Expressed through the medium of bhajan sampradayam, devotion acquires a collective dimension. So did Hyderabad-based exponent of sage Narayana Theertha’s Krishna Leela Tarangini G.S.K. Sampath Kumar’s ‘taranga gaanam’ a la bhajan sampradaya on the premises of Sri Ramakrishna Mission on Beach Road Visakhapatnam. He sang select tarangams in rhythmic precession.
Born and brought up in a family that was traditionally dedicated down generations to the propagation of life and works of sage Narayana Theertha through bhajan sampradaya, this septuagenarian vocalist, in a way, assimilated the quintessential aspects of sublime devotion imbedded in the tarangams to the core.
That he has an exceptional and in-depth grasp of the composition being sung and its deft turn of the phrase in its multi-dimensional charms is evident in every frame of the performance. His performance, in a way, gave a taste of this lofty genre of bhajan sampradaya to the youngsters here for bhajan or singing the glory of God is nothing new though, surely taranga gaanam remains relatively less known in the north coastal region. He began it with Jaya Jaya Swamy in raga Nata and went on to explore the inherent devotional depths of tarangams through the idiom of music. His gamaka-laden rendition brought subtle and soft under currents of spiritual import of the compositions to the fore in a good measure.
Popular composition Alokaye sri bala Krishnam lent an alluring expression to the myriad charms of toddler Krishna’s childhood pranks and particularly the lines bhava paasa bhanda mochana O! Reliever from the burden of worldly moorings’ vividly delivered its spiritual import, while Nandanadana Goplala dipped the audience in the pond of musical delight visualising scenes of divine grace and grandeur of Lord Krishna’s life as described in Bhagavatam.
Besides the tarangams in praise of Lord Krishna, a sprinkle of Narayana Theertha’s compositions such as Jaya Jaya Vishnavi Durge in praise of Goddess Durga and Siva Siva bhava saranam extolling the divinity of Lord Siva in all its splendor mesmerised the audience. Ragas like Mohana, Anandabhiravi, Hamsanadam, Saveri and Sama stood tapped in their optimum measure of melody heightening the devotional appeal of the performance. Sagi Sangameswara Deekshitulu lent good vocal support. Kakinada-based Sri Narayana Theertha Tarangini of Gundlapalli Adinarayana hosted the event.
