Hymns of devotion
A. SANGAMESWARAN
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Bhajanothsavam at Kalpathy, Palakkad, attracted bhajan singers from all over India.
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RHYTHM AND MUSIC: Bombay Hari sang a melodious Sreeranjini.
Almost all saints of the Bhakti movements have emphasised that music blended with devotion helps attain salvation. It was the Bhakthi movement that later evolved into Sampradaya Bhajan - singing of hymns to the accompaniment of instruments - from the Tanjavur region.
A six-day Bhajanothsavam organised at Kalpathy, Palakkad, ushered in an ambience of music, rhythm, dance and devotion. This festival, organised for the eighth consecutive year, attracted a number of bhajan singers from different parts of India.
Jayadevas' `Geethagovindam' was rendered by Tanjore Tyagarajan who has carved a niche in this field. His rendition was interspersed with slokas and naamavalis, adding pep to the musical discourse. His Sankarabharanam and Mukhari were superb.
Rare ragas
Erode Rajamani rendered rare ragas such as Vasantha varaali and Varnakaariniin in his inimitable style. His delineation of Hamasanandi, Brindavanasaranga and Saraswathi was superb, especially when he dealt in the lower octaves. However, he could have reduced the number of naamavalis.
Veteran Bombay Hari sang a melodious Sreeranjini and packed his concert with rare kritis of Meenakshi sutha. Stalwarts Delhi Subbarama Bhagavathar and Kanpur Mahadeva Iyer also participated in the rendition. O. S. Sunder rendered the Abhangs of Maratha saints.
On the penultimate day, A.K. Rajasimhan, accompanied by Sreekanth sang Divyanaamam. While Sreekanth rendered a rare Dikshitar piece `Mathangi' in Raamapriya, Rajasimhan enthralled the listeners with his songs in Mohanam and Gamanasrama.
It was a delight to see septuagenarian A.L. Krishnamoorthy Bhagavathar accompanied by Eswara Prasada dancing to Krishnaleela Tharangini, which depicts the story of Krishna. With simple gestures and movements they successfully recreated various episodes of the Bhagavatham. Many youngsters also participated in the festival. Sencottah Hariharasubramanian, Sivaramakrishnan, Rajagopal and Vinaychandra Menon were some of the up-and-coming artists who made their mark in the fete.
Young Karthick from Chennai was the cynosure of all eyes. Thripuithura Ramachandran accompanied the musicians on the harmonium while Manikandan was on the mridangam. The festival concluded with Kalyanothsavam and Vasantholsavam on the last day. Like every year, the organisers felicitated two veterans - Kanpur Mahadeva Iyer and percussionist Vakhulabharanam.
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