On 27 December 2025 at Beachville Cafe, we were treated to an immersive exploration of raga Kambhoji, presented by vidwan Vignesh Ishwar on vocals and vidwan Sunil Kumar on tavil. The concert was a part of the Carnatic Shot series curated by Aalaap, conceived as an intimate, chamber-concert experience within the informal setting of a café.

Much like the way an artist constructs a ragam-tanam-pallavi by weaving together varied musical elements and techniques, Vignesh curated this Kambhoji experience by drawing from vocal, dance, and nadaswaram traditions, all through compositions in Kambhoji.

The concert opened with a rakti - a laya-centric exposition rooted in the nadaswaram tradition - featuring jati, swaram, and tanam passages set to Misra Chapu tala. From here, Vignesh transitioned seamlessly into Tyagaraja’s Adi tala kriti, Maa Janaki, beginning directly from the anu pallavi. Tanam phrases acted as elegant connective tissue between the opening rakti and the kriti. He elaborated niraval and racy kalpana swarams for the line Raja Raja Vara. He broke the myth that Kambhoji shines in upper octave and sang an entire cycle of the niraval in lower registers.

This was followed by the hymn on Lord Siva, Viritha Senjadai Aada popularised by vidwan Musiri Subramania Iyer as a viruttam in Kambhoji. The viruttam flowed naturally into Nadamaadi Thirinda, a composition of Papavinasa Mudaliyar set in Misra Chapu tala in nindha stuti, adding a striking emotional contrast.

What came off as a surprise was the rendition of Hey Govind, Hey Gopal, a Surdas bhajan, set in such a core Carnatic raga, with tavil to provide rhythm instead of a tabla. He also rendered a popular shabdam in ragamalika beginning with Kambhoji.

The concert concluded with the celebrated chowka kala (slow) composition O Rangasayi. While the piece itself offered a majestic, unhurried culmination, one couldn’t help but wish for a niraval at Bhooloka Vaikunta, which might have allowed for an even deeper, slow-paced exploration of Kambhoji.

Sunil Kumar, usually heard on the khanjira, complemented Vignesh’s Kambhoji today on the tavil. The majestic gait of both Kambhoji and the tavil was clearly perceptible, yet beautifully interwoven, and it carried remarkably well within the cafe’s intimate acoustics. Beyond his tani explorations and rhythmic support during compositions, Sunil’s sensitive accompaniment during elements like the viruttam - traditionally rendered without percussion - stood out for its restraint and musical empathy.

Interestingly, dancer Pranathi Ram, seated in the audience, joined in with abhinaya as the final piece, O Rangasayi, was being presented. Overall, the carefully curated ambience, with minimal seating and excellent sound, made the experience more immersive and memorable

By

VID DEV

(a teacher and student of Carnatic Music)

PC: Thurrya Vontivillu