A Master In the Make

I haven't heard Saketharaman in over two years, but that hasn't impacted his singing. Like clouds that are capable of filling the lakes of Chennai and his music has potent capability to fill the auditorium with rasikas and breach their hearts. Unfortunately, I was late for his concert themed Navarasam at 2015 Markazhi Maha Utsavam. 

As I got off the car, I heard a familiar nasal voice essaying Saranga with bakthi and bhava. By the time I settled in my seat, Saketharaman forayed into the Saranga raga krithi, Neevaadanegana. His powerful voice and briga loaded singing reminds me of two doyens, GN Balasubramaniam and Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman. Both stalwarts employed appropriate brigas without going over board, and bringing out the bhava in the lyrics and rasa in the raga doing full justice to composer. 


His rendition of Yeppadi manam of Arunachala Kavirayar effusing of karunarasam made audience sway their heads is proof of what his music can do listeners. The maturity with which he handled the charana saahityam "Karumbu muritaarpole" showed his maturity to bring together the artha bhava and raga bhava. Shortly, the little master brought out the ananda rasam through the Mohana raga krithi, Narayana Divya Namam transporting listeners to Vaikuntam. He concluded the evening with an appropriate Virutham Saayam Kaaley followed by a Devarnama, Yadavaraya in Chenchu Kamboji that reminded me of the impeccable rendition by Late Smt. M.L.Vasanthakumari. 

There was a time when senior vidwans like Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Mannargudi Easwaran accompanied youngsters to encourage the budding talent. But now Saketharaman has duly earned the status of having stalwarts accompany him. And today, his manodharmam and rendition style closely resembles that of GNB and Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman.


If only Saketharaman can work on two output qualities, namely, avoid nasal singing and leave the swaying to rasikas (artist swaying from the mike produce a jarring effect from uneven sound output), his concerts are sure to be devagaanam and audience will follow him like his tanpura from venue to venue.

Carnatic Music ‘s Tendulkar in the make

Artist: Saketharaman S
Venue: Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha
Date: Dec 17, 2010

Is there a better way to start a match than with a boundary? Sakethraman started the concert with a sketch of Saveri and moved on Sarasuda varnam to warm up the audience and his throat. His next krithi Kannathandri Naapai in Devamanohari reminded me of Barathratna MSS impeccable rendition. This krithis also reminds me of Adi Shankara’s Bhaja Gonvindam where he regrets his slow spiritual progress and wandering senses.

1. Varnam – Sarasuda – Patnam Subramanya Iyer
2. Kannathandri naapai – Devamanohari – Thyagaraja (A,S)
3. Thodi – Rajuvedala Joothamurari - Thyagaraja
4. Brindavana Saranga – Soundararajam Aashraye – Muthuswami Dikshithar (A, S)
5. Paramapurusham – Lalithapanchamam – Swati Thirunaal
6. Kambodhi – O Rangasayee – Thyagaraja (A, N,S,T)
7. Virutham – Ragamalika –
8. Yenna solli azhaithal – Kanada – Ambujam Krishna
9. Yeppovaruvaro – Jonpuri – Gopalakrishna Barathi
10. Thillana – Madhuvanthi – Lalgudi Jayaraman
11. Mangalam

Being Vaikunta Ekadesi most of the songs were on trip to some beautiful temples – Sri Rangam, Nagapattinam and Chidambaram.

Saketharaman presented another gem of Thyagaraja – Raju Vedala in Thodi. After a flash of Thodi he started the kriti “Ranga Raju veda” in praise of Sri Ranganathan. Thyagaraja describes the beauty of Kasturirangan’s procession on a horseback adorned with gems. When singing the charanam “kaaveri teeramunanu paavanamagu ranga purini” Saketh does it slow, soft, and with a jive and dive adding more beauty to the lines. Artists need lot homework to understand the context of the krithi, internalize the lyrics and delivered with artistically, Saketh presentation was as fragrant as “Kasturi”.

