Hi Guys,

It is a dull day outside and the weather has confined everyone to their homes. The winter this year is quite harsh and I guess is a consequence of Global warming about which we have been hearing since decades. With nothing much to do and feeling not so well with the body, I am here once again with another interesting post (hopefully).
I am a huge classical Carnatic music fan with zero knowledge about the art. If you ask any follower about their favorite musician you will listen to a long list of musicians. The point I am trying to make is most of the people in the list are in their final stages of their respective lives (others are no more) . You will not find many artists below 40 years of age. With the younger generation not interested in Classical music and artists not young either, I was thinking about the perennial question " Is the art dying ". I hope I am totally wrong. With my musical background, I do not have any credentials to comment on such an art, but my comment on the younger generation is absolutely spot on.
In my opinion Carnatic music is a gift that not everybody can procure. It is a sadhana or Yoga by which you can open the doors of your heart and realize the innate Divinity. All the compositions are brimmed with devotion and if you practice the art sincerely you are bound to get the desired results. Sadly though not many of the younger generation are interested in this great art. With these thoughts in my mind I was killing my share of time on Youtube when I saw a performance by Smt. Vishaka Hari. Believe me, I was not only bowled over by her rendition of a Hari katha and musical talent but also by her beauty. There is a certain radiance in her face that you can't help but take notice. She is the combination of beauty and brains and is indeed a fresh brand ambassador of the Carnatic music.
I was totally mesmerized by her and immediately tried to find a lot about her, but sadly even Google is not much aware about her. But I am sure she will be world famous in a few years from now. She was a child prodigy in both music and dance. She chose the former and under the tutelage of Sri Lalgudi she blossomed into a very fine musician. She was extremely good at academics and completed her CA . As per her wishes, she entered the marital life with Sri Hari, an eminent Harikatha exponent. Sri Hari is the son of Krishna Premi , also called as Sri Anna who is a spiritual leader and has many followers. With the blessings of her father in law she chose Harikatha as a medium in rendering service to people. ( I have gathered this info from various sources)

She has developed a unique style of delivering discourses through music. Her deep knowledge of the scriptures , musical prowess and most importantly the Bhakthi Bhava ( feeling of devotion) with which she delivers her upanyasas leaves the audience spell bound. People of all age groups enjoy her musical renditions. Her extra-ordinary ability to keep the audience mesmerized by her soulful rendering of raagas and shlokas is an instant winner. She moves the audience to tears and also makes them laugh. Her style is flowing and flawless. The themes of her discourses are drawn from Ramayanam, Mahabharatham, Bhagavatham and other Puranas. She is indeed a tribute to the tradition of Harikatha. She is still under 30 and I am sure will go places in the future. I saw her videos on Kuchela Upakyam and Andal Kalyanam. I have no words to describe my feeling after watching them.
In the recent times, not many have inspired people in Bhakthi Yoga. The only person whom I know, who has done it is MS Amma . All others are extremely talented and have promoted the music, but here we have a special case. Her discourses have large congregations and people are all swooned by her rendition and are transported to a higher world. She has added a whole new dimension to the art of Harikatha. I sincerely wish her many years of service to our society by her soulful rendition.

Signing off for now,
Krishna