Music from God’s own country

To hear some musicians sing is like going to a temple. Their music is simple, sweet, divine, and slow, makes you introspect, cleanses your soul and leaves you in a meditative state that last for hours after the concert. Call is anesthetic or cathartic!

Parasala Ponnammal (PP) and Sreevalsan Menon’s (SM) concert fall in this category of “sowkhiyamana and sowbhagyamana sangeetham”.

I was 25 minutes late for both concerts while trying to avail the valet parking facility at Music Academy.
1.Varnam – Andolika – GNB
2.Marive – Lathangi – Patnam Subramanya Iyer
3.Subramanyena (Ragam, nereval, swaram) – Suddhadhanyasi – Dikshithar
4.Jankiramana (Kalapanaswarams) – Suddhaseemanthini – Thyagaraja
5.Keeravani (Ragam, neveral, swaram and thani) – Bhavaye Sarasanabham – Swati Tirunaal
6.Padharavindhame aadharamey – Hindolavasantham - Ambujam Krishna
7.Parulanna maata – Javali – Kapi
8.Ilatalir Shayana – Punnagavarali
9.Kinkini nadham kaadhil olikuthey – Sindhubairavi – ?

PP to sit on that stage and give a performance for 150 mins at that age (80+) is quite a task. Her voice and Shruthi was not at the best, but still she managed to captivate the audience. There is so much of bakthi, tradition, aesthetics, and chasteness in her music. Musicians must attend performances to learn nereval and kalpanaswarams singing techniques. Kinkini nadham in Sindubairavi was one of the highlights of the concert and it kept people stuck to their chairs. And 3 days later my lips murmur the lines and the chaste Sindubairavi still keeps ringing in my ears. There is always an opportunity for learning new krithis and grasp the display of classicism for all kinds of listeners – novice, intermediate and advanced. Musicians can use PP’s music to stack rank their quality of music.

Akkarai Subhalakshmi – akkaraiyana vasippu! She was following the steps of grandma (PP) most of the times, but at times decided to go on her own and clear the way for grandma to walk.

PP has been performing at Music Academy (MA) only in the past 5 years, where was she all this while? I went a Trivandrum to hear her at Navarathri Mandapam. Why did it take MA so many years to discover this gem? Hearing PP every time is bonus music miles added to the life of a rasika.

Sreevalsan Menon:
We may have forgotten Neyyattinkara Vasudevan (NV), but he has left behind a few students who are upholding the tradition of divine music from God’s own country. This divine music grows on you like a vine and gets intoxicating like wine. I have not had a chance to hear NV, and decided to step inside Academy to hear that “Deva gaanam”. Thanks to Music Academy for discovering SM early unlike PP.

Sreevalsan Menon (SM) is blessed with a sweet and bold voice. More importantly he doesn’t imitate (there is no need) or does his voice resemble other popular singers from Kerala. SM exploited and explored the strengths of his voice to bring out the lyrical clarity while rendering songs. Unnikrishnan comes from the same land, but his voice is totally nasal and lyrical clarity is awful.

When the doors of Music Academy finally opened it was his Anandabairavi that invited me to my seat. Thyagaraja yoga vaibhavam was rendered with classicism and perfection. Dikshithar has structured the pallavi in gOpucca (cow's tail) yati, tapering at the end. The madhyama kaalam charanam consists of a phrase that is repeatedly extended, from "swa prakaasham" to "swaroopa prakaasham" and so on, called shrOtovaaha (estuary, river), going from narrow to wide. To hear SM execute this with perfection and without a hurry was a aural treat!

The next item was Todi, the most often presented raga of the season. SM’s uncovering of Thodi was methodical, gimmickless and gesticulation free. Music came from his Nabhi and definitely not from throwing the hands around, or showcasing contorted facial expression with flamboyance like other popular musicians in Chennai. The music and musician was pleasant. Sadly Chennai rasikas fall a prey to gimmicks, gesticulation and abhangs!

Another appreciable quality in SMs music is gradual showcase of elements of classicism than overloading upfront or all in one krithi. His choice of swara exercise for a few krithis, nereval for one was planned meticulously to ensure that his music didn’t reach the limits of cloying nor killed the lyrical beauty.

1.Varnam – Asaveri
2.Vasudevayani – Kalyani - Dikshithar
3.Ananda bairavi (R, S) – Thyagaraja yoga vaibhavam - Dikshithar
4.Thodi (R,S) – Mandhara dara sundara dhara – Swati Tirunaal
5.Ranidhi radhu – Manirangu - Thyagaraja
6.Naataikurunji (R,N,S) – Maayamma brovavamma nannu
7.RTP – Poorvikalyani – Misra chapu – Narada gana lola nathajana paripala (Swarams – Poorvikalyani, Sama, Jog, Saveri.
8.Mangalam - Madhyamavathi

It was close to 8 pm when Naataikurunji was taken for alapana and by the time thani avarthanam was done the LCD display (2 per wall) was 5mins away from 9. I was worried and wondering if SM could fit an RTP in 35 mins? What seemed like a test match all this while suddenly turned into a T20, and SM did a quick sketch of Poorvikalyani and thanam exercise in all three sthayis and lack of time didn’t give him much opportunity to complete the nereval workout. Swarams in Poorvikalyani, Sama, Jog and Saveri was delectable. A little more planning could have helped.

On a wednesday evening 200 of us walked out of the hall that could accommodate 1000+. Doesn’t matter if there are 5 or 5000 in the hall Sreevalsan Menon has earned the blessings of the ragadevatas, composers, almighty that evening. Why are there not many takers for such devout music? How do they create such a mood that last like anesthesia? Is it natural trait or an acquired skill? Secrets have to be discovered.

I decided to draw the list of attributes of their music that communicated with my soul - bold voice, crystal clear diction, clutterfree and methodical raga elaboration, and arithmetical approach to kalpanaswarams, and gimmick free singing. Grace comes to a few and like prasadam is shared only with a very few, hope you will watch out for their performances. It is blessed music and it comes from God’s own country.