A royal treat
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Maya Varma's veena concert proved to be technically correct and pleasing.
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Maya Varma imbues each note with her individual style.
VYLLOPILLY SAMSKRITI Bhavan, which has become a popular venue for staging cultural events, hosted a rare and unforgettable musical event recently. A veena concert by Maya Varma evoked nostalgia of the golden days of the past when music flourished under the patronage of benevolent monarchs.
Ahalya Thampurati, a descendent of Kerala Varma Valiyakoyi Thampuran (Kerala Kalidasan) of the Ananthapuram Place, Harippad, was a veteran veena artiste who passed away recently. Her daughter, Maya Varma has imbibed a lot from her mother, her guru, but she has her way of approaching each and every aspect of music.
The concert began with the varnam `Sarasijanabha' in Natta ragam (Adi talam). It was treat for the listeners as she simultaneously played in two different sthayis at certain portions of the raga. She then passed on to `Vallabha Nayakasya' a kriti by Muthuswamy Dishitar in Begada raga, Rupaka tala, with a short alapana of the gara as the prelude. `Kanchadalayathakshi,' a favourite number of veena artistes, was presented neatly and attractively with bright swara passages at `Raja Sasivadane.' Some of the other items included `Samajavaragamana' (Hindolam), `Gopalaka Pahimam' (Revagupti), `Devadeva Kalayami' (Mayamalavagoula) and `Banturithi' (Hamsanadam). A brief sketch was drawn beautifully for `Devadeva Kalyami' and the niraval and swara passages were played with good control.
Main raga
The concert was centred on the Kharaharapriya piece `Pakkala Nilabadi' of Thyagaraja for which the raga and thana were played. A ragamalika swara passage was played that included ragas like Mohanam, Hindolam, Revathy, Sahana, Kalyana Vasantham, Amritha Varshini, Subha Panturali and Kapi. Some Thukkadas formed the conclusion of the concert that finally ended with `Bhagyatha Lakshmi Baramma' in Madhyamavati raga. Maya was ably supported by Malayinkizh Prasad on the mridangam and Rajesh on the ghatom. Maya's veena was the one used by Kerala Kalidasan. Maya's experience as a concert and recording artiste stood her in good stead.
B. Arundhathi
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