I bought “Madhirakshi“, an album by Sikkil C. Gurucharan and Anil Srinivasan which happens to be Charsur’s latest release, last week. The album is of a different kind in that Gurucharan is accompanied only by Anil on the piano. No violin, no percussion instruments. The songs chosen are also ones that are melodious and can do without percussive support.

The song that I took an instant liking to is “Omana thingal kidAvO“, a lullaby written by Irayimman Thampi, may be because I like lullabies or because I simply love to sleep 😉 . This lullaby is supposed to have been written by Thampi to put the young Maharaja Swati Tirunal to sleep and is sung even today by many Keralite mothers to the same effect. It is very beautifully written. Though traditional renditions are in the raga kurinji, Gurucharan seems to have sung it in the raga Arabhi. Why I say ‘seems to have’ is because though Gurucharan sings it in Arabhi, Anil plays a few phrases that are not characteristic of that raga in the background, which I think is acceptable anyway as this is not a carnatic classical album in the strict sense. I must say that I now like Gurucharan’s Arabhi version more than the kurinji version.