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Gems of K S Chitra

Topic started by AVR (@ 143.127.3.10) on Mon Jun 10 09:36:14 EDT 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Off late, K S Chitra has become one of my hot favourites amongst female singers. Her voice has a unique and rich timbre which I really enjoy. lets take this opportunity to discuss songs by her in Tamil and various other languages - Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu. Her songs sung under the tutelage of Ilayaraja, AR Rehman, Ravindran et al are really excellent, moreover she has a delightful classical touch as is seen in her rendition of "alaipayuthe" and the Sindhubhairavi songs. She has done a great deal of Hindu and Christian devotional albums in Southern languages...lets discuss those. My favourite Chitra song so far remains "gopika vasantham" and her duet with SPB in the Telugu
movie Swathikiranam. What a voice and that sharpness!

So please, lets discuss her songs!! :-)
(If this topic has been discussed in full detail - similar to the Vani Jairam thread - please post a link to it). Otherwise lets make this an encyclopedia of KSC songs.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: MS (@ 129.252.25.241) on: Mon Jun 9 15:05:10 EDT 2003
  
  av:
  
  "Forbidden
  You don't have permission to access /Music/malayalavedhi.php on this server."
  
  This is waht I get all the time when I try accessing the site.
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.206.72.96) on: Mon Jun 9 18:49:23 EDT 2003
  
  No MS - go to http://www.malayalavedhi.com
  
  Now enter the password 1234 (its mentioned on the site - user name is abcd!) and click "Go". (I think they have started this system to prevent people from giving direct links to individual songs!).
  
  
  You will get one whole list of songs, out of which you have to do a search on KSC. Please, please don't miss "shabareesha shambhu thanayaa". Or in fact any of the songs. All of them are such gems that picking favourites from that list is really besides the point! Rarely do you see such a nice collection all together in one place.
  
  Thanks.
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.206.72.96) on: Mon Jun 9 18:56:58 EDT 2003
  
  Ooops. When you go the main website, you have to click on the link "Music", then click on the link "Enter music section" and then enter the password.
  
  
• From: aruvi (@ 24.102.23.161) on: Wed Jun 11 12:01:14 EDT 2003
  
  av,
  The audio files don't seem to be working. It says 'the link you followed my be outdated' 'requested file not working'.
  
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.206.72.96) on: Wed Jun 11 13:06:03 EDT 2003
  
  Well..honestly speaking, I am able to listen to all the files on the website except one or two. And definitely all the ones that I have enlisted do work!
  
  
• From: MS (@ 129.252.25.241) on: Wed Jun 11 15:07:24 EDT 2003
  
  av:
  
  Whenever I clock the "music" link it says I am forbidden.
  
  
• From: AV (@ 132.206.72.96) on: Thu Jun 12 12:09:31 EDT 2003
  
  MS - Unfortunately, I am not facing this problem at all. I am able to listen to the music on the site. I am really surprised. Perhaps, you should write to the webmaster.
  
  Those songs are from some private devotional albums that Chitra has recorded. Perhaps you would be knowing of many more.
  
  
• From: Jag (@ 35.9.26.160) on: Fri Jun 13 16:55:08 EDT 2003
  
  Av thanks for the link. I'll check it out.
  
  Jag
  
  
• From: Shankar (@ 216.90.226.2) on: Fri Jun 20 14:37:21 EDT 2003
  
  Check out "Shivamallipoove" from the malayalam film "Friends" (Music by the maestro)....both the song and Chitra's rendition is heavenly.
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.216.68.103) on: Sat Jun 21 14:10:34 EDT 2003
  
  Shankar - Thanks for that.
  
  
  http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/l/VV000I0G
  
  Besides Chitra's stunner "shree saraswathy..", please have a listen to "ragasudha.." by KJY and KSC. KSC joins KJY at a unique point in the song and she sounds extremely melodious.
  
  "Minnum Pnnum Kireedam" is yet another extremely soothing song by KSC. Its a 1.5 minute song with only Chitra's voice and a tanpura in the background.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.87.30.219) on: Sat Jun 21 21:52:54 EDT 2003
  
  This just in. Check it out.
  
  http://www.hinduonnet.com/lf/stories/2003062100790200.htm
  
  
• From: MS (@ 68.51.215.28) on: Sun Jun 22 02:58:31 EDT 2003
  
  god bless the divine voiced koel. I was just dicussing with my friend the song "mouna sarovarmaake" and it is tuned in kaapi. Great to see an article referring to it.
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.216.68.103) on: Sun Jun 22 09:35:00 EDT 2003
  
  Naaz - the link doesnt seem to work. Please could you paste the entire article here? I have seen that the links in the Hindu seem to expire rather fast.
  
  
• From: av (@ 132.216.68.103) on: Sun Jun 22 10:18:11 EDT 2003
  
  One old article-
  
  After the success of the `Adhyatma Ramayana' and `Thiruvaathira' cassettes last year, K. S. Chitra, playback singer, plans to come out with an album on the `Navagrahas'.
  
  The album would perhaps be the first of its kind. The Chennai-based upcoming singer, K. Krishnakumar, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, is likely to score the music for the new cassette.
  
