The Rasika Ranjana Sabha, Tiruchi, in association with Tamil Nadu Iyal, Isai and Nadaga Mandram, presented a five-day programme of music and dance at the R.R. Sabha auditorium.
The programme began with K.R. Manasvini’s Bharatanatyam recital. During her two-hour concert, Manasvini performed with ease and poise. The nattuvangam (by her mother) and guru Revathi assisted by Sridharini (vocal), Veeramani (violin) and M.S. Suki (mridangam) added grandeur to the concert.
Revathi Muthusamy, founder-director Srirangam Bharatha Natyalaya, was the chief guest and she was all praise for the dancer for her zeal, meticulous kala pramanam and bhava.
Youngsters regale
Chennai Gayathri provided a delightful dance programme. She was assisted by Tiruchi Srinivasan on the violin and Thanjavur G.R. Senthilkumar on the mridangam.
Young vocalist from Thanjavur, Ketharnath with Thiruvallur Parthasarathi on the violin and Kumbakonam Aravind on the mridangam delivered a rich concert consisting of many kritis and mostly in Tamil. The chief guest Champa Kalkura, the veteran vocalist, exhorted the artists.
On the penultimate day there was a nagaswaram recital presented by the young engineer Thirukkadaiyur T.M. Umashankar and Villianoor V. Selvaraj with the veterans T.D. Sivagurunathan and Puducherry Saravanan on the thavil. The two-hour concert was prolific and enchanting. The percussionists proved their expertise and experience in their thani elaborately. Fittingly the young vidwans were felicitated by the versatile and proficient nagaswaram couple Sheik Mehbhoob Subhani and Kalisha Beebi Subhani.
The concert ended with the vocal concert of P. Srividhya, from Chennai. She was accompanied by Sivakami Narayanan on the violin and New Delhi P. Manohar on the mridangam. Blessed with a gifted voice, this young vocalist won the hearts of the rasikas with her pleasant handling of the ragas and reach and was quite convenient in higher octaves, which is a rarity.
