Promising up-and-coming musician Kuldeep M. Pai mesmerised the audience at Vithunni Saneeswara Temple, Palakkad, recently. The vocalist charmed rasikas with his voice that is pleasant and pliable.
A disciple of gurus O.S. Thyagarajan, P.S. Narayanaswami and Mannargudi Easwaran, Kuldeep is an ‘Ashtavathani'; he can play the violin, mridangam, ghatam, ganjira, harmonium, tabla and melodica.
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Kuldeep was ably supported by Kodunthirappully Subbaraman (violin) and Palakkad Mahesh Kumar (mridangam).
‘Vakrathunad Mahakaya,' a Ganapathi vandana, and a melting Hindola ragavisthara with enticing melodic phrases were followed by a Dikshitar kriti – ‘Saraswathi Vidhiyuvathi' – that had spirited manodharma swara prasthara. Tyagaraja's tranquil ‘Ksheera Sagara Sayana' in Devagandhari came next.
Kuldeep's renditions of Tyagaraja's ‘Atamodi Galade' in Charukesi and Mysore Vasudevachar's ‘Broche varevarura' were impressive.
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‘Saranamayyappa' (Mukhari) and ‘Kalayanarama'(Hamsadanadam) led to ‘Mayamma,' Syama Sastri's stellar composition in Ahiri. The meaning behind Tyagaraja's ‘Sreekantha neeyeta' was brought out beautifully by Kuldeep.
Lyrical improvisation and varied swara passages paved the way to a Tani marked by crisp korvais. The concluding section had songs such as ‘Krishna nee beegena baro,' ‘Madu meikkum kanne,' and a Thillana in Kunthalavarali.