Ghatam exponent T.H. Vikku Vinayakram enthralled a small audience of music lovers in the city on Saturday, not just with his expertise, but also with his sense of devotion to his guru, Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swamigal, (reverently referred to by his disciples as Mahaperiyava) with a concert that was a vigorous blend of the best of folk and classical traditions.
Held as part of the 8th anniversary of the Tiruchi Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (BVB), Mr. Vinayakaram’s evening concert was billed as ‘Guru Samarpanam to Mahaperiyava.’ The senior artiste, who started his career at the age of 13, was accompanied by V. Umashankar on the ghatam, A. Ganesan on the morsing, V. Rajasekhar on the mridangam, N. Rajaram on the Gethu Vadhyam, G. Ganapathy on the kanjira and R. Anurag on talam.
Born in Tiruchi in 1942, Mr. Vinayakram recalled his pleasure at returning to his hometown after a long break.
“I have to thank the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for giving me this opportunity to come back to a place that is very close to my heart,” said the 77-year-old musician, who said the concert would be an ideal platform to express in musical form, his guru’s sacred verses (shlokas).
Starting with ‘Shiva Thandavam,’ the event took listeners on an episodic journey through the different musical interpretations of divinity. A life-long devotee of Mahaperiyava, Mr. Vinayakram humbly attributed his considerable achievements to his guru’s beneficence.
In an earlier interaction with The Hindu , Mr. Vinayakram said that it was important to engage the audience in the rich heritage of classical music. “Most instrumental performances are held at the end of the vocal recital for a brief while, during which listeners tend to drift away from the concert. I have tried to explain the meaning of these beautiful devotional verses through my music so that young people can understand their religious significance,” he said.
The evening’s chief guests were M. Balasubramoniam, Director, South Zone Cultural Centre, and Nalli Kuppusami Chetti, partner, Nalli Chinnasami Chetti and vice-president, BVB, Chennai. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Balasubramaniom said, “It is our prime duty to promote the vanishing folk arts of our State. Concerts such as these will help us to promote and preserve our cultural heritage for the upcoming generations.”
BVB’s Tiruchi Kendra president S. Chandrakumar and secretary T.V. Murali, and BVB’s Bengaluru’s Director H.N. Suresh also spoke.
