Dakshinamurthy’s veena recital at and for Sri Sharada Samskrithika Sangha, Basaveshwaranagar on Friday during Sri Ganeshotsava was indeed a treat for the ears. Dakshinamurthy is a veena artiste steeped in classical moorings and hence is naturally musical. He has honed his skills under the expert tutelage of traditional maestros.
Accompanied aptly by Vijayaraghava on flute, Nagaraj on mridanga and Ramesh on ghata, he got off to an absorbing start, playing the regal Begade varna. Soon, he dexterously started evoking glimpses of the traditional nuances of Karnatak music on veena in a leisurely tempo with vocal fervour. His raga delineation, neraval and swaras were spontaneously in tune with the sangeetha, sahitya and bhavas embedded in the compositions. Siddhi Vinayakam in Shanmukhapriya had a brief but compact raga prelude by the vainika. In the swaraprastara, Vijayaraghava also joined him.
The Kaanada alapana was shared by both. Many a catch phrase pleased the ears. A popular krithi in that raga Maamava sadaa janani was full of classicism. A scintillating interpretation of Raga Kalyani was the benchmark of his recital. Both in the slow and faster sequences, he was at his best. Thyagaraja’s Nidhi chala sukhama was rendered melodiously and in the swaraprasthara, he and the flautist exhibited their skill over their respective instrumental techniques. The elaborations had many attractive prayogas played with composure and flawless fingering technique.
The fluent flow demonstrated his dexterity in the sangathis, sancharas and swaras when Keeravani was delineated in detail. Dakshinamurthy soared effortlessly in his presentations with fine swara formulations. The rendition of Kaligiyunte displayed a grasp of both diction and style. He has obviously been trained to communicate the niceties of veena artistry with sufficient attention to gamaka in a sweet and subdued style. His nuanced executions revealed his taste for the richness of ragabhava.
CD released
Earlier in the evening, a CD titled Veena Sunaada produced and presented by Dakshinamurthy was released. The CD is packed by a profusion of krithis by different vaggeyakaras. It contains 24 krithis in different ragas. Two ragamalika krithis add to the variety of the CD.
Delightful 79th Sai Nrithyotsava
Light and sound technician Sai Venkatesh and his dancer-family deserve to be commended for their effort in popularising and patronising classical dance forms. For the past 79 months, they have been holding Sai Nrithyotsava on the first day of every month.Besides the upcoming local dancers, those from outside the state are also being given an opportunity to exhibit their talents.
The 79th Sai Nrithyotsava was held at Indian Institute of World Culture on Thursday. This time seasoned gurus presented their disciples. The quality of the young dancers was promising. The combined fluency and grace in their renditions had verve and elegance. Nitta, nrithya and abhinaya were represented and the right stress on the pivotal elements of bhaava and laya made their essay a thing of beauty.
Successful duet
It was gratifying to watch dancer sisters Nidhi and Lekha responding positively to the live music support extended by their father Dr. Kumar (vocal and nattuvanga), Venugopal (flute) and Janardhanarao (mridanga). There was perfect coordination and understanding between them at every stage of their duet. The Nathabhairavi tillana saw them negotiating neck and limb movements with ease. The adavus and the teermanas in demanding patterns were etched with precision.
Neat abhinaya
Young but seasoned dancer Archana Punyesh presented her two disciples Priyanka and Nesara in a Kuchipudi natya duet. The budding dancers rose to the occasion in dealing with the intricacies of the racy dance form. With vachikaabhinaya intact, they began with the familiar Tandava nrithya kare, a paean to Lord Ganesha. The traits of the Lord were enacted by them in neat abhinaya. They went on to visualise the greatness of Lord Shiva on the basis of Natesha Kauvuthuvam. Lord’s various forms like Gangadhara, Jataadhara et al were sketched and their imaging won the applause of the lovers of dance.
The Devi stuti based on the well known Ayagiri Nandini (ragamalika) impressed the audience like a mini dance drama. The vigour and vivacity of Kuchipudi natya were highlighted in the depiction of Devi’s graceful and fiery forms.
Artistic designs
The 79th Sai Nrithyotsava concluded with a vibrant Bharatanatya by Navya Sri, a star student of the national award winning Guru Praveen Kumar. Navya covered the stage well. The Krishnanjali (Reetigowla) brought the best out in the dancer. Lord Krishna’s wonderful form and leelas were captured in a sensitive performance. Her satwikaabhinaya was also praiseworthy. Baby Krishna’s pranks and the mother’s care for her child were underscored in the portrayal of a famous Devaranama Kadagola tarenna chinnave. Brindavana Saranga tillana was the befitting finale. Keeping up a lively tempo and mood, the tillana was packed with interesting rhythmic permutation and combinations of adavus and teermanas.
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