Carnatic vocalist R. Kashyap Mahesh presented a musical tribute to Mahakavi Bharathiar at a special event, ‘Paa Rathathil Bharathi,’ hosted by the Tiruchi Kendra of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in association with Infosys Foundation, Bengaluru, as part of the centenary celebration of the poet, in Srirangam on Sunday.
The concert exclusively comprised Bharathiar's compositions, reflecting his multi-faceted personality. Kashyap Mahesh commenced the concert with 'Ganapathi Thaalai' which was followed by 'Muruga Muruga.' Next came 'Nalla Kaalam Varugudhu,' a song set to tune by the poet's great grandson Rajkumar Bharathi. A couple of patriotic songs 'Vande Mataram Enbom' and 'Viduthalai Viduthalai' followed.
After a rendition of ‘Jayam Undu Bayam Illai,’ the vocalist took up the main song of the evening, ‘Ujjayani Nithyakalyani.’ The second half of the concert included ‘Bharatha Samudayam’ with the prelude ‘Vaazhga Nee Emman,’ a poem on Mahatma Gandhi, a sequence from Bharathi’s opera ‘Panchali Sabhatham,’, the famous ‘Chinnanchiru Kiliyae Kannamma,’ the philosophical ‘Etthanai Kodi Inbam,’ ‘Aaduvome Pallu Paaduvome,’ ‘Thaka Thaka Thaka’ and ‘Nenjukku Neethiyum.’ The concert concluded with the full version of ‘Vaazhiya Senthamizh.’
Srirangam J. Anand, Uttamarkovil S. Hariprasath, and Srirangam S. Hari Kishore supported Kashyap Mahesh on violin, mridangam and kanjira, respectively.
