HAMSADHWANI
Etched with alankars and taans
Rajalakshumi
THE HAMSADHWANI festival of Hindustani classical concerts was inaugurated by a person of no less eminence than Lakshmi Shankar, the doyenne of classical music. R. Ramachandran, Secretary, Hamsadhwani, paid tribute to M. S. Subbulakshmi. The opportunity was also used to remember those who lost their lives in the tsunami attack. The Hindustani concerts were a tribute to the memory of those `who depart and never come back, and whose memory lingers on.'
Following closely in the footsteps of her gurus Yashwant Bua Joshi and Dr. Prabha Atre, Mala Ramadorai began her recital with `shardja,' emitting energy in an unbroken melodic line. Shaam Kalyan in vilambit ek taal, "Jiyo mere lal'' was rendered with the rigour of the Gwalior school, adhering to the structure and frame of the composition while improvising freely. `Chaiti' in Mishr Pahadi was rendered with equal felicity and feeling. The Nada Brahma Arhat or the unstruck sound in Tilak Kamod was a mystical experience. The ghazal in Shivranjani spoke volumes of Mala's large repertoire and her sense of structure.
The piece in Maru Bihaag where Mala used both the madhyams was sung with ease and clarity, typical of her style.
Abhay Datta on the tabla and Prakash Vardhan on the harmonium were highly commendable.
Wide range
Playback singer Rajalakshumi had her initial training in Hindustani Classical from Chanderkant Apte at Jamshedpur and then from Ajay Pohankar in Bombay, a practitioner of Kirana and Patiala styles. Rajalakshumi is endowed with a beautiful voice with a wide range. Her resonant voice and tonal quality is best in the lower and higher reaches. It was further enhanced by the voice culture classes that she had from Gautam Mukerjee in Bombay. She began her concert with Ganesh Vandana, the primacy of the voice and the association of musical sound with prayer being established early in the history of music. The vilambit in Ek taal, "Lal manavan main chali'' and Drut in teen taal, "Langar ka kariya'' were taken in Raga Miyan ki todi, essentially a morning melody. The aalap and swara vistar was evocative and profound, bringing out the pathos in the raga. The high points of her recital were well conceived and delineated smooth sargams and fast taans taken with equal ease. Rajalakshumi also resorted to the frequent use of the Meend, bringing out the best in her cultured voice. Rajendra Nakode on the tabla and Janaki Rajagopalan on the harmonium provided good support.
Robust style
Veteran singer and teacher Meera Savur belonging to the Agra Rangila Gharana of legendary Faiyyaz Khan fame and disciple of Pt. Rama Rao Naik began her recital in Raga Shree presenting three compositions: "Saanjh bhaee ajhoon nahin aaye" in vilambit ek taal; ``Hari ke charan kamal'' in jhap taal and a difficult composition in Drut, ``Eri ho to aa'' exhibiting variegated taan patterns in high speed becoming of an Ustad.
The `Nom Tom' alap characteristic of this Gharana was taken up by her at the start, presenting an overt and robust style of emoting. Kamod of Kalyan thaat in madhya laya was followed by vilambit and Drut in Barva of Kaafi thaat. "Birhe ki raat," a raga seldom sung, Thumri in Bin Shadz "Tere bin balam'' was full of bhava.
Meera Savur ended with a Nirguni bhajan of Kabir's and a Meera bhajan in Mandu set to folk tune. Meera Savur's gayaki has the old world charm — an almost limitless capability in articulation. A revered musician, the glory is in the truth of her experience. The superficial lustre may be lost but the purity of her idiom will always be the focus of attention for the initiated listener.
Munna Shaokath Ali on the harmonium and Rajesh Dhavale on the tabla provided good support.
Mature voice
Lakshmi Sriram, also a seasoned singer, performer and teacher, and a disciple of Vasant Rao Kulkarni and Jagatnath Bua Purohit Mudra Gunidas, combines the expertise of Agra and Gwalior Gharana but has a distinct style and repertoire of her own.
Endowed with a deep and mature voice, she began with Raga Multani vilambit ek taal, ``More sidh laye ho,'' a Gunidas composition. This was followed by a Drut in Teen taal, "Tum bin janat nahin more pran piya.''
Meera Savur
Lakshmi, with her exceptional voice with pure intonation of notes and with deep insight into the nature of the raga, presented Multani in an emotional manner. Jaijavanti was the tour de force of the evening. The Thumri in Khamaj, `Jab se gaye nayanwa sakhi' was sung with free abandon, characteristic of her style. She concluded with Kumar Gandharv's composition, `Kudrat ki gat nyari,' a Nirguni bhajan, transporting the listeners to a realm of peace and equanimity. Lakshmi was ably supported by her pupil Jaishree and there was a good interaction between her and the tablist, Rajendra Nakod. Janaki Rajagopalan accompanied on the harmonium.
Rich repertoire
Suparna Sankaran, a disciple of Meera Savur and veteran Carnatic and Hindustani maestro, Sriram Parasuram, began her concert in raga Multani, "Gokul gaanv ke chora, Barsaane ki naar'' in vilambit ek taal followed by `Eri aali re' in Drut teen taal. Suparna's voice is marked with clarity and force and she presented good, fast sapaat taans. Her large repertoire included thumris, bhajans and ghazals, which were rendered admirably. Vireshwar Madri on the violin and Jain Painadathe on the tabla gave excellent support.
Maestro T.V. Gopalakrishnan, disciple of the late Pt. Krishnanandji, can boast of a successful Carnatic and Hindustani repertoire. TVG began his concert in Raga Puriya in vilambit ek taal, "Piya gunvant shaam.'' His repeated descent into the Kharaj or the lower octave, `sa' while foraying into the mid-octave was a feat accomplished. His rich guttural voice was best in the higher reaches. His effortless stroking of gandhaar and madhyam in Taar saptak and his chalan in utraang and poorvaang was enjoyable.
Swati Tirunal's bhajan in Bhimplas was followed by a thumri in Piloo, "Piya nahin Aaye." Both were rendered with feeling. TVG's disciple Devi was outstanding with her rich deep voice and superb delineation of ragas. Her repetition after TVG in laya sounded good. Rajesh Dhavale on the tabla and G. Ramnath on the keyboard provided excellent support.
JYOTI NAIR BELLIAPPA
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