Tyagaraja's spell of bhakti
SRI TYAGARAJA aradhana celebrations by sabhas continue. No matter how shallow the pretended sincerity of homage to the saint composer either in the city or at Tiruvaiyaru, no matter how musicians mangle and mutilate his sahityas imposing on them their over-emphatic ego-centric exposition.
Sri Tyagaraja's spell of bhakti alone sustains his hold on the minds of rasikas, though completely absent in the consideration of musicians. The truth is that all the secrets of sangita's beauty is locked up in his songs hidden and waiting to be discovered only through veneration of the Bard of Tiruvaiyaru.
Arohanas, avarohanas, talas, neravals and kalpana swaraprastharas are all in effect blatantly ritualistic; the essence is bhakti and santham. Interpretation of Sri Tyagaraja's kirtanas based on their bhakti content is far superior to the kind of ritualistic piety that musicians frenetically explore. The approach of some artistes makes a knowledgeable rasika wonder whether they assail some of the cardinal ideals enshrined in Carnatic music's culture.
For the aradhana, the Indian Fine Arts Society arranged a concert by Sanjay Subramaniam. He sang "Nada Thanumanisam" (Chittaranjani), "Nenarunchara" (Simhavahini) "Undedhi Ramudu" (Harikambhoji), "Sundari Nee" (Kalyani), "Rama Bhaana" (Saveri), "Vinave O Manasa" (Vivardhini) and "Upachaaramu" (Bhairavi) with alapanas of Kalyani, Saveri and Bhairavi.
A true accompanist that violinist Varadarajan is, in his solo versions he held the mirror up to the vocalist's fiery style. Guruvayoor Dorai (mridangam) in association with K. V. Gopalakrishnan (kanjira) framed his tani avartanam on the same rugged lines as Sanjay's.
SVK
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
