A Carnatic vocal recital of sisters Deepa and Divya at Palghat Fine Arts Society, Tharekkad, had a mix of both positive and negative aspects. Their dainty voice modulations, a good sense of aesthetics and elegance in presentation were the plus points. A hurried approach, lack of coordination and Divya’s shaky voice and slippages in sruthi were the negative features.
However, the concert gained strength thanks to the significant contributions of the accompanists, particularly violinist V. V. Srinivasa Rao, whose raga essays and swara sequences were par excellence.
Preceded by an evocative sloka on Lord Dakshinamoorthy, the sisters, based in the United States, began with the Saveri raga varnam ‘Sarasuta Ninne’, a composition of Kothavasal Venkatarama Iyer. While Muthuswamy Dikshitar’s ‘Vathapi Ganapathim’ in Hamsadhwani bordered on perfunctoriness except for sprightly swara korvais, the rendition of ‘Marivere gathi’, a Syama Sastri kriti in Ananda Bhairavi, was marked by deep bhava. Their hasty approach was seen in the portrayal of the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Ninne nera namminanura’ in Pantuvarali, where the niraval and swaraprastharas were too brief.
The elaboration of Sahana by Divya, embellished with subtle modulations and sangatis, was a laudable effort. The kriti was Tyagaraja’s short piece ‘Aemaanathichevo’. After a breezy ‘Aanandamritakarshini’ in Amritavarshini raga, composed by Dikshitar, the duo proceeded to the main raga Kharaharapriya. Although Deepa’s alapana did cover a few traits of the raga, it fell short of the connoisseur’s expectations, as this melody has enormous potential for elaborate treatment. But the duo did justice to the famous Tyagaraja kriti ‘Pakkala Nilapati’, rendering a pleasing niraval and swaraprastharas. Followed by the Tamil kriti ‘Kandavarku Kanavilum’ in Kuntalavarali, the duo took up Keeravani for RTP. Both scored high in the exposition of the raga and thanam, capturing its quintessential niceties. The simple pallavi ‘Vani Kalaivani Keeravani Sakala Kalaikal Vazhangum’ in Kandajathi triputa tala was presented competently. The captivating ragamalika swaras in Kedaram, Reethigowla, Bhupalam, Arabhi and Varali, sung alternately by both, won the appreciation of the audience.
A not-so-popular thillana of T. K. Govinda Rao in Gambhiravani was the concluding item of the concert. Percussionists Mannarkoil Balaji on the mridangam and H. Sivaramakrishnan on the ghatam extended excellent support, with their lively display. Their interesting tani in Misra chapu tala was crisp.
The talented sisters are bound to correct their shortcomings and gain confidence, with more experience and exposure.
