Kalyani Varadarajan (8 October 1923 – 28 October 2003), commonly known as Kalyani, was one of Carnatic music's famous twentieth-century composers. She created carnatic compositions in all 72 melakarta ragas, besides scores of janya ragas.
Early life
Kalyani Varadarajan was born to Sriman Nadadoor Ammal Narasimhachariar and Srimati Singarammal. Her father was a big scholar in Telugu and Sanskrit languages, who served as a teacher, headmaster and finally as an educational inspector, while her mother was a musician. Kalyani had a taste to write and compose songs since a young age, and she underwent vocal and Veena training, first under her mother and later under other able gurus. Thereafter, she learnt to play Violin. She had her debut in Veena performance at the age of 16 in 1942.
List of Compositions
Serial No. Composition Format Raga Language Talam In Praise of Deity1pāhi māṃ śrīVarnamśubhapantuvarāliSanskritĀdi2rāja-rājēśwariPada VarnamvācaspatiSanskritĀdi3Thom ThomenaKirtanaiVasantaTamilĀdi4Vāṇi vīṇā-pāṇiKirtanaiRevathiTeluguĀdi5Aparṇā PārvatiKirtanaiNalinakāntiSanskritRūpakam6Mari Mari Hari NāmKirtanaiHamir KalyāniSanskritĀdi7AbhēstadāyiniKirtanaiKēravāniSanskritĀdi8Sri Amruta PhalāmbikeKirtanaiChakravākamSanskritTriputai9Kan Kanda DaivamKirtanaiBhūshāvaliTamilĀdi10MahāmburasiKirtanaiBilahariSanskritĀdi11KanikarambuthoKirtanaiBhavāniSanskritĀdi12Sri NārasimhamKirtanaiSahānāSanskritKanda Chāpu13Bhava KadalKirtanaiBānu KēravāniTamilĀdi14Sri BhuvaneshwariKirtanaiSivaranjaniSanskritĀdi15KanutchallagāKirtanaiKanakāngiTeluguĀdi16Shānta Durgā DeviKirtanaiMadhukonsSanskritĀdi17Nāma Rasa MānaveKirtanaiKharaharapriyāSanskritĀdi18Payorāsi BaleKirtanaiDwijāvantiSanskritMisra Chāpu19Kshamādi GunaKirtanaiLalithāSanskritĀdi20Arnava SuthāmKirtanaiBegadāSanskritĀdi21Sampath PradèKirtanaiKalyāniSanskritĀdi22BhajāmyahamKirtanaiDharmavatiSanskritRūpakam23Vainateya VāhanamKirtanaiMohanamSanskritĀdi24Ishta DevathaKirtanaiBhūpāĺamSanskritĀdi25Muruga VāKirtanaiKāmbojiTamilĀdi26Sri Tulasi NētimatiKirtanaiNētimatiSanskritRūpakam27SapthagirèsamKirtanaiKānadāSanskritĀdi28ChandikeshwariKirtanaiĀbhogiSanskritĀdi29Mahā Balavantā Sri HanumantāKirtanaiĀrabiSanskritĀdi30SāgarasutamKirtanaiKalyānavasanthamSanskritĀdi31Vananidhi KanyakāmKirtanaiManoranjaniSanskritĀdi32Sangētha SâragnyāKirtanaiSāveriSanskritKanda Châpu33Mahā VenkateshwarāKirtanaiBahudāriSanskritĀdi34Pancha Mukha MārutiKirtanaiBehāgSanskritĀdi35Mānidhi KāntakuKirtanaiKālyaniSanskritĀdi36Nannu Brochu BhāramuKirtanaiNāttai KuranjiTeluguĀdi37Kanaka SimhamKirtanaiKāpiSanskritĀdi38Bhaja MânasaKirtanaiMukhariSanskritĀdi39Amulya VaradeKirtanaiDeva GāndhāriSanskritĀdi40Bāla Tripura SundariKirtanaiMandāriSanskritĀdi41Amruta PānameKirtanaiSārangaTeluguĀdi42Sudhā SahajāmKirtanaiSuratiSanskritĀdi43Stava Vārdita VikramàKirtanaiShanmukhapriyāSanskritRūpakam44Navaratna VilasaKirtanaiMalayamāruthamSanskritJampai45Mahitātma SeviteKirtanaiPantuvarāliSanskritJampai46Vikasita PankajaKirtanaiDeshTeluguĀdi - Tisrai Nadai47Shauriyuro VasiniKirtanaiHamsānandiSanskritĀdi48Santoshi MātaKirtanaiMadhyamāvatiTeluguĀdi49Raghudvaha