Sree Poornathrayeesa Sangeetha Sabha, Thripunithura celebrated the Tyagaraja aradhana at Kalikkotta Palace recently.
The aradhana was lead by eminent musicians of Kerala. It was interesting to note that some in the audience joined in the rendering of some of the well-known kritis.
After the Pancharathnam, a special jugalbandi programme with Kottakal Madhu and Nedumpilly Ram Mohan singing Kathakali padams and V.R. Dileep Kumar rendering Carnatic compositions was also held.
They began on a good note with a padam, ‘Harihara vidhinutha' in ‘Thodayam' in Hamsadhwani by Madhu as Dileep sang ‘Mahaganapathe' in the same raga.
Madhu followed this by singing the popular ‘Ajithaa hare jaya' (Sree) in ‘Kuchelavritham' while Dileep took a shodasaganapathi keertana, ‘Sreemoolaadhaarachakra Vinayaka' by Dikshithar. Next came a chowka kaala keertana, ‘Poomathinoththa' (Darbar) in ‘Nalacharitham Naalam Divasam.'
Dileep rendered ‘Munthuvenuga' by Tyagaraja. Another ‘Nalacharitham Naalam Divasam' padam was ‘Naishadhan ivan thaan' in which Dileep sang ‘Ksheenamai' (Tyagaraja) in Mukhari.
The alaap in ‘Sudhdhadhanyasi' was fantastic as Madhu took ‘Paani Peehdanam,' a rare padam in ‘Devayani Charitham' and Dileep went for ‘Subrahmanyena rakshithoham' by Dikshithar. Both of them reached heights during the aalap of Bilahari, which was a combination of different styles of music, which they sang alternatively.
Manjoor Ranjith on the violin accompanied the musicians faithfully as they rendered this. ‘Maanyaseele Srunuvaacham' (‘Devayani Charitham') was the padam and ‘Paridaanamitchithe,' a popular kriti of Patnam Subrahmania Iyer was their selection for the alaap.
Highlight of the concert
The highlight of the concert was when they took Kamboji as the main for the day with elaborate alaap.
There was a round of applause when Madhu rendered a popular padam ‘Hari Naakshi' in ‘Keechakavadham' and Dileep sang Tyagaraja's ‘Evarimaata.' Thani by Sanoj Guruvayur (mridangam), Kalamandalam Sasi (maddalam) and Tripunithura Hari (edakka) was excellent.
Thukkadas also beautifully utilised by both, first with ‘Vasavasa' (Kaapi) in ‘Nalacharitham Moonam Divasam' and ‘Enna thavam' by Papanasam Sivan.
After that, Madhu, Ram Mohan and Dilip each sang stanzas of ‘Kasthooree thilakam' alternatively as ragamalika and concluded with ‘Padmaavallabha Paalaya Bhagavan' (‘Thodayam') and Tyagaraja's ‘Pavamana' in Madhyamavathi as mangalam.
