This was a sit-down for an unusual examination for both mridangam vidwan Kalaimamani S. Gopakumar and his disciples at the Bharathiyar Palkalai Koodam. The guru had designed a set of complex notations denoting rhythmic cycles and the students had been tasked to transform an apparent alphabet soup into mridangam symphony.
As has been his wont to experiment and create something new every year, Gopakumar, an assistant professor in mridangam, had raised the degree of difficulty this year —the guru had conceived a rather challenging tala pattern that would find expression as a ‘Lasyasanjaram’ in Chatusrajathi Tiripata tala.
The students, performing as two closely-knit teams, set the tone for this percussive expedition with a 56 matra mutthaippu (rhythmic cycle).
The team
The team comprised first, second and third year mridangam students V. Tamizh Selvaraj, G. Murugavel, A. Madi Selva Dos, R. Joshva and S. Bharath.
After a brief prologue based on Western instrumentation, it was classical Carnatic play as the shishyas rolled out shifting patterns of rhythms on the mridangam. The tala cycles changed segueing effortlessly from one pattern to the next.
The students would punctuate a pattern with a resonant boom or a crashing crescendo. Sometimes, their fingers would fall soft on the instrument producing a fluttering sound; sometimes interject the play with a dramatic pause.
The audience, a mix of faculty, students and well-wishers, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the exposition.
The seniors on the front row expressed appreciation nodding their heads and matching the beats with their hands keeping pace with rapidly shifting time signatures. The performance journeyed through a 64 beat cycle pattern, a 256 beat cycle and a 28-beat cycle korvai in gopucha yati pattern before ending to clattering applause in a booming 64-beat cycle rhythm.
“To be honest, there was anxiety at the start as without playing an instrument myself I would not have been able to make up for any false notes. But my worries were misplaced as the students did a wonderful job,” said Mr. Gopakumar.
Worthy effort
For him, the efforts that went into this experimentation, he said, were well worth it when he saw the enjoyment on the faces of senior faculty and other connoisseurs.
And, as if he had read the minds of at least some in the audience who would have visualised how a danseuse would have expressed the ‘Lasyasanjaram,’ Mr. Gopakumar wondered if the dance faculty at the music college would be able to style a classical dance routine to the percussion pattern.
Cheers went up when the dance gurus at the Bharathiyar Palkalai Koodam agreed to put their minds to it.
There was anxiety at the start... But my worries were misplaced as the students did a wonderful job.
S. Gopakumar
Assistant Professor in mridangam
