Displaying fidelity to patanthara, Kasthuri Kamala Deepthi’s recital was a credit to her guru, Pantula Rama. Lalithaa Krishnan
Kasthuri Kamala Deepthi.
No fuss, no frills. This initial impression on listening to Kasthuri Kamala Deepthi, a young vocalist from Vizag, deepened to a further sense of relief as the artiste allowed her natural instincts to take over rather than succumb to the prevalent tendency to adopt an applause-driven format. Handling gamakas with assertiveness sans excess and displaying fidelity to patanthara, Kasthuri’s recital at the TTD Information Centre was a credit to her guru, Pantula Rama. Tha
t the young vocalist has worked hard on her basics was evident in the strongly anchored, sruti-aligned shadja that had body and strength. What she needs to work on with equal diligence is the pin-point accuracy of take-off notes in raga passages.
Tyagaraja’s ‘Pariyachakama’ (Vanaspathi) was adapted to a pace suitable for tapping into the distinct flavour of this vivadhi raga (mela 4). In the Ritigowla alapana, vadi-samvadi clusters came into play, the swaraprastara for Tyagaraja’s ‘Dwaithamu Sukhama’ highlighting the ability to build tempo within the benign environs of sarvalaghu.
Spirited sketch
A switch to the fast track came with Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Garudagamana’ after a spirited sketch of Nagaswaravali, the artiste’s penchant for building attractive patterns in kalpanaswara again surfacing in the ensuing part. After Annamacharya’s ‘Vande Vasudevam’ (Sri), Kasthuri got down to serious business. Young blood fired the veins of Varali, summoning an impassioned statement which would have acquired more weight had there been a little less hurry and a little more deliberation. A competent niraval surfaced in the line, ‘Aravinda’ in Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Seshachala Nayakam’. The swara kanakkus, while adding spice, could have been engineered with added care to ensure percentage accuracy. Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Nee Kela Daya Radhu’ (Kadanakuthuhalam) zigzagged at a tempo faster than the artiste could handle. The main raga Khambodi fared well, with an earnest attempt to generate prayogas of varied colour in the shadja-panchama suite in keeping with the majestic gait of Tyagaraja’s ‘O Rangasayee’.
Kovai S. Chandran (violin) and Mannargudi N. Subramanian (mridangam) put their experience and artistry to good use, encouraging the young vocalist in her efforts.
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