S Balachandar

A multi talented personality of supreme confidence, mastery of the Veena in every possible manner, said to be abrasive and arrogant, and one who would not tolerate anything less than a fully attentive audience (based on anecdotes in Sruti magazine) is perhaps the way to remember this great man.

My early memories of listening to him are from the radio, particularly sections of the 72-melakarta LP’s covering a few ragams at a time. And anyone talking about him would always talk about how he would play a long series of notes with a single pluck of the string.

I never had the opportunity of listening to him in person or on the TV, but with my broadening collection of recorded music, I got to listen to a few concerts.

Here are some recordings of his in no particular sequence; a good many are AIR recordings. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

  • varNam – navarAgam
  • sarasa sAma dAna – kApinArAyaNi
  • EtAvunarA – kalyANi
  • ?? – bhairavi
  • ?? – simhendramadyamam
  • padmanAbha pAhi – hindOLam
  • mAnasa sanchararE – sAmA
  • manasA eTulO – malayamArutam
  • paralOka sAdanamE (??) – poorvikalyANi
  • AnanAmrutAkarshiNi – amrutavarshiNi
  • seetApatE – kamAs
  • sri valli dEvasEnApatE – natabhairavi
Is a combo of two concerts
  • mOkshamu galadA – sAramati
  • ninnuvinA – poorvikalyANi
  • angArakamAsraya – asAvEri
  • raghuvamsa – kadanakutoohalam
  • ??? – kAnaDA
  • smarajanaka – bEhAg
  • ??? – kamAs
  • ??? – kApi
  • ???
  • teerAda vilayATTu piLLai – rAgamAlika
  • ragupati rAgava
  • Eru mayil
  • mangalam
  • saraseeruhAsanapriyE – nATa
  • dEva dEva jagadeeswara – poorvikalyANi
  • hecharikagA – yadukula kAmbhOji
  • brOchEvarevururA – kamAs
  • rAjarAja rAditE – nirOshTA
  • thillAnA – senjuruTi
  • mOhanakara – neetimati
  • rAmachandram bhAvayAmi – vasantA
  • vagalADina – bEhAg
  • mee valla – kApi
  • karpagamE – madyamAvati
  • needu mahima – hamsAnandi
  • amma rAvamma – kalyANi
with Mannargudi Easwaran
  • mAnasa guruguha – Anandabhairavi
  • sri subramanyAya – kAmbhOji
  • paralOka – mandAri
  • nee bhajana – nAyaki
  • sri subrmanyAya – kAmbhOji
  • ka karoon sajni – sindhu bhairavi

with U K Sivaraman

  • ??? – simhendramadyamam
  • ninnuvinAga – poorvikalyANi
  • inta sowkyamaninE – kApi
  • smarajanaka – behAg
  • vaishnava janatO
  • raghunAyakA – hamsadwani
  • sri valli dEvasEnApatE – natabhairavi
  • jAvaLi – behAg
  • varNam – mOhanam
  • nAdatanum anisam – chittaranjani
  • gyAnamosagarAdA – poorvikalyANi
  • ??? – nAyaki
  • ninnuvinA – navarasakannaDA
  • RTP – jayantasEnA
  • jayati jayati – kamAs
  • naDaci naDaci – karaharapriyA
  • meena lOchana – dhanyAsi
  • geetAratamu – suraTi
  • ???
  • trilOka mAta (?) – paras
  • nArada gAnalOla – aTANA
  • kanTA jUDumi – vAchaspati
  • saki prANa – senjuruTi
  • ?? – Anandabhairavi
  • jagadOdAraNa – kApi
  • rAdhA samEtA krishNa – misra yaman
  • teerada viLayATTu pillai – rAgamAlika
Love the bhavapriya piece in this concert – I have heard this countless number of times.
  • enta nerchina – suddhadhanyasi
  • ksheerasagara – devagnadhari
  • sarasijanabha sodari – nagagandhari
  • singaralahari – neelambari
  • sri kanthanee – bhavapriya
  • rAgamalika alapana style
  • ??? – sindhubhairavi
with Madirimangalam S Swaminathan
  • mEru samAna – mAyAmALavagowLa
  • bhaja gOvindam – misra mAnD
  • tavatA sOham – punnAgavarALi
  • sri gaNapati – saurAshtram
  • rAra seetA – hindOLa vasantam
  • mAmava meenAkshi – varALi
  • seetAvara – dEvagAndhAri
  • ??? – shanmukapriyA
  • Alapana Subhapantuvarali Tiruvaiyaru 1967
  • tAnam only concert – myriad of ragams
A very educative and  unique lec-dem that I can venture is quite rare; does sound condescending numerous times but is reflective of the reality !!
  • RTP Demo – IFAS Dec 1986
  • hiranmayeem – lalitA
Assorted Set
  • jagadOdArana – kApi
  • RTP – chakravAgam
  • eesanE inDa Ezhai – chakravAgam
  • nE pogaDakuTE – subhapantuvarALi
  • prakkala nilapaDi – karaharapriyA
  • varnam – sahAnA

banTureeti in hamsanAdam with MSG and UKS

Would love to listen to the rest of that concert – if anyone has it, please facilitate listening to it.

The melakarta set; each ragam is a separate track which will allow you to skip a track if you prefer as you listen.

  • kanakAngi
  • ratnAngi
  • gAnamoorti
  • vanaspati
  • mAnavati
  • tAnaroopi
  • sEnAvati
  • hanumatODi
  • dhEnuka
  • nATapriya
  • kOkilapriya
  • roopavati
  • gAyakapriya
  • vakulAbharaNam
  • mAyAmALavagowlai
  • chakravAgam
  • sooryakAntam
  • haTakAmbari
  • jhankAradhvani
  • naTabhairavi
  • keeravAni
  • karaharapriya
  • gowrimanOhari
  • varuNapriya
  • mAraranjani
  • chArukEsi
  • sarasAngi
  • harikAmbodi
  • dheerasankarAbaraNam
  • nAgAnandini
  • yAgapriya
  • rAgavardhani
  • gAngEyabhooshani
  • vAgadheeswari
  • soolini
  • chalanATa
  • sAlagam
  • jalArnavam
  • jAlavarALi
  • navaneetam
  • pAvani
  • raghupriya
  • gavambOdhi
  • bhavapriya
  • shubapantuvarALi
  • shadvidhamArgiNi
  • suvarnAngi
  • divyamaNi
  • dhavalAmbari
  • nAmanArayani
  • kAmavardhini
  • rAmapriya
  • gamanasramam
  • vishvAmbhari
  • shyAmalAngi
  • shanmukapriya
  • simhEndra madyamam
  • hEmavati
  • dharmavati
  • neetimati
  • kAntAmaNi
  • rishabapriya
  • latAngi
  • vAchaspati
  • mEchakalyANi
  • chitrAmbari
  • sucharitra
  • jyOtiswaroopiNi
  • dhAthuvardhani
  • nAsikAbhooshaNi
  • kOsalam
  • rasikapriya

Some videos from the web: