First Issai Mazhalai show at THE MUSIC ACADEMY

The Music Academy conducted a Devotional Music Competition in October 2009. It was a highly competetive affair with 40 different Gurus sending their Students to participate. Issai Mazhalai also took part in this competition and won the FIRST PRIZE. The singers were Kalpalathika, Brinda, Arul Priya, Deekshita & S.Adithyanarayanan. They were accompanied by Shyam on the Violin & Aswini on the Mridangam The Music Academys Margazhi inauguration took place on the 15th December Evening . The first concert on the 16th Morning was by the Prize Winning group. There were many dignitaries present. This years Sangeetha Kalanidhi Valayapatti Sri. Subramaniam & Sri. Pappu Venugopla Rao lauded the children. The others present at the concert were Sri. Murali (The Hindu) & President of the Academy, Sri.B.M.Sundaram - Musicologist, Sri Trichy Sankaran, Smt. Suguna Purushothaman & Smt.Jayalakshmi Santhanam.

Mangaldeep Issai Mazhalai 2nd Margazhi Festival

The second Margazhi Festival jointly presented by Issai Mazhalai & ITC Mangaldeep Puja Agarbathies was inaugurated on the 15th December 2009 by Chevalier Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna in the presence of Mr.V.M.Rajasekaran CEO ITC Agarbathies Division. Four Musicians from Issai Mazhalai were conferred with the Title BALA KALA RATHNA. The awardees were K.Dharini (Vocal), K.P.Nandini (Violin), Harish Kumar (Mridangam) & Chandrasekara Sarma (Ghatam). Dr.Balamurali Krishna also launched a new brand of Agarbathi named TEMPLE by ITC. Samples were distributed to all in the audience.

A New face in Issai Mazhalai Film Music group

Master K.Subrahmanyam has joined Issai Mazhalai recently. He is in his LKG in the Shankara Senior Secondary School -Adyar. KS will be the youngest ever to start singing in our group. He learns Carnatic Music from our Besant Nagar centre.

Sastriyamum Cinemavum

The new concept by Issai Mazhalai created for the December Music Season featuring the Senior Carnatic Kids of the group was a big hit recently. Doordarshan Podhigai will feature this concert for two weeks during the last week of May as part of this concept called PUDHU PUNAL.

It features Vidya Kalyanaraman, Bharat Sundar, Dharini, Nanganallur Ravishankar, Erode Anantharaman, Abilash, K.P.Nandini, N.C.Bharadwaj and our IM Orchestra. The show is telecast on Wednesday nights and repeated on Thusrday afternoons. It will also have interviews of Abilash, Vidya & Bharat.

Baala Bruhmam 2009

Issai Mazhalai in association with Jaya TV conducted the 6th Baala Bruhmam festival on the 10th May 2009 at the Vani Mahal Mini hall. 15 concerts took place between 9 a.m & 9 p.m . These will be telecast for three weeks later in Jaya TV. Mridanga Chakravarthy Dr. T.K.Murthy inaugurated the Festival. Mr.Sriram Parasuram & Mrs.Anuradha Sriram were Chief Guests at the closing ceremony in the eve. Some photos for your info......

Manali - Part 2 Double Click on Photo to see enlarged image

Dry Fruits & Nuts shop.





The Naggar Castle -the ruler used this Castle in olden days as his house. In recent times The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Corpn. has converted it into a Star Hotel.


The local Rock Band.






A Budhist Monastry in Manali









Naggar Castle














In KULLU (part 1), I have mentioned
Idumbi wife of Bhima and mother of
Gadothgajan. This is her
Temple in Manali.
She is called Hadimba Devi.







Budhist Temple






This tree is worshipped as GADOTHGAJAN who played a major role in the Mahabaratha war. He being a Rakshasa is worshipped annually with BALI of animals in front of this tree.

Trip to Manali - Part 1

MANALI is 40 Kms from Kullu and has an higher altitude. This is a bigger town and has more touirists visiting. It is an overnight journey by Bus from Delhi & Chandigarh.

Manali has this breathtaking view of Snowcapped mountains all around.

