Friday Review
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An evening for Easwari
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Recently the singer was honoured for her achievements.
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Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Joyous moment: L.R. Easwari being feted.
Encomiums to Y.Gee. Melody Makers for the estimable choice of numbers presented at Kamarajar Hall, Chennai, on Sunday last! The event, ‘Pattaththu Rani,’ was organised in honour of L.R. Easwari, a bright singing star on the light music fi
rmament, till about two decades ago. Each Easwari number sung that evening, particularly the rare gems she had crooned for M.S.Viswanathan, exemplified her versatility. As Madhuvanti Arun, after singing the inimitable ‘Karuppu Panam’ piece, ‘Aadaverellaam …’ noted: “Jazz, rap, hip hop … this song has it all.” Not surprising that the vim and vigour of Easwari’s numbers continue to be contagious. The crowd in the hall was evidence enough. Y.Gee. Mahendra, an ace showman of the stage, along with a sober ARS, whose striking purple kurta was a contrast to his subdued demeanour, steered the proceedings through an enjoyable course.
Vibrant throughout
Saindhavi’s replication of Easwari’s humming for that ever-alive ‘Kallelaam …’ song in a perfectly aligned sruti was a treat. Heirs, Tiruchi Loganathan’s son Thyagu and T.M.Soundararajan’s son Balraj, contributed their mite to the joie de vivre. Though things did go off key in one or two places, Balraj’s energy was laudable. Madurai Kavitha by and large succeeded in getting the tone and tenor of Easwari’s voice right. Mahendra had brought in singers whose voices were astoundingly similar to A.M. Raja’s and Chandrababu’s. A couple of prime numbers were allotted to Suchitra — she could have done even better. Particularly, ‘Kadhodu Dhaan …’ was a far cry from the soft, sensuous, dulcet original.
Madhuvanti’s singing potential caught you unawares. She was several notches higher than in her earlier attempts. Rigorous rehearsals and genuine passion must have done the trick. Her gay abandon was well received. The rare, stupefying song, ‘Vara Vaendum’ from Madhumita was another sample of the genius of MSV. Prasanna was flawless as always. Malathi’s ‘Elandha Payam,’ piece made the crowd go berserk, but strangely ‘Kovai’ Murali didn’t do enough justice to the ‘Avalukenna’ song. However, A.L. Raghavan’s ‘Budhi Sigamani …’ in the same timbre of his original sung more than 30 years ago was amazing.
It was a joy to watch T.M. Soundararajan, in the audience, often raise his hands in appreciation. L.R. Easwari arrived only towards the end because of her delicate health condition, and was felicitated by Mrs. YGP. And just by blowing a kiss to the crowd, she stole their hearts all over again!
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
