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For young aspirants

Veteran: Suguna Varadachari

The gurukulavasam system for learning Carnatic music has almost become extinct over the past many decades, as the fast paced current lifestyle has precluded many aspirant performers of this style of classical music to resort to gurukulavasam. Howeve r, with the help of modern technology one can nowadays view through digital video discs the guru imparting lessons. This is a boon for many students who may for various reasons not be able to take lessons by visiting the guru’s home.

Swathi Soft Solutions have to be congratulated for bringing out these DVDs under review for as per their introduction at the beginning, it is indeed a dream come true for many students away from Chennai who now have the access to learn select compositions from reputed gurus.

Veteran musician Suguna Varadachari, of the Musiri school of music, is the vidushi who is featured in this venture of Swathi soft solutions. Suguna has many years of expertise behind her in her chosen profession of classical vocal Carnatic music. She is well known for her uncompromising approach towards chaste, dignified and traditional style of music.

Suguna has taught and separately rendered the kritis numbering to five in this twin DVD album. The opening number is a Muthaiah Bhagavatar krithi in praise of Lord Ganesha, the obstacle remover, ‘Varasiddhi Vinayaka’ in Kanada. The teaching session has Suguna initially dictating the text of the song and then proceeding to teach the song sangati by sangati without any hurry, whatsoever. This unhurried approach is just ideal for anyone who wishes to learn the compositions covered in these discs. “Avoid the usage of the phrase sndp during the kriti,” says Suguna and rightly so, as explained by her during the teaching session the avarohana of Kanada is always with the notes snpm.

Suguna also authoritatively mentions that mndp is permissible. While these aspects may be known to many, it would indeed be of benefit to many students who have just reached up to the varnam or kriti stage in their music lessons.

Suguna teaches the five songs in this album to her students, Mala Mohan and Vasanthi Ramesh. The vocalist is accompanied by Hemalatha (violin) and Kallidaikurichi Sivakumar (mridangam). The second song taught is a Purvikalyani composition of Mysore Sadasiva Rao, ‘Gangadhara’ in Rupaka tala. Suguna observes even the minute changes made by her students while repeating the sangatis after her. During the course of the final sangati in the pallavi of this composition, the teacher is quick to notice when the students resort to singing a phrase as sngrsn, and offers the right advice as to how to render the sangati.

Syama Sastri’s Pharas raga kriti ‘Trilokamatha’ is the third composition taught. While Suguna may not deem it necessary to spell out the arohanam and avarohanam of the ragas covered by the compositions taught, it would have, however, been appropriate for the vidushi to have clarified as to what according to her are the sancharas and prayogas which could be employed in a raga like Pharas. Considering that there are many versions of the arohana and avarohana for this raga, Suguna’s views would have been helpful to many who would resort to learning this composition through this disc.

A not oft-heard Tyagaraja kriti in Darbar ‘Elatheliyalero’ is the fourth song taught and rendered. It is interesting to observe that the sangatis progress from the lyric ‘Purva Karma’ and not from ‘Elatheliyalero.’ “The entire beauty and structure of the melody is evident in this composition,” mentions Suguna during the session devoted to the teaching of this rare kriti.

An auspicious conclusion to this album is through the Surutti kriti ‘Sri Vanchanatham’ of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. The artist’s views as to handling of the nishada swara are as per the accepted pattern in vogue at present. She advises her students that the dhaivatam is to be closely aligned with the nishada mostly and at times a plain usage of the note would be appropriate.

The kriti renditions are weighty versions and have the stamp of class. The accompanists have the job of accompanying the singer for the song renditions only as solfa passages or niraval are not resorted to.

While the manual tambura is held in the playing position by Suguna’s student during the kriti renditions, it is strummed without any continuity which is noticeable.

This album would find favour with Carnatic music lovers who have an ear for sampradaya sangitam.

Kriti Anubhuti

Suguna Varadachari

Swathi’s Samskriti Series

MRP Rs 600.

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