As he pushed a ball and started running - probably due to no active running / walking in daily life!! - he slipped and fell flat on the ground and got himself run out! The we all decided to give a bye for him and declared that ball as dead ball! In few overs later when he pushed a ball on the leg side where there was no run - Sridhar anna tried to act smart and dived to stop a ball of no reach at all! - He slipped and sprained his right knee and almost started cribbing to have joined the match! Later applying some ointment and with a real good sportsman spirit continued his participation. When we played appa and Arun anna bowled well but some how we managed to win the match scoring 57, with Nadas Bala anna being the hero! I am not detailing about myself here as i just could stand for few balls only scoring 5 runs! (suna pana immm apadiye maintain pannu!)

The second match was even more interesting with they winning the Toss and decided to bat first! They scored 68 with appa playing very well scoring almost 30 plus runs! Sridhar anna was the best bowler giving almost 10 wides and more!! Now in reply appa took 3 wkts in the first over itself and in the 3rd over i had to play single man innings to score off the runs. I did it in style and our score reached 67 when i just knowingly defended the last ball without scoring in order to ensure that both teams win a match each! I scored 58 runs and the rest were extras! We shared the cup as almost every one had lost energy and went to Venkat anna's home for lunch which was indeed a real feast!

The concert also went well in the evening and we decided to stay overnight and left around 530 am next day. Started viewing film again, we reached Pondy and had breakfast. Then started viewing "Payanam" and had a good journey back to Chennai!. What a great trip! Look forward to many more like this in future was the feeling not only for me but also for all in the group!

A great rewind of memory!!!







As i was looking at the hard disk in the system i found this video footage and was so happy to see it! It was funny seeing me speak like the way i have spoken and i am sure you ill all enjoy this clipping!

This is the one which appeared in the "Vijay News" on the 17th August, 2003, the day after the launch of my first Album in the year 2003!!

February 01.- A great day being My birthday!

It was one of the good birthday i celebrated, thanks to my parents who had a surprise gathering of my artist friends at home to play NO game and also to go for a grand dinner! After coming from school i was surprised to see one by one coming home with Nadas Bala anna, Sridhar anna (drummer) Arun anna (keybaord artiste) Swami anna (Mrudhangam) and we all sat for the game and planned to go to beach in the evening My mamoos also joined beore leaving for a concert and with the game going with great interest decided to skip beach and later proceeded to Dosa Calling a restaurant in Mylapore, one our friends had not been to! Nice thought dad & mom!!

At the restaurant I was once again surprised by the presence of Pyarilal uncle (my website designer and well wisher), karaikal Venkat anna (violin) and Mouli uncle (Studio Engg.). My mamoos also joined  us after the concert and we were there enjoying the delicious food till almost 1130pm! It was fun all through the day with almost 5 hrs of UNO and 3 hrs in the restarant. Every one gave me presents but i feel their presence with me for this day was indeed the greatest gift of all!!!

Concert at Thiruvaiyaru on January 25, 2011

I really enjoyed the concert at Kakinada performing for the first time with Sri Sathyanarayana Sarma on Violin, Sri Mandapakka Ravi on Mrudhangam and Sri Hanumantha Rao on Ghatam on the 22nd Jan'11 followed with a good enjoyable duet with my mamoos Embar Kannan for a private concert.

The most important concert after "AIR" recognition on keyboard is the performance at Thiruvaiyaru this year which actually got out of my hand! Yes originally they had asked me to perform on 24th Jan'11 and as i had committed a concert in Chennai on that day and requested Sri Raja Rao uncle to change the date to 25th Jan'1. He was so nice and said that he will try his best and thanks to his efforts and with the grace of St. Thyagaraja i did get the oppurtunirty and here is the video clipping above and hope you will also like it!

The great thing about this trip was that we went by our car and on return actually reached Chennai from Trichy in 3hrs! Great roads and i am any way not canvassing during this election period!!!!

2011, January 15 - Chennai Sangmam concert at my home ground

After a lovely concert at Sri Ganapathi Sachidananda Ashram for Nadasudha - Velachery on the 13th Jan'11, it was once again a great home coming for me this year as Chennai Sangamam gave me the venue as KK Nagar Sivan Park on a important day - Kanum Pongal day! There was indeed a sea of people assembled at the venue watching a lively old dance performance with great rhythmic patterns! In fact our team was actually feeling if we could hold on this audience  immersed with pure folkish music and thought if we should start of also on a folk tune!

My dad had clearly made up his mind and decided to go with our original idea of starting with a Mallari and believe me it worked! Thanks to Nadas Bala anna, Mrudangam Swaminthan anna, Drummer Sridhar anna, Bass guitar Suri uncle, Tabla Pradeepuncle and Percussion Rajagopal uncle and of course the audio provided, made it a grand evening with crowd actually started growing up instead of going done which we thought would happen initially!

