You know when you wake up with the pallavi ringing in your ears in full volume, in all its gripping madness, that you attended a very special Ranjani-Gayatri concert. As they said so beautifully a few days ago – Sound. Is. Everything. It is what binds the listener, makes any space intimate, and yesterday’s sound… Made us feel one with the artistes, which is to say music herself.
RaGa Rocket needs no running up – vertical takeoff into Papanasam Sivan’s beautiful Durga-Lakshmi-Saraswathi, in Arabhi. Every sangathi of the kriti so beautiful, further adorned with crisp swarams.
Next came the dearest Natakapriya. Sigh, that glimpse. The beautiful Iti Samayamu in Rupaka tala. Every piece, every phrase, every word attains such finesse in their renditions. Double, Triple Sigh, those mid-kriti improvisations all ending in Ma… Such teasers!
Ranjani ma’am began her alapana in one of those ragas whose very structure is glee – Kannada! What lovely shades brought out with absolute conviction behind each phrase, each chisel, each glide, each hold! Couldn’t stop grinning in happiness. Vid. Charumathi Raghuraman in her unparalleled style painted a super-sweet alapana before Dikshitar’s gem was rendered. The precious Suvaasitanavajavanthipushpa in full bloom was used in a kalpanaswara garland for the Lord.
These old ragas just never get old! And with Gayatri ma’am coming to it with a blank slate each time… The listener simply has no way of guessing a single thing about how and when she’ll reveal each nuance, how each phrase will materialise. Bhairavi. The interplay of the two Dha’s. The multitudes in that Ni, the Ma. Okay fine, every note ❤️ The brighas that make the whole canvas richer and more gripping. And the perfect balance of all these elements and more, in all speeds, across octaves… Even if one didn’t get any of the “technicalities”, the heartstrings invariably got variably tugged and released repeatedly and the jaw got dropped, in awe. All we could do was bow down. Speaking of which, what a violinist. Not only did she tail the impossible while accompanying, her alapana contained all that grandeur, and that brilliance.
Sadguru Thyagaraja’s masterpiece Enaati Nomu Phalamo was a feast of a rendition. The neraval at
“Sundaresha Suguna Brinda Dasharatha Nandana Aravinda Nayana Paavana” was a mind-blowing masterclass in manodharmam. Without letting the words get in the way of creativity, but using the words deftly to elevate the raga and pouring the raga to make the words pierce, to their fullest emotional potential. While these two made the words sing, the violinist made the melody speak! Queen Bhairavi, by these Queens. The jugalbandi neraval was just too much fun. Throughout neraval and swarams all three were set on extracting the maximum beauty for our ears, while the stellar percussionists Vid Sai Giridhar and Vid Anirudh Atreya made each beat so musical, tight and power-packed. That long round of slow swaram by Gayatri ma’am… I can’t wait for the Vaibhavam already, to be able to revisit and loop that magical exposition, where each note danced in all its hues. This was followed by a thunderblast of a Tani Avartanam.
Then came the evergreen Karpaga Manohara with its delectable progressions in Malayamarutham. As I sit at the Kapaleeswarar temple and write this, I can hear the piece as if listening live! Sigh, the wonders that good sound can do. Brain grabs on to it and refuses to forget ❤️
The piece that is the stuff of dreams. Literally. Ranjani ma’am’s alapana began. She left you guessing for the first few seconds. And then, a reveal. A glimpse – Devadi Deva. Firmly established. The Meends between these notes so irresistible! The meditative aspect at the forefront, designed to quieten from within. That tension, kept unresolved. Ni! What a beauty. When Vid. Charumathi started her alapana itself hearts fell swooning. With her sweeping bow and unmatched aesthetic sensibilities and technique she bow-led us over. Utterly spellbinding. Gayatri ma’am began. Can this RaGa soar without sadhana and prowess like hers? Talk about shackle-free. Each note fell in love freely with each other, in whichever octave she wanted, and either became one in a glide or flowed to meet it, leaping, jumping, running like the happiest kid. Joy of discovery, but enveloped in the seriousness and bhava of the raga. How she creates a soundscape that is full of emotion, and holds the entirety of the raga! Without such pristine akaara, that rich voice, can anyone make the very air breathe the raga? For her thoughts to race ahead of her lightning speed sangathis, how fast must her mind be! In a finite few minutes, an Infinite portrait. This was followed by some incredible rounds of Taanam, suspending this magical raga in free-flowing rhythm.
Listening to these three feels like being trapped in a hall of mirrors, all of which reflect beauty, beauty, beauty. Whose? Music, of course! And of course, this raga would demand no less than the best of Naada. For she was none other than – Sunaadavinodini! Perfect match.
The pallavi…
Naada Vinoda Omkara Paravaasudeva!
Devaadi Deva Pahimaam Su-(naada)
Truly not designed for the faint of heart. Leave fainting I didn’t even want to blink, lest I miss a nano second of their music. Thank God ears don’t need to blink. What a neraval. How do they come up with such powerful pallavi tunes and structures!! The second speed did not happen on earth for sure. There were almost two pallavis, one ending with Su- and beginning with Naadavinoda and the other beginning with Sunaadavinoda. Only they can showcase that subtle yet fascinating difference between the two. And the violinist too – how did she manage to accent that difference while flying! Those swarams to the different points, that last round – Pure sorcery! How long are they going to pretend to be human!! In a lovely throwback came Saalagabhairavi by Ranjani ma’am as the first ragamalika swaram, with an awesome korvai. Dhenuka! Such a beautiful haunting raga, but that Grahabhedam made it all the more powerful, doubled down on the impact – Shanmukhapriya. Those parallel phrases that switched constantly between the two… Truly she must see them as points in a ragascape, the labels just a detail. But what a magical effect those switching labels produce! Each time a new context, new colour. So much fun. The violinist played both Saalagabhairavi and Dhenuka and created the most delightful jod-raga, weaving seamlessly between the two, complete with a spot-on korvai with both.
Khamas flowed like nectar before Saveri made the heart yearn. Oh God that Madhuvanthi… Truly can never get enough. Who won’t fall in love with this at first sight! Kanda Naal Mudhalai! In insanely perfect contrast, came Jhinjhoti. Most favourite abhang ever.
I just realised yesterday was the same date five years ago, at Vani Mahal, that I first wrote about the rollercoaster I go through while attending their concerts. What has changed? I just feel like I’m more present to the turns and bends and spirals of the RaGa Rollercoaster. That’s the goal, to enjoy the ride at its fullest – leave the rest of life outside the auditorium, enter with the sole goal of devouring the best music, and taking that back to life, so that it stays with us, in dreams – asleep or awake. And like an excited kid, as soon as the ride gets over, I can’t wait to hop on, once again!! See which ragas they take us through next. Next ride, launching from Krishna Gana Sabha very very soon!! Woohoo!
Notes on Ra-Ga 