Mridangam Arangetram of Sanjay Chandrasekaran Fremont CA USA

[ramjays2000]

Sarvalaghu Vividha Sukham
It was a Mridangam arangetram with a difference. Even at the end of four and a half hours, both the performers and audience seemed to ask for more. The Sarvalaghu Percussion Art Center's arangetram graduate Sanjay Chandrasekaran was enjoying himself thoroughly and everyone was in a very pleasant and satisfied mood. The performers were Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan (vocal), and Hari Devanath (vocal support), Sri Mullaivasal Chandramouli (violin), the debutant Sri Sanjay Chandrasekharan (mridangam) and Karthik Venkataraman (kanjira).

How did all this happen? Obviously a lot of careful planning, meticulous attention to detail and effort must have gone into the preparations, but more about that later.

As usual, the concert started with a varnam in Bhairavi ragam in Atta thaalam, rendered briskly in two speeds, followed by Vathapi Ganapathim with a liberal dose of swarams. Rama Bhakti in Suddha Bangala accentuated the sowkhyam after the tension of the gripping swaras in Vathapi Ganapathim. After a soulful Pantuvarali alapana, Apparama Bhakti took us to the era of Ariyakudi, and the niraval and swaram sweet in this item again gripped the audience. After a soulful Marivere gathi and a brisk Paridaanam Ichitey in Bilahari, Thodi was manifest in glorious hues reminiscent of the expansive exploratory renditions of nadaswaram vidwans of yore. Here was raaga presented as it was half a century ago in South India. The majestic Karthikeya in Thodi followed with a suite of niraval and swarams at Maal Maruka. The swarams rendered by Sri Neyveli at this point gradually lent themselves to rhythmic interpretation as well and khanda nadai was skillfully presented alternately on the vocal and violin. The swarams came to a climax with a korvai in khanda nadai, followed by the brilliantly structured thani avarthanam. The thani avarthanam was clearly divided into three distinct phases, first in chatusra nadai, then several rounds in tisra nadai, followed by crisp misra nadai culminating in a kuraippu (a rhythmic series of reductions) wherein Sanjay (Mridangam) and Karthik (Kanjira) had some exciting exchanges. Technically, this particular kuraippu is known as misra kuraippu in chatusra nadai, though it started off in patterns wherein the number five was used predominantly. The thani avarthanam finally concluded with mohra and korvai in chatusra nadai, and it whetted the appetite of many in the audience. After a brisk Sarasa Saama Daana in Kapinarayani, suddenly all the performers on stage seemed to realize that they had really lost themselves in exhilaration of having performed so many different and intricate aspects. As a result, Sankarabharanam alapana and thaanam, though they were presented very soulfully, were voluntarily made brief. The pallavi “Kanaka sabesan darishanam kandaal kali theerume” in khanda jaati Triputa thaalam, two kalai, with eduppu one aksharam after the samam was also presented very well with niraval in two speeds, followed by a generous dose of both sarvalaghu swarams, and some rhythmic intricacies.
This set the stage for a really informative and very keenly observed part of the entire concert. The interaction between Sri Neyveli and Sri Sanjay brought up the subject of the various yathis which were to be played by Sri Sanjay during the subsequent (2nd) thani avarthanam. This was thoughtfully supplemented with an illustrative Powerpoint display on the screen behind the performers. Here, the full import of the training received by Sri Sanjay from the Bay Area Mridangam Stalwart Shri Ramesh Srinivasan (Leading Disciple of Mridangam Maestro Sangita Kalanidhi Shri Vellore G. Ramabhadran) was observed. Sanjay clearly demonstrated through his konnakol the various types of yathis that he was to perform. This particular interactive section was very keenly received by the audience, and the subsequent korvai (in all its varieties) presented by Sanjay clearly illustrated the use of all the various yathis (such as shrotovaha yathi, sama yathi, mrudanga yathi, damaruka yathi and gopuccha yathi). After this, Sanjay presented khanda nadai and his thorough training became more and more apparent since he was able to play and say konnakol alternatively in this particular khanda nadai. In fact, in this particular nadai, one could easily discern that Sanjay was both playing the mridangam as well as saying all korvais as konnakol. After this khanda nadai, again Sanjay presented a gripping mohra and korvai to conclude the thani avarthanam.

After the thani avarthanam it was very noteworthy that a great laya vidwan & Mridangam Maestro Dr. Trichy Sankaran of York University came on stage and offered his critical acclaim and blessings to Sanjay. He made special mention about the serious and concerted efforts taken by Ramesh Srinivasan for emphasizing Sarva laghu bhani in playing Mridangam which he said was very much in evidence when sanjay was playing. He also made very pertinent and thought-provoking observations on the subject of Sarvalaghu, including reference to Shri Vellore G. Ramabhadran as the King of Sarvalaghu. The subsequent speaker Cleveland V.V. Sundaram also underscored Sanjay’s thorough preparation for the arangetram. He was full of praise for Guru Shri Ramesh Srinivasan for his efforts in imparting such a vast knowledge to Sanjay in the art of playing Mridangam.

A brief note: even though in all arangetrams, it is customary for everybody to eulogize the hero of the evening, one could easily see that the speakers, the artists from India and the knowledgeable people in the audience were greatly impressed with the approach of Sri Ramesh Srinivasan for providing a full background and thorough and rigorous training to Sanjay. This writer especially feels that rather than memorizing and presenting an abridged version, any method of preparation that enthuses the arangetram graduate to think on his feet and also be able to keenly observe and appreciate the other performers is a very successful method in the long run. Mistakes and occasional slip-ups might happen during an arangetram, (this is but natural to expect, since everyone is human) especially for a young performer who can easily be over-awed by the occasion and the stage, but one could see that in the case of Sanjay, mistakes were minimal, and he was able to recognize that he was tripping up and easily correct himself. It is clear that Sanjay has been prepared for a long-term career in music. I will be failing in my duty if I do not compliment all the three other performers, Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan, Sri Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli and Sri Karthik Venkatraman, who did not compromise on their standards just because this happened to be an arangetram. Clearly they held their own, as well as enthused Sanjay to be at his alert best and enjoy every stroke and syllable that he played. My best wishes to Sri Ramesh Srinivasan and Sanjay. I sincerely look forward to such arangetrams with a difference.

[rajeshnat]

Nice to see that there are atleast two tanis for the aRangEtram, more like anthakAlathu aRanGetram. Best wishes to the second generation of nAda badran.

[tkb]

congrats to Sri Sanjay Chandrasekharan.

[anandg70]

It was an excellent arangetram/concert and a job well done by Sanjay. My sincere wishes and hope that Sanjay reaches greater heights by continuing this musical art form. Regards