Many years ago the famous Carnatic music critic Subuddu was asked whose music would he would listen to if he were ever stranded in an Island. His candid answer to the question was Smt. Sudha Ragunathan. Though I'm not comparing myself with Subuddu, but if I were asked a similar question tweaking to today's situation ( For ex: Nov 23, 2015 traffic snarl) without a wink I would say Sangeetha Swaminathan.
I have never heard Sangeetha live, but listening to her music on my iPad, Desi Radio app, I felt she came across as a sincere performer with depth, maturity and more importantly she had brilliantly internalized her guru's style, Smt. Sudha Raghunathan. And for those of you who are missing Sudha's concerts this Markazhi, cancelled due to medical issues, you can definitely bank on Sangeetha to fill that void. Sangeetha sounds like Sudha's replica from 20 years ago, when the entire MLV school of music was left on her shoulders to be carried forward.
Finally, I heard Sangeetha live at Charsur's Arts Foundation, where she deftly and diligently handled 4 of 72 melakartas bringing out unheard compositions and educating listeners. As I was getting ready for her concert, a septuagenarian and mother of a popular musician dissuaded me from going there. Her line of defense was that concerts focusing only on the 72 melakartas can be a tedious listening experience. Nevertheless, I made it!
From the go would not be the right usage for a Carnatic music concert, so let's say from the strum of the tanpura shruthi, Sangeetha breath was brimming with music. She began the evening with a Chelini Kori varnam in Gowlai (melakarta # ) that set the mood and also raised the expectations of audience. She beautifully presented Gaanamutham, a composition of Kotieshwara Iyer in Salagam (melakarta #37 ). It would not be a exaggeration if I said Sangeetha's music is Gaananutham.
Taking up rarely heard melakarta ragas for enunciation is not easy task for the artist since they will have to strike balance between educating and entertaining listeners. Sangeetha sketched a beautiful outline of Devakriya raga aka Suddha Saveri before taking up the rarely heard Sandhya Devim Saavithri, a composition of Dikshithar. The long and not so easily pronounceable Sanskrit phrases in the song set to Devakriya raga made the nereval exercise at Guptatara marga as difficult as the ascend to K2. This ascend not only needs skill, maturity but also blessings of the lord of the mountain, namely, the composer. Sangeetha's music seems to have that in abundance.
While listeners were mentally gasping, Sangeetha took up Thavar Izhaipadhu Yen Iyalpandro in Ragavardhini (melakarta #32) with humility and sincerity. Kalpanaswarams at Devar Sirai Meeta was captivating and proved her musical lineage.
Just as I was thinking how could a concert be complete without Thyagaraja's composition, Sangeetha sketched a crisp Bilhari followed by Intakann aanandamemi o Rama making us feel Intakaan aanandamemi o Sangeetha!
With cricket matches and Carnatic concerts shrinking to shorter formats, musicians and players rarely get opportunity to exhibit their talent and showmanship. Despite having only 45 minutes at her disposal, Sangeetha essayed Dharmavathi (melakarta # 59) displaying length and breadth of the raga and without repetition of the phrases during execution of Thanam and Pallavi.
The Pallavi - Krishnam Mukundam Bhagavantham Hridi Bhajami, Brindavana Sthambam Sukumaaram was both presented in Darmavathi and Maand, which was followed up with kalpanaswarams in Dharmavathi, Sahana, Nagaswarali, Maand showcasing the mastery of her parampara in manodharma sangeetham.
While I left the concert humming Sangeetha's concluding Hamir Kalyani thillana, I was asking myself, why do the current crop of musicians like Sudha, Sanjay, TM Krishna, etc. despite having successful students don't use them as vocal support? Is the usage vocal supports considered demeaning to the stature of the musician? Are vocal supports categorized alongside hearing aids, reading glasses, and walking sticks? But didn't seem to be the case with Sudha, who accompanied her guru for many years before becoming a torch bearer of MLV baani. Or is it simply because their bloated egos and insecurity that still prefer thaniavarthanam? It takes a lot of thinking and magnanimity to write a will and appoint their torch bearers just as it takes a lot of honesty to comes to terms with what one doesn't know. So, don't refrain from finding out what you don't know from attending series like the ongoing one on Melakarta.
All said and done, Sangeetha should not be seen as substitute for Sudha, but as an able torch bearer for the GNB, MLV and Sudha parampara. Despite her vidwat, Sangeetha hasn't been duly recognized with awards or titles by the Sabhas that mushroom by the dozen every Markazhi in the city. But that doesn't to have any bearing on her music. Is it because she is a resident of California and not part of these frogs that fight and croak in Mylapore wells? If Subuddu was around, he would have definitely said, "Good bye Sudha, Welcome Sangeetha!"
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