Carnatica's Rasika Forum

Concert of TNS at carnatica Bharath sangeethotsav- 31.10.2008

Muppernndheviyar ulaa

Sangithkalanidhi Madurai TNSeshagopalan was accompanied by Sangitakalanidhi MChandasekhar on the violin and Mnnargudi Esvaran on mridhangam which itself would speak volumes about the general calibre of the concert. B. Sundar kumar was on Kanjira and TNS Krishna gave vocal support.

TNS started the concert with ‘saraseeruhasanapriye,’ in Nattai, a composition of Puliyur Doraiswami Ayyar, and the rendering of it with the svara prasthra, the rasikas were lifted up in the air, as in a jet, right from the beginning to stay there till the end. Next was the sree raga alapana and as expected it was ‘Srivaralakshmeem,’ of Dikshithar. TNS sang svaras after the end at the pallavi in different nadais, which was ably replied by Sri Esvaran.

What followed next was the star of the evening which can be coupled only with the kambodhi that came in the end. The raga alapana was fantastic with the usual grahabhedha, . hamsanandi from TNS always being the delight of the rasikas, and the song was ‘pahi jagajjanani,’ of Swathithirunal. The svara was sung at ‘sarasahrdhanilaye,’ which means the one who is seated on lotus, meaning Lakshmi and the svaras were real hamsanandi, joy of a swan on a lotus. The rasikas could hear the hamsakoojitha as well as the hamsagathi, through the svaras. The interaction between TNS and Sri Esvaran was something extraordinary.

The scene suddenly and wonderfully changed when TNS next sang .’brovavamma,’ in mnaji by Shyama sasthri. It would have brought tears to the rasikas who knew this song and understood the meaning and loved it. What a bhava! Especially at the lines ‘devi thaaLalenE’ and ‘neeve anaadharaNa chesithE amba nirvahimpa tharamaa,,’ the rasikas would have felt that Shyamasasthri must have sung it exactly in this manner. The bhava cannot be described. It should be heard to be believed. The line ‘nee samana deiva,’ TNS portrayed the height at which Shyamasasthri had placed Kamakshi, saying that there is no deity equal to you.

After the dikshithar krithi ‘santhaanamanjari in the raga santhanamanjari, TNS sang the raga kambodhi elaborately. If the hamsanandi was ‘hamsanaadha,’ this was a simha nadha with full grandeur. This showed the mastery in lasya, which was hamsanandi as well as in thandava that was kambhodhi. The song was devi neepadha of Shyamasasthri. In the svara prasthara at anupallavi ‘sreevelayu madhuranelakonna,’ with MC, Esvaran together with TNS it was a fanfare.

Next was the ashtapadi ‘pravisaraadhe,’ in sivaranjani which was relished by this rasika who had not heard it for a longtime. TNS sang a Krishnkarnamrtha sloka in the beginning with delineation of beautiful sivsranjani and MC played the raga in a delightful manner.

The concert ended with the song of Bharathiar, ‘thedi unnai charan adaindhEn,’ and the sampradhay mangalam.

.