Suguna Varadachari @ Shanmukhapriya, Chennai

Venue: Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall, TTK Road, Chennai

Date: 15 Mar 2007

Organizer: Shamukhapriya

Vocal: Smt. Suguna Varadachari 

Violin: Sri Sanjeev

Mrudangam: Sri Vellore Ramabhadran

Khanjira: Sri B.S. Purushothaman

List of songs:

1) vanajAkshi (varnam) – kalyANi – Adi – rAmanAthapuram srInivAsa iyengAr

2) mErusamAna – mAyAmALavagowLa – Adi – thyAgarAja (NS)

3) E pApamu – aTANA – misra chApu – thyAgarAja (A)

4) entani nE – mukhAri – rUpakam – thyAgarAja (ANS)

5) mAl marugA shanmugA – vasantA – Adi – pApanAsam sivan

6) srI krishnam bhaja – tODi – Adi – muthuswAmi dIkshitar  (ANST)

7) paravasa mAyanurA – nAdanAmakriyA – Adi – wAlAjApEt venkaTramaNa bhAgavatar

8 ) nAdru dhIm tanana (tillAnA) – gambhIravANi – Adi – t.k.gOvinda rAo

9) samayamidE rArA – behAg – tisra Eka – paTTaNam subramaNya iyer

10) nI nAma rUpa mulaku (mangaLam) – sowrAshTram – Adi – thyAgarAja

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

This is the first time I am hearing Smt. Suguna Varadachari live. Her alapanas were worth their weight in gold. There were so many beautiful patterns that just brought out the raga so well. There were no unnecessary expeditions. The mukhAri alapana lasted for about 6.5 minutes and was full of patterns that one could associate to and this made it all the more enjoyable. The 14 minute tODi alapana that came later was again a delight with Smt. Suguna spending a long time during the initial stages highlighting different patterns in the lower part of the normal octave itself. The sangatis put for the songs were also detailed ones and were thoroughly enjoyable. The beautiful sangatis that were sung for the pallavi of the aTANA composition got me so much immersed into the rAga that I just lost count of the total number of different sangatIs that were put. The count would have easily crossed 10.

Smt. Suguna Varadachari was ably supported by her accompanists. Sri B.S. Purushothaman was exceptionally brilliant while playing for the songs. The taniavartanam played by Sri Vellore Ramabhadran and Sri Purushothaman comprised of 2 or 3 rounds of chatusra naDai without kOrvais, a chatusra naDai round with kOrvai, a tisra naDai with kOrvai, a short round in tisra naDai that started off as though kuraippu was being done and finally kuraippu in chatusra naDai followed by mOrA and kOrvai.