A touch of novelty
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During its anniversary, Sahitya Surabhi put music buffs to a test.
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Celebrating the fourth anniversary of Sahitya Surabhi, an association known for its contributing strides serving the cause of literature, `Sangeetha Navaavadhaanam' was organised last Saturday evening in Kalabharathi. A brainchild of the noted doyen of theatre who specialised in poetic plays, Dr. Meegada Ramalingaswamy, it was supposed to be a novel programme with music as its pivot in the field of Avadhanams.
Six questioners -- K. Srinivasa Rao, T. Viswanadha Sastry, C.N.S.T. Krishna Rao, T. Kanakamahalakshmi, P. Suryakantham and Kovila -- were each given a list of 30 Telugu poems, separately chosen from Puranas, Padyanatakams, Prabandhams, Satakams and Adhunika Sahityam besides 30 Sanskrit shlokas and a list of 30 ragas (same), all prepared by Meegada himself. Each one of them had to choose a poem and a raga from the lists given to him/her and ask Meegada to render it in the chosen raga. AIR staffer, Rambhatla Nrisimha Sarma, coordinated the event.
Divested of all attributes of the ingeniously designed format of extemporaneous question and answer sessions showcasing the scholarly adroitness of the Pruchakas (querists) and the elate erudition of the Avadhani that mark the Sahityaavadhanams, the innovation part was conspicuous by its absence. Not only that, Meegada who confessed that he is not systematically trained in classical music, fumbled rendering the poems in the characteristically classical ragas like Todi, Neelambari, Sama and Bhupalam. He, however, sustained audience interest rendering the poems melodiously with full-throated voice. But leave alone the basic element of novelty, the very propriety in calling it `Sangeetha Navaavadhanam' remained a moot point.
ARS
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