Bharateeya Kala Samithi celebrated the 246th Jayanthi of Thyagaraja also coinciding with the organisations’s 12th anniversary. The festival began with traditional feature Unchavritti . The event was inaugurated by noted musician K.S.R. Balakrishna Sastry striving to spread music by teaching and holding concerts. There was a thematic presentation by Y. Ramaprabha and party titled as ‘A Day with Thyagaraja’.
Among those who gave vocal concerts were some noted vocalists, male and female.
Tulasi Viswanath opened with Abhogi Varnam and presented Tulasidalamulache in Mayamalavagowla before she went for her main item Madhyamavati for Venkatesa and concluded her show with tillana in Chakravakam. P. Nandakumar on violin Jayabhalsker on mridangam supported her.
The festival’s highlight was vocal duet by Hyderabad Sisters Lalitha and Haripriya in the company of Dinakar on violin, B. Sriram on mridangam and Shyamkumar on kanjira. The sisters dealt with some prime compositions of Thyagaraja Girijaramana in Gambhiranata, Devadideva in Sunadavinodini with a fine rendition of raga and then the star melody of the concert Kalyani for very popular number Nidhichala Sukhama .
On the instrumental side there was a unique experiment featuring three instruments in a kind of Jugalbandi led by mandolin play by noted artiste Emani Lalitha Krishna with K. Padmavati on veena and Lalitha’s daughter, up and coming young flautist, Sreepoornina.
This group was accompanied by Krishnaprakash on mridangam, Koundinya on ghatam and Chandrakant on morsing. The numbers this group played were Endaro — the panchartna kirtana of Thyagaraja in Sreeragam, Guruleka Etuvanti in Gowrimanhari then treating Hamsanadam as their main melody for popular Bantureeti Koluvu adding all the technical elements to their well appreciated experimental show.
The mandatory pancharatna Seva considered imminent was rendition of Panchratna kirtana’s of Thygaraja was presented by a host of musicians. This was followed by mini concerts by young talent Kalyan Vasant taking Pathuvarali as his main melody for the kriti Sambhomahadeva . He also presented Vararagalaya in Chenchukambhoji. Ananthakrishna on violin, D. Ramamurthy on mridangam a Koundinya on ghatam supported him.
On the occasion noted vocalist Malladi Narayana Sarma was felicitated and was conferred with the title ‘Sangeetha Bharati’ Sangeetha Bharati .
