Ramana Balachandra is all of 14. The evening had barely arrived when he sat behind the veena with all his concentration focused on tuning the instrument for the concert. As part of the 67 Sri Ramanavami Music Festival organised by Sri Sheshadripuram Rama Seva Samithi, head bent over his veena, Ramana’s meek figure was hardly noticeable as one looked at the stage, especially when giant portraits of Rama loomed in the background. However, as he struck the first note of ‘Sri Ganapatini Sevimparare,’ one realised that the unassuming, shy persona nurtured a humble artist of extraordinary calibre inside.
Ramana knows his music rather well. He sang the first few lines of the Sourashtra composition as he played it on the veena. Not only was the instrumental rendition masterly, his singing too signalled a musical bent of mind. The second composition he played was ‘Ra Ra Rama’ in Asaveri, adi talam which, again, was beautiful both in the excerpts he sang and in the nuances he generated on the veena. His singing functions as a teaser of sorts, the full-fledged version of which is presented through the instrument. He also managed to squeeze in short kalpanaswaras in an otherwise compact piece.
‘Vengopalamu’ in Kedaragowla, another Tyagaraja composition, was rendered with skill and expertise. The manner in which Ramana explored the raga was fascinating. He was supported by Shashibhushan on the mridanga, who was both creative and commendable.
This was followed by ‘Sumpaina Manasuto’ in Ahiri, misrachapu and then ‘Pibare Ramarasam’ in Ahir Bhairavi. Every now and then, Ramana would look towards the audience at his father, who is also his teacher, for approval. A nod from him would suffice and Ramana would go back to his musical meditation.
The siblings, Lalgudi G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi presented a violin duet, that showed their audience what it means to receive musical tutelage from the best and how it can be translated on stage. They began the concert with a varnam in Asaveri, a composition of their guru. Every twang of the violin was co-ordinated and it was a delight to watch them perform.
From Asaveri, they transitioned into Phalamanjari with ‘Sanatana Paramapavana’ which had intricate, short kalpanaswaras. The piece that stunned audiences was ‘Sujanajeevana’ in Khamas. With a beautiful opening, the artists journeyed into the heart of Khamas, discovering enchanting musical bends at the end of every line.
This was followed by a composition in Saveri, adi tala. The piece was introduced by Vijayalakshmi who added ample microtonal nuances to her portions. Tugging at the strings of the violin, the duo then presented the piece replete with kalpanaswaras.
Next, was a Devagandhari composition, ‘Namaranikintan’ and ‘Raghunandana Raja’ in Shuddhadesi. They dwelt on Kalyani for a long time in the subsequent piece, ‘Induko Nee Manasu’. Kalyani was given a new identity with the pair adding their own style to the piece. During the tani avartanam, both Giridhar Udupa on the ghatam and Arjun Kumar on the mridangam shone well. True to their bani, one could hear the words of the composition as they played on the violin.
Nagamani Srinath was accompanied by three of her students during her concert . Instead of the ghatam, she had Arun Kumar play the rhythm pad, along with Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma on the mridanga and Nalina Mohan on the violin. The first few compositions sounded chaotic, partly because of three singers singing together and also because of microphone issues.
The ensemble began the concert with ‘Ninne Nammi’, a varnam in Shanmukhapriya followed by ‘Brovabarama’ in Bahudari. The Bahudari piece, especially, was beautifully rendered. The alapana for the subsequent, ‘Yevarura Ninnuvi’ by Nagamani was wonderful. Mohana’s simplicity was accentuated in her singing. The centrepiece of the evening was ‘Rangapuravihara’, a composition presented specially for the Ramanavami concert. The artists played in three speeds and exchanged fascinating kalpanaswaras. Nagamani was thoughtful enough to give her students ample space and time during the concert to showcase their skills. She guided them whenever necessary. The tani avartanam, again, was creative and made the audience sit up in their seats. The concert concluded with a Vachaspati piece ‘Rogaharane Krupasagara’, composed by Nagamani herself.
