Shubasri Ramachandran is the daughter of maestro Trichur Ramachandran and Charumathi Ramachandran. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage.
The difficulty is that her parents have such a high reputation that it would be hard to emulate them. Undaunted by their fame, she has set about her music career in earnest. A mature artist in her own right, she has a sweet voice, swara suddham, strict command over laya, a wide repertoire and sings effortlessly. I could perceive several enchanting flashes of MLV, her grand-guru, in her music.
Shubasri rendered a dozen compositions in her lively concert and each one of them was impressive. She sang Khambodi, Sriranjani and Purvikalyani alapanas in depth, which her vocal strength happily permitted. Meera Sivaramakrishnan (violin) imaginatively etched the ragas. Tyagaraja’s masterpiece, ‘O, Rangasayi,’ had a divine flavour. Instead of packing all the pallavi sangatis in the beginning, she spread them evenly through the kriti, which enhanced the aesthetic effect. The concluding korvai after the niraval and swaras at ‘Bhooloka Vaikunta’ was particularly creative.
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Thani offered by maestro Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar (mridangam) and Hariharasubramaniam (ghatam) was power-packed. The tisra nadai was inspired.
In Sriranjani, Shubasri rendered Tyagaraja’s ‘Bhuvinidasudane’ (Desadi) with swaras at pallavi. In Purvikalyani, it was Thanjavur Ponnaiah’s ‘Satileni Guruguha’ (misra chapu), in praise of his Guru Muthuswami Dikshitar. Niraval and swarams were at ‘Koti Manmatha.’ Meera Sivaramakrishnan presented a lovely alapana and a few impressive kalpanaswaras.
Commencing her concert with the Kedaragowla varnam, Shubasri offered fetching creations of Tyagaraja (‘Niravadhisukhada,’ Ravichandrika), Dikshitar (‘Akhilandeswari,’ Dwijavanti) and Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (‘Sudhamayi,’ Amritavarshini).
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She wound up her concert with the Ashtapathi, ‘Natha Hare’ in Desh, the Annamacharya kriti, ‘Bhavayami Gopalabalam,’ (Yamuna Kalyani), and a Purandaradasa Devarnama, ‘Venkatachala Nilayam’ (Sindubhairavi).
Obviously, she has an eclectic mind, willing to delight in any composition that is appealing. If the knowledgeable crowd, which stayed on till the end enjoying in silence the majesty that she displayed, are any indication, undoubtedly she has a bright future.
H. Ramakrishnan