It was one of the most successful concerts performed in terms of holding a huge audience after a good popular show with instrumental music and i just remembered our performance for Rasika Fine Arts on the Jan 02nd evening we performed after a great vocal concert of Sow. Sriraranjani Santhanagopalan's concert. Full marks to the team and the audio support for this great success! I am sure you will agree with me after seeing the video clippings above.  In fact i was pleasantly surprised to get good report on the performance from Smt. Neyveli Santhanagopalan, when we happened to meet in a private function! It was so nice of aunty to praise me and my team's effort including my dad's anchoring the show as usual in a great style! 

Concerts with Sri Malladi Brothers party at Kakinada & Hyderabad.

I was really blessed to get an oppurtunity to be performing with sri Malladi Brothers and their father Sri Malladi Suriyababu for two concept presentations made by them at Kakinada on 10th Jan'11 and the other at Hyderabad on 11th Feb'11. The first one was on Utsava Sambaradhaya Krithis on Sri Tyagaraja and the other was lyrics composed by Sri Samaveda Shanmugasharma for which music was composed by Sri Malladi Suriyababu. I was happy to be part of these presentation and the fortune of playing with them.

Pleasant Experience at Hyderabad!

I was very eager to go to Hyderabad this time for two reasons! one i was to meet my good old friend Drums Wizard Siddharth Nagarajan and 2. meeting my well wisher - rasika Smt. Revathy and her children! Revathy aunty (in the first photo) had come to the hall almost 1 hour before and we reached little late due to traffic jam! Traffic is really bad in Hyderabad. I was moved when she gave me gifts and two write-ups (in this photo album). Her children Srivatsan and Anushree were also very nice and all of them stayed back for the entire concert. She also presented me with a beautiful Perumal Photo and it is now in our Pooja room! Thanks aunty and i hope i live up to all your expectations!

After the concert on the 11th we stayed at Taj Mahal Hotel Secundrabad and was taken to my friend Siddhanrth's house by his mom Vidha Nagi aunty. It was so nice of her to come all the way and i was happy to met his sister Dhanashree and the entire family after almost 5 years in their house! I met Siddhu and his mom in November last but was just for a short time after the concert at Sivam - Hyderabad with heArtbeat concert.Spending time with Nagi uncle - Siddhu's father, a great drummer was indeed special too!!!

We spent lot of time interacgting with each other and i was amazed the way Siddhu has come up as a great drummer! Very stylish and he now looks a real great Artist! Vidhya aunty had prepared good food for us and we all went to Siddharth's school to see the annual day function where he was to get 1st Prize for running 400 metes! As it was getting late for the train we left without having the fortune of seeing him get the prize! All the best Siddhu! Looking forward to interaction on stage soon!

Concert in IIT CLT Auditorium on 4th January, 2011

After a hectic two days of the start of this year i had a break on the 3rd and had a concert on the 4th Jan'11 for a conference at the CLT auditorium of IIT, Guindy, Chennai. We presented a lec-dem type of concert with a old friend of mine Giridhari anna on violin, Nadaswaram Balasubramani anna, Sri Sangeethamshare moderator Sri Sridhanran on Mrudhangam and Hriharasubramanian anna on Ghatam and Morsing. It was organised by Sri Kamokaoti of IIT and we had a good response for           the concert.

This concert recording is available in www.sangeethamshare.org vide serial number 054 under the folder Sathya (Keyboard) on the main page under Rasika Uploads. You can listen / download these logging in with your google or yahoo ids. I loverd teh main piece in Manavyalakimchara apart from our usual medley!

Second day of 2011 - 02 January, 2011 - Also two concerts!
Chamber concert in the morning and Public concert in the evening!

The second day of the year also went well with a concert for a closed group of Aluminis from a college in Mumbai! They had their group meet in Chennai and they loved our presentation this day. We also had a great lunch - from a Mount Mani Iyer,  a person who actually had served food to Lord Mountbatten when he had visited Chennai!






Rasikas Fine Arts, K. K. Nagar

This is one of the best surprise concert where we had a large audience and we actually did not expect that! The feeling was also reflected by the President who spoke after the thani avarthanam praising our efforts and mentioning that he was actually pleasantly shocked to see a large audience! He also said may be he misunderstand the effect of the instruments's strength to produce hard core classical music! A real concert great compliment indeed! This was performed  at Jayagopal Garodia School premises from 4:30 to 6pm on the 2nd January, 2011 with Sri B. Ananthakrishnan on violin, Sri Arjun Ganesh on Mrudhangam and Sri Hariharasubramanian on the Ghatam. Pls nte videos are being uploaded.

Last day of 2010 & First day of 2011

After the New Year night meet at The Music Academy with many musicians and after a satisfying performance with my Uncle Sri Embar S. Kannan (just the two of us) i went back home with a great satisfaction of taking the new year ahead with great confidence!

