It was at the CD release of her ‘Varnam’ that I met her last. What followed the function was her unique concert. Kalpagam Swaminathan’s pulls and gamakas were absolutely breathtaking and belied her age. She was conscious of the sruti alignment of all the seven strings. At the ripe age of 86 her mental agility and the dexterity of her fingers were unbelievable!
The Anandabhairavi raga she played that evening still rings in my ears. Her recordings, at least the few that are available, are the only source of solace for her admirers now.
Veteran veena vidwans share their thoughts about Kalpagam Swaminathan …
‘Veenai’ Gayathri : I shared a very personal relationship with her. It was gurukulavasam for my mother, who learnt from her for several years. In fact, she even conducted my parents’ wedding at her house. My mother was like a daughter and I, her grand daughter. It was at a music competition at Stella Maris College that I was called upon to play. She was present at the prize distribution. That ‘teacher’ (that’s how Gayathri refers to Kalpagam Swaminathan) let me play alongside her shows her large-heartedness, for I was hardly nine then. She wasn’t just a vidushi, she was a yogi and to her veena playing was like penance. The pranic force she thus generated kept her going. I firmly believe that she is now a celestial being.
R. Ramani : An outstanding player, her pulls were precise and her repertoire was incredible. She was a treasure house of rare kritis. And despite her accomplishments, she was level-headed. She would often call me up to discuss music … Even recently she invited me home and we exchanged a lot on the subject of veena playing. I learnt Abhayamaba Kritis from her. Not once in all my meetings, was she found wanting in interpreting a kriti or forgetting a line. Kritis were rather waiting to flow out of her veena. Her music will live forever …
Kalyani Ganesan : Our relationship dates back to 1965. Maami’s plucking (meetu) stood apart for its strength (gaathram).
The gamakams were perfect. I still remember the Begada varnam she taught me. Her methodology was different. She never chided students. In fact, she always had a kind word, particularly for those who lagged behind a little. Her large student following is going to miss her. Her approach to niraval, korvai and tanam was far removed from the usual.
Mudslinging and unwarranted comments were never part of her conversation. It was always music, rather the veena, which was her subject of discussion. Whatever part of the day it was, whenever I visited her place, I found her playing the veena. Nadha Yogi is the right term for her. Now that she’s no more, the void in the realm of music will always remain.
R.S. Jayalakshmi : Kalpagam Maami was a purist, very traditional. An authority on Dikshitar , a one-stop reference point for all the rare kritis of the Trinity and a champion in the Thanjavur style of playing! It is a personal loss, for I am an ardent fan of hers …
