Sri Muttusvami Diksita, the famous 18th century composer, blazed a trail in the field of music, striding like a colossus. Amidst turbulent times of bewildering change, he reinstated the externally relevant paths to steadiness, peace and fulfillment. He is revered for his life soaked in spirituality and his compositions, which are priceless, perennial treasures.
The Comprehensive and unique book delves into the depths of lyrical excellence in his vibrant classics, exploring their philosophic, mystic and cultural lore. It shows how with Advaita as the focal point, Diksita was able to harmonize various traditions and achieve a perfect blend of melody and mysticism. It also showcases his versatile skill in presenting vast and variegated subjects through music making it interesting and invigorating.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR R. Asha
Dr. R. Asha (Sivasree Gopalakrishnan) is an M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D in Sanskrit. A top ranker throughout, she was awarded for prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru scholarship for Doctoral Studies from the Jawarlal Nehru Memorial Fund, New Delhi to pursue her doctorate on the krtis of Sri Muttusvami Diksita under the guidance of Dr. E.R. Ramabai, former Professor and Head of the Department of Sanskrit, University of Madras, which she completed in 1999.
After a brief stint as a Lecturer in Sanskrit in Stella Maris College, Chennai and Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Viswa Meha Vidyalaya, Tambaram centre, Chennai, she had the opportunity to serve as the Chief Editor for a trilingual quarterly cultural magazine “Sandarshanan”. She was also an active contributor to Tattvaloka, another internationally known magazine on Indian culture. Apart from having attended various conferences, workshops and seminars, she has several writings and lec-dems to her credit. She is presently associated with Adi Sankara Advaita Research Centre, Chennai and also continues to contribute insightful articles on philosophy, religion and culture.
Dr. Asha is a disciple of musical veterans “Gana kala Bharati”, “Sangita Kala Pravina”, “Dasa Kala Ratna”, Smt. Seetha Narayanan and veena vidhushi “Diksitarini”, “Sangita Kala Acarya”, late Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan. She is also well trained in Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam.
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