As part of the Gokulashtami-Navaratri festival 2015 and the silver jubilee celebrations of Manoranjitham, a cultural wing of Sree Ayyappan Puja Sangham, Ram Nagar, Coimbatore, a series of music sessions by eminent artists was featured recently.
With judicious choice, seasoned artist Vijay Siva offered a high level musical fare during the Navaratri music festival. ‘Ninnujuchi’ in Sowrashtram set the tone of the kutcheri. The Kalyani alapana for ‘Parimala Rangarajam’ exuded the raga bhava in a definitive style. The Kamakshi swarajati was handled with elegance sans any trace of flamboyance. He handled the portrayal of Khambodi for the kriti, ‘Kaana Kann Kodi Vendum’ with a judicial niraval and swara precision. After a soulful version of a Purandaradasa song the passionate RTP ‘Ananda Natesa’ in Natabhairavi was rendered with an adjunct of swaras leading to a rhythmic thani. ‘Thillaithalam Endru Solla’ in Bahudari was a delectable delivery imparting glory to the raga. Charumathi’s raga essays and swaras on the violin were on a par with the vocalist. She displayed every facet of the raga with compelling beauty. Her solo plays showed her penchant for bhava. Manoj Siva (mridangam) and Chandrasekhara Sarma (ghatam) on the wings wove a neat pattern of rhythmic structure.
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herself to the listeners with her wholesome package of musical wares. Flagging
off with the Thodi varnam ‘Eranaapai’ in two speeds and
‘Vathapi Ganapatim’ with swaras, her alapana of Chalanattai for the kriti ‘Edhaiya
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Gathi’ was an infusion of distilled quietude. Her mapping the contours of
Sankarabharanam for the kriti ‘Swararagasudha’ had a touch of elegance with
exemplary application of gana-naya in tapering the raga phrases. The
Purvikalyani kriti ‘Ananda Natamaduvar’
was handled with dexterity and scholarly
sophistication. The tail-enders were soulful renditions. Ganesh Prasad on the violin faithfully followed the vocalist in the sketching of ragas and
swara repartees. Sairam on the ghatam sounded too loud all the time. Krishnakumar’s soft but stern touches on the ghatam lent the right touch.
The gamaka-oriented mandolin recital of Aravind Bhargav to the accompaniment
of Shreya Devanth (violin), Harinarayanan (mridangam) and Sunil Kumar (ganjira) blended seamlessly with melodic harmony from the beginning. The disciple of mandolin
U. Srinivas, he has carved a niche for himself with absolute
control over the string instrument. The winsome play of ‘Viribhoni’ varnam in two kalams and a crisp alapana of Bahudari for the kriti ‘Bhajamanasa’ his Thodi
version was fervent for the composition ‘Chesinadalli.’ ‘Raghuvamsasudha’ and
‘Akhilandeswari’ (Dwijavanti) were evocative. The RTP in Hamsanandi, the pallavi
being ‘Sangeethame Sadguru’ was interpreted
with swaras zealously. Shreya’s violin was laudably sensitive but very harsh in
some parts lacking her usual dulcet strains and honeyed phrases in the solo
segments. The laya team offered able support to the main artist.
Sikkil Gurucharan ’s soothing saareeram couched in rich bhava
came to the fore after the Saveri Varnam, in two speeds. The portrayal of Lathangi for ‘Pirava Varam’ and of Madhyamavati for ‘Palinchu Kamakshi’ with an admixture of elegant sancharas struck a contemplative mood. His line-up included ‘Nathajanapalini’ (Nalinakanti), ‘Kamalambikaya’ (Punnagavarali) and ‘Maa Ramanan’ (Hindolam). Madhav (violin) proved his mettle in responding to the alapanas with telling phrases and the swara segments. Ravi (mridangam) and Rajaganesh (ganjira) enhanced the dignity of the kutcheri on the percussion side.
Sandeep Narayan ’s kutcheri commenced with Ata taala Varnam in Mohanam
followed by ‘Enthara’ in Harikhambodi with lively niraval.
The Karnataka Kapi alapana for the kriti ‘Sumasayaka’ rendered in an
unhurried pace was heart-warming. Gurucharan’s Varali portrayal for ‘Yeti Janma’ with expressive voice made the raga come alive. Karnaranjani elaboration with his
insightful phrases for the RTP ‘Vanchithapaladayaki’ with
Saveri and Kannada raga sancharas gave the listeners aesthetic moments to experience the finesse in delivery. Thanjavur Sankara Iyer’s ‘Balasubramanian
Paadame’ in Vishnupriya had a majestic gait with flashes of good sangatis. Vinu (violin) excelled in raga essays and swara exchanges with the vocalist. Mohankumar (mridangam) and Guruprasad (ghatam) contributed to the vibrancy with an enjoyable thani.
The concerts of up-and-coming artists Srividhya Sridharkumar and Bhavya Hari that were featured on the last day of the Navaratri festival had all the ingredients of an accomplished singer. After a dignified exposition of ‘Sree Guruna Palito’ in Padi raga, Srividhya ’s alapana, niraval and swarakalpana were proportionate in ‘Enatinomu.’ Her confidence in raga exposition and interpretation of kritis were evident in ‘Hiranmayim’ (Lalitha) and ‘Ramachandra Nee Daya.’
Bhavya Hari ’s sweet and captivating saareeram beginning from the Saveri Varnam coursing through ‘Maamava Karuna’ (Shanmukhapriya), ‘Jambupathe Maampahi’ (Yamunakalyani) and ‘Enthara’ (Harikhambodi) was rich in raga bhava.
Her voice rose high in the upper reaches with a telling effect without any trace of
discord. The common accompaniments for both the sessions were Sujatha (violin), who impressed with her clear bowing and perfect notes at all speeds and Sri Ram (mridangam), who provided good laya support in both the sessions.