NJ Nandini

Finally i was able to pull it off... and in a satisfactory manner. Undoubtedly one of the most memorable tours i have ever had. A big thank you to all my friends, co-artists, organisers and well wishers for their relentless support and incessant love, affections and blessings. The tour was  shaped up in December 2010, when I had visited Mumbai to perform for Chembai Smriti Gana Sabha. After the concert, Smt Radha Namboothiri, a batchmate of my guru, suggested my name to Shanmukhananda ( where i had  last performed in 2008 ). Ever since the deed day was fixed as the 15th of May, I had a lump in my throat which i got over only when the curtains fell at the MS Subbulakshmi Hall at 9.30pm. If Shanmukhananda was all about the classicism and heritage, Vashi Fine Arts was characterised with adventure and frivolousness. I tried my best to include pieces which suited the moods and demands of both the occasions, which i hope yielded the desired results to a reasonable extent. I realised on

This Article Should Have Been Posted On The Mother's Day, But Due To Travel And Other Commitments I Am Posting It Now. ( Its Time To Get A Laptop..!!!) If we manage to put in some time and effort we can find that each of the 365 days in the calendar year shall be special in some way or the other. Sometimes i wonder why should we select a particular day to celebrate certain things. The affection and the personal bond  which each one of us share with our mother is something unique and is certainly not something to be "celebrated" once in a year, but something to be cherished and treasured each and every moment of our life. Then why do we have a Mother's Day? Well.. let me put this way, its simple. They have bought us anything and everything we have ever desired of. But rarely do they accept anything back from us, in my case it is so close to 'never'. This day gives me an opportunity to thrust something upon her forcefully, without being labeled as a sp

Work hard.... if you do not succeed,work harder...all of us have come across a lot of people who advice this. But this need not work always. I believe working smart pays you more rewards than working hard. Of course dedication is required, but more than that i opine that channelization is crucial to success. A man never reaches his destination if he does not know the path he has to travel. By asking to work smart, i am not in anyway suggesting anyone to fall upon the short-cuts, simply because they never yield the desired result. Even if they yield, they dont last ( just like out thalaivar said, kashtapedama kadaikkarathu...). Smartness here simply means - knowing 'what you can do ' and knowing 'what you do' . Chanakya has said in Arthashashtra that it is smarter to battle against opponents who are meaner than you and not against those who are capable of destroying you. The real meaning behind these words are to make friends with those who are more powerful, gain k