Shruthi Shankarkumar, disciple of violinist Delhi P. Sundarrajan, was a picture of concentration, singing in a clear and composed manner a variety of ragas.
The opening piece was ‘Gopalaka Pahimam Anisham,’ in Revagupti. It was an unusual demonstration of sensitivity to the lyrics as the artist completed the pallavi and returned frequently to this line in the Swati Tirunal kriti.
Thereafter, Shruthi took up a Syama Sastri composition after an impressive essay of Kalyani. Again, you could observe a consistent pattern in the rendition of ‘Birana Varalichi Brovumu,’ the pallavi. Asked to explain the secret behind this remarkable effort, the vocalist cited the book of notations and lyrics authored by T.K. Govinda Rao. Paradoxically though, the artist omitted to sing the signature charanam — a customary practice — in the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Ela Ni Daya Radu’ in raga Atana, as well as in the opening song of Swati Tirunal. To be fair to the artist, neither piece was quite central to the 75-minute recital.
A short performance imposes a range of demands on artists; a sense of judgment is not the least of them. Tumkur Bhargav on the violin and Tirucherai Kaushik on the mridangam drew generous applause.