It has been a great 2011, year starting off with two concerts -  in the morning for Indian Fine Arts and in the evening for Kunnakudy Schol of Music & TS Mahalingam & Sons at Sri Marundeeswara Temple, Thiruvanmiyur. What a contrast of th3e audeicne present in these two concerts! Morning it was hand full and in the evening it was Temple full! The interesting moment was that the children who had come with their parents started putting thalam for few songs see my father doing it!

It was also first time i was teaming with Mrudhanga vidwan Bangalore Sri H.S. Sucheendra sir and he sincerely complemented me for my efforts. To get blessings from him on the New Year morning was indeed very inspiring! Srinivasan uncle - Secretary TIAF gave a nice speach and made me do a lec-dem on Desh with his singing! Salute to his age and the spirit with which eh is working!

A great concert performed on the 23rd September, 2010! I do not know how i mised to list this in my blog! will detail later.

Wishing you all 

a Very 

Happy New Year!

It has been great years  have come through and looking forward to go thorough wonderful years to come by!

A great start indeed with one of my well wisher and a leading blogger has carried the information of Keyboard being recognised in All India Radio and here is the link for the same. 

http://carnaticdarbar.com/news/201002/20101231.asp

the content: 

Keyboard Satya is now a `B’ grade artiste with AIR

CHENNAI, December 31: For the first time, the All-India Radio (AIR) has recognized a practitioner of Carnatic music with a non-classical instrument keyboard.

The AIR has conferred the `B’ grade artiste status on keyboard Satyanarayanan.

"I owe this to the blessings of my guru and efforts of my parents,’’ says Satya in a communication. ``I have no words to express it other than saying pranams,’’ he goes on to add.

December 2010 music festival has gone on well for him with the support of enhancement artists and the PA system provided at the forums. On the morning of New Year, he is slated to give a performance for Indian Fine Arts. Later in the evening, he will give a concert at Marundeeswarar Temple for Kunnakuddy School of Music.

Thanks and just proceeding to German Hall for a concert at 9 am.

Saying Good bye to 2010 and welcoming 2011 with great hopes! Had a great concert in my own school premises in the last hours of 2010 and as we have been doing in the last few years were there at Music Academy for the welcome of the nest year 2011! This year also my self and my momoos were there performing and it was a good presentation which we both liked and am sure the audience also loved it as they gave a great applause!

My first public concert 28.12.2010, after obtaining AIR recognition!

It was indeed a great blessing to have performed my first concert after obtaining grade from "AIR" at Sri Parthasarathy Temple Tank - Theppakulam! This was a concert organised by Vikku Umasankar anna s/o Sri Vikku Vinayagaram sir on teh 28th Dec'10. It was again a blessing to have received the award yesterday at Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple premises!

The ambiance was simply superb with overcast sky and nice chill breeze blowing! however it was also starting to drizzle slowly and we all were praying god and started the concert on the stage specially put up for this festive event period. As i completed two songs the drizzle was getting stronger and in the mean time i tried to cover my keyboard and literally performed without seeing the keys! I sincerely do not know how i managed! The Almighty's grace was showering and so was the rain! We had to change the place of performance to the steps of the Tank and here we all sat in a row to perform! Different experience and i should thank all the artists who performed with me today to have adjusted to the conditions! Kudos to the PA system team for teh excellent audio and the audience to have turned up in spite of the rain! 

I sincerely thanked God as i got the oppurtunity to at least perform the concert even though a short one!  Thanks to Villiwakkam Raghuraman uncle on violin, Kumbakonam Swaminathan anna on Mrudhdhangam, Sainath on Ghatam and Srikrishna on Morsing. Umasankar anna told me that "Pala Padigal uyarndhu nee Periya Vidwanaga Poradhuku indha nighazhchiye oru satchi" - This incident of you playing on the steps is the witness of God's blessings to you to become a a great Artiste in the future! A great experience and i am sure you will love these photos and the video clippings of this concert!

Adding to my joy today after the AIR result was this award i received from Vlayapatti Kashyab Nadhalaya Child Artiste award for the year 2010. This was presented at Sri Padmanabha Swami Temple, Adyar on the 27th December, 2010

Greatest Day in my Life! Got my "B" grade qualification letter from AIR!

A dream of my parents and of course my self has come true! I have got the audition result from AIR today and thanks to Smt Radha Ravi aunty from Bangalore and their children Raghav and Akshaya who turned out to be lucky for me! Yes they came home along with us in our car after performing for Parthasarathy Swami Sabha today morning in hrArtbeat ensemble and on reaching home saw this letter from AIR in our mail box!

