slokams/viruttams.. and the kritis which follow

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 09 Jan 2009, 18:14

i always wonder..

shouldnt the slokam/viruttam and the kriti which follows have some connection?

if they are to be considered separate entities, then why continue a composition in the same ragam as the one which has finished the viruttam/slokam?

is there some tradition in this as well?

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 09 Jan 2009, 18:19

Well, it's usually an invocation to the same diety who is extolled in the kRti that follows...

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 09 Jan 2009, 22:32

i did think always so..

however, i raised this query only because i have noticed that on some occasions, vidwans sing viruttam on a god and the kriti which follows will be on a totally different deity.

on some occasions, i have heard the pAsuram conclude in a rAgam and the next piece on a different deity and different rAgam, which i m ok with.

however, singing an Azhwar pasuram in rAgamAlikA and singing a tillAnA in the ragam that ended the pAsuram on Lord Muruga. or singing an Ambal slOkam in rAgamAlikA and singing a krishnar kriti in the same rAgam which ended the slOkam.. it does look absurd when somebody does that.

jagan · Post by **jagan** » 10 Jan 2009, 05:43

Bharath,
It is decidedly incongruous.
Also the viruttam and the song that follows are in the same language.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jan 2009, 11:27

Yes, and no. A sanskrit SlOkam followed by a kannaDa song works well for me (as with malayAlam and telugu which have a lot of sanskrit words). Not with a tamizh song or with a song on a different diety.

jagan · Post by **jagan** » 10 Jan 2009, 12:48

I also thought so. But Smt. Jayalakshmi Santhanam once told after a concert that both of them should be in the same language. I bow to that opinion.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jan 2009, 17:20

We are all entitled to our opinions!

erode14 · Post by **erode14** » 10 Jan 2009, 18:46

just like an anupallavi and charaNam should be of the same krithi in which the pallavi is being sung

, the rAgam - deity - language being the same could be more enjoyable and also it will reflect the line, "creativity blossoms from and within a frame just like freedom is enjoyed more by law...

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 10 Jan 2009, 22:02

What a lovely quote, Nagaraj!

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 11 Jan 2009, 02:47

I may be wrong, but in this context of synchronizing the rAgam, deity, and language, I think Ranjani and Gayatri offer some of the most exquisite viruttams to precede kritis - they go as far as to enhance the 'poruttam' of the viruttam even more by ensuring that the sentiment of the viruttam and the kriti are also in concordance. Of course, they do have an advantage in that their father composes some of these gems (I alluded to them as 'designer viruttams' elsewhere, to Prashant's amusement!)