Cruises of A Musical Researcher's Pen

About the Book Identifying problems in any setup is one aspect but suggesting solutions is another aspect overlooked by many. Dr. Radha scares well by suggesting remedies to.

many af the malfunctions she finds in the music field today, Every paragraph in this book is astonishingly Doctoral in approach.

This book can very well serve as a madel far thesis writers. This book is sure to. stir thought among at least a minor section af readers who. would be inspired to.

rededicate themselves in the great cause of betterment af our music.

About the Author Dr. (Ms) Radha Venkatachalam is a very rare phenomenon af a Ph.D. in Music being a performing artiste af outstanding merit and musical acumen. She has been a tap ranker and winner of gald medals and anther. prizes right from school days. It has been her singular fortune that she could continue intensive and extensive caching in music and meaningful musicology under the godly guidance of colossus among musicians and towering teacher Sri T. R. Subramanian, under the scheme af Cultural Scholarship by the Grave. af India. Radha continues to. remain the favorite musician among discerning listeners of music in all parts of the country, Her performances in the National Programmed af Door Darshan and Radio. Sangeet Sammelan has wan widespread acclaim. Her fame has crossed the Indian shares, taking her to. countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, the Middle East, U.S.A. and Canada. Radha's style af singing combines feminine melady and masculine weight, with mastery in all branches. As a specialist in the art af Pahlavi-singing Radha has few peers. She has quite' a few awards to. her credit. To. name a few, Naadakkanal from Chennai, Sangita Sampradaya Madhura Gayani Manifrom Andhra Pradesh, Preksha Puraskar fram Jawaharlal Nehru Trust, etc. Radha has made a mark as a musicologist and writer too. She is being repeatedly invited far lecture/demonstrations by prestigious bodies in the country and abroad. Her periodic writings in the music columns of reputed newspapers and magazines enjoys a very large circle af avid readers. Radha ranks very high as a teacher too. Students from all over the country swear by her. Her disciples have also. proved their mettle as prize-winners and rank-holders, same af them af the past-graduate and dactarallevel. She is now an Associate Professor (Reader) in her alma mater, the Music Department to Delhi University.

Foreword This book has been given a catchy title indicative of the thought provoking stuff one can expect inside the pages.

Though it is an anthology of the writings of an authoress on various topics, it is not impossible to trace a homogeneous link throughout that would facilitate a re-editing of the outpour into a monograph under the title "Contemporary happenings in the music field - a genuine music Lover's observations". The authoress needs to be complimented for r the penetrative language employed throughout the book.

Tune was when any speaking or writing on music was considered sacrilegious. From such an extreme situation we have now come to a stage when there is hardly any music concert without at least one speech and there is a voluminous supply (and demand) for books on music. The phenomenal change of scene has been convincingly discussed by the authoress in appropriate portions of the book. Speakers and writers generally preach so well but practice so little. But Dr. Radha has preached "restraint and sobriety" to the music critics and has practiced the preaching’s herself throughout.

Her genuine concern for the betterment of music, the only subject in which India leads all other nations of the world is noticeable in all her observations and her freedom from fear in calling a spade a spade tends to occasionally sound provocative. Readers can as well give due margin to her impatience born out of a deep devotion to the cause of music.

Identifying problems in any setup is one aspect but suggesting solutions is another aspect overlooked by many.

Dr. Radha scores well by suggesting remedies to many of the malfunctions she finds in the music field today. Dr. Radha seems to be convinced that "Music is greater than greatest musicians". She has mentioned this in the writings on GN.B.

Every paragraph in this book is astonishingly Doctoral in approach. The Secretaries and Critics, for instance, are nowhere else been discussed at such length and logic. The expertise in practical music is also evidenced in the quotations from compositions of Purandara Dasa and other masters. This book can very well serve as a model for thesis writers.

This book is sure to stir thought among at least a minor section of readers who would be inspired to rededicate themselves in the great cause of betterment of our music.

This book has not been written with the aim to meeting the syllabus needs of any institution. It would rather aim to address itself to the laudable task of turning a lay listener into a well-informed one. Though Dr. Radha is a Ph.D., she is luckily not one of those" dry" musicologists whom she has herself identified. She is one writer who seems to have enjoyed for her-self the bliss of her singing and reacting to good music wherever it comes from. May Radha's tribe of musicologist increase!

Preface Any good book needs the right provocation to the author. My excuse for undertaking this venture is the desire expressed by well wishers to see my writings compiled into a book. The various writings again were provoked by different circumstances and occasions. The response in -general to my random penning has always been positive and encouraging. Many of the topics discussed in this book would have been lurking in the minds of people with genuine concern for the betterment of our great system of music but the benign and searching thoughts have found an outlet in printed material only in these pages. An impartial critical analysis of many important issues concerning music has not been given due focus and some sort of an airing of these issues has since become overdue. This book is an attempt to fill that need. As articles in other publications the ideas expressed have claimed the attention of luminaries like Padmabhushan Lalgudi Jayaraman, enthusing me to go ahead. Discussions with luminaries were indeed a big source of not only material but also inspiration. An impartial analysis of the problems that beset the music world has formed the material in the proceedings of many a Seminar, I attended, some of them at national level, but the issues were often left unattended and taken up again only in a subsequent seminar and year. This book is an attempt to arrest the attention of the right people to the problems that could be tackled only by a chosen few. The purpose of this book can be said to have achieved if it provokes thoughts in the minds of Samaritans, at least a few of them.

No publication can materialize without solid support and physical assistance of good souls around. This book too would not have seen the light of the day but for the encouragement and technical assistance given by my brother Mr. V. Ganesh. My gratitude is also due to Mr. Deepak Sharma and Mr. M.K. Sunny who took total care of the computer inputs.

I am also beholden to Mr. Shahjahan of Capital Creations, who undertook the printing assignment and completed the book within a short period.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages