The sixth Coimbatore edition of Carnatica in association with Sri Krishna Sweets dedicated to Global Peace, National Integration and for the martyrs from the Indian Army began with young Sooryagayathri’s bhajan sankeerthan, filling the ambience with a divine aura. The young artist mesmerised the listeners with her clear diction well-aligned to sruti. The concerts were held at the Sarojini Nataraj Auditorium of Kikani Higher Secondary School in Coimbatore.
The Utsav was inaugurated by Swami Sadathmanandha, Chief Acharya of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, who spoke of the value of music in seeking one’s identity with the divine. The acharya’s ‘anugraha bhashanam’ was followed by the power-packed recital of Sanjay Subramanian. Flagging off his recital with ‘Chelimikoru’ (Gowlai) he moved on to present Tygaraja’s ‘Sri Ramya Chittalankara Swarupa’ was demonstrative of his passion for raga bhava. His raga vinyasam of Bilahari for the kriti ‘Sri Chamundeswari Paalayamaam’ and Malayamarutham for ‘Chandira Oliyil Avalai Kanden’ were a testimony to his musical creativity and proficiency. Dikshitar’s ‘Chetasri Balakrishnam’ in Dwijavanti was a soulful version.
Sanjay’s Varali exposition for the RTP ‘Ambigai Jagadambiga’ gave ample scope to display an array of sangatis and kalpanaswara sallies. The raga sancharas in Nalinakanti, Sahana, etc., spoke of his manodharma and vidwat. Varadarajan’s violin accompaniment was substantial in his spontaneous responses to the vocalist as well as in his solo versions. Venkatesh (mridangam) and Rajaganesh (ganjira) gave adequate support.
With their musical sensibilities tuned to the same wavelength and an eloquent vocabulary representing intense saadhakam, the vocal concert of Ranjani and Gayathri was a combination of substance and style. Their opening ‘Aanaimugathone’ (Devamanohari) imparted delicacy in the articulation of sahithya and depth in bringing out the structure of the kriti. Gayathri’s alapana of Kalyanavasantham for the kriti ‘Naadaloludai’ and Ranjani’s mapping the contours of Kalyani for the kriti, ‘Bhajare Re Chitha,’ with no sign of exhibitionist brigas, revealed their depth of involvement.
The niraval explored novel aesthetic dimensions while the swaras were an example of meticulous planning and effortless execution. ‘Edayyagathi’ (Chalanattai) was a delightful version by the duo. ‘Eppadi Paadinaro’ was marked by a flow of vocal felicity. The siblings rounded off their agenda with a Marathi abhang in Maruva Behag.
Charumathi Raghuraman (violin) responded with ease in the melodic segments and swara repartees. Sai Giridhar (mridangam) and Chandrasekhar Sarma (ghatam) wove rhythmic patterns that combined strength and subtlety to enhance the dignity of the recital.
Neyveli Santhanagopalan’s kutcheri stood out for his unique singing style His opening ‘Ninnukkori’ varnam in Vasantha and the following ‘Sakti Ganapatim’ (Nattai) with swaras and kriti ‘Thelisiramachandra’ spoke of his erudition. His raga delineation of Pantuvarali for the kriti, ‘Naradamuniveda’ and Mohanam for ‘Narayana Divyanamam’ had rich prayogas bolstered up by pidis stressed on essentials. Sriram (violin) offered cohesive alapanas of Pantuvarali and Mohanam. Srimushnam Raja Rao (mridangam) played strokes adding meaning to percussion support and painting a picture of laya in the vibrant thani teaming with Chandrasekhara Sarma (ghatam).
‘Sant Pravaham,’ featured by Saindhavi Prakash, Savitha Sreeram and Keerthana accompanied by Sangeetha Dhilip (violin), Chandrasekhar (Harmonium) and Sai Giridhar (mridangam) included compositions of Tyagaraja, Samartha Ramdas and Narayana Tirtha.
It was a meeting of continents as Frijo Francis (keyboard), Alwyn Fernandes (guitar), Karthick Mani (percussion) and Murthy (mridangam) led by violinist Ambi Subramaniam and Bindu Subramaniam (siblings of the legendary violin maestro the late Dr.L.Subramaniam) made waves in fusion music. Carnatic ragas augmented with jazz rode forcefully blending the east and the West. The good mix of melody and rhythm made it a memorable concert for the Coimbatore audience.
Nithyasree Mahadevan’s energy levels have remained the same as before. Beginning with ‘Pakavari’ in Hamsadhwani with M.A. Krishnaswami on the violin, Sivakumar on the mridangam and Sivaramakrishnan on the ghatam, Nithyasree followed it up with ‘Ranganathude’ (Sowrashtram), soaked in devotion. Her Dharmavathi alapana for the kriti ‘Parandhama’ with swaras was handled with consummate ease. Her main was ‘Nannupaalimpa’ in Mohanam.. The way she built up the edifice of the raga swarupa was aesthetic and educative. M.A. Krishnaswami was his usual self in comprehending the style of the vocalist. His quality support enhanced the dignity of the kutcheri. Sivakumar (mridangam) and Sivaramakrishnan (ghatam) provided commendable support and came out with lilting thani. It is pertinent to point out that the percussionists should avoid personal dialogue during the concert on the stage.
