All roads in Palakkad led to Kalpathy as ardent music lovers thronged the streets to attend a six-day music fiesta. Each day of the fete was dedicated to a composer: Purandaradasa, Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, Annamacharya, Tygaraja and Swathi Thirunal.
Rithvik Raja set a good pace with Tyagaraja’s Seethapathi in Kamas and Shyama Sastri’s Himachala tanaya in Anandabhairavi. He rendered Ille Vaikunta, a rare kriti of Purandaradasa, in Varaali. The singer’s rendition of Thodi, both the alapana and the kriti Karthikeya Gangeya of Papanasam Sivan, seemed perfunctory. But it was well compensated by a pleasing niraval and swaras. R.K. Shriramkumar’s violin accompaniment was a plus. So was percussion support by Srimushnam Raja Rao on the mridangam and S.V. Ramani on the ghatam.
Shertally Ranganatha Sharma
Endowed with a sonorous voice, Cherthala K.N. Ranganatha Sharma rendered some appealing kritis of Dikshitar on the second day. Mathangi Sri Raja Rajeswari was fortified with an exquisite niraval and swara korvais. The potential of Sankarabharanam was explored with sangathis and akaaras. His interpretation of Sri Dakshinamurthe, embellished with niraval and swaraprastharas, exhibited his manodharma. Idu thano thillaithalam in Behag, Bhaja Bhaja manasa in Tilang and so on, were filled with devotion.
Embar Kannan demonstrated his skill as a violinist while Mannargudi Easwaran’s maturity was noticed in his mridangam support. Udupi Srikanth on the ganjira made his presence felt with his deft beats.
O.S. Thyagarajan regaled the listeners with his powerful presentations. Birana Brova in Kalyani and Tarunameedamma in Gowlibantu, appended with swaras, created an excellent tempo. His scholarship was evident in the alapana of Reethigowla; the take off and landing were awesome. Ninnuvina marigaladha , punctuated with swaras, enhanced the raga bhava. Tyagaraja’s Bantureethi Kolu in Hamsanadam, ornamented with niraval and speedy swaras, was an ideal prelude before Mohanam.
His portrayal of Tyagaraja’s Nannupaalimpa , was coupled with niraval and swaraprastharas. Mullaivasal Chandramouli on the violin, Kottayam Santhosh Kumar on the mridangam and P.L. Sudheer on the ghatam were the accompanists.
Sudha Raghunathan
Sudha Raghunathan whetted the appetite of the vast gathering with her music. After a bhava-filled Sriman Narayana in Bouli, she took up Hindolam. Studded with brigas and akaaras, the alapana bespoke of her creativity. The moving Annamacharya Deva Devam Bhaje, with sparkling swara korvais, bore the stamp of authenticity. Her presentation of Chaturdasa ragamalika of Dikshitar in 14 ragas was exemplary, with the distinct trait of each raga emerging vividly.
Her elucidation of Kharaharapriya and the rendition of Chakkani Raja did not meet expectations. However, she came good with enchanting niraval and swaraprastharas.
Pakala Ramadas on the violin, Neyveli Skanda Subramanyam on the mridangam and R. Raman on the morsing provided impressive support.
Ramakrishnan Murthy
Ramakrishnan Murthy chose to render only Tyagaraja kritis. He kept a metronomic tempo by presenting the kritis in quick succession. His eclectic mix included Entharo , the pancharatna kriti in Sriragam, Maapala in Asaveri, Aeti Janmamu in Varali, Kaalaharana – prefixed with a splendid sketch of Sudha Javeri and suffixed with grandiose swara kalpanas – Manavyala Kim in Nalinakanthi, Anupama Gunambudhi in Atana and so on.
He embarked on an elaboration of Kalyani, which was interspersed with classical sangathis and akaaras. His portrayal of Aetavunara , appended with niraval and swaras, earned plaudits. Nagai Sri Ram showcased brilliant raga and swara passages on the violin, while Thiruvarur Bhaktavatsalam’s dexterous beats on the mridangam enhanced the recital. Guru Prasanna was on the ganjira.
A violin duet by Mysore Nagaraj and Mysore Manjunath was a fitting finale to the festival. They were at their best from the opening Jaya Jaya Padmanabha in Manirangu that was adorned with swaras. Their command over the violin was obvious in their treatment of Simhendra madhyamam . Manjunath’s sancharas in the manthra string, smooth climb to the higher octaves and the variety of sangathis produced by the duo, offered aural pleasure. The scholarly exposition of Kambhoji, followed by Dikshitar’s Maragathavallim was enriched with well-woven swara combinations. Annamayya’s emotional Naanati brotuku in Revathi oozed melody. Anantha R. Krishna on the mridangam and S. Karthick on the ghatam produced a cluster of peppy strokes.
Vivek Moozhikkulam, M. Muthukrishna and Mahathi showcased their vocal prowess before the main concert.
While students of Chembai Memorial Government Music College, rendered krithis of Annamacharya, students of the music department of Government College, Chittur, presented compositions of Tygaraja.
The festival, conducted by the District Tourism Promotion Council, Palakkad, was held as a prelude to the Kalpathy Rathotsavam (chariot festival).
