Explorations of the Vedas, Carnatic music, the great epics, and the saints and philosophers of India.
An exploration of how Saint Tyagaraja wove the entire narrative of the Ramayana into his compositions — from the Utsava-sampradaya keertanams to the Divyanama-sankeertanams — creating a musical retelling of the epic that has been performed in the Sankeertana tradition for over two centuries.
An essay on how the classical arts of India — music, dance, and literature — have historically served as instruments of social cohesion, transcending barriers of caste, language, and region to unite communities in shared aesthetic and spiritual experience.
The life of Papanasam Sivan — from orphaned cook's helper in a Maharaja's kitchen to one of the greatest post-Trinity composers of Carnatic music and a celebrated Tamil film lyricist, whose devotion-driven compositions were sung by every major artist from Ariyakudi to M.S. Subbulakshmi.
A renewed exploration of Gopalakrishna Bharati's life and enduring contributions to Carnatic music and Tamil literature, examining his operas, devotional compositions, and his pivotal role in bridging folk devotion with classical artistry.
A tribute to Bharat Ratna Pandit Ravi Shankar on his birth centenary — the sitar maestro who became the world's most celebrated ambassador of Indian classical music, collaborating with Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison, performing at Woodstock, and earning the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
An examination of Bhadrachala Ramadasa, the 17th-century devotee-poet who composed hundreds of keertanas on Lord Rama while imprisoned for using state funds to build the famous Bhadrachalam temple, and how his devotional legacy profoundly influenced Saint Tyagaraja's own Rama Bhakti and compositional style.
A deeply personal and wide-ranging essay on Mahatma Gandhi's enduring influence — from the author's childhood conversations with his Gandhian father, through Gandhi's philosophical alignment and tensions with Tagore, to his profound impact on Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, and world leaders across a century.
An extensive exploration of the Varkari movement of Maharashtra and its immortal Abhanga compositions — from Jnaneshvar's 9,000-verse Jnaneshvari to Tukaram's 4,600 Abhangas — tracing how these saint-poets democratized access to scripture and forged a devotional tradition that has enriched Indian music for over 700 years.
A comprehensive study of Saint Tyagaraja (1767–1847) — from his birth in Tiruvarur and gurukulam under Sonti Venkataramanayya, through his 700+ immortal compositions, his two musical plays, to his enduring legacy as the saint who made Karnataka Sangeetam inseparable from Bhakti.
A centenary tribute to Prof. S. Ramanathan, the distinguished Carnatic vocalist, scholar, and teacher who brought classical rigor and intellectual depth to the art form. Published on the occasion of the IFAA's 10th Annual Festival celebrating his birth centenary.