A tastefully decorated stage of Sathguru Sangeetha Samajam’s Lakshmi Sundaram Hall in Madurai provided the perfect setting for the Carnatic music concert of Ramakrishnan Murthy on Tuesday. He sang to the accompaniment of Trivandrum Sampath on the violin, Vijay B. Natesan on mrudangam and Alathur T. Rajaganesh on ganjira.
Ramakrishnan, with no pause or preamble, presented the first two songs: Kotthavasal Venkatrama Iyer’s ‘Sarasudaa Ninne Kori Chaalaa Marulu Konnadira’ in Saveri, in which the composer tells Lord Venkatesa that now is the time to show compassion, followed by ‘Chidambaram ena-mannankanindhida’ in Kalyani, set to Adi tala, in which Papanasam Svan says that with a melting heart if we meditate upon the name Siva Chidambaram, the fear of life and death would vanish
‘Angarakam ashrayamyaham’ was the singer’s next selection. A composition by Muthuswamy Dikshithar in Surati, a Navagraha Krihi, dedicated to the planet Mars. His next rendering was ‘ Kaalai thookki nindru’ in Yadukula Kaambhoji by Tillaividangan Marimuthu Pillai (a contemporary of Arunachala Kavi). It was divine and full of the right bhavam, particularly when he sang the lines, “O Lord Nataraja, who dances by lifting your (one ) leg! Please give a hand and uplift me too.”
He sang ‘Manasuloni Marmamu in Sudda Hindolam (varam), which has the higher chatushruti dhaivatam, by Saint Tyagaraja. The singer and violinist vied with each other to bring out the various shades of the raga. The main raga for the evening was Kaanada for Tyagaraja’s ‘Sukhi evaro’ was sung in its extensive elaboration and exploration. He began the song after reciting a couplet from Ramaganamirtham.
The tani by Vijay Natesan on the mrudangam, and Alathur Rajaganesh on the ganjira was equally riveting and made the main song memorable.
With a small virutam from Tirupanazhvar’s ‘Kondal Vannanai,’ he then sang the Tiruppavai, ‘Andru Ivvulagam Alanthai Adi Potri’ in raga Sindhu Bhairavi. The thukkadas included Bharathi’s ‘Suttum Vizhi Sudarthan Bharathiar’ and Arunagirinathar’s Tiruppugazh on Tirupparamkundram Murugan.
Rasikas were appreciative of the way in which the singer enunciated lyrics in Tamil, Sanskrit and Telugu, though he was born and brought up in United States.
S. Padmanabhan
