Beyond time, space
G. JAYAKUMAR
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S. Kasim and S. Babu wooed rasikas with compositions by music legends.
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Nadaswaram's famous brothers S. Kasim and S. Babu kept listeners spellbound for over two-and-a-half hours with their impeccable playing of compositions of music legends at Kartika Tirunal Theatre in Thiruvananthapuram. It was the opening programme of this year's Dance and Music Festival of Sri Swati Tirunal Sangita Sabha, organised in connection with the Jayanti celebrations of Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma and Sethu Parvathi Bayi.
Kasim and Babu studied nadaswaram, under the tutelage of their grandfather, Sheik Chinna Moulana Saheb. Kasim and Babu began their nadaswaram concert with a varnam composed by Thiruvottiyoor Thiagaya. `Ninnu kori' in Kanada was set to Adi talam. This was followed by the much-acclaimed `Deva deva kalayamithe' of Swati Tirunal in Mayamalavagoula set to Rupaka tala.
Devotional piece
The major attraction of the evening was the rendering of the famous Tyagaraja kriti `Kaligiyunte' in Keeravani set to Adi tala. In the raga alapana, the brothers brought forth the sahitya bhava of the composition. This kriti of Tyagaraja is an appeal to the Lord to fulfil the desires of His devotees. The rich melody of their music transported the rasikas beyond time and space.
M. Anguswamy and S. Senthil Kumar performed the pulsating thaniavarthanam, which followed, on the thavil, creating a temple ambience. The duo presented Evarani, again a Tyagaraja kriti. It was in Devamruthavarsini, a janya of the raga Kharaharapriya.
While Swati Tirunal's composition `Narasimha mamava' in Arabhi was noted for its simplicity and gamaka prayogas, Irasyimman Thampi's kriti `Enthu njan' in Neelambari was caressing and gentle .
The playing of Purandaradasa's `Baro Krishna' in the form of a Ragamalika was evocative.
The charm of ragas like Mand and Kalyanavasantham showed prominently. Some of the other pieces that were played were Swati Tirunal's `Vande sada Padmanabham' in Navarasakanada and Subbarama Sastri's `Janani ninnu vina' in Ritigaula. Kasim and Babu, both top grade concert artistes of AIR and Doordarsan, concluded their concert appropriately with Purandaradasa's `Bhagyatha lakshmi' in Madhyamavati.
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