Sarada Cultural Trust held a three-day Carnatic concert festival at Mahalakshmi Mandir temple, West Marredpally, Secunderabad.
The festival opened with a concert by Kaivalya Kumar in the company of O. Rajasekhar on violin and Karra Srinivas on mridangam.
Kaivalyakumar is a popular young face in Carnatic concert circles and his concert generally carry reasonable appeal. He opened his concert with Kalyani Ata tala varnam Vanajakshi and gave traditional treatment to the number that warmed him up. The next number was of Kotiswara Iyer Yedayagati a rare number in Chalanata. He then went for Thyagaraja’s Enati Nomuphalamo in Bhairavi that he launched with ragalapana and added neraval to the kriti part. Akhilandeswari was a big number that of Dikshitar in Dwijavanthi. He presented it with ragalapana.
The main number of Kaivalya Kumar’s concert was Meenakshi Me Mudam Dehi in Poorvikalyani.
He treated with all the needed decorative manodhrma exercises that shaped well. After rendering another number Thyagaraja’s Epaniko in Asaveri, Kaivalya Kumar chose to present Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in raga chain of Mand, Kapi and Dharmavati. The pallavi line was Sridhara Madhava Deva Radhamadhava . He concluded the show with Govindam Bhaja .
Srividya Sreedharan
On the second day the Trust featured Srividya Sreedharan in the company of Peri Thyagaraju on violin and Srinivasa Gopalan on mridangam.
‘The first number she rendered was Sri Guruguha Murte in Udayaravichandrika of Muthuswami Dikshitar and followed it with Muripemu a rare composition of Thyagaraja in Mukhari. She opened the number with Ragalapana and sang the apt sahitya expression. This was followed by Etla Dorikitivo in Vasantha of Thaygaraja and Mamava Meenakshi in Varali of Muthuswami Dikshitar. She presented ragam and neraval. Shesang an Annamacharya kirtana and followed it with Samanamevaru in Kharaharapriya of Thyagaraja and treated it as her main number, before concluding her concert with Sundara Dhyana an Abhang,
Ramachandra in Surati, Sri Bhargavi in raga Mangagala Kaisiki and Visweswara in Sindhu Bhairavi of Swathi Thirunal gave finishing touch with some class.
Seshulatha
The third day of the fest belonged to Seshulatha a popular name as vocalist and teacher serving Telugu University. She was accompanied by B.S. Narayanan on violin and P. Jayabhasker on mridangam. She opened with Vasantha Varnam and did it in two speeds. She followed it with Sri Vighnarajam Bhaje in Gambira Nata of Oothukadu Venkatakavi.
Chudhamurarae of Thyagaraja in Arabhi figured later with raga and swarakalpana. Though brief, they were impressive presentations.
Bantureethi in Hamsanadam, also of Thyagaraja and Ade Chudare in Mohana of Annamayya figured. She gave brief picture of the raga. Shambho Mahadeva in Pantuvarali with ragalapana neraval and swarakalpana was made as her main.
Final numbers of her concert were Alamelumanga Abhinava in Bhairavi of Annamayya, Bhadrachala Ramadas kirtana Kodandarama in Anandabhairavi, tuned by Neduniri.
