"72 Melakarta Raga lessons with Jayadeva astapadis"

Mahamahopadhyaya is a doyen and a multi faceted carnatic classical musician. Gifted with a sonorous voice and great caliber he adheres to classicism. He is a musicologist, an erudite scholar and an outstanding teacher. He is a performer and a lecture demonstrator of universal appeal, an author of some of the most valuable and enriching works on music. He is an innovator of teaching methods, and a great visionary.

Dr. Sitalakshmi C. Nunna is a physician by profession in U.S.A. She has played Veena and served as a student for the lessons.
Carnatic Music has 72 melakartas, which are basic or sampoorna ragas using all the seven (Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni) notes in ascent and descent thus making a complete Octave. These are grouped under 12 chakras, each with six different ragas which are demonstrated in this DVD.

Saint poet Sri. Jayadeva.has written Gita Govindam, a mahakavyam in Sanskrit, which consists of 12 sargams (chapters) comprising of 24 geethams (or astapadis) and 72 slokams.

Sri Nookala Chinnasatyanarayana has demonstrated these 72 melakarta ragas by tuning and singing some of Jayadeva’s Astapadis. About six charanams from the same astapadi are incorporated for each chakra of 72 melakartas.