Syama Sastri's Tamil compositions

WITH REFERENCE to the article, `Composers with penchant for experiment' (April 24) Vidya Shankar, disciple of Syama Sastri, the great grand-son of the composer Syama Sastri writes:

``The mention of the `solitary composition in Tamil (``Tarunamidamma'') in the raga Gaulipantu has come down to us' is an error.

``Music lovers who had attended Sangita Kalanidhi, the late Sri Mudikondan Venkatarama Iyer's concerts and lecture-demonstrations would have heard ``Santatam'', a Tamil composition of Syama Sastri in raga Pharaz.

``Sri Krishna Gana Sabha had organised programmes for `Sangita Mummurtigal Jayanti Celebrations' on February 13, 1993. I wish to quote from the review titled, `As sweet as his Telugu compositions', which appeared in The Hindu of Friday, February 26 of 1993: ``Veena Vidushi Vidya Shankar, rendered a number of rare pieces of Syama Sastri composed in Tamil.

``The Tamil pieces presented by her in a group rendition with her disciples were replete with semantic and aesthetic contents astonishingly as sublime as those noticeable in his kritis composed in Telugu''.

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