The violin came to South India from Europe. At least four musicians of the 18th and 19th centuries are credited with bringing it into Carnatic music. Sruti magazine writes that Baluswamy Dikshitar “adapted the playing to suit the genius of Carnatic music.”
A Carnatic violinist sits cross-legged on the floor and rests the scroll of the violin on the ankle. The violin usually accompanies the singer.
Mile sur mera tumhara, when my tune and yours meet. The song was telecast for the first time on Independence Day 1988, after the Prime Minister’s speech from the Red Fort. It runs through 14 languages, from Assamese and Kashmiri to Tamil and Urdu.
The song was composed by Bhimsen Joshi. The concept came from Lok Seva Sanchar Parishad.
Mazhab nahin sikhata aapas mein bair rakhna. Hindi hain ham, vatan hai Hindostan hamara. Religion does not teach us to bear enmity to one another. We are Indians, and India is our homeland.
The lines are from Muhammad Iqbal’s poem Saare Jahan Se Achha, published on August 16, 1904, in the weekly Ittehad.
“Ghulam Haider was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent,” Lata Mangeshkar said. “He introduced me to many producers including S. Mukerji, a big name in film production, but when he too rejected me, Ghulam Haider was very furious.”
Ghulam Haider then convinced Bombay Talkies, “a banner bigger than S. Mukerji.” Lata sang his song Dil Mera Toda in the film Majboor (1948).
“Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya” is a song from the film Hum Dono (1961). Mohammed Rafi sang it, Sahir Ludhianvi wrote the lyrics and Jaidev composed the music. The title means “I went on keeping company with life.” The Quint wrote that the song gave Dev Anand “a philosophy to face the vicissitudes of life.”
A Kathakali performance in Kerala is announced by drums. In the Kelikottu, drums and cymbals are played at about 6 p.m. to announce the performance of the evening. The play itself starts later, often between 9 and 10 p.m.
Traditionally, a performance starts at dusk and continues through dawn, with breaks for the performers and the audience. Some plays ran over several nights.
In Hindustani classical music, each raga has its samay, its time. Bhairav “is an early morning (pratham prahar) raag.” It is traditionally performed in the morning, and it also serves as the opening piece of a concert. Malkauns belongs to late night, from midnight to 3 a.m. The singer Pandit Jasraj described it as a raga “sung during small hours of the morning, just after midnight.”
In a Carnatic concert, a vocalist or instrumentalist takes the leading role. The lead is “usually supported by a violin and rhythmic or percussion accompaniment,” Sruti magazine explains in its guide to the concert.
Wikipedia’s article on Carnatic performances describes what the accompanists do: “they closely follow and augment the melodic phrases outlined by the lead singer.”
A Bharatanatyam performance has a nattuvanar. “In Bharatanatyam, the cymbals are used by the nattuvanar or conductor to keep time,” Sruti magazine explains. The nattuvanar also recites the rhythmic syllables of the dance.
A dancer’s blog describes the role in one sentence: “The Nattuvanar cues, shapes, and supports the dancer’s every move.”
Yeh dosti. This friendship. The song from Sholay (1975) was composed by R.D. Burman, with lyrics by Anand Bakshi, and sung by Kishore Kumar and Manna Dey. The five-minute song sequence took 21 days to shoot.
“Yeh Dosti” has been called the ultimate friendship anthem, Wikipedia notes. In 2010 it was used “to symbolise India’s friendship with the United States during a visit from President Barack Obama.”