Devout recital
A. RAMALINGA SASTRY
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A vocal recital by Vishnubhotla Mukunda Sarma marked the anniversary of musician-musicologist Dwaram Bhavanarayana Rao.
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Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam
Mukunda Sarma
Commemorating the fifth death anniversary of Ganakalaadhara, Gandharva Vidya Bhooshana, Vachaspathi, and Sangeetha Lakshya Lakshana Kovida awardee, Dwaram Bhavanarayana Rao, Sangeetha Kala Samithi organised a vocal recital by Vishnubhotla Mukunda Sarma, Programme Executive (classical music) All India Radio.
Held in the serene precincts of Sadguru Brahma Sri Ramadootha Mandiram in Madhuranagar, the absorbingly devout recital was preceded by a meeting at which doyens of carnatic music, renowned mridangist and guru Vankayala Narasimham, the president of the Samithi, Susarla Suryanarayana Murty and the likes paid homage to the musician-musicologist combine of high esteem.
He was a teacher invincible and was known for his warm relationship with his students, other teaching and non-teaching staff of almost all colleges of music and dance in A.P. where he worked as a principal, they recalled. He not only composed orchestral wonders titled Panchajanyan, Ghana Raga Lahari, a few krithis and varnams, but also set exquisite music for the ballets Sri Krishna Parijaatam, Kalyana Sakuntalam, Hemantam, etc., choreographed and produced by the Kuchipudi maestro Vempati China Satyam.
Along with textbooks in music, he left an invaluable treasure by way of translating the Sangeetha Lakshana grandhas in Sanskrit, the first of their kind in the firmament of Indian classical music, into Telugu in simple idiom. Now, the rare treatises on carnatic music of the remote past Chaturdandi prakasika, Dattilam, Brihaddesi, Sangeetha Makarandam, Swaramela Kalandhi, Sangeetha Samayasaram and the likes are available, a unique contribution to all Telugu-knowing people spread across the alone, they hailed.
Bhavanarayana Rao's sons, Venkata Swamy and Tyagaraju, thanked the organisers for dedicating a recital every year and perpetuating the memory of their illustrious father for posterity.
Excellently accompanied by All India Radio staffer N.C. Madhav on violin, Vankayala Narasimham (mridangam) and G. Venkatesh (morsing), Sarma cast a spell with his masterly and melodious rendering of the Sri Ragam varnam in Vilamba Chaturasram, Madhyama Trisram and Chaturasram followed by both in Paikaalam in that order from the word go starting his recital.
Then followed Sri Mahaganapathe of Mayuram Viswanathayyar (Nata) concluded with fortifying swaram at the end of the lyrical phrase Ganapathe and Bhogeendra Sayinam of Swathi Tirunal (Kuntulavarali) before he exquisitely elaborated Ammabavani of Muttaiah Bhagavatar (Keeravani) and transported the mood bordering ecstasy. Sustaining the mood with ιlan, he rendered a Tarangam Saranambhava set in Aarabhi and embellished it with lilting swaram in paikaalam and Dixitar's Kanjadalayatakshi (Kamalamanohari) setting the tempo for ragam, taanam and pallavi next.
Mamavathu Saraswathi Bhagavathi was his pallavi commencing after a gap of two letters space in Trisra Triputa in Maargahindola Ragam, also called varnam, a janyam of Natabhairavi. Replete with bhava-laden sojourns in the aalapana, taanam and the rendering of pallavi concluded with absorbing swaram in the two speeds, it proved to be the piece de resistance.
The thani interspersed with gathibhedha traverses in Trisram and Sankeernam and concluded in gopucchayathi pattern by Narasimham and well supported by Venkatesh was equally scintillating.
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