There were two distinct techniques in the exposition of the violinists Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath — manodharma perception and clarity of articulation in raga alapanas with pomp and show in the swara exercise.
In rendering kirtanas and during raga development, every twist and turn in the sangatis and sancharas was given an enchanting touch. But when it came to kalpanaswara prastaras, it was not swara-breeze but swara-gale, which goes against musical ethics and aesthetics.
Their training in handling the instrument showcased their performing ability. It helped them give a luxurious touch to the interpretation of the kirtanas. The select choice of songs — ‘Ksheera Sagara Sayana' (Devagandhari), ‘Marubalka' (Sriranjani), ‘Bala Gopala' (Bhairavi) and ‘Manasa Sancharare' (Sama) - was classic in every way.
In the development of Bhairavi and Sriranjani by Manjunath, and Ranjani by Nagaraj, there was not even the faintest of hesitation in cruising the sancharas from the adhara to the tara sthayi. They played outstanding images of the ragas.
However, the exhibitionistic interplay of bowing exactitude and the appetite for manipulative kanakku swara passages erased the distinguishing line between art and craft. What mattered most to them was the thrust and punch it gave to this kind of swaras in a combative exercise between the brothers. This fall from the sublime raga and kirtana excellence to the abysmal depth of satisfying the gallery-instinct robbed their status as ennobling violinists.
A versatile mridangist that Tiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam is, he gave his percussive support like a devoted wife dancing to the tunes and tendencies of Manjunath and Nagaraj. His thani gave enduring pleasure with specific design and quality. His playing technique represented the bonding of his fingers to korvai patterns and lekas. Vaikkom Gopalakrishnan (ghatam) was in line with Bhaktavatsalam's laya interpretation.
The devotional concert of Saashwathi Prabhu was in a serene mood, different from the din of the usual namasankirtana programmes. It was educative in the sense that devotion was not limited to repetition of the names of deities in a chorus. It was her understanding that vaggeyakaras such as Tyagaraja and Annamayya have concealed the force of devotion in their sahityas as perfect as namavalis.
Without long elaboration of alapanas and swaras, the spartan rendering of kirtanas induced the minds of listeners to quietude. In a fundamental sense, Saashwathi's recital emphasised that devotion was beyond comprehension and was an inward experience.
The excellence of Tyagaraja's songs is the meeting of devotion and music. Realising that this was the very core of the saint's philosophy, Saashwathi, with great care, chose Tyagaraja kirtis in her programme.
‘Mokshamu Galada' (Saramathy), ‘Enta Muddo' (Bindumalini), ‘Orajoopu Chedi' (Kannadagowda) and ‘Nannu Palimpa' (Mohanam) served one great purpose… namely to stress the all pervasiveness of the Divine. Of these, choice of the Saramati song was apt because nothing less than ‘sadbhakti' of Tyagaraja's soul and steadfastness of spiritualism could have induced Sri Rama to give his darshan to him.
To one spiritually inclined, the bhakti songs would not appear as a mere devotional rhetoric. Like the Ramayana, the role of Tyagaraja shaped the minds of music lovers and his songs were not meant merely to be heard and intellectually comprehended but experienced in all their devotional dimensions.
Every other piece Saashwathi included in her programme carried this message. She was accompanied by Akkarai Sornalatha (violin), Delhi Sairam (mridangam), N. Sundar (tabla) and Vijayavardini (keyboard).
