Aglow with gamakas
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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Steeped in classicism, Suguna Purushothaman fulfilled the demands of Kedaragowlai at Jaya TV's Marghazhi Maha Utsavam.
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SUGUNA PURUSHOTTHAMAN Photo: R. Shivaji Rao.
After a shaky start with mike troubles in Bilahari, veteran artiste Suguna Purushotthaman settled down with sound kritis. She daringly opted for Kedaragowlai as the main raga in her Marghazhi Maha Utsavam recital presented by Jaya TV at Chettinad Vidyashram. The demands of the raga's high sancharas risked sruti alignment. Initial slips apart, the alapana had a recognisable bani and serious content. The linking of the phrases, and even more the minute anuswaras that lit up every gamaka, could have come only from a mind steeped in classicism.
R. Hemalatha's violin response was strong and moving. B. Ganapathyram made a sharp, significant contribution. `Saragunapalimpa' was paced to miss no beauty, but lively enough to bring off the fast phrases. Swara singing was connected to the last word in the line (`Srinivasa'). The laya underpinnings were a highlight though not obviously so. The violin maintained the same continuity in melody and thought.
The ragamalika linking Nata, Vasanta, Chalaka, Ananda and Sindhu Bhairavis to Bhairavi, Suguna's own composition, captivated by its clever slides and clear raga swaroopa.
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