Blend of skill and confidence
AISHWARYA VIDYA Raghunath, singing for Nadopasana music trust, on Sunday once again displayed enormous skill and supreme self-confidence not so common in a girl of 15 years. Who could have missed the trace of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer on hearing her flawless presentation of "Devadeva Kalayamithe'' in Mayamalavagowla? This disciple of Sitalakshmi Venkatesan went on to do a neraval on the line, "Jatharoopa niba chela, janmajitam mama akhila." As she revealed the many shades of the ragam in the process, the sound system was restored to its capacity.
Vidya then followed with a superb exposition of Mohanam, reaching up to the tharasthayi panchamam with aplomb at least on a couple of occasions. The Tyagaraja song Mohanarama was a spirited rendition.
The alapana in Thodi glittered with highly expressive phrases and remarkable modulation of voice. Dikshitar's kriti, "Ramachandraya namasthe ... Rajeevalochanaya varaya'' was the highpoint of the concert.
Jayanthi Keshav on the violin and B. Srivatsan on the mridangam gave a splendid display of a perfect accompanying role.
There was hint at times of a voice not so cooperative of Vidya's effort. Fluctuation in temperatures, characteristic of a February weather, had something to do perhaps. But evident right through Vidya's scintillating performance for 90 minutes was the natural inspiration of Vasantham (spring). That explains her triumph over the current examination fever.
Inspiring
It is not often that a girl of eleven dares to go on stage, evoking wonder and astonishment among her audience. What makes Anandhi Sivakumar so special is not merely that she is quite accomplished in Carnatic music at such a tender age. But, as `Abaswaram' Ramjhi cannily observed, she is one among maybe a handful of children in Chennai adept at playing the keyboard. Anandhi began her kutcheri at the Music Academy last Saturday with the Abhogi varnam. Thereafter, she revealed her repertoire — ranging from "Vathapi Ganapathimbhaje'' to "Nagumomu'' and "Endaro Mahanubhavulu'' to "Bantureethikoluvu'' and "Chinnanchiru Kiliye'' and much more. The Hamsanadham kriti was ornated with an alapana, neraval and kalpanaswaram.
And don't forget, her accompanists — Sadagopan on the violin, Hari Sundar (mridangam), Vikram (tabla), Saravanan (ghatam) and Vidyanathan (morsingh) — command a formidable reputation. But unruffled, Anandhi entertained the gathering for over two hours.
Today, the keyboard does not permit artistes to capture the nuances of ragas adequately owing to limitations of structure and design. But there are many past examples of adaptations of foreign instruments to Indian music. Children such as Anandhi, not trapped by old mindsets, may be inspiring similar attempts. The renowned N. Ramani, who saw little substance in talking of Indian and alien instruments to begin with, appeared even more reassured in his view that evening.
Anandhi's passion for the magic of sound and melody is only too obvious. Her inspiration is a product of many musical influences that have criss-crossed her training for ten years. Her guru Martin, a disciple of vocalist T. K. Govindarao, is one of the leading exponents of the keyboard in the city and Carnatica has just released his album.
The other important input consists in the singing lessons from Sasikala, the disciple of K. V. Narayanaswami. Sulochana Pattabiraman, the distinguished teacher and music critic referred to Anandhi as her grand-sishya. Schooled in such diverse traditions, she is sure to carve a niche for herself in the years to follow.
GARIMELLA SUBRAMANIAM
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