In the presentation of any concert, the aspect of layam is very important. Particularly, importance is given to sruti layam, manolayam, and chandalayam. Even if one laya is missing, the impact on the audience would be reduced.
With the convergence of all the layams becoming a rarity in the presentation of vidwans, nowadays, vocalist Mahanadhi Shobana’s (disciple of professor T R Subramaniam and P S Narayanaswamy) exposition was so admirable when she presented a concert for Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha. It commenced with a nattaikurunji varnam chalamela in 2 kalas and rendered swara sahitya for the caranam, and proceeded to render mayamalavagowla raga kirtana (Thulasidala) of Thyagaraja (Rupaka Thalam) with swift Kalpana swaras at sarasiruha punnaga. The kutchery was in good order as it emphasised on the rudiments of successful presentation with perfection.
The sub main of the concert Shambo Mahadeva of Thyagaraja in ragam pantuvarali (rupakam) and maa dayae of Sivan on Lord Muruga in raga vasantha were rendered with imaginatively intonated skills. The piece-de-resistance of the evening was keeravani raga alapana and kaligiyunte set to 2 kalai, aditalam of Thyagaraja, with a beautiful long korvai. B egining in kalpana swaras at 1/2 adam, projecting the intent of the composer, revealed her propensity to effectively blossom into a mature performer. The amazing versatility with which she rendered Maadu meikum kanna in desh ragam popularised by Madurai Somu, testified to it. The ending finale (Abeera gulala) by Saint Chokhamela, an abhang, truly revealed the trajectory of her voice modulation. Violinst Padma Shankar displayed her excellent bowing skills, Ganapathy Raman’s handling of mirdangam testified to his spirited commitment to the profession and (Morsingh) Sundar also accompanied with due diligence.
