Nada Inbam - December 16, 2002

It being a full concert, I had planned for an RTP in Sankarabharanam after Mukhari and other items. I tried singing ragamalika swaras in reverse order and rounding off with a korvai. Much to my astonishment, this was much better received than other heavy items I rendered.

Narada Gana Sabha - December 19, 2002

I had planned for the monumental Bhairavi Swarajati as the main item. I finished raga alapana, and on singing the swarajati I was so much overcome with emotion that I wasn't inclined to perform neraval and swara at "Syama Krishna Sodari". I just asked my mridanga vidwan (Ramnad Raghavan) to play the tani straightaway, which quite stunned some section of my rasikas (from what they told me after the concert). I thought there was nothing else I can do by way of my manodharma after singing all the charanams of this composition and just kept quiet.

TRS, Triplicane December 21, 2002

My most satisfying concert (personal) so far in the season. My attempt at a Hindustani bandish during the bhajan prompted mridangist Neyveli Narayanan to do a la Zakir bhai with abandon. Chandramouli and Srirangam Kannan were no minnows either. Finally one member of the audience asked me to perform a full scale Hindustani recital sometime along with the same accompaniment and I was left wondering whether I had kicked up a hornet's nest!