The month of Aadi offers different kinds of therapy based on individual interests and inclination. For people with religious interests, temples with women goddesses turn into an attraction point, while for those inclined towards retail therapy, major brands and stores lure them with good discounts. Surprisingly, this Aadi also brought with it some Carnatic Music to the city that ended its dry and hot season a month ago. Brahma Gana Sabha and PS Institute of Art, Music & Culture came together to host this year's Aadi Isai Vizha at Dakshinamurthy Auditorium at PS High School on RK Mutt Road, Mylapore.
With good spread of programs and choices, Chennai residents had another good reason to give miss to temples, shops and sabhas on that Aadi Friday and instead head over to catch the first day first show of Kabali staring Rajnikanth, a matinee idol from 1970s. When I learnt that my evening call was moved to Monday, I decided to celebrate my weekend at Dakshinamurthy Auditorium listening to a woman octogenarian vocalist from Bangalore.
It is rare to find vocalists who perform in their 80s and to find them in good vocal health is even more rare. A few years ago Parasala Ponnammal, a doyen from Kerala, God's own country stopped performing as her health didn't permit her to sing for 2.5 hours. Today, the only two vocalists who still perform and can draw a full house at their concerts are Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. Vedavalli and Sangita Kala Acharya Smt. Neela Ramgopal. Both these vocalists have earned their titles and laurels and the music they produce today is for the sake of art and not for money or fame. But, how many of us as listeners realize the value of music and set aside our prejudices about artists, their age and lineage to hear blissful music?
With many women in their early 50s complaining of knee pain and unable to sit crossed legged on the floor, Neela Ramgopal sat in cross legged position for 135 mins giving a wonderful manodharma sangitam. I've heard over 15 of her concerts at various venues in Chennai and Bangalore and I must admit that she rarely repeats songs and always educates and delights her audience with rare songs from various composers. When I left home that evening I knew it was going to be an educative evening, which began with Avvaiyar's Vinayakar Agaval and ended with a Purandara Dasar Nama.
1. Paalum theli thenum - Kalyani - Vinayakar Agaval - Avvaiyar
2. Neeve gathi yani - Kalyani - Varnam -Shyama Sastri
3. Muruga thirumaal maruga - Harikamboji - Thanjavur Sankara Iyer Nereval at Karunai kadale unnai kanavum piriyen
4. Panchashat Peeta - Devagandhari - Dikshithar
5. Chenthane Sadha - Kuntalvarali - Thyagaraja
6. Mamava Karunaya -Shanmukhapriya - Swati Thirunaal
7. Neeraja Sama - Jayanthasree - Oothukaadu Kavi
8. Ragam and Thanam - Bahudari.
Pallavi: Kandanadi avan yenakku sondhamadi; Valli Manalanadi (2-kalai Aadi Talam to sync up with the appropriate Tamil month). Swaras in Bahudari, Amruthavarshini, Nalinakanthi and came back in reverse order.
9. Apaduruku - Khamas - Javali
10. Kannada Virutham in Sindhubairavi followed by Tirupathi Venkataramana - Purundaradasar
11. Thillana
If you look at the above list, all of the ragas are popular, while the songs are rarely heard in today's concert platform. It would be an interesting exercise to draw up a list of songs for the above ragas for a popular musician from Chennai, who often repeats them. May be this is one other reason why one must hear musicians who come from outside of Chennai and who have a different repertoire.
Neela Mami's concert that evening was also an educative session for both non-percussionist and percussionist. Since some of the songs were new to them, they had to play watchfully and couldn't let their enthusiasm get ahead of the vocalist. Neela Mami understood the gaps in their learning and gave them appropriate cues to make it a team performance.
While media and friends were belaboring over the hype behind Kabali and its let down on print and social media, I was still lost in the tranquilizing music from the previous evening. Baradwaj Rangan, a cinema critic from the Hindu even hosted a video chat session discussing if it was a Rajinikanth movie or P. Ranjith movie and how the actor and director compromised their brand of cinema. While Rajinikanth and Ranjith may let you down, but never the great composers of Carnatic Music and Neela Mami with her wide repertoire. Art for the sake of money, fame, and idol status is ephemeral and different from art for the sake of art. It is easy to be popular, but difficult to be popular, yet rare!
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