Kalyanapuram S. Aravind delights with a carefully curated repertoire

Kalyanapuram S. Aravind’s concert was fittingly marked by the magnificent composition by Muthuswami Dikshitar, ‘Sri subramanyaya namaste’ (Kamboji), as the event, organised by Kedaram Trust, was in memory of N.V. Subramaniam, founder of Saraswathi and Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust.

Aravind’s unhurried Kamboji alapana was the highlight of the evening as he made the raga’s identity clear in the very first phrase. L. Ramakrishnan’s violin response systematically built the raga before concluding with the characteristic phrase in kakali nishadam in the lower octave.

The verse ‘Senthanai kandhanai sengottu verpanai’, from Arunagirinathar’s Kandhar Alankaram , led to the ‘Sri subramanyaya namaste.’ The jaru phrases drew attention. The tempo allowed the distinctive aspects of Kamboji to be heard clearly. The latter part of the charanam, usually heard in madhyama kala, was rendered in the same tempo as the kriti.