P. Unnikrishnan @ Asthika Samajam, Chennai

Venue: Asthika Samajam, Venus Colony, Chennai

Date: 18 Nov 2006

Occasion: Guru Smaranam – In memory of the legendary Sri Palghat Mani Iyer; organized by Sri Palghat Raghu

Vocal: Sri P. Unnikrishnan

Violin: Sri Vittal Ramamurthy

Mridangam: Sri K.V. Prasad

Khanjira: Sri Anirudh Athreya

List of songs:

1) inta mODi (varnam) – sArangA – Adi – tiruvOtriyUr tyAgayyar

2) suguNamulE – chakravAkam – rUpakam – thyAgarAja (S)

3) karuNa ElAgantE – varALi – Adi – thyAgarAja (ANS)

4) andari sundari kAmAkshi – kharaharapriyA – Adi – nIlakanTa sivan (ANST)

5) jAnarO I mOgamu (jAvaLi) – khamAs – rUpakam -ramanAthapuram srInivAsa iyengAr

6) karAravindEna (viruttam) – rAgamAlikA

nAtha harE jagannAtha – sindhubhairavi – Adi – sAi bhajan

7) villinai otha – Anandabhairavi – Adi – subramaNya bhArati

8 ) thillAnA – hamsAnandi – Adi – calcutta krishNamUrti

9) vijayagOpalatE (mangaLam) – suruTTi – Adi – nArAyaNa tIrtar

(Key: O=raga outline, A=raga alapana, N=neraval, S=kalpana swaram, T=taniavartanam)

Before the concert started, Sri Srinivasan, senior disciple of Sri Palghat Mani Iyer was honored by Sri Palghat Raghu and his disciples for his service to the art. Sri Allepey Venkatesan gave a fine talk on his association with Sri Palghat Mani Iyer. I hate speeches that happen before music concerts but I must say that I really liked the way Sri Venkatesan structured his speech and delivered it. The audio clip of a taniavartanam played by Sri Palghat Mani Iyer in one of his recordings with Sri Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar was also played for the audience by the organizers.

Sri Unnikrishnan started the concert with the sArangA varnam which was rendered in the normal and the double speed. varALi alapana had all the usual prayogas used by him. kharaharapriya alapana was simply too good. Graha bhedam was done in the alapana taking madhyamam as shadjam to give harikAmbOji, gAndhAram as shadjam to give kalyANi and rishabam as shadjam to give tOdi. Sri Unnikrishnan had sung the same graha bhedam in his September concert at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. This time, in addition, he also ended the graha bhedam portion with quick traversal of all the three shifts displaying very good control.