’Dundubhi Vadhya Bedha Nadha Vinodhini’ - this forms the Anupallavi’s first line in Dikshitar’s Sri Ranjani kriti, ‘Sri Dum Durge.’
Dr. Deepti Omchery Bhalla during her session at The Music Academy Mini Hall spoke on “Dundubhi Natyam - Compositions based on rare talas of Kerala” and made some interesting observations and gave demonstrations wherever needed. Prof. Tiruchi Sankaran was in singular admiration of the ability of this senior practitioner’s ability “to be able to sing dance and speak.” The hall was packed with scholars, vidwans and admirers.
Deepti said that she was greatly indebted to her mother Kalamandalam Kalyani Kutti Amma who had dedicated her entire life to understanding the music of Kerala. “This regional music – the Sopana music of Kerala - is distinct from the form and expression of classical music of Kerala. This is based on Tauryatrikam (Triad concept of Sangeetham) and has been handled by certain communities called Maarar, Nambeeshan, Poduval, Nambiar, etc. While Carnatic music is based on Sooladi Sapta Talas, Sopana Music is based on Ganaas of old Chandas.
“Finger counting as adopted in Carnatic music is not in practice in Kerala music but is done by the principal drummer as there are performers in large numbers.” she said. One has to have a sound introduction to some important features of Kerala music before one can get to appreciate Mohiniyattom or Dundubhi Natyam. This then was her basic premise.
Presenting a selection - a composition in Mohiniyaattom that was set in Raja Vidyadhara Tala, eulogising Lord Siva she said that it was Dasappa Nrityam. The composer is unknown and its beauty lies in the words set to different chandas or gatis. The reason for calling it Natyam (and not nrityam) can be interpreted as in earlier times there was not a clear categorisation. The distinction of Nritta, Nritya and Natya came after Bharata.
“Further, why the author has titled the composition Dundubhi, which is a drum and not the Damaru held in the hand of Shiva is not known,” Dr. Bhalla said. She, however, ventured to find two possible reasons: with the sounding of Dundubhi, the drum commences the dance of Siva and the sound of the syllables dun-du-bhi can adjust better to different gatis than the syllable of da-ma-ru.”
Raja Vidhyadhara Tala has a laghu, guru and 2 drutams where the laghu has one beat and a pause, the guru has two beats and two pauses and drutam has a beat and a wave (and a beat and a wave again). In the same manner the Padam Dr. Bhalla sang towards the very end – ‘Endu Cheyyyendu Gnaan Ayyo’ - was in three talas namely, Chatusra Ekam, Rupakam and Chapu with a Srotavaha Yati.
Certain difficulties of Kerala music relate to the kalapramanam on account of its context and lyrics. They become Athi Athi Vilamba Kala compositions and are characterised by a certain gradual ascent which is typical of Hindustani music. “The speed here does not get doubled - at once like the conventional Irandam Kaalam - and it is like the growth of the child which becomes noticeable only when you look at it after a considerable gap of say, ten years.”
Talking of Vilamba Kala she said that she can perform to a small audience anywhere in Kerala. “But when performing in the North, North-East or North-West of India or while staging concerts abroad, I find it difficult to sustain the interest of the audience which is huge and the stage therefore is far away from them. Reaching to them is my biggest limitation.” She also added the “the same Tala in many kinds of dance and music (ritualistic or classical) and ensembles have different vaitaaris or syllabic patterns, though the time cycle may remain the same. The rendition of vaitaaris in ritualistic and folk music has a different purpose of usage and the syllables used in them sound very different from those commonly adopted in classical dance.”
The short pieces she performed on stage had such portrayals that depicted deep-felt longing, bliss, innocent expressions of wonderment and many such rasas and bhavas and served to convey her aesthetic orientations and reflected her as a performer-researcher.
(Dr. Deepti Omchery Bhalla is a Senior Professor of Carnatic music at the Faculty of Music, University of Delhi. She has unearthed some rare and obsolete musical forms of Swati Tirunal and his contemporaries.)
(sivakumar2004@gmail.com)
