The M.S. Subbulakshmi centenary celebrations conducted by Sri Satguru Sangeeta samajam began at Lakshmi Sundaram Hall in Madurai on Saturday with Carnatic singing by Ishwarya Vidya Raghunath, who was accompanied by Aditi Ragunath on violin, B. Ganapathiram on mrudangam, and Anirudh Athreya on kanjira.
The pada varnam in Natta kurinji was a good starter, and was followed by a lively alapana in Sri ragam. “Sri Varalakshmi” was then presented in varying speeds, and was completed with swaraprastanas at the end.
She then sang a Tyagaraja kriti in Sahana, “Ee Vasudha,” before rendering “Sri Ranga Puravihara,” a Dikshitar kriti in Brindavana Saranga at a leisurely pace, taking care to include the fine touches that have contributed to its popularity over several decades. Another Tyagaraja kriti that impressed the audience was “O Ranga sayee” in Kamboji that included improvisations by the singer for “Bhoologa Vaikuntam.” The instrumental tanis were complementary to the singing. The Ragam alapana was built up steadily by the singer and her violinist who then presented rhythmic tanam for the pallavi, “Devi Meenalochani.”
The final part of the concert was cut short owing to constraints of time, and she concluded with just a Thiruppavai. On the whole, the concert was reminiscent of the soulful singing of M.S. Subbulakshmi.
RAJALAKSHMI PADMANABHAN
