CHENNAI: What strikes one about Bombay Jayashri Ramnath is her soulful voice. What could be more fulfilling than listening to her sing and P T Ronu Majumdar play the flute simultaneously?
Organised to raise funds for the open school and learning centre for special children Sankalp Trust, at the Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall, ‘Sangamam’, the concert, was an amalgam of emotions, swaras, ragas, melody and rhythm.
Clad in orange and black, Majumdar had the audience spellbound with his musical prowess.
Jayashri’s vidwat was quite evident from the way she connected with the audience, from the time she began her recital and continued with it till the end. She started with an invocation piece in Raga Pantuvarali, followed by Thyagaraja’s most celebrated composition Raghunayaka in Hamsadhwani; as later, Majumdar displayed his own composition ‘Dancing with the wind’ in the same raga.
As the artiste played, one could hear the mellifluous phrases of the raga. We could see how both were able to explore their inner selves, confining to their respective tradition.
Then, she presented her guru Lalgudi G Jayaraman’s colourful composition in Valachi, ‘Chalamu Seya’, while Majumdar played a piece in Raga Kalavathi — the hindustani equivalent for Valachi. Though it was a simple kriti, the presentation was filled with bhava and great vitality.
The myriad ways in which she presented Ksheera Saagara Tharanga was thoroughly enjoyable.
The kalpanaswaras were engaging as she went for detailing the raga expansively, marking it with impressive phrases. The duo moved to a composition in Ragas Jog and Thilang, as we got to hear a few versatile exchanges between the flute and the voice.
When Majumdar asked the audience if he could end the concert, the hall reverberated with a loud ‘no’. Making them want more, they concluded the recital with Vaishnava Janatho amid ‘sabaash’, ‘wahs’ and a resounding applause.
The artistes Ramdas Palsule on tabla, Mukul Dogrey on drums, and Atul Raninga on the keyboard and Sumesh S Narayanan on mridangam, were given ample space to display their individuality.
And, not to forget the apt selection of songs!