Assembling the best contemporary voices of Carnatic music on a single platform is no easy task. The concept and the visualisation of the programme, ‘Tejas,’ should have definitely impressed ace musicians Aruna Sairam, Sudha Ragunathan, Sowmya, P. Unnikrishnan and Sikkil Gurucharan. Each is known for his/her individuality; and the idea to collaborate, bringing brilliance to the presentation, was definitely a challenge.
The programme was based on Audava ragas (those with five notes). The five swaras were compared to the five wicks of the traditional lamp. The artistes were given the freedom of manodharma to show how these ragas could bring out devotion, emotion, subtlety and their finer aspects in the form of bhakti, which is the mainstay of Carnatic.
Unnikrishnan and Gurucharan performed first. A mini concert by two melodious voices, the two singers perfectly complemented each other. The strains of Abhogi led to the varnam ‘Evvari Boda’ and proceeded to Koteeswara Iyer’s ‘Varana Mukhava’, in Hamsadhwani. The Ranjani kriti ‘Papa Mochana’ by Sadasiva Brahmendra showcased the duo’s interesting weaves. In the raga expressions of Ranjani, Gurucharan touched delicate segments, while Unnikrishnan added energetic akaras. They concluded their part with ‘Bhagyada Lakshmi’ (Purandaradasa) in Madhyamavati.
Aruna Sairam is always unique in her approach to performances and comes into her element only when she sings in abandon. She compared the five notes, which are also akin to the five elements of Nature. Aruna sang the ‘Anjile Ondru Petran’, verse on Anjaneya, from Kamba Ramayanam in Hamsanadam, followed by Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi’s ‘Kalyana Rama’ with a flamboyant swarakalpana. She wondered at the similarity of thoughts between Azhwar Pasuram’s ‘Pachai Mamalai’ and Tukaram’s abhang ‘Sawale Sundar Roop Manohar’ and seamlessly connected the two in the raga Hindolam.
The final segment was an imposing one: Sudha Ragunathan and Sowmya shared the stage. They brought out a wonderful tapestry of ragas starting with Amritavarshini and segued to Chandrakauns, Sunadavinodini, Suddha Dhanyasi, Suddha Saveri and Brindavani.
The ragamalika trails shared by both were exciting depictions of their musical intelligence and the ragas’ brilliant shades. Back to Amritavarshini, it was Dikshitar’s crisp ‘Ananadamruthakarshini’. Being seasoned artistes, Sudha and Sowmya set the swarakalpana on the tricky ‘Varshaya Varshaya’ line.
Freewheeling swaras were exchanged with amazing alacrity, and the ragas chosen carried variety and accuracy. The finale was developed with expertise. After a vibrant Lalgudi Jayaraman thillana in Revati, Sethu Madhava Rao’s ‘Shanti Nilava Vendum’ in Tilang, by all five artistes in unison, had a calming effect.
While the focus of many such multi-artiste programmes with offbeat themes either gets lost or slips into the idea of complexity, this concert stood out for its clear vision of tradition and was set to the regular accompaniments of flawless violin (Raghavendra Rao), mridangam (J. Vaidyanathan) and ghatam (S. Karthick).
The word ‘Tejas’ in Sanskrit carries a host of meanings, from the ‘tip of the flame’ to ‘splendour’, and ‘majestic aura’ to ‘brilliance’. This programme celebrated not just these qualities of Carnatic music, but also of the artistes who performed.
The fundraiser held at Sir Mutha Venkatasubba Rao Concert Hall was presented by Dheepam Lamp Oil, in collaboration with The Hindu , to support the fight against cancer.
