Being on the beach early in the morning can be a soul stirring experience, more so when soft musical notes waft through the air. So it was at Rajiv Smirti Bhavan on Beach Road in Visakhapatnam. Wrapped in the cool sea breeze at the crack of dawn, the serene Bhavan premises reverberated to soft melodies as veena artiste Dr Bhamidipati Kanaka Durga Prasad aka BKD strummed his way to the hearts of rasikas. Tarakeswara Foundation has recently begun hosting an hour-long Sunday Morning Classical Music concertsenabling sangeeta rasikas of the city to enjoy a live classical treat quite early on the day (6 am to 7 am) .
With his artistic instincts at their evocative best and his passion for presentation riding its crest, energetic BKD sailed through the session . His vibrancy endowed the brief concert session with all the trappings of a wholesome treat.
He began it with Mahaganapathim of Muttuswamy Deekshitar in raga Nata that set the tempo for the session. Wonderful Tutelage of veena vidushi Pappu Padmavati and his association with legendary veena maestro Chittibabu from childhood chiselled BKD into a class apart. His ‘meetus’ are soft and his fingers glide in fluid ease making the instrument emanate its varied shades of melody in full measure. Ably accompanied by D Dharmarao on mridangam, he went on to present Brova bharama of Thygaraja in raga Bahudari. He adorned it with a brief but elegant raga aalapana.
His rendition stands out for its clarity of expression both in terms of sahitya bhava and raga bhava, an aspect that makes his presentation more than appealing. His accent on emotive shades of the lyric brings out the intense devotional fervour of the composer, adding lustre to his rendition. And his flowing neraval at the line ‘Ramanamamane…’ for the composition Bantureeti of Thygaraja bore an eloquent testimony to it. His adroit swrakalpana further enriched the presentation. He picked up raga Mayamalava Goula for Devadeva of Swathi Tirunal, set to the cycle of Rupaka tala, for elaboration as the mainstay of the concert. In an extensive expansion of it in ragam, taanam and swaram, he explored its richness in its entire range of musical phrases making it sparkle in its varied dimensions. He capped the session with a Kabir bhajan in raga Desh and it was remarkable for its meditative rendition.
