The first concert of the season that I attended was at Kartik Fine Arts (4 December), featuring vidushi K. Gayatri, accompanied by vidwans R.K. Shriramkumar on the violin, K. Arun Prakash on the mridangam, and Anirudh Athreya on the khanjira.

The hall was not even half full, perhaps because it was still early in the season, and the sparse attendance only made the air-conditioning feel more severe. But it did not take long for the chill to fade, as the audience soon warmed to Gayatri’s assured and compelling singing.

She commenced the concert with Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Mahaganapate Palayashumam in Natanarayanai, paying obeisance to Ganesa and evocatively referencing the five wish-fulfilling trees of heaven — mandara, santana, kalpaka, parijata and chandana. The kriti was rendered with poise and clarity, setting a calm and auspicious tone.

This was followed by Tyagaraja’s haunting Evarani in Devamrutavarshini, where Gayatri explored the raga’s luminous contours with sensitivity. A crisp round of kalpana swarams followed, marked by clarity and restraint.

Being the day of Karthigai Deepam, Gayatri thoughtfully included a few compositions suited to the occasion. An evocative Todi unfolded next, presented with weight and depth, allowing the raga to reveal itself in all its grandeur. This led into Papanasam Sivan’s Tanigai Valar, where her niraval and swara passages were neatly structured and imbued with sahitya bhava. Arunachalanatham in Saranga further reinforced the thematic arc of the concert.

A brisk Parama Purusha in Vasanta by Swati Tirunal injected momentum, paving the way for the main item of the evening — a grand Khamboji with the evergreen Kana Kan Kodi of Papanasam Sivan. Gayatri’s alapana was bright and expansive, largely on the predictable lines, but engaging nevertheless. The sancharis in the upper register were particularly attractive, executed with confidence and tonal clarity.

The niraval at Manikam Vairam was a highlight, where her singing vividly brought to life the deity at Mylapore (Kapali) and the charanam, the procession on the day of Adhikara Nandi sevai, when the Lord is carried on the bull mount. There was a strong sense of movement and imagery in her musical interpretation.

Gayatri also presented verses from the Sivanandalahari, followed by a composition tuned by vidwan R.K. Shriramkumar. His compositions carry a distinct and authentic stamp of creativity, marked by scholarship and aesthetic finesse. The elegant merging of raga names, Sindhu Bhairavi in this instance, reflected both imagination and classical restraint.

Gayatri’s singing throughout the concert reflected strong manodharma. Her music, imbued with bhava and melody, stood as an example of unalloyed classicism, unmistakably underlining her tutelage.

R.K. Shriramkumar’s violin accompaniment was sensitive and anticipatory. His responses mirrored Gayatri’s phrasing with finesse, adding depth without intrusion. He seamlessly recalls various pathantaras of a kriti, aligning himself so naturally with the vocalist that one senses a shared bani.

The rhythmic team of K. Arun Prakash and Anirudh Athreya provided a firm and alert foundation, though time constraints meant that the tani avartanam was curtailed to under five minutes, much to the listener’s regret. The mridangam tone was not always clearly audible, possibly owing to the hall’s air-conditioning and sound balance.

By

Sukanya Sankar