Madras, Nov. 11: By some strange process of reasoning, quite a host of artistes seem to think that the Vinayaka sthuthi piece has invariably to be the same selection if the performance is to proceed smoothly and the chosen kriti has always been Dikshithar’s “Vatapi Ganapatim Baje”. This has resulted in the kriti being repeated ad nauseam in the concert halls creating the impression that it is perhaps the only invocatory piece offering the customary homage to the Lord who is the remover of obstacles and ensuring that the concert is a success. It is not so at all for there are any number of other excellent kritis in praise of Vinayaka for the artiste to choose from if only he would free himself from the “Vatapi” fixation. If one does not want to look beyond Dikshithar for the purpose, in fact, there are other excellent compositions including the Malahari piece, “Panchamatangamuka Ganapati”, which would serve just as well for the invocatory purpose. However, unlike “Vatapi”, the Malahari kriti is a very sedate piece and offers absolutely no scope for any type of gimmickry.
