Maharajapuram Santhanams RIVETING Deepavali concert at the Music Academy, 29.10.1978, Diwali special

It is Deepavali. The festival of lights. A day when homes are illuminated, prayers are offered, sweets are shared, and the air carries an unmistakable sense of joy and renewal. And on this particular Deepavali, the Music Academy, Madras, has its own celebration. One that unfolds not through lamps and festivities alone, but through the voice of Maharajapuram Santhanam. Deepavali is a celebration of light overcoming darkness, Carnatic music has its own way of illuminating the inner world. Through a raga, a familiar kriti, or a phrase that lingers long after it has been sung, music has the extraordinary ability to bring us closer to something that words can seldom describe. Santhanam’s voice possesses a quality that is at once expansive and deeply human. There is a warmth to it, a certain ease of expression, and an unmistakable generosity that seems to reach every corner of the hall. Each phrase carries its own character, each sangati seems to emerge with a natural inevitability, and the music moves with a confidence that is never separated from its innate sweetness. There is a special pleasure in hearing him unfold a raga. It is never simply a succession of phrases, but a gradual revelation. A note is held, another is approached with just the right inflection, and suddenly an entire world of melodic possibility opens before us. The music seems to breathe, to pause, to gather momentum and then to take flight. One begins to recognise that the true magic of this art lies as much in what is suggested as in what is sung. Kalyani is a raga of extraordinary possibility, capable of accommodating both immense grandeur and the most delicate expressions of feeling. In Santhanam’s hands, it becomes a landscape to wander through, each phrase revealing something new. The alapana unfolds patiently, drawing the listener deeper into its melodic architecture. There is no hurry to arrive anywhere. The music takes its own time, building anticipation, gathering colour and finding moments of extraordinary expression. When the kriti begins, the energy of the evening takes on a new shape. The music moves with an assuredness that is deeply satisfying, and the rhythmic exchanges that follow bring their own excitement. One can almost sense the collective anticipation of the audience, the attentive silence between phrases, and the applause that rises when a particularly beautiful musical idea finds its resolution. Perhaps this is what makes a Deepavali concert so meaningful. The festival celebrates the light that we welcome into our homes, but music reminds us of the light that can be found within ourselves. And for a few hours, in the company of an extraordinary musician, that light seems to become a little brighter. What a privilege it is that an evening such as this has survived the passage of time. The people who gathered at the Music Academy that Deepavali came together to celebrate a festival and listen to a concert. They could not have known that, years later, their evening would find its way into the homes and lives of listeners they would never meet. That the music they heard would continue to travel, carrying with it the warmth of that occasion and the artistry of a musician whose voice remains so deeply cherished. As homes light up across the world, may this music accompany your celebrations, fill your spaces with warmth, and bring a little more joy into the day. May the ragas remind us of the beauty of our musical inheritance, and may the songs of our great musicians continue to illuminate generations to come. From all of us at Vaak, wishing you and your families a grand, joyous and very happy Deepavali! May the light of the festival remain with you, and may there always be music in your homes and happiness in your hearts. Maharajapuram Santhanam: Vocal TN Krishnan: Violin Vellore G Ramabhadran: Mridangam 00:00:00 - Kanada - Nera Nammithi (Varnam) - Ata - Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar 00:04:07 - Gowla - Sri Maha Ganapathiravathu Mam - Misra Chapu - Muthuswamy Dikshitar 00:21:33 - Darbar 00:32:49 - Darbar - Narada Guruswamy - Adi - Tyagaraja 00:38:58 - Pantuvarali - Paripalaya Sarasiruha - Adi - Swati Tirunal 00:56:07 - Shuddha Dhanyasi 01:11:01 - Shuddha Dhanyasi - Narayana - Khanda Chapu - Purandara Dasa 01:20:13 - Punnagavarali - Kanakashaila Viharini - Adi - Shyama Sastri 01:27:32 - Kalyani 01:49:28 - Kalyani - Etavunara - Adi (2 Kalai) - Tyagaraja 02:06:00 - Tani Avarthanam - Adi (2 Kalai) 02:13:15 - Mand - Neeraja Dala Nayana - Adi - Mannargudi Sambashiva Iyer 02:15:26 - Ragamalika - Thirandezhudhalai (Viruttam excerpts from Kanda Puranam) 02:28:08 - Shanmukhapriya - Sharavanabhava - Adi - Papanasam Sivan 02:31:35 - Sourashtram - Ni Nama Rupamulaku (Mangalam) - Adi - Tyagaraja Vaak preserves and shares rare Carnatic concerts through digital restoration for educational and research purposes. We also restore archival photographs using AI and manual refinement, preserving their original likeness.