Sweet notes from the reed

Vijayagopal’s flute recital revealed his mastery over the instrument. Music programmes, in memory of Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Periasami Thooran, were organised recently in Coimbatore.

Sweet notes: Vijayagopal. Photo: M. Periasamy

The mellifluous rendition by Vijayagopal on the flute, featured by Rajalakshmi Fine Arts, was pleasant. The perfection in the sweet notes revealed the flautist's mastery in handling the instrument.

The brisk opening, Navaragamalika varnam in Valaji in two speeds followed by ‘Mooladharamurthe' (Hamsadhwani) with swaras launched a vibrant mood.

His alapanas of Nalinakanti for the kriti, ‘Manavyala’, Malayamaarutham for the kriti, ‘Manasa Etulo’ and Varali for the kriti, ‘Kaa Vaa Vaa’ were demonstrative of his creativity in portraying the arresting lyrical beauty of the ragas.

The other items on the agenda included, ‘Nennarunchi’ (Malavi), ‘Dunmarga’ (Ranjani) and ‘Govardhanagiri’ (Darbari Kannada). Despite his propensity to indulge in elongated swaraprastaras, his presentation of the fare produced sukham to the aficionados.

Thyagarajan (violin) in his solo versions of the ragas and swara plays displayed striking imagination. Maali (mridangam) was upbeat in his thani.

Dikshitar Jayanti

Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar's Jayanthi was celebrated with devotional fervour at Aruna Kalyana Mantapam in Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore.

Legend has it that when Muthuswami Dikshitar was bathing in the holy Ganges as an eleven-year old boy at the instance of his Guru, two hands emerged from the sacred river and after presenting the divine instrument of a veena disappeared from the scene. The lad was only meditating on Goddess Saraswathi then.

The Yaali face of the Veena looks upward and underneath the instrument is inscribed the word RAM in Sanskrit.

A unique feature is that the divine instrument is tiny enough for him to handle it. The instrument, now in possession of a descendant of the Dikshitar lineage, was kept on a platform to enable visitors and vidwans to pay their homage.

Organised by K. Sivaramakrishnan, retired principal, Government Music College, Tamil Nadu, in association with Raghunath, Radhakrishanan (mridanga vidwans) and Sakthivel (nagaswara vidwan), the two-day jayanthi featured music recitals of a number of promising and budding talents of music and leading vocalists of the metropolis.

Thooran remembered

The Department of Music, Avinasilingam Deemed University, Coimbatore, celebrated Tamil Iyal Isai Vizha under the presidency of Sheela Ramachandran, Vice-Chancellor, at the College Auditorium when V.Vijayalakshmi, Assistant Prof. of Tamil, A.J.K.College, delivered an informative talk on the life and works of the late composer, Periasami Thooran.

V. Rajeswari and the students of the music and engineering faculties regaled the audience by singing the compositions of the late Thooran to the accompaniment of Rajendran (violin) and Ramachandran (mridangam).

Dr. Janakamaya Devi welcomed the gathering. Dr.Vasantha Bharadwaj proposed the vote of thanks.