Can there be Markazhi without Brindavana Saranaga? The Vedam parayanam group always goes before the Perumal procession, similarly a chaste, fresh and bakthi loaded raga alapana of Brindavana Saranga was followed by Dikshithar’s Soundararajam Aashraye, a krithi in praise of perumal at Nagapattinam. While Saketh’s vocal chords was gradually ascending and descending the notes with melody, swaras were sung beautifully without altering the kalapramanam of the krithi. His diehard fans were shaking their hands and heads in appreciation his delivery and discipline. Tirvarur Bakthavatsalam on the Mridhangam and Ghatam also played soft and slow to make the entire recital pramadham. Nagai Sriram on the violin was so so!

To keep tempo of the concert Saketh picked up Swati Thirunaal’s Paramapurusham, a beautiful madhyamakala krithi. Raga Lalitha used by Dikshithar and others don’t use panchamam, but however Swati Thirunaal used “Pa” and hence it is called Lalitha Panchamam. The other Lalitha Panchamam moment in the concert was when Senior artist Bombay Jayashree walked in with her students. It is rare to see artist attend kutcherys of other artist and it even a rare occurrence to see them attend junior artists along with their students. BJ, thanks for bringing a new breeze in the politically smelling Carnatic music field. Hope this brings a change in attitude in the minds of the next generation.

The next alapana put the question out, is it Manam kavar or Manam kamazh Kambodhi? To see BJ’s head shake and approve Saketh’s rendition was heartwarming. Saketh proved it was both.

The O moment of the concert happened when Saketh started O Rangasayee and TM Krishan walked in. It was Oh Rangasayee than just O Rangasayee. While Saketh was rendering the kriti, Tirvarur Bakthavatsalam stopped playing the mridhangam to welcome TMK and offered him the front row seat. To stop in the middle of the song to welcome a rasika is not stage discipline. He could have welcomed him post the kriti. It disturbs the concentration of the main artist. Well may be that is the price one pays to have a super senior pakkavadhyam. It got worse when mridhangam and TMK started to engage in a mini concert with besh, bale, sabash! I was wondering who is singing now, it is the person on the stage or the person in the front row!

As a result the usually 15min thani turns out to be a 25 mins session. TMK is a distraction on both sides of the stage! Nereval at Bhoolaka Vaikuntam was done very softly and subtly embellished the rendition more. Kalapanaswaram were delectable. But still Brindavana Saranga was the highlight of the day!

While Carnatic perumal (TMK) made his pravesham here, within half hour Thayar (Sangeetha Krishna) also makes her visit, making it a star studded evening.

A Mama Special: I get a sms from the friend attending a performance in Music Academy this evening. The text read , “Nayagan Nayakikul pravaesithan”, I was shocked and re-read the sms twice. My mama friend in the meantime came to my rescue and clarified that he meant TNS was singing Nayaki. Nayaki can be dangerous even without Darbar!

A beautiful thamizh virutham in Ragamalika took us again to Sri Rangam.
Ooriley kaani illai, uravu matroruvar illai
Paariley nin paadha moolam patrinen parama murthy
Kaaroli vannaney kannaney kadharukindren
Arangama nagar ullaney
The virutham was followed by Ambujam Krishna Yenna Solli Azhaithal in Kanada. The last few songs were quick and popular numbers. Madhuvanthi Thillana and the ever green melody Yeppo varuvaro was a delight to hear.

Sore points:
1. Sri Parthasarathy Swami is the oldest sabha and has the crappiest of music system. It is time they find a better hall with decent acoustics, otherwise there is no point in brining the best of musicians.
2. If musicians feel offended when Rasikas walk out during Thaniavarthan, rasikas feel offended when musicians who come to attend the concert distract the artist on stage and try to steal their limelight.
3. Having a senior musician as accompanists can be a pain.
4. Markazhi is the only time we sing and hear Tirupaavi and Saketh should have presented a Thirupaavi.

