Padma Sugavanam gave a delectable vocal recital under the aegis of the Delhi Tamil Sangam (DTS) last weekend. In her concert of about two hours, Padma delighted the music lovers by predominantly presenting Tamil compositions and intertwining her creative talent. Her musical depth came to the fore even during the initial stages of her recital and she continued to offer a rewarding experience.
Padma began her concert with an invocation song to Lord Ganesha, which was Papanasam Sivan’s “Karunai Seivai” in the raga Hamsadhwani. The kalpanaswarsa that she sang towards the end was indicative of her range . She followed this with Anai Ayya’s “Paruvam Parkka Nyayama” in the raga Dhanyasi, a song which is not heard frequently in concerts. She rendered it in an emotive manner.
Padma then embarked to take a song for a detailed rendition. The choice of Neelakantan Siva’s “Oraru Mugamum” in the raga Reethigowla was a well thought out one. Earlier, she presented a fine alapana of this raga and brought out its features in a delightful manner. Her main item was M.M. Dandapani Desikar’s “Ellamsei Vallavan” in the raga Keeravani, again a composition not heard frequently in concerts. Here, the detailed alapana in which she delightfully brought out the nuances of the raga, neraval of a phrase and subsequent kalpanaswaras flowing with rich creativity, were noteworthy features. Her concluding session had a longish ragamallika song with beautifully intertwined chittaswaras.
V.S.K. Chakrapani on the violin and Shankar Raman on the mridangam provided support in this concert. The unnecessary high level amplification in the auditorium, however, was a constant source of irritation to the ears.
Padma commenced her training in music from Geetha Ramachandran and subsequently was under the tutelage of renowned Guru Seetha Rajan.
Instrumental concert
At a time when instrumental concerts are a rarity, DTS organised a violin solo recital of the Delhi-based Raghavendra Prasath. The youngster did showcase his musical talent in his recital of close to two hours. He started his concert with the Todi raga Adi taal varnam in two speeds. The invocation song to Lord Ganesha was Jayachamaraja Wodeyar’s “Sree Mahaganapatim Bhajeham” in the raga Atana, which gave further liveliness to his recital. After playing Tyagaraja’s “Nada Sudha Rasambilanu” (Arabhi raga) and Papanasam Sivan’s “Karpaga Manohara” (raga Malayamarudham) in a delightful manner, he took up another Sivan’s composition “Unnai allal” in the raga Kalyani for detailed rendition. Raghavendra gave a good account of his skill while presenting the raga alapana, neraval of the phrase “Niye Minakshi Kamakshi Nilayatkshi” and the subsequent kalpanaswaras. Arunachal kavi’s “Yaro Ivar Yaro” in the raga Bhairavi was the other song that the youngster took up for detailed presentation. In the concluding session, Raghavendra included the Purandaradasa’s famous song “Jagadodharana”.
Raghavendra Prasath
Raghavendra, a disciple of violin Guru VSK Chakrapani, was ably assisted by Kumbakonam N. Padmanabhan on the mridangam and Vignesh on the kanjira.
