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An evening to cherish
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The concert by Vasundhara Komkali and Kalapini Komkali revived memories of Pandit Kumar Gandharv
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PHOTO: V. SAKTHIVEL
NOSTALGIC NOTES Vasundhara Komkali and Kalapini Komkali performing at Kalakshetra
This year, the Kalakshetra art festival brought memories of Pandit Kumar Gandharv to Chennai with a recital by his wife Vasundhara Komkali and daughter Kalapini Komkali. They also presented a moving morning lecdem on the maestro. The women talked little, sang more, and screened clips from their guru's recorded performances. To hear about a great artiste from those who knew him up close in life, and provided vocal accompaniment on the stage, was an experience to cherish.
Their recital was equally illuminating. They sang separately, though Kalapini did provide minimal support to her mother. It was an opportunity to hear disciples of two generations trained by the master, derided as much as he was adored for the striking originality of his style.
Kalapini Komkali drew largely from her heritage as she began with her father's compositions in Purya Dhanashri. The accent was not on sweet melodising but on dramatic utterance. The modulations moved from the soft and gentle to swaras of unusual vibrancy and vigour. The nishada and the shadja surprised with their volume and power. The khyal in ek taal "Bal gayi jyot" rose and fell on dynamic grooves. The faster khyal "Aajra din dooba" (teen taal) did something more. Outlining the idea that as the day fades it is time to focus the mind in prayer, the singing sought to reach a meditative mood — the time sacred to bhakta, gyani and all creative artistes.
Next, she followed her school in offering two allied raags — Kedarnanda and Kedar (tarana). The former had the dialect-rich verse "Lade beera mhane chuneri," a sister urging her elder brother to get her a special dupatta. Here Kalapini was able to use some teasing, tender folk glints to heighten the meaning, and thereby the music as well. Choosing quicker taals (Satwa and Keherwa) with their own lilting beats, she concluded with two bhajans by Kabir. "Naiya mori" had the devotee trusting in the Lord to take him safely across the waves, while "Sunta hai gurh gyani" had the audience responding to a Sufi-like resonance, cadenced, continuous, swaying.
Vasundhara, who sang next, won the audience by her brief but telling reminiscences about her husband's compositions. He had created a new raag Malav Bihag, a blend of all Bihags, to communicate his awestruck wonder at the magnificence of Chandigarh.
In its melodic structure and dynamic rhythm beat, "Ye sab khel gyani maha dheer ke" had adbhuta as the main emotion, with bhaya as its sanchari bhava! A welcome change from the usual devotion and bhakti themes of khyals. The singer's maturity was obvious in the way she shaped the khyal, evoking little surprises, with sudden twists, unsuspected microtones, and pauses. This was followed by a quicker "Sakhi manderwa meri" in Bihagda. Notably, her voice did not betray her age.
Vasundhara too chose two allied raags in succession: "Teerath ko sab karen" in Tilakamod proved that she could soak a traditional composition in Kumar Gandharv's unique stylistics. She crossed over to Desh territory with the ease of a veteran in the tarana, pacing it slow to differentiate it from the usual rush of mnemonics. "Why should taranas always be fast? See, there's another feel to it altogether," she explained with a smile. The evening ended with a Meera bhajan in Bhairavi.
The evening offered music highly demanding and robust, with steely taans, and no limpid melodies either to make for easy listening.
Vyasmurthy Katti's harmonium was empathetic to the style he accompanied, varying his music to suit the two singers. Sanjay Deshpande's tabla maintained the restraint necessary for vocal music but emerged strong in support.
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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