  Krishnakumar had scored the music for an earlier Chitra album, `Aavani', and had also sung with her in several cassettes, including the `Ramayana' album.
  
  Chitra appears to have taken a leaf out of her teacher, K. Omanakkutty's book. Omanakkuty had produced an album, `Neelanjanam', which contained songs on `Saniswara', for the city-based Sangeethabharathi Foundation.
  
  Known for her passion for preserving traditional folklore, Chitra's album `Aavani', featuring `Thiruvaathira' songs, was among the best-sellers during Onam last year.
  
  Chitra's recent release for Sivarathri, `Sivam Sivamayam', the Sai bhajan album, `Prasanthi' and another on the Gayathri mantra, were also hits.
  
  The new album, which will be in the stalls in a few months, might turn out to be Chitra's best yet, feels Dr. Omanakutty.
  
  Source:
  http://hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lf/2002/03/27/stories/2002032700870200.htm
  
  
  
• From: KS (@ 24.102.23.161) on: Sun Jun 22 11:37:03 EDT 2003
  
  SHE DOES not have the airs that are normally associated with a `star'. Quick with an engaging smile, the songbird of soulful melodies, playback singer K.S. Chithra, is as precise with answers to questions as she is with the octaves.
  
  In town to record songs for a programme on a Malayalam TV channel, Chithra sneaked a break from the studio floor to get talking.
  
  Even after singing hundreds of songs (many in languages other than Malayalam), what is it that motivates her to offer the same quality song after song? Even as Chithra looked away, composing her reply, the answer was obvious.
  
  Just a few minutes earlier, she was singing the hit song `Mouna Sarovaramaake unarnnu' from the film `Savidham'. At one point, there was a small mistake in the way she sang a particular line. So small was the mistake that only Chithra and the keyboard artiste noticed. Even so, she asked for a `cut', rehearsed the line three or four times and then went on with the song.
  
  Chithra believes that as a playback singer one should put 100 per cent into a song, nothing less. Only then will a singer be able to learn and grow. Otherwise he or she would stagnate, both in quality and in terms of a career as a singer.
  
  In fact, Chithra would go so far as to say that modern technology that enables a singer to `take' a song line by line and even word by word, has greatly harmed the prospects of young singers. Earlier, singers had to repeat the entire song if there was a problem.
  
  Singing a song line by line makes one lose the stamina needed for sustaining the voice for an entire song, she reasons.
  
  How can the growth of a singer be quantified? What are the yardsticks one may use to judge the success of a singer? Pat comes the reply. "First of all, it is the music director, who has to be fully satisfied with the way you sing. Then, when the song is released, it is either a failure or a success depending on the listeners. Only if you are able to keep both these people happy, will you be able to keep going as a singer. Otherwise you sing one or two songs and then fade away."
  
  Then, of course, there is this golden rule, says Chithra, somewhat rephrasing Ralf Waldo Emerson who said that imitation is suicide. "Listen to all the great singers of the past and present keenly, but never ever imitate. The biggest requirement for success is originality.
  
  "If you sound like somebody else, who will want you, won't they go in for the original?," she asks.
  
  However, listening to other singers, as many singers as possible, is a must as one can learn many a lesson on pronunciation and voice modulation, among other things.
  
  Does Chithra have a dream song or some dream project in mind?
  
  Yes. She would like to concentrate more on her Carnatic music to which she gave a pause as she felt that there was an influx of classical music into her singing of `light' songs.
  
  "Daasettan (K.J. Jesudas) keeps telling me that I should practise carnatic music along with my film songs. I would like to heed this advice," she says.
  
  And yes, Chithra has a `first' of sorts to her credit, In the movie, `Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon' (starring Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor), which is to be released shortly, she has sung all the eight songs for the heroine.
  
  With time running out for her unscheduled break, Chithra sits quiet for a minute, getting back into her singing mode, before hastening on-stage.
  
  By Mahadevan G.
  
  
  Photo: S. Mahinsha
  
  
  
• From: Kaumudi (@ 136.142.20.93) on: Sun Jun 22 12:24:12 EDT 2003
  
  Naaz and KS
  Thanks for pointing out a nice article. Which section of the Jun 21 issue was this published in?
  
  
• From: KS (@ 24.102.23.161) on: Sun Jun 22 20:19:24 EDT 2003
  
  Life:Thiruvananthapuram...just go into archives and pick it up. Direct link doesn't seemt to be working.
  
  
• From: KS (@ 24.102.23.161) on: Mon Jun 23 10:24:41 EDT 2003
  
  I read someone talking about a TV show called 'Symphony' telecasting interviews and songs of singers. I believe Chithra will be featured on June 23, according to Hindu paper. Thiruvananthapuram, Metroplus
  
  
• From: sriram (@ 139.95.250.2) on: Mon Jun 23 11:38:09 EDT 2003
  
  Kaumudi - the direct link:
  http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lf/2003/06/21/stories/2003062100790200.htm
  
  
• From: Kaumudi (@ 136.142.153.250) on: Mon Jun 23 15:12:47 EDT 2003
  
  Sriram
  Thanks for the link.
  Raghu
  
  

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