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A NEW TREND IN SINGING TANA VARNAMS

It was a model concert not only for students of music but also for the musicians who hold the dais at present.

SRJ gave a word or two of introduction about the items he presented in the concert. The programme commenced with an Ata tala Tana Varnam of Vina Kuppayyar in Anandabhairavi, Samininne. One could have heard this Varnam only in the great Brinda-Mukta duet concerts in those days. One striking feature about the rendition of the Varnam consisted of the fact that it was sung fully in the characteristic medium tempo by SRJ's student R Gokulakrishanan, while SRJ himself was singing Tanam alongside. Here and there the sahitya portion and Charana swaras too were rendered by SRJ to exemplify the movement of the Tana-reeti in the Varnam. This proved an ample justification as to why a Tana Varnam is called so.

Unusually, one got to hear a brief alapana of Hamsadhwani in concerts. Hamsadhwani has come to be associated with kritis on Vinayaka, with the result that raga alapanas are generally not sung much. However in this concert, SRJ's Hamsadhwani alapana for the Tyagaraja kriti Raghunayaka (Adi tala, Tyagaraja) had its own grandeur.

Sadhinchene, the Arabhi raga Pancharatna kriti also deserves mention. The Charana swaras and sahitya were taken up immediately after the Anupallavi and they were meaningfully linked to the Pallavi sahitya "Sadhinchene" and then "Samayaniki...." followed. It is not known why the Charana swaras should be linked to "Samayaaniki tagu mataladene" when it is not prosodially and literally correct. It can be perceived that especially the last Charana, ending with "manavendra ramachandrudu", has a natural connection with Sadhinchene and not Samayaniki. This deep-rooted practice over the ages must now be routed properly.

The kriti in Padi was Sriguruna palitosmi (Roopaka tala, Dikshitar), which was reckoned by SRJ as Anga tala with a Dhrutam and a Chaturasra laghu. The kalpanaswara passages were adequate and weren't overdone. Similarly, brief but lovely was the alapana of Megharanji. And the kriti Karunato of Poochi Iyengar had its marked place, which included brisk and lively kalpanaswara passages. This kriti was notable for its dazzling chittaswara spanning just two avartas, but covering judiciously the pentatonic scale format, eschewing Pa and Dha - the raga belongs to the 15th melakarta.

A discernible listener could derive an experience of awe and wonder as to how Kalyani, the most popular of Prati madhyama ragas was rendered in a manner challenging the usual trends of rendition. It looked as though the raga had gained a new garb. The kriti was Karuverpulu in Adi tala. The meaning of the lyrics was explicitly set forth by SRJ before he commenced the kriti. The ingenious method of selecting the words "Sarikaru" (Sa and Ri falling on the 1/2 eduppu of the visarjitam of the 2nd dhrutam), for taking up kalpanaswaras was thrilling. This kriti has its own charm, entirely different from Tyagaraja's other kritis in the same raga.

The scintillating Tani avartanam by R Ramesh was followed by the moving Paluku tenelatalli. The concert concluded with a Tiruppugazh in Poorvakalyani set to Chanda tala, a characteristic feature of the Tiruppugazh hymns of Arunagirinathar.

Embar Kannan on the Violin contributed his optimum, not only in helping the vocal artiste at every stage, but also to the total success of the programme. He took up the challenges in Padi and Megharanji with full aplomb. R Ramesh (Mridangam) was, as usual, at his best supportive form throughout, and his Tani Avartanam was short, crisp and praiseworthy.

Ganga

Revealing Refinement

Pushpanjali, composed by the able vocalist Chitrambari and the Tisra Alarippu remained the warming up items for the dancer to present the Jatiswaram. This item proved her maturity in handling complex rhythmic patterns set to different jaatis involving intricate mathematical calculations. Dr M. Balamuralikrishna's Gambheeranata Varnam, Amma Anandadayini, was the anchor piece. In this item, one could perceive that Sneha's involvement has helped her to confer the touch of class on the Nritta and Abhinaya aspects of Bharatanatyam. Guru Srekala Bharath needs special appreciation for moulding Sneha in such a way that she had complete control of the rhythmic intricacies. Raman Perumai, in praise of Lord Rama, revealed refinement in Abhinaya.

Guru Srekala's Nattuvangam and Chitrambari's vocal support were other strong points of the show. The Poornachandrika Tillana was a fitting finale to the recital. Sneha's orchestral ensemble also included the accomplished Mridangam player Dhananjayan and the much sought after violinist Kalaiarasan.

Young Starlets

Natya Manjari run by Guru Madhumathi Prakash recently celebrated its annual day at the Rani Seetai Hall, Chennai. Madhumathi Prakash had her tutelage under her father, the living legend Guru Udupi Laxminarayan. Nearly 30 of her students participated in this grand show. They commenced with the Pushpanjali in which the sculpturesque poses of Brahma, Saraswati and Ganesha in all their glory were a visual great.

The Jatiswaram in Vasanta brought the dancers on stage in turns. This item requires special mention for Guru Madhumathi's mastery in choreography and excellent stage management. It also remained as the prelude to some nice solo pieces by the senior students that included the popular Bho Shambo in Revati and the Dasarapadam Brindavanadalli in raga Tilang. The programme was rounded off with Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna's Brindavani Tillana. This was exquisitely choreographed in the form of a candle dance with a brilliant show of intricate footwork.

The unique feature of this programme was the absence of a professional singer. That place was instead occupied by the senior students of Natya Manjari, who in turn, sang for each other. The advantage seemed to be that all the singers knew the items that were performed by their peers. Thus there was no confusion with regard to the number of times each line had to be sung. There was perfect understanding between the singer and the dancer. Kudos to the Guru for taking the bold step of not only moulding the students as just dancers, but also staging her students as good singers. The young singers had their Guru Madhumathi herself seated on the Nattuvangam with dignity, and expert accompanists like Vishwanathan (Mridangam), Nagaraju (Voilin), and Venkatasubramanian (Keyboard).

Lakshmi V N

Posted on 15th April 2002

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