108 Cine Ragams : Carnatic Music in Tamil Films (CD-Rom Inside)/S.  Parthasarathy. Chennai, Amritha Parthasarathy, 2005, x, 236 p., (pbk).

   Contents : Preface. Abbreviations used in the book. 1. Kalidas (introduction). 2. Ambikapathy (ragams). 3. Nandanar (music directors). 4. Meera (singing stars). 5. Avvaiyar (playback singers). 6. Tillana Mohanambal (lyricists). 7. Salangai oli (masala pages). 8. Sindhubhairavi (what next?). Book-marking memory with songs. Acknowledgments. Index of ragams.

    "Carnatic music offers a beautiful option to enjoy life. The enjoyment is very pure, sometimes exhilarating and sometimes soothing and contemplative. One hears a new nuance every time one listens to the music. It is a heady mixture and you will become increasingly aware of its positive effects once you start listening to Carnatic music.

    108 Cine ragams, a book on Carnatic music in Tamil films is aimed at persons who listen to Tamil film songs but have a little or no knowledge about Carnatic music. It comprises of 8 chapters and the title of each is that of a path-breaking movie.

• Kalidas introduces you to the various aspects of Carnatic music in Tamil films.
• Ambikapathi takes you on a voyage into the world of 108 Ragams selected by the author out of which 72 are discussed in detail.
• Nandanar takes you to meet 27 music directors who have used Carnatic ragams in films.
• Meera deals with 18 singing stars.
• Avvaiyar introduces you to 36 playback singers in Tamil films.
• Tillana Mohanambal is about 18 lyricists in Tamil films.
• Salangai Oli is a medley of Cryptic crossword clues, Cryptograms, jumbles and anecdotes about Carnatic music in Tamil films.
• Sindhubhairavi is an introduction to the important aspects of Carnatic music.

    The article 'Book-marking memory with songs' written in 2002 is at the end of the book. The multimedia CD-ROM given with the book is a veritable treasure-house of Carnatic music in Tamil films."

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