Pallavi lec-dem:Vidushi Suguna Purushottaman Bay Area May22

[rsankar]

Lecture Demonstration on Ragam Tanam Pallavi
Vidushi Suguna Purushottaman
Violin: Smt. Anuradha Sridhar
Mrudangam: Shri Shriram Brahmanandam

It was a great learning for me hearing Suguna Mami explain the nuances and mathematical beauty of pallavi singing with gentle humor sprinkled throughout. It was a lec-dem aimed at both a beginner rasika as also an advanced music student.

The first 15 minutes was a lecture followed by about an hour of demonstration. Mami started by giving a brief review of known instances of pallavi singing in history by aptly describing the story of Sri Shyama Sastri and Bobbili Keshavaiyya and the two talas Simhanandana (128 akshras) and Sharabhanandana(79 aksharas). Mami explained that even though 79 is less than 128, the tala being an odd number indivisible by 4 or 8 was the reason it was so hard to maintain. Indeed the magic of odd numbers and more so prime numbers is as enchanting for musicians as it is for mathematicians. Mami then went on to explain all the angas of a talam particularly the rare angas like plutam, kakapadam etc., and the angas of a pallavi line. She then took some very famous pallavi lines like Parimala rangapate, Maal Maruganai Muruganai, etc to show what the angas were. She then explained how the pallavi structure is set. It was just amazing to see how she found numerous ways to divide big numbers into diffenrent sums so as to ascribe different talas to the same pallavi count, while keeping the ardhi location (mid-point of the pallavi line) constant.

Then she started her demonstration by singing a few pallavi lines with raga mudra in Lathangi, Mohanam, and Bhairavi in different talams of different nadais (don't remember now).
She stressed on the importance of bhava in pallavi singing by picking a pallavi composed by Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman in Bhairavi. The pallavi goes "Kadiakann vaithu ennai aal amma.."( meaning - with your side-glance (of kindness) O mother protect me). She showed how "aal amma" if sung as 3-3-3 would make it sound as threatening to Devi, if however sung as 5-4 smoothly it could sound very respectful! Personally I think bhava in renditions (both rasa in raga alapana and sahitya-bhava) is a vanishing philosophy in carnatic music even in kriti neravals and raga alapanas. To see mami infuse bhava even in pallavi that is otherwise known to be a more mathematical excercise was just enlightening. And don't get me wrong mami didn't sacrifice any mathematics or bhriga or gamakas or anything we tend to sometimes value more over sowkhyam and bhava.

Mami sang a pallavi in Todi in Mishra nadai while putting talam with both hands--- one hand putting only once in 14 aksharas while one putting the takita taka dhimi to show the audience that she was getting the talam correct. I could enjoy the pallavi a million times better seeing the talam, unlike what I usually see (no talam being put only hands being waved in gesticulation) in most kutcheris I go to. Don't get me wrong, I am all for artists losing themselves to the raga and waving, gesticulating etc, but putting talams sometimes (specially during pallavis ) could be more enjoyable to some folks like me.

Then mami demonstrated a raga-tala-malika. The pallavi line was : Vani Saraswati Sriranjani Sridevi Samapriye Bhairavi. It started of in Keeravani with Tisra gati Adi talam (48 matras(aksharas?)) and after a few rounds she seamlessly moved into talas 4-kalai tisra rupakam (8*6=48) , chatushra ata (12 per avartana) and sankeerna Jhampai (9+3=12) that too at the ardhi not at the samam!.. While doing so she also changed ragas to sriranjani, sama and sri (not in the same order...) It was a spectacular sight. She was well supported on the violin and the mridangam who also brought out the mathematical nuances to the audience.

In addition mami explained how neraval singing is different for pallavis and kritis, demonstrated a tri-kalam in mishra nadai, and a flavour for sankeerna nadai. All this was interspersed with humorous stories from the yesteryears and mami's experiences with her stalwart gurus. The ragas chosen were, Todi, Kharaharapriya, Dhanyasi, Bhairavi, kamboji, etc. Overall this was just a heavenly experience.

I wish we get to see some of these grand aspects of pallavi singing in concerts by current artists. I for one, long for a bhava-laden full blown pallavi in 4-kalai or mishra/sankeerna nadi with anulomam, pratilomam etc and would be happy if the current artists didn't spend so much time doing elaborate ragamalika swarams (5, 10 , 20...!), or sing thematic raga tana malikas and such. Oh! and pick a raga worth a pallavi that is not hamirkalyani, sivaranjani and such

[mahesh3]

does smt suguna purushottaman have any other concerts in america? any in the east coast?

[ramakriya]

It was a very nice lec-dem - unfortunately I'd to leave midway Good to see the details.

@rshankar Didn't know you were among the audience!

(Rasikas: Please excuse me for this public messaging)

[rshankar]

@rshankar Didn't know you were among the audience

Ramakriya, I wish! I too did a double take at the OP name, but it is rsankar...a single letter that introduces the geographical breadth of this country between us!

[vasanthakokilam]

Great write up! Thanks. I am also interested in knowing Mami's schedule.

She showed how "aal amma" if sung as 3-3-3 would make it sound as threatening to Devi, if however sung as 5-4 smoothly it could sound very respectful!

Spot on. I am quite thrilled to read that. The role of laya in bhAvA is something I am realizing slowly. Can you explain a bit more on this? How were the 3+3+3 and 5+4 distributed over "aal amma"? Thanks.

[arasi]

Suguna P's lec-dems are something I am very keen on.enjoy. They interest both the well-versed rasikAs and my kind.
Ravi,
I wondered what took you to the west coast. Then I saw that the 'h' was missing in the name. The number of posts was another clue.
Well, we have two VKs (Vasanthakokilam and Venkatakailasam), two PBs (Pratyaksham Bala and Ponbharavi--both from the same town!)and now two R. S(h)ankars, coasts apart!

[PUNARVASU]

I also initially wondered about the OP; but was quick to spot the 'h'(or rather the absence of it) and understood.
After all I am also a 'shankar' with not one but two 'h's.(One 'H' and one 'h')

[arasi]

Punarvasu,
Still you have a one of a kind name--a star name at that!

[rsankar]

This was my first post here. Didn't know there was someone else with very similar username. Anyway, sorry for the confusion.

Regarding maami's concert plans. I have no idea, but for the west coast people Mrs. S. Prabhakar is hosting a chamber concert by maami on Saturday, June 11. She said it was open to all and since I am new here (SIFA participation-wise) I am guessing everyone else knows already. However, if not done already; people in the east coast should invite maami. I feel we all need to hear a lot more from maami.

About the "Aaal amma" I am not sure how to explain ( I am not 100% sure if was 9 =3+3+3 changed to 5+4 or 6 =3+3 split to 4+2, as I was trying to recollect a lot of things that happened in the lec-dem) But the key idea maami wanted to convey was this: Usually the phrase right at/before the ardhi in the pallavi is spilt "takita-takita-takita" (or "takita-takita" as the case may be) for symmetric emphasis (a natural point where the singer will give force of voice) at that point and then relaxing into the kaarvai. Now imagine singing "aal amma" with that emphasis. It would sound like hitting the beat thrice with force ... in effect like threatening devi. If however split unevenly the propensity to beat hard is avoided and hence the karunya/daasya bhava is retained. This was suggested by Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and maami said she really liked it.

[sreecons]

Thanks rsankar for a nice write up . . . while I do like the ragamallika tana/swarams. . . I agree on them being limited in number.