Sudha Ragunathan pulled off some sublime musical ideas

Sudha Ragunathan performing for Kartik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha at its December Season – 2024.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Sudha Ragunathan drew upon her wealth of experience and meticulous repertoire as she held her ground through much of her concert for Kartik Fine Arts at Narada Gana Sabha. An understanding team of accompanists — Embar S. Kannan on the violin, Patri Satish Kumar on the mridangam, and S. Krishna on the ghatam — collaborated in earnest to ensure that the recital provided enough takeaways for her fans.

Sudha’s career has been an inspiring one that has warmed the hearts of rasikas. Though, now, her voice may have shed a bit of sheen and pliability, putting a curb on her propensity for instinctive forays into innovation, at this concert, she pulled off some sublime musical ideas from her comfort range, be it in raga, niraval, or swara rendition.

Her song selection was in tune with the requirement, as she largely traversed the madhyama sthayi (middle octave). After opening with the Behag varnam ‘Vanajaksha’, Sudha presented a short virutham ‘Paalum thelithenum’ by Avvaiyar ahead of ‘Ganapathiye karunanidhiye’, a catchy Karaharapriya kriti by Papanasam Sivan. The extensive swara exchanges at the pallavi opening were absorbing, particularly the final round, with the accompanying team pitching in with plenty of verve.

Sudha Ragunathan with Embar Kannan, Patri Satish Kumar and S. Krishna
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU

Dikshitar’s rarely-heard composition ‘Mahishasura mardhini’ in Gowla, set to Khanda Chapu, was taken up next, and another energetic swara sequence at ‘Ihapara bhoga moksha pradhayini’ in the madhyama kaalam furthered the momentum. ‘Sri Thulasamma’ by Tyagaraja in Devagandhari then lent a touch of contrast, bringing in tranquility.

Sudha was measured in her Suddha Dhanyasi alapana, mostly employing short phrasings while eschewing kaarvais. She even reined in her voice in the higher registers. The grahabedham leading to Mohanam ignited the audience’s interest. Kannan stuck to the restrained approach in his response with the bow. Sudha found her signature style in the song section, and what followed turned out to be the aesthetic acme of the performance. ‘Jaya jaya guha’ by Papanasam Sivan was rendered with finesse, especially when she went on a sangati-spree in the charanam line ‘Kurai theerthida’. A reposeful niraval at ‘Dayai puriya va’ in the anupallavi vividly captured the essence of the phrase, while the kalpanaswara segment was delightful with the accompanists showcasing remarkable dexterity and sensitivity.

After a brisk rendition of ‘Mangala varadayaki’, a GNB composition in Kathanakuthuhalam with a lively chittaswaram, it was time for the main number. Tyagaraja’s ‘Ramanannu brovara’ in Harikambhoji and Rupakam was the chosen one. The raga essay was compact, with the vocalist bringing off a few trademark brigas of hers, and Kannan came up with a concise and polished version of his own. The niraval and kalpanaswaras at ‘Meppulakai kannatavu-nappu’ contained some interesting patterns. The tani avartanam by Satish Kumar and Krishna was a dynamic interplay of rhythm, marked by crispness.

A slokam and Purandaradasa’s Devarnama ‘Rahithangiro’ in Ahirbharav, and Ramalinga Adigal’s ‘Petra thai thanai’, a virutham in Hamsanandi and Sindhubhairavi, followed by G.S. Mani’s ‘Chidambaranai’ in the latter raga, were rendered next. A Lalgudi Jayaraman tillana in Khamas, featuring a stunning array of swaraksharams in ‘ma’, brought the recital to a close.