The oldest sabha of Bengaluru - 112 year old - Sri Rama Bhaktha Sabha is generally the first among the 35 to 40 Ramanavami banners, to flag the music concert series at Malleswaram. And like every year this year too, their nine-day celebrations begin on Ugadi. “Our policy has always remained the same when it comes to Ramanavami Fest offering free-for-all concerts during the last 112 years. We also bring in only regional musicians of Karnataka to encourage local talent and get the best of Kannada and Sanskrit scholars to participate in both concerts, discourse, and Bhajane,” says C.V. Venkatesh, the third generation member of the family that started the Sabha. He took over the reins after the demise of his father Vasudev Rao in 1992.
Amongst the programmes that arouses curiosity in the invitation, is a concert by Bhavageethe singer Kavitha Udupa, daughter of the renowned Sanskrit scholar, philosopher and author Bannanje Govindacharya. “I will be performing ‘Hadinaaku Haadugalu’ (14 songs) on March 19 (7 pm) also referred to as the 'Chaturdasha bhajans', which were originally composed as Sanskrit couplets by various prominent disciples of Acharya Madhwa in the 11th and 12th Century,” says Kavitha. These Sanskrit songs, stored in ancient manuscripts for centuries, were studied and meticulously picked up by Bannanje Govindacharya, who took the initiative to introduce the system of singing these Sanskrit couplets offered by saints in raga-based bhajans to save it for posterity, adds Kavitha.
One of Bannanje Acharya’s dreams was to bring in as many slokas (prayer couplets) as possible into the singing format and make them more accessible. “My father who has translated the greatest of Sanskrit works in Kannada, always thinks that thousands of serious Sanskrit couplets offering life’s best philosophy lessons should be made available in a musical format so that they are taken up on musical platforms too. This was the premise with which the “14 Songs” too were taken up.
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And how did Kavitha learn the scholastic verses and turn them into musicals? “When my father was forced to be at home due to his immobility after an accident, a few years ago, his work on the 14 Sanskrit slokas gained more momentum and he unearthed them from the manuscripts. He was amazed with the erudite material he had chosen and pined to share it with others. Apart from taking them up during discourses, he wanted people to sing them not in the classical format but in the informal Jaanapada form where the lyrics gain focus, although couched in melodic ragas. That was when he asked me to take up the singing of these verses,” says Kavitha.
But Kavitha, although trained in classical music and Bhavageethe, wanted somebody senior to take up the scoring of music. “That was when the renowned Gururaja Marpalli had come home and my father asked him to take up the verses for melody,” says Kavitha. According to her, since Marpalli is both a Bhavageethe and Yakshagana expert, the verses have gained extra musical verve with a touch of Yakshagana added to its musicality.
“I will share the platform with Krishnaraja Bhat for presenting the Sanskrit couplets. We have also brought out a CD of “Hadinaaku Haadugalu” for propagating them,” she says. The CD will be available at the concert too.
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Childhood in melody
Kavitha’s obsession with music started when she was achild. “If I remember my childhood, it was only my passion for music and literature that I was breathing with. My disinterest in studieswas because of my interest in arts,” says Kavitha who later went on to sing all the Ranga Geethesfor Chandrashekara Kambara’s theatrical version of ‘Siri Sampige’ again with musical score by Gururaja Marpalli. “It was then that Marpalli picked me up for Bhavageethe as my voice suits the genre,” she said.
Sabha beginnings
Rama Bhaktha Bhajana Sabha is also known for its bhajan sessions on Saturday that promote Dasa-Sahitya. Yesteryear veterans of Bengaluru such as vidwans Hanumad Vilasa Ramachar, Sosale Narayana Dasa, Bengaluru Krishna Bhagavatar and Gopinath Dasaru were part of initial sabhas.
(Rama Bhaktha Bhajana Sabha ‘s Ramanavami Fest , March 18 to 26, Srikanteshwara Bhavana, 5th Main Road, Malleswaram)