BRAHMA GANA SABHA
Building on the prodigious advantage of their background as ace violinists, the sisters, Ranjani and Gayatri, have honed their combined artistic acumen to a sharp-edged musical tool that slices through superfluous trappings to seize core values, etching fine lines and packing punches with equal ease.
Off to an invigorating start with the ‘Margazhi Thingal’ (Nattai) Tiruppavai, the duo progressed to a prayerful rendition of the Tamil kriti ‘Sri Vathapi Ganapathiye’ (Sahana, Papanasam Sivan) replete with expressive sangathis that culminated in smooth, lucid kalpanaswaras.
Ranjani’s gentle, madhyama kala approach painted a Shanmukhapriya alapana highlighted by karvais at the panchama and janta praygas at the tara sthayi shadja. For performers intent on establishing pace, the three-fourth idam kriti is tried and tested. The obvious choice, ‘Marivere Dikkevarayya Rama’ (Patnam Subramania Iyer) served the purpose, with its in-built structural advantage of supporting an ambitious niraval exploration. What a pleasure it was to experience the intricacies of a meticulously-crafted niraval. The duo charmed and stunned in turns, through passages that swooped and soared, to emerge triumphant at the kalpanaswara round that rained a dazzling variety of permutations.
Aptly according stand-alone status to ‘Janani Ninnuvina’ (Ritigowla, Subbaraya Shastri), the sisters established repose, accentuated by the subtlety of the percussive support. The bhava route paid rich dividends in Gayatri’s Bilahari exposition. Dwelling on niceties and using velvety jarus plus vadi-samvadi combinations to striking effect, the artist achieved a comprehensive raga portrait. Strategic janta permutations minimised vocal strain.
Predictably, bitten by the creative bug at the madhyama during the descending phase, the vocalist indulged in a minor dalliance with shades of Yamuna Kalyani to introduce fresh colour. The lilt of Tyagaraja’s ‘Dorakuna’ lit up a leisurely rendition that savoured lyric, followed by ebullient swaraprasthara in two kalas and the thani.
‘Vanchatonu’ (Karnaranjani, Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar), a kriti that made waves in the kutcheri circuit of the 1980s, surfaced as a melodious filler. A test of all-round musicianship, the RTP in Chakravaham saw the siblings come through with flying colours. Delicate anuswara-rich sancharas textured the alapana wherein the dhaivata was the fulcrum.
Grip and clarity were imparted to the tanam by an orderly progression of ideas. Set in Chatusra Triputa tala, khanda nadai (8x5=40 matras), the pallavi ‘Veena Pustaka Dharini’ generated powerful niraval imagery.
In an intelligent move, the timely switch to the equivalent/variant Misra-Jati Jhampa tala ensured glitch-free akshara-marking during swaraprasthara. Additional proof of virtuosity came with the ragamalika in Kannada, Ananda Bhairavi, Kumudakriya and a parallel sketch of Nilamani/Sivaranjani.
Showcasing the sisters in top form, the concert was a thumping success, backed by astute kutcheri planning, time management and choice of compositions.
Violinist H. N. Bhaskar’s expositions carried strength and conviction, matching the vocalists step for step in alapanas, poruttams and kanakkus. N. Manoj Siva (mridangam) and K.V. Gopalakrishnan (ganjira) served up an absorbing, well-structured thani with its share of challenging and calming sollus.
