DEEKSHITHAR AKHANDAM -BSV- 16 MARCH

[CRama]

Bharatiya Sangeetha Vaibhavam Trust is conducting Deekshithar Akhandam for the last eight years. This year it was held in the Mini Hall of Music Academy on Sunday, 16 March from 9 AM to 9 PM. The music was of great quality providing authentic patantharam laced with bhakti coming through in most renditions. Focus was on presenting rare songs and avoiding repetition. The audience turn out was almost uniformly good with hall remaining full most of the time- except a couple of hours following the lunch Our requirements of coffee, lunch was taken care of by the organisers and the arrangements were good. When I reached the venue, V.Sriram's lecture on Life and Works of Muthuswami Deekshithar was nearing completion.

SEETHA RAJAN AND FOUR STUDENTS
Charulatha Ramanujam and Patri Satish Kumar provided support.
Every year Seetha Rajan along with a group of her students are treating music lovers with a feast of Deekshithar Kritis at the start of the akhandam- many a time thematic - ensuring that we got to hear a few unheard kritis as well. The song list.
Vinayaka Vighnanasaka-Vegavahini
Parvathipathim-Hamsadhwani
Dakshayani-Thodi-Abhayamba Navavaranam- very good alapana
Marakoti lavanya-Arabhi
Karikalabha mukham-Saveri – short alapana
Paramjothi smathi Parvathi-Jothi -68th Melam (Jothiswaroopini)
Neelakandam bhajeham-Kedaragowla
Sree Sundararajam- Kasiramakriya
Sree Ramachandro Rakshathumam-Sreeranjini
Namo Namasthe Geervani- Ragam Geervani 43rd Melam (Gavambodhi) song on Saraswathi
Akshayalingavibho-Sankarabharanam
Ehi Annapurne-Punnagavarali
Hastivadanaya-Navroj.

It is interesting that the concluding song was also on Ganesha. The small bits of information on the kritis provided by Seetha Rajan was very informative. Although there were five singers on the stage, there was only one voice. That speaks of the rigorous training of Seetha Rajan's Gurukulam.

LAKSHMI RANGARAJAN-
Dr. Hemalatha on the violin and Poongulam Subramaniam on the Mridangam provided support.
Lakshmi Rangarajan is a seasoned singer with a mellifluous voice capable of traversing three octaves and also have solid patantharam having studied under the doyen TM Thyagarajan. She has also groomed her daughter Subhiksha Rangarajan into a singer of merit. Her list contained many rare and a few infrequently heard songs.
The list of songs.
Sree Guruguhamoorthey-Udayaravichandrika
Ekamranatham bhajeham-Poorvikalyani
Thyagarajam Bhajare-Yadukulakambodi
Saravathi thatavasini-Saravathi
Sree Neelothpalanayike-Nareereethigowla
Sadasivam Upasmahe-Sankarabharanam
Sree Saraswathi hithe sive Chidanande Sivasthithe-Manji
Sidheeswaraya Namasthe-Neelambari.

Raga alapanas of Poorvikalyani and Sankarabharanam were elaborate with portrayal of time tested sangathis and her imagination in alapana was also good inviting cheers from the discerning audience. The swaras sung for Udayaravichandrika brought out clearly the difference between the same and its cousin Sudhadhanyasi. Similarly in the treatment of Nareereethigowla also, the difference beweteen NRGowla and Reethigowla of Thyagaraja school was visible. Her diction was perfect which is most essential while rendering MD compositions. The neraval at Panchaksharamanthra swaroopam in the Poorvikalyani kriti and Vamadeva Vyasa Sukaadi in Sankarabharanam brought various shades of the respective ragams.

CUDDALORE SJ JANANI
Karaikal Venkatasubramaniam on the Violin, Guru Raghavendra on the Mridangam and H.Sivaramakrishnan on the Ghatam provided support.
The list of songs
Sooryamurthe-Sourashtram
Annapoorne Visalakshi-Sama
Hiranmayim lakshmim-Lalitha
Abhayamba Jagadamba-Kalyani
Gurumurthey Bahu keerthey-Nottuswaram

I was hearing this young vidushi for the first time. She possesses a sharp and sonorous voice and a clear understanding of the classical structure Her open throat articulation and steady build-up of Lalitha and Kalyani raga essays and good manodharmam in the swara segments proved her abundant potential.

BHARAT SUNDAR
VVS Murari on the violin and Ganapathiraman on the Mridangam provided support.
The list of songs
Sidhivinayakam-Chamaram
Mayuranatham anisam-Dhanyasi
Seshachalanayakam-Varali
Gajambanayako-Chenjuruti
Akhilandeswari-Dwijavanthi

Bharat Sundar is steadily ascending to the top. His raga alapana of Dhanyasi and Varali were portrayal of the characteristic pidis of the ragam which earned him wide appreciation of the audience. The swaras for Sidhivinayakam and Seshachalanayakam contained some interesting patterns. The swaras in Sujenjuti raga pano in the kriti Gajambanayako was refreshing. At the end of the concert of one hour, the organisers felt sad that this excellent concert could not be given a bigger slot. (TO BE CONTINUED)

[CRama]

(CONTINUED)
PRINCE RAMA VARMA
S.Varadarajan on the violin, Harikumar on the Mridangam and S.Karthik on the Ghatam provided support.
The list of songs
Panchamatanga-Malahari
Sree Kamalambike sive pahimam-Sree
Anandanatanaprakasam-Kedaram
Panchabhootha kiranavalim-Kiranavali
Varadaraja pahi-Nottuswaram
Pasupatheeswaram-Sivapanthuvarali
Pankajamukha-Nottuswaram.

