Sanjay rocks !!!!

Sanjay always delivers and yesterday was no exception. Almost every concert of his has something new to offer. In a concert organized at the Odukkathur Swamigal Mutt yesterday as a part of the Gokulashtami Concert Series, Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyam was ably accompanied on the violin by Sri Nagai Muralidharan, on the mridangam by Sri Tanjore Ramdas and on the ghatam by Sri T.V.Vasan

The compositions Sanjay sang are as follows:

1) sarasUda (varnam) – sAvEri – Adi – kothavAsal venkatrAma iyer
2) mArubalka – srIranjani – Adi – thyAgarAja
3) sasi vadanA – chandrajyOti – Adi – thyAgarAja
4) mundu vEnu – darbAr – Adi – thyAgarAja
5) unnai allAl – kalyAni – Adi – pApanAsam sivan
6) anupama – atANA – kanda chApu – thyAgarAja
7) kArubAru – mukhAri – Adi – thyAgarAja
8) Oho kAlamE – sahAnA – Adi – vEdanAyagam pillai

9) rAgam tAnam pallavi (RTP) – chArukEsi – misra chApu
pallavi wordings: “un darisanam kidaikkumO natarAjA, dayAnidhE”
10) Adum chidambaramO – behAg – Adi – gOpAlakrishna bhArati
11) kandEnA gOvindanA – hindOlam – Adi – purandaradAsa
12) rAmanai bhajithAl – mAnd – Adi – pApanAsam sivan
13) nijagAdasA – sindhubhairavi – Adi – jayadEva
14) pavamAna (mangalam) – sOwrAshtram – Adi – thyAgarAja

Be it the rAga Alapana (chandrajyoti, darbAr,kalyAni, mukhAri or chArukEsi), neraval, kalpana swaram or rendition of the compositions themselves, it was just pure quality stuff, which is typical of a Sanjay concert. The songs mundu vEnu and kArubAru were rendered soulfully. The song nijagAdasA in sindhubhairavi seems to be Sanjay’s favorite. He had sung it in the last three concerts of his (that I had attended) too.

The pallavi line in the chArukEsi RTP “un darisanam kidaikkumO natarAjA, dayAnidhE” was structured as follows (A=aksharam): un darisanam started 1.5 aksharam after samam and was for 2.5A, kidaikkumO started immediately afterwards, i.e.,0.5A after samam and was for 3.5A, natarAjA started immediately afterwards i.e, 0.5A after samam and was for 3A, dayAnidhE started 2A after samam and was for 3A. It ended 1.5A after samam at the place where un darisanam started. Adding it all up, 2.5A + 3.5A + 3A + 2A + 3A = 14A = 4 Avartanams of misra chApu tAla (4 x 3.5A = 14A)

Sri Nagai Muralidharan has accompanied Sanjay umpteen number of times in the past. An experienced violin accompanist, he supported Sanjay ably. Except for the kalyAni rAga Alapana where he was a bit off color (and erred slightly twice once while Sanjay sang and once while he was himself doing the Alapana), he was in good form all through.

It is the first time I have heard Sri Tanjore Ramdas live in a concert. A disciple of the legend Sri Palghat Mani Iyer, he played the mridangam well though his fingering was a bit clumsy and it was not as delightful seeing him play as it was hearing him. This was the first time he was playing for a concert organized by Sri Guruvayoorappan Bhajan Samaj Trust which is organizing the concert series. The organizer thanked Sanjay Subrahmanyam for having recommended Sri Tanjore Ramdas’s name to him and requested that Sri Ramdas play in many more concerts organized by his trust. To this, Sanjay replied “ini neenga thaan kooppadanum (from now on, you have to call him)”

Sri T.V. Vasan (on the ghatam) was introduced by the organizer as a “walking encyclopedia”. It was a delight to watch him play with such great maturity and appreciate/encourage all the artistes on stage.

Today’s concert is by Dr. Sreevalsan J Menon. He will be accompanied on the violin by Sri S. Varadarajan and on the mridangam by Sri Neyveli Narayanan.