Making empty earthern pots talk and hold the audience in thrall appears commonplace for ghatam maestro Saraswatula Hanumantha Rao.
Mr. Hanumantha Rao set up eight ghatams, each with a signature tone corresponding to a specific scale of shruti, and played Vatapi Ganapathim Bhaje on them to the accompaniment by Guntuku Venkata Rao on mridangam and Hanumanthu Ramacharan on the violin. Performing at the open air stage of the Rajiv Smruthi Bhavan on the Beach Road on Sunday at the 36th edition of Indian Classical Music concert organised by the Tarakeswara Foundation, the percussionist from Tadepalligudem had the audience in thrall.
The audience was caught in the web of music woven by the maestro who made each ghatam speak clearly.
The way each came alive drew in the morning walkers to watching the maestro’s fingers fly over the ghatams. There was a good gathering of rasikas to enjoy the unique carnatic ghata tarangini — where he played on 11 ghatams.
The maestro had been practising 5-6 hours everyday for the last couple of months for this particular programme, his first such concert in the city. A B-High Grade artist of All India Radio in both ghatam and mridangam, Mr. Rao received his training in both instruments from ‘Mridanga Bhanudu,’ Mahadevu Lakshmi Narayana Raju.
Founder president of the Visakha Music and Dance Academy C.S.N. Raju, secretary of the Visakha Music Academy M.S. Srinivas, director of the Andhra Music Academy G. Prabhakar and a number of other executive members of these music sabhas attended the concert.
Next week programme
In a tribute to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, a Carnatic saxophone recital by Manmadha Rao of Srikakulam is being organised by Tarakeshwara Foundation on the evening of May 21. To mark the 24th death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi, a capsule photo exhibition on his life will also be inaugurated at 11 a.m. on that day, founder trustee of Tarakeswara Foundation Sehdev Singh said.
The following Sunday will feature a violin solo by Hemadri Chenderkanth from Vijayawada. He will be accompanied by M. Kamesh on the mridangam and Duddupudi Naresh Kant Raj on the ghatam.
All are welcome.
