W as it poetry set to soulful music? Or a dialogue with the starsthat were gazing down? Was it a passionate effort to redefine music? Or was it to realise the Unity of Creation? It was as if the saptaswara devatas had descended on the stage and the singer was in a state of ekagratha.
And for the 500-odd rasikas huddled in the open-air auditorium of storm-ravaged Spaces, it must have been a unique experience.
T.M. Krishna in the company of R.K. Shriramkumar and K. Arun Prakash vested sanctity on verses, some oft heard and some unheard.
The musical enunciation of the six verses of Syama Sastri’s swara jati, ‘Raave Himagirikumari’ in Thodi was further extended with Krishna taking up ‘Kalyani Kanchi Kamakshi’ to reach tara sthayi and athi tara sthayi. It was then a dolphin’s smooth dive to mandara and anu mandira sthayi swaras, which gave a new dimension to the raga. Krishna’s enormous lung power did help him to render phrases running to more than 15-18 seconds.
Shriramkumar followed Krishna like a shadow creating moments of bliss.
Writer Perumal Murugan marked his comeback to the literary field with an emotional Tamizh poem, ‘Thappenna seiden thavikka vidugindraai.’ It was rendered in viruttam style in Kharaharapriya, Ahiri and Behag.
The climb to tharasthayi panchamam for the last line ‘Malaimel Varugindra Maadhoru Baaganae’ with ruminative pauses was touching.
Every line of the song, ‘Allaavai naam thozhudaal sukham ellamae odi varum-anda vallonai ninaithirundaal nalla vaazhkkaiyum thedi varum’ tuned by Krishna was overflowing with Behag. The parabolic and elliptical twists he gave to the phrases, ‘Odi varum and Thedi varum’ was a connoisseur’s delight.
If Krishna and Shriramkumar were two dimensions of this creative process, Arun Prakash was the third. A music composer himself, he must have enjoyed Krishna’s music the most, being closely placed on stage. His handling the mridangam was a statement on ‘pakka vadhya dharmam.’ He stands apart amidst the table tennis top-spin-stroke action kings of his clan. He was there and yet not there. This enabled Krishna and Shriramkumar to blossom naturally.
Krishna’s imagination continued with a tanam in Nattai and a split-second Gowla before moving to Sankarabharanam. The tanam had many veena-based sphuritam phrases. Shriramkumar continued with Sankarabharanam before moving to Anandabhairavi. It was a tasteful decoration.
An inspired Krishna dallied with Kuntalavarali before giving the baton to Shriramkumar, who seamlessly moved to Kaapi Narayani. Krishna responded with the anu pallavi lines ‘hithavumata’ of ‘Sarasasamadana.’ It had a lilting effect.
Krishna returned to Sankarabharanam traversing once again up to tara sthayi shadjam and staying there. ‘Sadasivam upaasmahae’ saw Krishna choose ‘Purana Purusham Purantakam’ for niraval, aided beautifully by Shriramkumar.
Back to back Javalis of Ramnad Sreenivasa Iyengar’s ‘Saanaro ee Mohamu’ and Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Yey Ra RaaRaa Cheidayraa’ were evocative reflections of Krishna’s musicianship. He juxtaposed a brief tanam too.
“Om Tat Sath Sri Narayana Thoo” normally sung before the arthi in Sathya Sai Baba bhajans was presented in viruttam style in Harikhambodi, Kaapi, Sankarabharanam and Mayamalavagowla, leading to ‘Sri Nathadi Guruguho.’
The concluding piece, ‘Varugalamo,’ summed up the trio’s journey.
