VEENAVAADHINI Chamber Concerts

TRINITY UTSAVAM

Sri Ramdas Menon, alumnus of Sri Guru Guha Gana Vidyalaya, Kolkata, presented a very neat concert based on the theme of Trinity Compositions on 4th May, 2008. Right from the kalpanaswarams for the charanam line of the Saranga Varnam Inthamodi, his grip over laya and his intuitive strength to explore this aspect of manodharma was very evident. The highlights of the programme were an elaborate Madhyamavathi before the exquisite Syama Sastri kriti Palinchu Kamakshi, and swara patterns for the line Nirgunarasapoorna shariram in the Dikshitar kriti Margasahayeshwaram in Kasiramakriya. The rarely sung Bhuvinidasudane in Sriranjani was the Thyagaraja composition presented. Balagopala was chosen to be the main kriti. Ramdas concluded the concert with Sri Venugopala in Kurinji raga.

Sri VL Kumar, a seasoned violinist, who accompanies all popular musicians of today, provided the absolute essence of all the ragas he essayed, be it Madhyamavathi, Bhairavi, Sriranjani or Ragachudamani. Sajeev Namboodiri on the mridangam was subtle and appropriate.

Svetaganapathim, Sringararasamanjari, Margasahayeshwaram etc filled us with a sense of deja vu, belonging to the same school of music as we did. Added to this was the presence of Sri B. Karthickeyan (Secretary of Guruguha Sangeeth Sammelan, Kolkata), Kartic-da to us, who happened to be in Chennai on that day, and we happily relived some moments from our days in Kolkata.