Saketharaman serves delightful surprises in his Margazhi concert

Saketharaman.
| Photo Credit: S. Hemamalini

Svanubhava (self-experience) took centre stage as S. Saketharaman performed for Kartik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha. It was not a usual start with a varnam or kriti; instead, Saketharaman opened with a mallari in Gambhira Nattai that set the tone for an evening of delightful surprises.

Mallaris comprise just jathis and swaras, and have no sahityam. They are traditionally played by nagaswaram artistes heralding temple processions or featured as the opening number in dance recitals. Saketharaman struck a chord with the audience with his compelling presentation of the mallari in the customary three speeds — normal, accelerated, and decelerated.

Saketharaman began the next song at the anupallavi, ‘Valachi bhaktimargamutonu,’ for the Tyagaraja kriti ‘Chalamelara’ in Margahindolam. When he sang multiple sangatis of the line ‘Chalamelara saketharama’ (“Please don’t be cross with me, Saketharama!”), there was a ripple of laughter.

Good teamwork

Saketharaman with H.N. Bhaskar on the violin, K. Sai Giridhar on the mridangam, and S. Karthick on the ghatam.
| Photo Credit:
S. Hemamalini

The Hamsanandi raga delineation ahead of Lalitha Dasar’s ‘Pavana guru’ on Krishna, set to Rupakam, featured an aesthetic grahabedham, yielding Madhyamavati. There was one more of that during the swara exchanges, resulting in Hindolam. H.N. Bhaskar on the violin, K. Sai Giridhar on the mridangam, and S. Karthick on the ghatam collaborated smoothly to make the fairly long kalpanaswara section enjoyable.

The poignance of Sama was well brought out by Saketharaman as a prelude to Dikshitar’s ‘Annapurne visalakshi’, with Bhaskar replicating the sentiment in a short raga essay. The rhythm rangers, Sai Giridhar and Karthick, excelled with their modulation. Saketharaman then sang Ramalinga Adigal’s ‘Petra thaai thanai’ as a virutham in Shanmukhapriya, followed by Ponniah Pillai’s ‘Thandhai thaai irundhaal’ in the same raga.

Dwi-raga pallavi

The pièce de résistance was a dwi-raga pallavi in Mohanam and Ranjani. Saketharaman initially gave a different shade to his Mohanam alapana, drawing from the opening of a few kritis in the raga, which sounded somewhat disjointed. But once he settled into a more conventional and methodical phrasing, it was lush melodic flow all the way. His essay of Ranjani was brief, though, and he summed it up by alternating the ragas. The tanam in two speeds was also short before he explored the pallavi line, ‘Mohana ranganai panimaname diname; gopi ranjana’, set to Khanda triputa tala. After barely a couple of avartanams of the pallavi, Saketharaman swung into ragamalika swaras, with Saranga, Brindavana Saranga, and Suddh Sarang forming a charming theme. His incorporation of the opening of Lalgudi Jayaraman’s thillana for Brindavana Saranga was enjoyable. However, one thought the pallavi, per se, could have been more expansive.

Clarity and energy reigned in the tani section of Sai Giridhar and Karthick. Bharati’s ‘Theeradha vilaiyattu pillai’ in ragamalika, a virutham ‘Vizhikku thunai’ from Arunagirinathar’s ‘Kandhar Alankaram’ and Madurai G.S. Mani’s ‘Naalai varum enru’, both in Chandrakauns, and Oothukkadu Venkatakavi’s ‘Aadadhu asangadhu’ featured in the concluding phase of the concert.