Learning to play veena and mastering it is an art. And If an artist excels in it, that will be the most rewarding one. These thoughts came to mind on listening to the Kiravani and Charukesi played by Jayanthi Kumaresh. Similarly, among the many rakti ragas, these two ragas have a unique texture that will give a feel of exultation as well as emotion. The tinge of a sweet melancholic melody invariably permeates through these two ragas. Jayanthi is yet another practical exponent who had placed the Ragam Tanam Pallavi at the center stage. The sancharas in Charukesi started off in a very subtle manner with a gamaka on its core swaras heralding an aural alapana.
The sails, eddies, swirls, glides, extensions, pauses and oscillations progressed with the aesthetic approach of an artist painting a picture. The ultimate swaroopa emerged was a beguiling portrait of Charukesi. If someone found a drop of tear in the corner of their eyes at the end of it, it would not have been a wonder. It would have been the best compliment Jayanthi could have received.
Enchanting tanam
The raga was followed by an enchanting tanam in all the three regions to land on the pallavi ‘Sada Nee Paadhame Gathi Kripakari’ structured in Kanda Jathi Jhampa Talam (two kalai). After an expertly conceived niraval and trikalam, the swara section included Kaanada, Varali, Kapi and back to Charukesi with a smooth switch over from one to another. The contribution of Bangalore K. Arjun Kumar on the mridangam and C.P. Vyasa Vittala on the ganjira provided immense support to Jayanthi with absolute understanding of her kind of music at every stage. Can a tani avartanam that ran for nearly 15 minutes could sound like another piece of music instead of percussive exchange? Yes. The thani between Arjun Kumar and Vyasa Vittala was as musical as Jayanthi’s soft and delicate veena.
Jayanthi’s Kiravani kriti ‘Amba Vani Nannu’ went on fast track and the speedy swara streams on ‘Vara Veena Paani’ were like the opening of the sluices of a reservoir. Urmika kriti of Pallavi Seshayyar ‘Entani Vina’ in Adi talam, tisra nadai again let her render a surfeit of swaras and here the swara sallies were exchanged with Arjun and Vittala with great camaraderie.
For the serenity a slow and succulent Begada was detailed with ‘Ne Vera Kula Danamu’ of Tyagaraja. A varnam and ‘Gajananayutham’ in Vega Vahini were starters and a folk tune composed in Behag by Ganesh-Kumaresh in tisra gati was the tail piece.