DāsaKirtanaiĀnanda BhairaviSanskritĀdi50Pāmarajana PāliniKirtanaiSuddha BangālāSanskritRūpakam51Pādodhi KanyakāmKirtanaiDarbāri KānadaSanskritĀdi52Chidānandadam SrinivāsamKirtanaiJonpuriSanskritĀdi53AmburuhānanāKirtanaiBrindavana SārangSanskritĀdi54Gānakalā ViduniKirtanaiKedāragoulaSanskritĀdi55Nāma Pāname JèvanamuKirtanaiShankarābharanamTeluguĀdi56Ambujāsyām Sri ChāmundeshwariKirtanaiKalyāniSanskritĀdi57Sanāthani Sri SunādavinodiniKirtanaiSunādavinodiniSanskritRūpakam58Vandeham Sri GandhavahasutamKirtanaiPūrvi KalyāniSanskritĀdi59VasudevasutāmKirtanaiNāsikābhūshiniSanskritĀdi60Sri Yuvati Priyam ChintayehamKirtanaiChārukesiSanskritĀdi61Shārade NamasteKirtanaiSāramatiSanskritRūpakam62Saraswati Sugunavati Samasta VidhyādhipatiKirtanaiSaraswatiSanskritRūpakam63Vana Nidhi Kanya VaramKirtanaiChandrakonsSanskritRūpakam64ChintayehamKirtanaiĀbhogiSanskritRūpakam65Sari Evvare Shri MàniniKirtanaiKokilapriyāSanskritĀdi66Shwetāmbari VāniKirtanaiVāchaspatiSanskritĀdi67Vārārkaro BhavaKirtanaiPūrvi KalyāniSanskritKhanda Jampai68Suruchira RūpiniKirtanaiGaurimanohariSanskritĀdi69Krupadātā NēveKirtanaiMalahariSanskritĀdi70VachanambujamulaKirtanaiDharmavatiSanskritĀdi71Hariguna GānameKirtanaiBrāmarakusumamSanskritĀdi72MahimārnavaKirtanaiShubhapantuvarāliSanskritĀdi73Mānasa HarināmruthaKirtanaiSenjurutiSanskritĀdi74MarugelaneKirtanaiBhāgesriSanskritĀdi75Thāmarasa DhāmaKirtanaiHanuma TodiSanskritKhanda Jampai76Haripada MahimanuKirtanaiRishabhapriyāTeluguAdi77Amba Ninnu MaruvaneKirtanaiRūpavatiTeluguRūpakam78Sarasijavana VâsiniKirtanaiHamsadhwaniSanskritRūpakam79VanajāyathaKirtanaiKhamāsSanskritĀdi80Aghātha NikudāreKirtanaiKharaharapriyāTeluguRūpakam81Sadā SāradāmbhaāmKirtanaiSuddha SāveriSanskritĀdi82Kāminchi KoluchenuKirtanaiRathanāngiTeluguRūpakam83Nālgumunula Vāni KalathriKirtanaiGānamūrtiTeluguĀdi84Vananidhi SambhaveKirtanaiVanaspatiSanskritKhanda Chāpu85Mānavathi Apamāna DānaratheKirtanaiMānavatiSanskritĀdi86Bhajāmyaham RamāsakhamKirtanaiTānarūpiSanskritRūpakam87Nēve AligitheKirtanaiSenāpatiTeluguĀdi88Karunatho MēyintaKirtanaiHanuma TodiTeluguĀdi89Nanda BālaKirtanaiDhenukāSanskritĀdi90Pathuvedam Pūnda NātakapriyaneKirtanaiNātakapriyāTamilĀdi91Bhāshavathi RūpavathiKirtanaiRūpavatiSanskritRūpakam92GāyakapriyeKirtanaiGāyakapriyāSanskritĀdi93Chārukesi ChidambareswariKirtanaiChārukesiSanskritĀdi94Sarasāngi SaraswathiKirtanaiSarasāngiSanskritRūpakam95Vēna Vādana TatparamKirtanaiHari KāmbojiSanskritĀdi96Kānalnērai KandodumKirtanaiShankarābharanamTamilĀdi97Nāgānandini RâgamodiniKirtanaiNāgānandiniSanskritĀdi98Yāgapriya Rāgāna PāduduKirtanaiYāgapriyaTamilĀdi99Bangāru VesikapaiKirtanaiRāgavardhiniTeluguJhampai100Pravimalasu GunābhirâmeKirtanaiGāngeya BhūshaniSanskritĀdi101Vinathasādare VisālākshiKirtanaiGāyakapriyāSanskritĀdi102MarugelaneKirtanaiMāyāmālavagaulāTeluguĀdi103Koti SūryakānthiKirtanaiSūryakānthamSanskritRūpakam104Hātakāmbari KaumāriKirtanaiHātakāmbariSanskritĀdi105Jhankāra Sruthi SeyaveKirtanaiJhankāradhwaniTamilĀdi106Ruňametula ThērchukonduneKirtanaiNathabhairaviTeluguĀdi107Soundaryalahari KēravâniKirtanaiKēravāniSanskritĀdi108Nāmāmrutha