The temprature is around 9 Degrees.

There are hundreds of Hotels and Restaurants serving food from many origins. You even get Iddlies and Dosas.



View from our Hotel room.








Sterling Resorts - Manali. This is where we stayed.


















This is GULABA - a 25 Km drive up the hill from Manali. You can see Ramjhi Skiing BOND STYLE.
The temprature here is Minus Zero.

You can go Horseback if you are afraid to tread Snow. Much older people are pushed around in Snowtreks.

Ramjhi Kullu Trip - Part 3

This is the Gurudvara at Manikaran a two hour drive from Kullu through the Parvathi Valley. The river Parvathi is an absolute beauty. This Gurudvara - a Sikh Temple has a Siva Lingam from which flows the hottest natural Sulphur Spring. They have made two pools one for men and the other for women to have bath.



This is the Manikaran Gurudwara - discovered by a Sikh saint several centuries ago. They built the Gurudwara around the Hot Spring. The water is so hot that you cannot take a dip - only pour Mug fulls on yourself. The outside temprature is about 7 degrees and the water is piping hot. The Pujari takes a Cloth bag full of Raw Rice tells a Slokam and dips it into the boiling water. When the prayer is complete he takes out the bag and the rice is cooked. This is distributed as Prasadam.





This is the Angora Rabbit Farm








The scenic Parvathi Valley















The Angora Rabbit. Its fur is combed-out and made into Shawls.












We had Dharshan in many temples. This is the Vaishno Devi Temple about four storeys high and the Devi is inside a Cave. You can only crawl through inside & crawl back. The other temples we visited in Kullu are The Raghunathji Temple & Bekley Madha Temple.



End of Kullu Trip. We shall move on to Manali in the next part.

Ramjhi Kullu Trip-March 2009-Part 2

The tree with Pink flowers is Peach and the White flower is Pear.









This is the Apple tree. It will bloom in June/July.
They grow so much Apples in this valley that the surplus is dried like our MOR MILAGAI and eaten during non season.







Our Hotel at Kullu is called APPLE VALLEY RESORT. It has rooms not only with attached bathrooms but also an attached river BEAS. They have a Restaurant on the Riverside with a Camp Fire in the night.






The garden at the hotel.











Look at the walls covered with IVY.












Hotel Apple Valley Resort

Ramjhi`s trip to Kullu - Himachal Pradesh - March 2009 - Part 1

KULLU According to ancient Hindu scriptures, the area was known as ‘Kulantapitha’ – the end of the habitable world. Nestling within the high Himalayan ranges, the Kullu valley remained isolated from the rest of the world till very recently. The Hindu rulers of Kullu initially ruled over an area restricted to the upper Beas River valley, with their capital in the ancient village of Jagatsukh near Manali. The valley was a gateway to Lahaul and Ladakh andan important stop on the crucial trade route between central Asia and the Gangetic Plains down south. This made the area prosperous and by the 17th century AD, the kingdom had expanded its boundaries to Lahaul-Spiti in the north and the Sutlej River in the east. The capital of the kingdom was first shifted to Naggar, then to Sultanpur before finally settling at Kullu. This valley is also a Major part of the Maha Bharatha. Idumbi -wife of Bhima & mother of Gadorthgajan is said to have lived here. There is a Temple for her in Manali 40 Kms from Kullu. She is called as Hadimba Matha. It is a 45 minute flight from Delhi. When you look out of the window when you are flying over the Himalayan range, you only see brown dry rocky terain for the first 40 minutes & suddenly the plane takes a swing around and you see the gorgeous Kullu Valley.

There are only three kinds of living here.

1. Strive on Tourist inflow - Hotels, Restaurants, Taxies, Hire of Snow Clothes, Skiing Gear, Shops etc.

2. They make KULLU SHAWLS with the fur from Angora Rabbits. They have Rabit Farms and they comb - out fur from them and make shawls and sell.

3. If one had some big money they would have invested in a large piece of land and plant Apple, Plums, Pears & Peach Trees and live on that income for the rest of their lives.