Annamacharya kirtanas are sahitya dominated that too written using the idiom that existed some six hundred years ago. It becomes necessary for the artiste to render them while projecting the right Sahitya bhava and then to explain some of the words if he or she understood them. Jyothirmayi Chowdary pulled it off with flair like a brand ambassador of Annamayya at her concert held in Ravindra Bharati last week.
Jyotirmayi kept the image of a refined vocalist by rendering compositions as they should be. Quite a few of the numbers she sung were rare and some fresh. She opened with an invocationof the Lord Meluko Sringara Raya in Malayamarutham and then took up Veedevo Vijaya Raghavudu in Brindavani that describes Srirama. Challare Sarasapu Jaajara in Mohana as part of Sringara Kirtanas. Garudagamana Garudadhwaja in Revati was description of Mahavishnu. Rendering Rookalai Madalai Ruvvalai Tirigenu in Vakulabharanam saying Annamayya as a great economist and displayed social outlook, she said everything was not science of music but of soul too. Rural life was reflected in another song of Annamacharya Mootal, Maatal, Mural, Baral that figure in the kirtana Cinnika Teve Selavunika was a funny alliteration Annamayya wrote.
Jyotirmayi opened her show with chanting of Venkatanadha and ended with a jog number in Bhajan mode and another in Mohana. Charged with emotion Jyotirmayi stood up and danced to these bhajans. She also rendered Kodalalo Nelakonna in Hindolam on audience request. V.Reddi Raja on keyboard, Devasarma on tabla, Paramesa on Dolak and Suresh lent support to the Jyotirmayi. She gave gist of each kirtana. She was stressing on farming and the tiller community now and then.
This review has been corrected for a factual error