RasikaKirtanaiKharaharapriyāTamilĀdi109Bhaktasādaranēti GauraveKirtanaiGaurimanohariSanskritĀdi110Māraranjani SrimaniKirtanaiMāraranjaniSanskritĀdi111Paňdari Yendre Orudaram SonnālKirtanaiAthāňāTamilĀdi112Thandanālatho Poddu PūrchalekaKirtanaiMohanamTeluguĀdi113Darsanamuche PāvanamâiyeKirtanaiSindhu BhairaviTeluguĀdi114Mahonnathi NidheKirtanaiKhamāsSanskritĀdi115Vāhēkrutha Harya KshemāĺāmKirtanaiBilahariSanskritĀdi116Khanaghangumau PrâňamundagaKirtanaiBindumāliniTeluguChâpu117Sānthivaradhānēm SamsrayeKirtanaiVarāliSanskritĀdi118Sadānugrahaparām SâradâmKirtanaiSārangaSanskritĀdi119Kalānilayām KalayeKirtanaiHindoĺamSanskritMisra Châpu120Magalahārathide NēkuKirtanaiPantuvarāĺiTeluguĀdi121Yoganrusimha Padāmbuja BrungaKirtanaiVasanthāSanskritMisra Châpu122Nēradhisute NityānandeKirtanaiDhenukāSanskritĀdi123Nidhikāntha Nē Sāti EvvareKirtanaiRanjaniTeluguĀdi124Sri Nrusimha NāyikeKirtanaiShankarābharaňamSanskritRūpakam125Karuňāmruta VarshiniKirtanaiMaňi RanguSanskritĀdi126Sangētam BhojaKirtanaiShubhapantuvarāliSanskritĀdi127Mātā Pitā GurudevaKirtanaiGurupriyaSanskritĀdi128Navagraha DaivamulaKirtanaiĀbheriTeluguĀdi129Hātaka GarbuniKirtanaiSaraswatiTeluguĀdi130Sukhi IntunaKirtanaiGāngeya BhūshaniTeluguĀdi131Sarasijodāru SakhiKirtanaiHamsadhwaniTeluguKanda Châpu132Mahā Hema KesariKirtanaiChāyāsindhuTeluguRūpakam133SanēswaramKirtanaiBhogiSanskritRūpakam134Sāramati SaraswatiKirtanaiSāramatiSanskritĀdi135GatikagyaKirtanaiKāmbodhiSanskritĀdi136KapālēshwaramKirtanaiBouĺiSanskritĀdi137Tândava PriyāKirtanaiValajiSanskritĀdi138Sadā Nē PādamuleKirtanaiAťānāTeluguĀdi139SuratarūkriyaKirtanaiSindhu BhairaviSanskritĀdi140Hari Guna GānameKirtanaiMadhuvantiSanskritĀdi141Kshānti VardhaniKirtanaiVarāĺiSanskritĀdi142SthiramugāKirtanaiHindoĺamSanskritĀdi143SarigādhammāKirtanaiJyotiswarūpiniSanskritĀdi144Yoga NrusimhaKirtanaiSaurāshtramSanskritMisra Chāpu145Sādaramugā NannuKirtanaiVishwambariTeluguKhanda Jampai146Sarivārilo Nannu BhâsvareKirtanaiSubhapantuvarāliTeluguĀdi147Latāngi Sarveshwari VaralakshmiKirtanaiLatāngiTeluguĀdi148Vrushāchalesham NamāmyahamKirtanaiBŗndavaniSanskritĀdi149Vananidhi Shubhaga ShyāmalāmKirtanaiSārangāSanskritĀdi150Pannagagirēsham ĀshrayeKirtanaiSahānāSanskritĀdi151Gānamūrti Naǐināytha NèthriKirtanaiGānamūrthiTeluguĀdi152Mānavati Asamāna DānarathaKirtanaiMānavatiSanskritĀdi153Sushobhana Phalade Sharade VidiyuvateKirtanaiNathabhairaviSanskritĀdi
External links The author of Musical heritage of India notes the superiority of Kalyani Varadarajan's Carnatic compositions and places it on par with great composers in the field Select Kritis - Vedanta Spiritual Library Books and CD of Kalyani Varadarajan's Kritis released Mention of Kalyani Varadarajan's trip to the United States https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/spotlight/of-kanjeevarams-kaapi-and-carnatic-music-in-cleveland/articleshow/63831515.cms Kalyani Varadarajan mentioned as one of the top woman composer of carnatic kritis https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/what-women-wrote/article34273199.ece
References