Distinctive style
T. K. SADASIVAN
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Njeralathu Harigovindan captivated listeners with his blend of old and new.
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Enthralling recital: Njeralathu Harigovindan’s recital stresses on the ‘bhava’ of the lyrics.
Art grows with innovation. This applies to music as well. But in music, innovative experiments mostly take place through fusion, combining different styles and streams of music. Innovation within the stream is rarely attempted. Apart from deep knowle
dge and wide experience, the musician must have an innate urge to attempt such innovations.
Njeralathu Harigovindan is a musician who attempts improvisations to find a new form of ‘Sopanasangeetham,’ the musical legacy indigenous to Kerala. ‘Sopanasangeetham,’ popularly known as ‘Kottipadiseva,’ is the recital of hymns praising the deities and it is usually sung in the sanctum sanctorum of a temple.
It was the legendary singer Njeralathu Rama Poduval, father of Harigovindan, who was primarily responsible in widening the stage of Sopanasangeetham by taking it outside the temples. Harigovindan takes up his father’s mission further and experiments with it but he sticks to its refined style of singing.
The striking feature of Harigovindan’s recital is his stress on the ‘bhava’ of the lyrics. Moreover, though he sticks to the traditional format he does not always conform to the raga. His repertoire is an interesting mix of traditional ashtapadi by Jayadeva, compositions of noted poets, his own compositions on nature, Kerala and communal harmony.
In his recent performance, under the aegis of Bank Employees Arts Movement, Ernakulam, (BEAME), Njeralathu Harigovindan captivated the audience with his distinctive recital, which began with his own composition about an elephant, instead of the usual ‘Ganapathystuti.’
He could easily bring out the romantic feel of Jayadeva’s ‘Priye Charuseele.’
It was followed by a solo performance of edakka artist Subramanian Peringode, who was accompanying the singer. The recital of ‘Karuna Cheyyvan enthu thamasam Krishna’ by Harigovindan was in his improvised style.
Subramanian Peringode enthralled the audience by playing on the edakka the popular devotional ‘Harivarasanam’ by Yesudas. He captured the subtle and intricate swaras of the song on the edakka and demonstrated his mastery over the instrument.
In tune performance
Harigovindan sang two compositions of Jayadeva –‘Lalitha lavanga…,’ and ‘Sanjharath…’
Next came ‘Mullamottu viriyunna…,’ composed by him in tune with Jayadeva’s composition on the silly complaints of a lover. The interesting rhythmic pattern of the composition and the excellent rapport between the singer and percussionist made it a memorable experience for the audience.
Harigovindan’s rendition of ‘Bhogangal ellaam…,’ by Ezhuthachan, was highly philosophical. Harigovidan’s recital concluded with of the evening ended with ‘Vande Mukunda Haare…’ penned by lyricist Girish Puthenchery.
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