The Nadaswara Thavilisai festival, organised by Brahma Gana Sabha captured the glory of these instruments.
For the last few years, Carnatic instrumental music has been on the wane with fewer flute, violin and veena concerts being organised. As for the nagaswaram and thavil, they have been relegated to marriages, temples and at best for an event’s inaugural mangala isai.
It was the chosen instrument for temples as the nagaswaram represented the purest essence of Carnatic music. And legends such as Tiruvizhimizhalai Subramania Pillai, Sheik Chinna Moulana, Namagiripettai Krishnan ensured that it occupied a prime slot on the concert circuit.
It has inspired countless singers such as Madurai Somu, Semmangudi, and more recently Sanjay Subrahmanyan.
The brilliance of the performers at the TAG P.S. Dakshinamoorthy Hall, where the concerts were held, did not come as a surprise as it was expected. It was the turnout that was an eye-opener.
The listeners enjoyed everything from long alapanas to lengthy thavil solos, proving that there is an audience for such recitals after all. Be it raga alapana, choice of kritis, laya – the beauty of Carnatic music was kept alive right through by the artists.
One concert showed the lineage of Sheik Chinnamoulana. A brilliant Keeravani alapana by Sheik Mehboob Subhani and Khalshabi Mehboob was followed by the majestic Tyagaraja kriti ‘Kaligiyunte’, presented in all its grandeur. M. R. Vasudevan and K. G. Kalyanasundaram provided the high-powered thavil accompaniment.
Injikudi E. M. Subramaniam’s concert on the concluding day was marked by vidwat and soulful renditions. Starting with the ‘Endaro’ pancharatna in a leisurely pace, Subramaniam chose Varamu – a rare raga also sometimes called Misra Hindolam or Shudha Hindolam – as the piece de resistance. The RTP was set to misra triputa tala with complex sangatis and korvais. M. S. Ravikumar and M. Saravanan provided the fireworks on the thavil matching the complexity of their thani with that of the pallavi.
What was inspiring was the never-say-die attitude of the artists: when their kanaku didn’t land on the right spot, they would attempt it again till they got it right much to the delight of the appreciative audience.
The thavil vidwans such as Kaliamurty, who accompanied the artists are laya geniuses. Each time their thanis turned out to be enjoyable.
On the concluding day, the festival organisers honoured Thiruvidaimaruthur Thiru P. S. V. Raja and Thirunangur Thiru N. C. Senthilnathan for their contribution to this art form.
Some of the dignitaries also highlighted the need for more such festivals to renew interest in these instruments.
