Ragam Sisters V. Sivaranjani and V. Nalinakanthi have a proud musical lineage. Mayuram Viswanatha Sastry is their maternal grandfather.
They initially learnt under their mother, one of the Therazhandur Sisters and then under Mudikondan Krishnamurthy and S. Rajam. However, in the concert under review, Sivaranjani could not make it, due to some unavoidable circumstances and thus Nalinakanthi had to manage the concert all by herself.
Her loneliness was indeed evident in the initial segment. And as the concert progressed, she warmed up and was totally at home. She commenced her concert with ‘Siddhi Vinayakam’ in Mohanakalyani.
Tyagaraja’s ‘Sambho Mahadeva’ (Rupakam) after the Pantuvarali alapana was rendered the best. Niraval and swaram were at ‘Paramadayakara.’ On the violin, Srilakshmi Venkataramani, disciple of A. Kanyakumari, gave excellent support throughout, enriching the concert. Her niraval and swaraprasthara were classical and traditional.
H.S. Sudhindra on the mridangam is an asset to any vocalist. There is positive energy in his performance and he makes the instrument sing too! His thani, along with G. Harihara Sarma on the ganjira was a treat.
Nalinakanthi’s Sarasangi and Khamas alapanas were vivid, but had they been shorter, they would have been even brighter. In the former, she rendered Koteeswara Iyer’s ‘Malayaadhe Maname’, an obvious inspiration from S. Rajam.
The piece has a lovely chittaswaram. Niraval and swarams were at charanam, ‘Mal Marugan.’
In Khamas, Tyagaraja’s ‘Sithapathe’ was rendered majestically. She also presented the same composer’s ‘Sasivadana’ (Chandrajyothi) and ‘Chinna Nade Na’ (Kalanidhi) as well. In Dikshitar’s ‘Ekamresanayike’ (Suddha Saveri), swaras at ‘Pamarajanapalini’ were lilting.
( Aside : The Sri P. Obul Reddy Hall provides the apt setting for a concert. However, the placement of two giant-sized tripods with video cameras right in the middle of the aisle made it difficult for rasikas to pass by and for those occupying the rear rows, to have a clear view of the dais.)
