Dubai Music Lovers, an organisation that promotes Carnatic music in Dubai, recently conducted its annual function. It was a two-day event the first of which was dedicated to the late Palghat Raghu. The founder of Dubai Music Lovers, mridanga vidwan D. Govindarajan, paid rich tributes to Palghat Raghu and dedicated the concert of the evening by Raghu’s grandson Abishek Raghuram to the mridangam exponent.
Abhishek, accompanied by Mysore Srikanth on the violin, D. Govindarajan on the mridangam and Srirangam R. Kannan on the morsing, began the concert with "Valachi" varnam and presented ‘Vandanamu’ in Sahana, ‘Enda Mudho’ in Bindhumalini, ‘Andavane’ in Shanmukhapriya, ‘Suki Evaro’ in Kanada, ‘Sakale nee dinamu vatsana’ in Naganandini. ‘Karthikeya’ (Thodi) was the main. The Thodi raga alapana and the rendering of the kriti kept the audience spell-bound. Mysore Srikanth formed an excellent pair with Sri. Abhishek in the niraval and the thani by Govindarajan and Srirangam Kannan on Morsing came like icing.
Sirkazhi Jayaraman, accompanied by Mysore Srikanth D. Govindarajan and Srirangam Kannan presented a concert the next evening. Age did not seem to matter as 80-year old Jayaraman sang. He started the concert with "Intachala" B(egada varnam) and followed it with "Devedeva" in Maya Maalavagowla, "Bale" in Reethi Gowla, "Raja Raja" in Niroshta. He sang his own composition, "Mayilagi kayilaya" and "Rarama inti" before the main kirtana "Manasu swathi namai" on Sankarabharanam.
The organisation honoured Sirkazhi Jayaraman by presenting him a shawl and a souvenir for his dedicated service to Carnatic Music and his support to DML in organising the annual event.
