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Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. T. Brinda, was
well known for her sharp wit and candour. Iindeed she was just as expressive
with her comments as she was with her music. One such oft quoted by her dear
ones is that just as one needs ‘gnaanam’ to sing, one needs ‘gnaanam’ to
hear and appreciate music as well! On November 6th, a packed Raga Sudha hall
probably vindicated her statement. On the occasion of Brindamma’s birth
anniversary, her disciples organized an evening dedicated to
remembering the great artist. The day began on a cloudy note and remained
firmly drenched with incessant rain. Despite the downpour, it was gratifying
to see the hall almost full. The evening began on an auspicious note with a
group of T. Brinda’s students rendering the Dikshitar masterpiece and
Brindamma’s signature song, Vina Pustaka Dharini. The group comprised
of classical artists such as Chitravina Ravikiran, Geetha Raja, Savita
Narasimhan, Kiranavali Vidyashankar, Chitravina Ganesh, playback artist
Anooradha Sriram, and Brindamma’s oldest disciple A. R. Sundaram. As the
sonorous notes of the song, rang out clearly through the hall, alongside the
smiling visage of their Guru, the audience settled in for an enjoyable
evening.
Brinda, one of the most eminent musicians to have graced the firmament of
Carnatic music has left behind a robust legacy of music, majestic in style and
impeccable in purity. Besides her music, she is also acknowledged as a great
Guru – loving and firm, both in good measure. The musical evening was a
stringing together of Brindamma’s music by her students, students who have
learnt from her at various stages of their career. Thus, if on one hand, we
had A. R. Sundaram, her first student, render her songs beautifully, supported
by Savita Narasimhan, we also had at the other end of the spectrum, artistes
such as Geeta Raja, K. N. Shashikiran, Anooradha Sriram and Brindamma’s
grandson Girish. All of them were supported by the sensitive accompaniment of
Amrita Murali (Violin) and Pathri Sahtishkumar (Mridangam).
The
series of performances included one by Brindamma herself through a delightful
video recording of one of her concerts. For eyes used to a dance performance
by default at most music concerts, even this one song was an eye opener. Not
one unnecessary movement or facial twitch from the legend, so much so that
this writer even thought the audio was playing, and the video was stuck, until
a close-up revealed that Brindamma was indeed singing!
The
highlight of the evening was Chitravina Ravikiran’s audio presentation on the
salient aspects of Brindamma’s music. Carefully delineating her music, he
demonstrated various nuances – the unique amalgamation she managed between
Dhanammal’s grace and Naina Pillai’s robustness, the meaning of her gamakas,
her beautiful viruttams, the list goes on…each aspect probably merits one
dedicated evening each. It was an emotionally involved Ravikiran we got to
witness, quite a departure from the suave performer. Indeed, Brindamma lives
through her students who venerate the personality that she was, and the music
she has bequeathed. An evening that will be cherished fondly by music
lovers...
Tejusvini Varadachari |
