Papanasam Sivan, better known as Tamil Tyagayya, was a prolific composer and musician. He has over 2,000 songs to his credit including 50 Sanskrit compositions and about 800 film songs. The spiritual quality of his songs has, no doubt, made a deep impression on rasikas and musicians alike. Sivan in his concerts included mostly kritis of Saint Tyagaraja and Gopalakrishna Bharathi.
His grandson Papanasam Ashok Ramani (son of Dr. Rukmini Ramani) chose to render Periyasami Thooran’s Kiravani piece, ‘Punniyam Oru Kodi’ (Aadi) on Kanchi Paramacharya after an extensive alapana, coming up with phrase after phrase. On the violin, Nagai Muralidharan responded with an imaginative delineation. Niraval and swaraprasthara were at ‘Annai Kamakshi Polae.’ Mannargudi A. Easwaran (mridangam) and S. Venkataramanan (ganjira) offered an enjoyable thani. Easwaran’s mridangam has a nadha that enriches any concert he is part of.
Extensive Mohanam
An elaborate raga alapana in Mohanam was followed by tanam and Nagai Muralidharan rose to the occasion.
Ashok Ramani’s control over laya was evident in the tisra nadai Pallavi in Khanda jathi Triputa Tala, ‘Garuda Gamana Samayamidhe.’ (Incidentally, he is an accomplished mridangam artiste too) He sang swaras in Ragamalika, which also included Sahana and Kapi.
Ashok Ramani commenced his evening concert with Patnam Subramanya Iyer’s Thodi varnam, ‘Era Napai.’ It was followed by Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Lambodaram Avalambe’ (Khambodi, Rupakam) with kalpanaswaras at ‘Surapoojitha.’ This was a favourite of MDR.
In Papanasam Sivan’s evergreen Varali composition, ‘Ka va va,’ swaraprasthara was at the unusual spot, ‘Pazhani Malai Uraiyum Muruga.’ He started the swaras in tisra nadai and later seamlessly switched to chatusram.
He also rendered Tyagaraja’s Nalinakanti kriti, ‘Manavyalakincha’ in Desadi tala with swaraprasthara at the Pallavi.
Ashok Ramani wound up his concert with Papanasam Sivan’s ‘Manamae Kanamum’ and ‘Karpagame.’
