The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Pancharatna kritis of Purandhara Dasa rendered

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Sunday, Jan 29, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Pancharatna kritis of Purandhara Dasa rendered

K. Ravi

CHENNAI: The Pancharatna kritis of Purandhara Dasa, the five selected kritis of the saint composer, were rendered by V.L. Sudharshan and his team of musicians at the Kannada Sangha hall at Ayanavaram on Thursday.

Similar to the Pancharatna kritis of the saint composer Thyagaraja, these kiritis were set in the order of ragas Nattai, Gaula, Arabi, Varali and Sri ragam.

Though the Sahityas were rendered by Purandhara Dasar, considered Pithamha of Carnatic music, who lived in (1484- 1564), they were set in these ragas in Adhi tala similar to Thyagarajar's compositions by Mr.V.L.Sudharshan, violinst and reader in the Annamalai University.

"This unique effort of identifying Pancharatnas from Purandhara Dasa's lakhs of kritis was my three-year endeavour," says Mr. Sudharshan, who hails from a family of musicians.

This was possible because of the cooperation from Shyamala Gopal, musician and retired Reader in the Annamalai University, he said.

The recital began like the `Chetulara' rendered during the commencement of the Thyagaraja Aradhana, with Charanam Siddhi Vinayaka followed by Gururayara nambino in Gauri Manohari.

The Pancharatna kritis — Narasimha endo deva (Nattai), Hela barathe buddhia (gaula), Vasudeva ninna marmaga mangala (arabhi), Sathyajagathisthu panjabedhavu (Varali) and Ninna Dasa nare nano (Sri ragam) — were rendered by the group in a pattern similar to Thyagarajar's Pancharatnas.

With vocal support from Shyamala Gopal, B. Govidarajan and Poorna Prangya Rao and percussion accompaniment by A. Saravanan and J. Boovaragan, the recital was organised by the Pithamha Sri Purandhara Dasar Sangeetha Sabha.

The team is leaving for Hampi in Karnataka, birthplace of Purandhara Dasa, to give a recital this week.

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