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Carnatica's Layanubhava Vidwan Sri. J. Venkataraman & Vidushi Smt. Suguna Purushottaman |
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On the lines of the popular Raganubhava sessions, Carnatica this month conducted its first session on Layanubhava, the appreciation of the rhytmic aspects of Carnatic music. A week of lessons and lectures in pallavi singing, neraval, laya aspects and manodharma at Carnatica's T. Nagar premises, led by Vidwan Tiruchi Sri. J. Venkataraman and Vidushi Smt. Suguna Purushottaman culminated in a double-header concert session last Monday at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mini Hall in Mylapore. In the first concert Sri. J. Venkataraman, a master of laya and kanakku and disciple of the late Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, enthralled rasikas with a masterly exposition of the mathematical aspects inherent in swara and neraval singing. The concert itself contained just two items, the popular Ganesha invocation k.Rti gajAnanayutam in cakRavAkam and tyAgarAja's nArada muni in kAmavardhani. Sri. Venkataraman, in his typical style interspersed extensive verbal explanations (or theory, as he called it!) with practical demonstration of various permutations and combinations inherent in neraval, swara kalpana, kuraippu, etc. He constantly reiterated that mathematical manodharma, when properly employed, would enhance and embellish a concert without affecting the commonly accepted lakSya & lakSaNa principles. It was a thrilling roller-coaster ride for the audience through the maze of mathematics woven by Sri. Venkataraman. In the second concert, Smt. Suguna Purushottaman once again proved her reputation as a leading exponent of complex laya aspects and rare tALas. Explaining that her intent was to sing a variety of k.Rtis in different tALas, she opened her concert with the popular bhairavi vaRNam viribONi of Paccimiriyam Adiyappa, showcasing the first half with caturashRa naDai in one hand and mishRa naDai on the other. The caraNam was sung in panca naDai. Then she moved on to candram bhaja mAnasa, dIkSitar's vAra k.Rti in asAvEri, set to caturashRa maTya tALam, noting that dIkSitar has composed in all the sULAdi sapta tALams. Then came rAma nI vAdu (kalyANi, tyAgarAja) in Adi tishRa naDai. The next item was tyAgarAja's dAcukOvalena in tOdi, set to mishRa jhampa. It was amazing to watch Smt. Suguna maintaining the rhythm perfectly with both hands, one in mishRa jhampa and the other in Adi, khaNDa naDai. Other highlights of the concert were shyAma shAstRi's sari evvaramma (bhairavi) set to khaNDa jhampa and dIkSitar's lilting shRI vENugOpAla (kuRinji) in khaNDa Ekam. Smt. Suguna Purushottaman and Sri. J. Venkataraman were both supported by Sri. V. L. Kumar (Violin) and Sri. Tanjavur Kumar (Mridangam) -- Inputs from the Carnatica
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