High points:
1. The best Brindavana Saranga I have heard in the season so far and Kambodhi definitely had strokes of brilliance.
2. When I walked out of the hall I had a happy feeling that Carnatic Music’s Tendulkar is in the make. Saketharaman, is calm and composed and displays brilliance at many time with his strokes. He sings with an attitude that I am here for long and I am willing to work hard with discipline.
3. I heard Saketharaman 3 months back and when I hear him today I can see that a lot of preparation and hard work gone into his music. He has raised the bar and exceed again. I need to give him two hundred points for not taking even a centimeter of paper with him to the stage. Definitely today’s youngsters are putting senior vidwans to shame with their dedication and discipline. Senior may have vidwat and knowledge, but they lack basic discipline and stage manners.

Oothukadu Festival - October 2, 2010, Chennai

Saketharaman opened the concert with a short and impressive sketch of Sri Ranjani. Like the Gopis watching little Krishna climb on top of Kalinga and control the multi-headed snake with a beat and gait, the mesmerised audience watched the little genious ascend and descend the notes of Sri Ranjani, while aptly stressing the "Ni dha" notes in Sri Ranjani reminding us of the Sharanagathi tatwa. He presented Neethan Mecchi Kollavendum, pausing and stressing the right words to bring the rich bhavam in the lyrics. But unlike what was said in lyrics "nimisham povathu yugamaai aaguthu" the beautiful song sadly ended in a few minutes.

What can be a better mood-enhancer for the evening than Hamsanadham? Like the sound that emanates from the Panchajanyam driving away evil, fear and boredom, Hamsanadham brought cheer, excitement and enthralled the audience. Oothukadu's next gem, Kalayanarama, narrating the wedding scene of Lord Rama and Sita. We live in an age where celebrity weddings are telecasted and narrated, but Oothukadu's sahityam narrated a wedding that happened in a different yuga. This kriti is a treat to all sensory organs. Those were the days of no "breaking news" and OVS (Oothukadu Venkatasubbaiyer) starts with the smell of the perfume and goes all the way describing the important sages and rishi's who've come to bless the couple. ASI, Supreme court and Allahabad High Court can argue the janmasthan and history of Rama, but this one song is a testimony to "Janakaja manohara raghurama's" existence. No further arguments or appeals! FYI: OVS composed this song in praise of Vaduvoor Ramar.

It is art and a science to pick up a ragam like Neelambari, manuver through the crests, troughs and sing to the right amplitude without letting the audience head completely fall to the left or right. Mani Noopuradhari was meticulously and melodiously describing the beauty of Mannargudi Sri Rajagopalan. For those of you who've seen him person, you will recollect his visual appeal and charm, but for the rest the lyrics will do so. Description of gems that adorn him, intricate work on his makutam, the color of his ravishing skin, the fragrance of sandalwood, perfumes, herbs and flowers, surrounded by cows and finally being a treasure of compassion. Saketharaman made sure that he didn't wake up the sleeping Santhanakrishna near the Rajagopalan. Enrapture is the verdict on this kriti!

Can Krishna charithiram ever be sung without a Thodi? That is like Gokulashtami without butter! Muthuswamy Dikshithar, a Devi Upasaka sang Sri Krishnam Bhaja in Thodi in praise of Sri Guruvayoorappan. Todi is a sampoorana ragam and so is Krishna! It was Venugana ramana that kept the audience under a mystical spell and completely put the mosquitoes to sleep. Nereval at Karunya komala shyamala nayana was delectable. Saketharaman proved that Venugaanam can be done without a flute. 500 judges shook their heads in soulful satisfaction and gave an arousing verdict without accepting a single pie! Isn't this amazing India of another kind?

I couldn't sit through the concert due to some personal commitment, but Saketharaman's soulful, open-throated, gimmick-less singing is a treat to hear and watch. Saketharaman made full justice to the composer and his guru. If you have not heard him hear him this December season, he is a promising star in the Carnatic world. Most of the musicians are either big in their ego/sariram or both, but this little boy at the center sits like a utsava murthy and gives immense visibility and room for the accompanist to contribute.Let us attend and encourage such young and talented musicians to live like the Trinities and not use Carnatic Music like ATM machines.