Penchant for rare kritis
G. SWAMINATHAN
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To A. Sundaresan by students and admirers.
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Photo: S.R. Raghunathan
ODE TO THEIR GURU: (from left to right) Gayathri Venkatraghavan, Vasumathi Desikan and Savitha Sriram.
When an expert musician is also a dedicated guru, understandably the honour and dignity go up. Vidwan A. Sundaresan was one such musician. A renowned educator, he was remembered by his students and friends at a two-day programme at Raga Sudha hall. S
undaresan was known for his meticulous style, his relentless quest to bring out little known compositions to connoisseurs of music, and training talent.
The programme started with the group singing by Sundaresan’s disciples Gayathri Venkatraghavan, Vasumathi Desikan and Savitha Sriram. An expertly composed Kannada varnam by Sundaresan was followed by a few rare compositions of the Trinity.
The leisurely Devagandhari kriti ‘Sri Raghuvara Karuna’ of Tyagaraja, a splendid Jagan Mohini through Syama Sastri’s ‘Dayajuda Samayamidhe,’ a slow and steady ‘Kothanda Rama’ in Kokilaravam, the heavily bejewelled ‘Tyagaraja Maha Dwajarohana’ in Sri both by Dikshitar and the light and lovely ‘Laalilalayya’ in Kedaragowla of Tyagaraja stood testimony to the musical wisdom imparted by guru Sundaresan to his sishyas in all earnestness.
Re-living memories
There were two speakers who shared their experiences. ‘Asthika Samajam’ Narasimhan likened Sundaresan to a honey-bee which buzzes around tirelessly to collect honey.
Sundaresan was always on the look out for unknown or lesser known compositions of the great Trinity and bring them out burnished with his expertise. He also mentioned Sundaresan was a great tutor and an uncompromising vidwan.
Mannargudi Eswaran turned emotional many times during his nostalgic trip. He recalled his five decades of close association with the vidwan and his profound knowledge in music and rhythm. He marvelled at the way Sundaresan used to set his pallavis with intricacy of rhythm throwing challenges to the mridangam vidwan.
Sundaresan always enjoyed the company of his peers in music and he used to express unbiased appreciation of their talent, Eswaran said.
Dynamic presentation
A concert by Sundaresan’s another disciple, Shankari Sathish, followed. Shankari exhibited a full throated articulation backed by the good training by the late musical genius. Her dynamic presentation opened with the Bahudari varnam of her guru, and included ‘Pavanathmaja’ in Chala Natta, a raga expose of Mandari to suit ‘Endukitu Chapalamu’ by Patnam Subramanya Iyer complete with niraval and swaras.
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