Clad in saris in contrasting pastel hues, Sriranjani Santhanagopalan and Sudha Ragunathan sing Subramania Bharati’s ‘Thedi unnai saranadainden’ in Sindhubhairavi, setting the tone for the 2022 ‘A Musical Navarathri’. It may not be a Devi kriti, but it signifies the festive spirit.
Sriranjani, who always felt that the digital space should be effectively used for classical music, launched an annual online series ‘A Musical Navarathri’, in 2019. A collaborative project, she began this virtual journey with friend and vocalist Ashwath Narayanan.
“It was all very extempore, recording songs with artistes in the morning and posting them in the evening with no real production value as such,” she says recalling the making of the earlier episodes. The second year, she collaborated with senior vocalist S. Sowmya, who presented the grand finale. The videos, says Sriranjani, received great response and millions of views.
“This pushed me to keep it going even during the pandemic.” Since its inception, Sriranjani has collaborated with many musicians including Bharat Sundar, Vishnudev Namboothiri and Vasudha Ravi, while also featuring the students of her music school, Tapasya. This year, in the fourth edition, she plans to offer something exciting.
“I am bringing together Sangita Kalanidhi designates to present a composition written by a woman composer.” Sriranjani is also collaborating with singer Ravi G, of ‘Naan Pizhai’ fame, on a Purandaradasar kriti.
“Every year I have been trying to add something new to the concept. For instance, this year my friend and violinist Sayee Rakshith has put together an acapella-influenced arrangement of the piece ‘Anandamrutakarshini’. I also interview these artistes, imbibing a few crucial life lessons that each has to offer.” says Sriranjani.
Watch ‘A Musical Navarathri’ on Sriranjani ’s Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram pages.
The writer is a freelance journalist.
