In the Indian ethos, the veena is considered a divine instrument but it is definitely not a crowd puller. Not these days, anyway. Perhaps, this is because the veena is believed to be so sacred that the artist cannot indulge in ploys to lure the audience. Nevertheless, one cannot deny the truth that it imparts extraordinary philosophical and mental power to veena artists because they invariably master and play the instrument notwithstanding the lukewarm patronage from the rasikas.
A case in point is S.R. Padmavathy, niece and disciple from the school of veena vidwan Kalpagam Swaminathan. She is a celebrated tutor who has worked in the Indian Fine Arts Society in Singapore and is now at Kalakshetra. Her music, therefore, carries the simplicity, sincerity and sureness of a confident trainer.Padmavathy’s presentation and format at the concert organised under the banner of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Ariyakudi Music Foundation’s monthly offering ‘Horizon’, strictly adhered to time-honoured rules.
The concert started with a varnam (Begada), followed by kritis of various composers, brief and medium raga expositions, an exhaustive ragam followed by tanam and a detailed treatise with structured niraval, swaram and a lighter piece in the end. The serene Anandabhairavi with Dikhshitar’s ‘Kamalamba’, the breezy Malayamarutham through ‘Manasa Etulo’ (Tyagaraja) and the captivating Vachaspati of ‘Parathpara’ (Sivan) showcased the artist’s penchant for presenting kritis in a methodical way underpinning the sahitya element.
Bhairavi was elaborated in detail for the lesser known and heard Patnam Subramania Iyer’s composition ‘Nee Padamulae Gati’ with a concise niraval comprising swaras. ‘Hari Ayanum Kaana’ in ‘Parathpara’ was ornamented with similar sections. The other fillers were ‘Kalaharana’ in Suddha Saveri, ‘Therateeyagarada’ (both by Tyagaraja) in Gowlipantu and ‘Saramaina’ (Swati Tirunal) in Behag.
Balancing of sound with mridangam and ghatam to suit the tonal quality of veena forms the primary part of the concert. If the veena volume is not adjusted properly to match the brawny beats of the percussion it automatically gets drowned. If thoughtless amplification is resorted to, it ends in shrills and shrieks. The initial stages of the concert suffered from this and left much to be desired at Sastri Hall.
Thanjavur Kumar and Pudukkottai Ramachandran on mridangam and ghatam reiterated their ability to support a solemn and subdued instrument like the veena. However, their thani avartanam sparkled with their professional credentials.
