B. Suchithra, granddaughter of Harikatha exponent Kamala Murthy, is well versed in Harikatha and music. Gifted with a mellifluous voice, she revealed her prowess and tactical nous in her impressive vocal recital in Palakkad. Sruthi sudha rendering, appealing stage presence, good rapport with the accompanists and her prudent choices made the concert memorable. Her expertise in Harikatha enabled her to showcase the inner content of the compositions she presented.
The concert gained strength right from the opening varnam ‘Ninnukori’ in Mohanam, pleasingly rendered in all the three kalas. Suchithra treaded the traditional path, in her magnificent alapana of Panthuvarali. The chaste sangathis and akaaras covered all the traits of the raga. The kriti ‘Appa Rama Bhakthi’, in which Tyagaraja speaks about the greatness of devotion to Rama, was interpreted superbly. The expansive niraval at ‘Kapivaaridhi daatuna,’ followed by vibrant swara combinations, was an aural feast.
The distinct features of Oothukkadu Venkata Subba Iyer’s kriti ‘Mudhu Krishna’ in Chenchurutti (rendered in madhyama sruti), as explained by the artiste, are the solkattus and jathis in different speeds, matching the steps of Lord Krishna, in the famous dance ‘Kaliya narthanam.’ Suchithra depicted these features beautifully in her exhilarating portrayal of the kriti. Her rendition of ‘Sivakaama Sundari’ (Mukhari, Papanasam Sivan), was reminiscent of the singing style of D.K. Pattammal.
Prefixed with an evocative sloka, Suchitra rendered ‘Mahalakshmi Jaganmaatha’ (Sankarabharanam, Sivan) with pleasing finesse, adorning it with a vivacious niraval and a wide variety of permutations in swaraprastharas. ‘Maaravairi Ramani’ (Naasikaabhushani, Tyagaraja), brimming with bhava, meanwhile, was a serene presentation.
Raga Keeravani has a unique flavour of its own. This was well projected in the vocalist’s captivating treatment. The intelligent improvisations in the tanam sequences, to the accompaniment of the mridangam and ghatam, were graceful.
So too were the telling rhymes in the pallavi ‘Jagannatha sahithae, naada sahithae, sahithae hithe, tha Namasthe,’ rendered splendidly in Khanda jathi triputa tala. The reproduction of the same in Hindolam, Poorvikalyani, Kaapi and Behag, succeeded by a plethora of swara patterns in Keeravani, showcased Suchithra’s creative manodharma.
Namadeva’s aesthetically moving abhang in Brindavani and a melodious thillana of Srimushnam Raja Rao in Sindhubhairavi were apt concluding items.
R. Swaminathan’s violin accompaniment provided an added sheen to the recital. He sparkled in his delectable raga versions and swara passages. Extending competent support, the percussion duo K.B. Ganesh (mridangam) and Vellatanjur Sreejith (ghatam) enhanced the impact of the concert. The tani after the RTP afforded them immense scope to exhibit their skill.
The concert was organised by Palghat Fine Arts Society.
