The basic framework of Aruna Sairam’s kutcheris is so substantial that she may have run the risk of letting her music sound too heavy, if she hadn’t developed certain effective methods of levitation which lift the listener’s spirit and invariably gives him a wonderful vision of mystic beauty.
One might be tempted to think that it is the extremely colourful manner of her presenting a string of attractive songs in the concluding section of her recitals which accounts for this amazing phenomenon. Such an impression is true to some extent, but that’s not the whole truth. The majestic progression of her music in the initial and middle stages of the concert is a major factor which conditions the listener’s soul to get stirred properly by those lively songs which, in turn, is due to the fact that Aruna infuses her music from beginning to end with a powerful and transparent spirit of devotion.
The climax of Aruna Sairam’s recital was ‘Chinnan-chiru Kiliye Kannamma.’ This extremely popular composition of Bharatiar has been heard in our concert halls on countless occasions, but I’ve never heard it rendered in a more heart-warming manner. It was preceded by a traditional Kantimati Temple verse, ‘Vaaraadirundaal,’ with a similar theme; and according to Aruna, the legendary dancer Balaswaraswati’s depiction of the sentiment was the source of her inspiration.
Earlier, she had projected other wonderful images of the Goddess in several kritis -- especially Shyama Sastri’s ‘Paalinchu Kaamaakshi’ in Madhyamavati (which was the main number of the concert), and Ramamurthi Rao’s ‘Sringeri Shaarada’ -- and brief slokams/verses rendered as preludes (‘Jaya Jaya Kaamaakshi’ and ‘Sweta Padmaasana’).
And before them came lovely versions of Ambujam Krishna’s ‘Kandadum Kanavo’ in Thodi, and Bhadrachala Ramadas’s ‘Ennagaanu’ in Pantuvarali. One might as well mention here that the concert began with an earnest Tiruppaavai verse!
Aruna was accompanied sensitively (as usual) by H.N. Bhaskar on the violin, J. Vaidyanathan on the mridangam and S.V. Ramani on the ghatam.
