Chennai Music season 2024 - Sriranjani's Sriranjani


Margazhi is just 1 day away and the Chennai music season has mostly started over the weekend. While the pandemic has been a major set back and has significantly impacted the Sabhas and the number of concerts and the unpredictable December rain has been another deterrent, the music season has slowly been trying to limp back towards normal. Hopefully 2024 will be a better year in making significant strides forward!

I had a precursor to music season on Dec 1st when I attended Karthik fine arts day 1 concerts of Ramakrishnan Murthy and Trichur brothers. While the concerts were good, there is nothing like the Margazhi experience when major Sabhas are in full swing, the canteens are buzzing and Mylapore is reverberating with rich music!

I started the music season with a concert by Sriranjani Santhanagopalan at Sankara School, Thiruvanmiyur. Since I don't have the luxury of staying in the city yet, this venue was a pleasant surprise nearer home with a good auditorium and plenty of parking available.

We were at the hall in time but the concert started late by almost 30 minutes thanks to the delayed felicitation function where few speakers went on an on. Only interesting but worrying statistic that was shared that pre pandemic 3200 concerts happened in Chennai during the music season which has now come down to only 1200!

By the time Sriranjani and her co-artistes settled down satisfied with the audio settings, the time was 7:40 pm. But from then on the concert was just pure bliss. Right from the darbar varnam to Arunchala naatham (on occasion of Karthigai) to Meenalochana brova and Paramaathmudu velige, the krithis presented were diverse from different composers and detailed very well at the right pace with clarity of lyrics and expression.

The real delight was when Sriranjani took up the ragam Sriranjani for the main song. I also saw the Co-artistes smiling when she picked up the aalapana which I thought confirmed by guess. However for some reason I also thought in between the aalpanana that she was actually singing Kharaharapriya and I had interpreted the raagam wrongly but the Violin essay was clearly Sriranjani raagam. The Vidushi spoke before starting the song and clarified with technical details that some people think a particular phrase is Kharaharapriya but when she is singing it at that speed for her the phrase is different or something to that effect. I didn't understand the technical aspects she spoke about like panchamam, anthara gaandharam etc, but it explained why I thought ragam was different in between. She explored the raagam and the krithi "Marubalka" in detail and it was very pleasing and fulfilling to hear this rendition.

Some enjoyable aspects of Sriranjani's concert are her majestic stage presence, the way she enjoys her singing and repartee from co-artistes and encourages them and the charming smile that appears every now and then. She looks completely at ease and gives a feeling that she has all the time in the world to present the song nicely to her full satisfaction. I am glad I could get a seat in one of the front rows and enjoy this wholesome concert experience!

The thukkada songs Yaarukaagilum bayamaa and Aadum Chidambaramo with the preceding virutham were just sublime and when Sriranjani finished the concert by 9:30 pm, my mind did go back and curse those speakers (read boomers!) who took up 30 minutes unnecessarily! 

More to come in subsequent days ...


Comments

Santhanam Thirumalai said…
Nice to know that you have started the season with Sriranjani. I am reminded of Marubalka by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
December 15, 2024 at 9:01 PM
Partha said…
Thanks Jhi. Sriranjani indeed :-) I have also heard and enjoyed Ariyakudi (and KVN's) Marubalka. The 2 min aalapana bringing the essence of the raaga, the authority with which he sings, TNKs violin following him closely and Mani Iyer's mridangam accompanying him like a friend can never be forgotten! That experience can be a separate blog post in itself!
December 15, 2024 at 9:15 PM
Santhanam Thirumalai said…
I await that post. Bring it out soon
December 15, 2024 at 9:22 PM
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