I had done no homework for the lecture demonstration (atleast I could have made a list of krithis in Bairavai raga), rather I showed up like Bairavi character (ignorance is bliss) in the movie Sindhu Bairavi, while Gayathri Girish had done all the homework to educate the audience on Bairavi.
Usually artist get on the stage with a sruthi box and bunch of papyrus to present a lecture demonstration, but Smt. Gayathri Girish got to the dais with a laptop apart from the regular aids and paraphernalia during her lecture at Indira Nagar Sangeetha Sabha, Bangalore on Jan 26, 2011. So much of research, wisdom and preparation had been condensed into those 20 slides.
The lecture started like a Chemistry lecture where the professor outlines the physical and chemical property of an element. Gayathri started by sketching the antiquity of Bairavi and she sang Kadhalagi Kasindhu from Thevaram in Bairavi, referred to as Kaushikam Pann. This raga was very much in use even before the Musical Trinity handled of this raga.
Here are a few bullets from that slide.
• Atleast 1500 years old raga
• Janyam of 20th Melakartha Natabairavi
• A Major raga and a Bhasanga raga (higher dhaivatam)
• Referred to as Kaushikam Pann in Sangam poetry
•Sung usually in the later hours of the day
Gayathri had also listed a few “suthras” that described the characteristics of Bairavi (bashanga raga, sampoorna raga, swarams, etc.) and in the slides that followed she listed all Sangeetha Granthas that has reference and reverence to Bairavi.
Bairavai raga has undergone a lot of changes over a period of time to where it is today. The shift from use of smaller to bigger dhaivatam has happened over the years and some composers have beautifully used both dhaivatams.
The last stop Gayathri made before she delved deeper into the Bairavi as handled by Music Trinity was Pacchimirium Sree Aadiappiyer’s Viriboni Bairavi varnam in ata talam.
What is so special about this varnam?
Lot of suddha dhaivatam usages is seen in this varnam and this varnam beautifully show cases Dasavidha gamakas - Kampita, sphurita, tripuscha, pratyaahaata, nokku, etrajaru, erakkajaru, odukkal, orikkai, khandippu. All these gamakas on the ppt would not make sense if not explained by rendering the varnam. Gayathri explained and sang every gamakam used in the krithi.
The pallavi of this varnam is loaded with Shringara rasam and in the Anupallavi there is a special reference to beauty of the Mannargudi Sri Rajagopalan (sarasudau daksina dwāraka sāmi śrī rājagōpāla dēva). To learn this varnam visit - http://www.shivkumar.org/music/varnams/index.html and click on Bairavi.
As the last item Gayathri presented was Kshetragna’s Padam – Rama Rama Pranasakhi before she proceeded to the topic of the day.
By then audience had understood the contours, antiquity and the swara prasthanas of this raga and the foundation was laid to build more. Gayathri listed the Krithis of Thyagaraja (18), Muthuswami Dikshithar (7) and Shyama Sastri (3) and analyzed their Bairavi’s based on speed and starting note.
Gayathri presented the krithis in the above table. She sang every krithi to show the kalapramanam (tempo), the starting note and the sthaye. The Trinity has used various talas to deliver the kalapramanams, varying the starting note and sthayis to bring the beauty of the raga.
Here are a few interesting snippets:
1.Thyagaraja has used Bairavi in main krithis, Utsava sampradaya krithis, divyanama krithis, operas like Nauka Charithiram, Prahlada Baktha Vijayam, and kshetra krithis like Lalgudi Pancharatnam.
2.While Muthuswami Dikshithar’s Balagopala is packed with syllables, the lyrical beauty and swaraksharams and gives little room for nereval. Chintayahmam belongs to the category of Panchabootha krithis of Muthuswami Dikshithar and describes the Somaskanda under the Mango tree in Kancheepuram. In the charanam he shows the raga mudra.
3.Shyama Sastri’s Kamakshi swarajathi starts in mandhara sthayi and every charanam starts at the next higher note. While Paravathi Janani krithi begins in mel “Sa” and all charanams are for the same tune.
During the lec-dem Gayathri spent ten whole minutes presenting the magnam opus Bairavi piece of Shyama Sastri – Amba Kamakshi.
1.Krithi starts in the mandhara sthayi
2.All the 8 charanams are in the swaram-sahityam pattern
3.Each Charanam begins at sequential ascending note
4.1st Charanam ends with Pa-Da-Ni-Sa-Ri
5.2nd Charanam ends with Nee-Gaa-ri and the notes bring out the pleading mood in the lyric
6.3rd Charanam – the usage of the madhyamam and also a swaraksharam
7.4th Charanam – brings out the usage of jaaru and the beautiful glide from Sa to Pa
8.5th and 7th Charanam – lyrics bring out the beauty of the swaram – swaraksharam
9.8th – composer mudhra and raga mudhra in the last charanam and there is also an unusual likn from S to G
As the tail end piece of this presentation, Smt. Gayathri Girish showed the influence of Bairavai compositions of Trinity on 19 century composers like Papanasam Sivan in his Thaaye Ezhaipaal krithi, Patnam Subramanya Iyer’s krithi Ni Padhamula and Elaraadaayene, a Javali.
By the end of the 45 mins lecture demonstration (though audience felt it could have been taken for a long 3 hours) Gayathri had packed the lecture with finer research details of the raga as handled by Trinity. Infact she had covered all kinds of compositions – Varnam, Swarajathi, Geetham, Krithis (Kshetra, Utsava, Divyanama, Nauka Charithiram, Parhlada Baktha vijayam), Padam, Javali that were available in Bairavi.
What could be a better way to spend Jan 26 than listening to the compositions of Trinity? Should we call her as Bairavi Gayathri as praised by HK Venkatram who was the Reporteur for the morning session.
Here is a link that you can refer to educate yourself on various compositions in Bairavi - http://www.shivkumar.org/music/manodharma/index.html#bhairavi
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