A veena recital by Pushpa Kashinath, accompanied by B.R.Srinivas (mridanga) and S.N.Narayana Murthy (ghata), was hosted recently by Sri Thyagaraja Gana Sabha Trust, Bangalore, in association with the Directorate of Kannada and Culture.
The concert, which began with a two speed rendition of ‘Sami Ninne Kori’, the adi thala varna in Sri Raga, progressed to a delectable sketch of Kamboji and ‘Lambodaram’, the Mysore Vasudevacharya krithi in rupaka thala, ornamented with a crisp neraval and kalpana swaras. Abhogi was taken up next for a mellifluous elaboration, which touched the nether regions of the scale with clarity, emphasized the gamaka-oriented gandhara and dhaivatha and imparted colour with the occasional use of plain notes. ‘Neekepudu Daya’, a rarely heard krithi of Mysore Sadashiva Rao set to adi thala followed.
The ensuing alapana of Purvikalyani was suffused with raga bhava and encompassed a number of complex and richly-worked sancharas around crucial notes such as the panchama, dhaivatha and thara shadja. The fast brighas appended to the thara sthayi gandhara and in the concluding phase of the exercise were both lucid and precise, testifying to superb control over the instrument and impressive improvisational skills. Ponnaiah Pillai’s ‘Saatileni’ in mishra chapu thala, a fine choice, was suffixed with a modicum of kalpana swaras.
The evocative beauty of Kalyanavasantham, in direct contrast to the majesty of the previous Purvikalyani, was encapsulated in a succinct elaboration replete with fine touches, and succeeded by the Deekshithar composition ‘Sri Venkatesham’. The Thodi alapana that followed began with an unusual flourish, before settling down to a traditional gamaka-oriented articulation of its essence, though the grandeur of the raga and the krithi chosen warranted a more leisurely treatment. Thyagaraja’s ‘Kaddanuvaariki’ in adi thala was supplemented with a fairly elaborate neraval, and kalpana swaras in two speeds that concluded with a spate of diminishing thala cycles around the thara sthayi shadja, rounded off with an absorbing thani avarthana.
The main item of the evening was a Raga Thana Pallavi in Dharmavathi. The raga essay began with mellow sancharas in the mandra sthayi that descended right down to the shadja, and proceeded upwards with judicious juxtapositions of intricate phrases with soft, smooth ones, employment of symmetrical expressions and consonant notes, and occasional omission of the panchama and shadja. The thana, sonorous in the lower register, exploited the musical possibilities of the instrument to create polyphonic and harmonic effects, a coalescence of virtuosity and aesthetics. The pallavi, set to khanda jathi ata thala in the tisra gathi, had an atheetha graha, was expanded adequately and adorned with kalpana swaras in two speeds. The concluding ragamalika swaras were in Revathi, Kaanada, Amrithavarshini and Sri Raga, the last of which carried distinct echoes of the Pancharatna krithi. Outstanding percussion support in tune with the intent of the lead artiste was one of the highlights of the concert.
