The alapana of Kannada was proof of the talent of Kruthi Bhat. She brought the raga alive with graceful nuances before launching into Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Sri Mathrubhootham’ on the deity at Tiruchirappalli. Kruthi has a clear voice with a good reach in both the upper and lower octaves. The niraval and swaram suits were also commendable. The entire series of Charsur Foundation this year is dedicated to compositions on Kshetras between Mylai and Kanyakumari. Kruthi began the concert with the Ragamalika Varnam ‘Angayarkanni’ of Lalgudi Jayaraman followed by the Thodi raga kriti ‘Kotinatulu’ on Dhanushkoti. After a racy ‘Nambikkettavar evarayya’ in Hindolam on Lord Kapali of Mylapore, came the main item with an impressive exposition of Purvikalyani. The chosen song was ‘Meenakshimemudam’ with niraval of the Madyamakala lines ‘Meenalochani…’ The swarakalpana was intelligent and made attractive by change of nadais.
Kruthi was lucky to have the understanding support of senior artistes Vittal Ramamurthi on the violin, Patri Satishkumar on the mridangam and Guruprasad on the ghatam which enhanced the concert. While experience and expertise were revealed in their individual efforts, the instrumentalists did not overwhelm the young vocalist. The concert concluded with ‘Vidhichakratulaku’ of Tyagaraja in Yaman on Tiruvaiyaru Kshetra and Lalgudi’s Sindhubhairavi Thillana.