The swaras for Malahari contained some interesting combinations. The brief alapana of Kedaram and Sivapanthuvarali were passsable. Lack lustre performance.

DR.VIJAYALAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAM
MRGopinath on the violin and TRSundaresan on the Mridangam provided support
Neelothpalambikaya param nahire- Gowla
Sree Bhargavi-Mangalakaisiki
Sree Dumdurge-Sreeranjini
Amba Neelayadakshi-Neelambari
Sree Ramaa Saraswathy-Nasamani
Ramachandrena samrakshithoham-Manji
Soundararajam-Brindavanasaranga
Poornachandrabimba-Ragamalika- Poornachandrika, Narayani, Sudhavasantha and Hamsadhwani.
Maye-Tarangini

Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam’s rendition was excellent. Each song was filled with bhavam. There was an elaborate Sriranjini alapana and we got to hear a gem of a composition by Muthuswamy Dikshithar which is rarely heard in concert platform. The alapana of Brindavanasaranga was systematic which went through impressive passages with the usual stop-overs and extensions at right junctures. Poornachandrabimba is a rare song which I have heard only from Balamuralikrishna. Maye was sung as mentioned in SSP -26th melam as per Dikshithar sampradaya using sudha dhaivatham– a different version from that of SSI/MMI/MS etc. But the song was sung in Madhyamasruthi- which I have not heard from RVedavalli, TMKrishna and Gayathri Girish who used to this song as per SSP.

MALLADI BROTHERS
Embar Kannan on the violin , Mannargudi Easwaran on the Mridangam and Anirudh Athreya on the Kanjira provided support.
Sadachaleswaram- Bhoopalam
Thyagaraja palayasumam-Gowla
Anandeswarena samrakshithoham-Anandabhairavi
Sree Ramam-Narayanagowla
Mahasuram Ketumaham-Chamaram
Chinthaye Mahalingamurthim-Paras
Slokam -Mohanam, Nagaswarali, Sahana, Kalyani and Khamas
Shadanane-Khamas
Dharmasamvardhini-Madhyamavathy.

The solidity and azhuththam of Malladi Bros are inimitable. It was such a wonderful performance by the duo who proved their brilliance once again- this time in a concert of exclusive Deekshithar kritis. Sadachaleswaram provided a solemn start to the concert. Alapanas and elaborate swaras for Anandabhairavi, Chamaram and Paras were great. First time listened to elaborate alapana and swaras in Paras. The slokam. they announced as Muthuswami Deekshithar stuthi -Sloka Panchakam composed by Shri Srinivasa Sarma of Vizianagaram. Shadanane has got lilting chittaswaram with jathis. This was a favourite of TRS. Dharmasamvardhini provided a fitting mangalam to the day long akhandam.

All the accompanists played with zeal and reverence. Only in the concert of Malladi Bros, there was a small thani by M.Easwaran and Anirudh Athreya. Among the violinists, S.Varadarajan and Embar Kannan played exceptionally well. THANKS TO THE ORGANISERS FOR THEIR UNTIRING EFFORTS EVERY YEAR.

[Rajani]

Thank you Sir, for this interesting and detailed summary. Makes one wish one could have attended all the sessions.

[mahavishnu]

Very classic CRama review! Thank you.

[harimau]

LAKSHMI RANGARAJAN-

Ekamresanatham-Poorvikalyani

Minor correction, just in case someone goes looking for this krithi in a book or online.

The krithi is "Ekamranatham Bhajeham".

[CRama]

Thanks. I have corrected it.

[CRama]

Sree Guruguhamoorthey-Udayaravichandrika- sung by Lakshmi Rangarajan
Udayaravichandrika as per Deekshithar school is different from Udayaravichandrika or Sudhadhanyasi of the Thyagraja School. In Deekshithar sampradaya, Kakali nishadam is used and in Thyagaraja school it is Kaisiki nishadam.

[pattamaa]

Hearing Malladi bros in parivadini now... Blissful concert... Mahasuram in shanmukhapriya is in two Kalai rupakam, and no madhyama kalam in guruguha chamara bharnam.... Same line is taken for neraval swaram....

[vasanthakokilam]

Excellent review and roundup, CRama. I listend to Cuddalore Janani on youtube. You are right, she is very good.

I am reproducing below the parivadini youtube links of this program, in the order of your review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDZ4CMOvwuk ( V. Sriram )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toLzojM7GLE ( Seetharajan and Students )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PWE2_sEWZc ( Lakshmi Rangarajan )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKbD3-Fn5Y ( Cuddalore SS Janani )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgJTFRKGFP0 ( Bharat Sundar )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-yWbsXVQGs ( Prince Rama Varma )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWtpX4yDTtA ( Vijayalakshmi Subramaniyam )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-okxuGvgmE ( Malladi Brothers )