MY FESTIVAL -- LALGUDI JAYARAMAN
Concerts that have left an imprint
In 1948, at an Academy morning conference, I sat through a discussion on raga lakshanas — the contours a raga could take, its permissible phrases. On occasions, discussions got animated and I watched open-mouthed as people got worked up on the nuances of a raga!
Memorable concerts? There are many.
Those days, during my visits to the city, I stayed at Saidapet. Keen on listening to T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai, I packed my dinner and boarded the bus for Mylapore. At 9 p.m. TNR began his kutcheri. That was the first time I heard him in person.
As he piped one phrase after the other, he cast a spell on me. The performance got over around midnight. In those days buses were scarce. I was wondering how to get back when Vidwan B. Rajam Iyer, then a resident of Mylapore, invited me to spend the night at his house.
In 1954, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan performed at the Academy. Unforgettable is the dexterity with which Khan Saheb traversed three octaves and the ease with which he indulged in srutibhedam.
Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer decided to demonstrate a pallavi in the 128-beat Simhanandana tala.
I was requested only the previous evening, by the Academy officials, to accompany him.
I was also told that many violinists, given the difficulty of the task, had refused to play. It was indeed a glittering galaxy of vidwans that made up the sadas that day — Semmangudi, GNB, Madurai Mani, Alathur Brothers, Chembai, Tiruveezhimizhalai Subramania Pillai ... If the tala was formidable, the assembly was no less imposing. It is a different matter that I emerged successful.
In 1958, my first solo performance took place in December in George Town during the Ayyapa utsavam. I played along with my sister Srimathi.
The audience response was over-whelming and young as I was, the encouragement enthused me to perform with greater verve.
In 1962, I played at the Academy with two mridangists — the redoubtable Palghat Mani Iyer and his son Rajamani.
The audience appreciation was such that we, as a team, performed 30 such concerts that year.
I played on December 31, 1967, at the Tamil Isai Sangam. When I returned home at about one a.m. I was quite surprised to see people singing and dancing on the roads welcoming the New Year! It was a new experience for me.
(As told to Lakshmi Devnath)
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