What a surprise! I also had Newyork Raja uncle coming home and presenting me with a momento for having been part of his music School's anniversary gradation process! A great day indeed

My concert for Kalarasana 20 December, 2010

wellwisher rasikas from Hosur

our team on stage

It was indeed one of the satisfying for the entire team, however with a small audience! With many big concerts happening, being first day of the week and also with exams around - many people could not turn up for reasons like this. The highlight was who ever came appreciated and

liked the presentation and stayed for the entire concert. I am so happy to say that a family from Hosur had been in the venue - Rani Seethai Hall actually from 530pm itself and i was so pleasantly shocked to see that there are people who also come before hand and wait for the concert of mine!!! In fact i dedicate the entire concert to that family apart from who ever turned up may be 40 - 50 in all! Thanks to Sagayam uncle and Sri. Murugan for the excellent PA system managed that day.

My mama's concert at Rani Seethai Hall for Kalarasana on 18.12.2010


It was indeed a great concert team onstage with my uncle Embar S. Kannan sharing stage with Injikudi Sri E. Subramaniam on Nadaswaram, Sri Sembanarkoil S> M. Babu on Thavil, Sri Pahlgonse on Mrudhangam and Sri Arun kumar on the Rhythm Pad. Kudos to Sagayam uncle the person behind PA system - seen in the 1st photo of this link.



Hope you all enjoy the pictures taken by me! Yes it is the first time i took a camera to cover an event and thanks to Sasi uncle - my dad's friend who lent his superb camera!


Here is the review in Telugu appeared in Eenadu newspaper today.

"Bala Kala Rathna" from Issai Mazhalai Ramjhi uncle's forum

 14. 12. 2010 Blakalasagaram Trust

I remember the early days when i first met Ramjhi uncle with the photograph below when i was probably 7 years old! The picture mentioning Balabrahmam is the one where i performed in the unique Jaya TV programme under Issai Mazhalai in the year 2005. I still remember him killufying my chin (in fact he did day before yesterday also meeting in Hariharashrma anna's - Kanjeera artiste's wedding) and he has every right to do so as well as i am always a kid for him and would love to remain so for ever! 

He used to pull my leg on my pronunciation of certain words and interestingly he said that even now he hears me that way only! Well i would love to be a child always as we escape from troubles in life! I remember the trip we went to Mumbai and Pune and the enjoyment we had in that trip is not matched with any of my trips till date! No jokes as it was full of young children and uncle used to be part of this kid team in all ways and we had great fun eating in teh train whatever came by, Mumbai roadside  eats, Shopping in Pune and what not!

Today i was handed over a a title - award "Bala Kala Ratna" by his organisation and it was a very happy moment indeed! Ramjhi uncle has been one of the main reason for what i am today with his patronage all through my life as a performer and i am so happy and blessed to receive this from Sri T. K. Govinda Rao sir and Sri. Cleveand Sndaram sir in the presence of Ramjhi uncle and Mr. Rajasekar of ITC - Mangaldeep. I sincerely thank you uncle for the faith you have on me by giving this award and i hope i live up to the expectation and raise to a greater stature in the music field. 

Meeting India's Great Photographer - Mr Iqbal Mohamed 


Nov 28th, 2010 is one of the great days for me as i happen to meet Iqbal uncle a pioneer in the still photography in India and also n ace photographer and is the owner of the greatest photography Institution - Life & Light Academy, Ooty. What a simple personalty he is! Humble is the least word i can use for mentioning his simplicity and i was so blessed to work on a project of Audio Visual presentation for his Coffee Table Book - Vibrant At 1000 which was released yesterday - 13th December, 2010 at the Russian Cultural Centre, Chennai. When i met him for the second time and handed over my December 2010 Music concert schedule hand slip he  magnanimously took few of his photos from his office notice board and pinned my hand-out! Thanks to Yessel uncle for giving me the opputunity to have met this wonderful person in life! In the photo below you can see Yessel uncle, Mrs. Anuradha Iqbal aunty and her father who was also so nice,  encouraging & friendly with me on the first meeting itself!

Today when i met him at his office in the evening he was so nice to to handover  the book Vibrant At 1000 as a gift and also to  I am blessed to have been a part to it and he was so nice to hand over a copy of the book and gave me a surprise to inform me that he will take a portrait picture of myself and give me and from now on i need to raise to a level so that i am actually doing justice to his kind gesture!

Sincere Condolence to Venkataraman mama and family.

Venkataraman mama Secretary of Mylapore Fine Arts Club has always been so dear to me and it is indeed a great shock for all of us in our family to see the newspaper report of his demise. He has been a constant supporter for my efforts and has been a pillar of strength to me giving me valuable advice whenever i have met him. I seriously will miss him in the rest of my life and i say it from my bottom of my heart! Above is the photograph he demanded to be taken as early as 2004 after i finished my first appearance in MFAC 12 - 1:30 pm slot and is indeed vivid in our memory! Mama we miss you and will mis for ever!!! May your soul rest in peace!