Ranjani-Gayatri’s “Sapta Puri” concert that happened at Chowdiah Memorial Hall was only around two hours long yet it was a journey across so many beautiful Kshetras all over India!
First, we were taken to the most powerful Kanchipuram, as Dikshitar’s composition came to us in the uniquely charming Kamala Manohari, with swarams choosing to celebrate her lotus eyes, Kanchadalayatakshi, instead of the usual Raaka Shashi Vadane, her radiant full-moon face, because every part of Her, every part of this Krithi demands being adorned by swarams!
As the crowds gathered in Chowdiah waited with bated breath for the music, Ranjani-Gayatri began with the perfect piece to quench all our thirst.
A brief raga glimpse and then came Thyagaraja’s Vidulaku Mrokkeda dancing to the majestic beats of Adi tala in that beautiful kaalapramaanam anchored by the ceaselessly awesome Vid Delhi Sairam and Vid Omkar Rao. “Kamala Gowri, Vaageeshwari Vidhi” – irresistible neraval ensued. After the slow rounds extracted the most evocative tunes of Mayamalavagowla – in their pristine voices and the sweetest violin by Vid Charumathi Raghuraman came that gripping, absolutely chiselled faster neraval. How the long karvais perfectly present the opportunity to slice in thrilling non-linear patterns! The manodharma river flowed between the two banks carrying the raga in full spate. Poised slow swarams, that transition into second speed. Bursts of small rounds. Then a long crowning round to complete everything. What a start! Instant attention sink. Everything that is beautiful about Carnatic music happened in those action-packed minutes. Such mastery over the Kutcheri idiom!!
Well before Ranjani-Gayatri started their concert at Ramana Maharishi auditorium, from behind the curtains came the gorgeous Mayaatheetha Swaroopini, complete with some beautiful neraval! Sigh. Too much brilliance, all the time.
The concert began with Girija Ramana, in the sweet Gambheeranattai, adorned with some sparkling swarams. In immediate contrast came the pensive Bhogavasantha – Amba Sri Rajeshwari. Even the beginning is so moving, and it only keeps getting better, leading up to that power-packed faster charanam!
With the most playful smile Ranjani ma’am began her alapana. Aha, kriti revealed! In her voice, Bahudari flowed in her lovely non linear formations, dancing in chiseled phrases and swooping down in perfect glides. Ah, how I’ve missed this violinist! Vid Charumathi Raghuraman played the sweetest alapana in the raga before they began GNB’s kriti on the MOST beautiful. Marakoti Sundari came in lilting deshadi with her charming chittaswarams and they added their own brisk rounds of kalpanaswarams at the pallavi. I thought of this when I heard them behind the curtains, it sounded as though some album was being played – such unbelievable perfection. With that same trademark purity of rendition came Muthuswami Dikshitar’s enchanting Kamalamba, in Anandabhairavi. When they sing those glides, the heart swoons and swirls in tandem.
Yet another awesome kriti glimpse marked the start of Gayatri ma’am’s alapana. The grandest, the greatest. Thodi. How she manages to make her alapana so so impactful and powerful but at the same time so sweet and emotive! Sculpted phrases – not jagged but perfectly chiselled in nectar smooth, rounded akaara. Those Brighas that land without any distortion. With such music – no easy way out. She paints the entire ocean so we can jump in. So many jaw dropping turns of phrases. So much new in the oldest. Her Thodi is truly infinitely reliveable. Then came the formidable violin, pouring notes as if coins of gold, clinking and clanking in the sweetest tones. Missing no beautiful ideas. Such a delight. Purandaradasa’s grand Yenu Dhanyalo was taken up. I’ll never get bored of repeating this – Who better to do neraval at “Sarvasthaladi vyaapta Naada. Sarvadosharahitha Naada” than these musicians! The slow neraval taking us through each word with the most meaningful musical phrases. The way Gayatri ma’am launched into the second speed with those edgy karvais! So much fun. The exchange neraval was superb, and then came the awesome awesome swarams. Rupaka tala koraippu is next level fun. Edge of seat only. This was followed by a Tani avartanam by the ever so delightful Vid Manoj Siva and Vid Omkar Rao.
Padavini! What a kriti! Thyagaraja is simply matchless.
Ranjani ma’am began. What a delectable alapana. Every note approached in such beautiful ways. Such swoon-worthy glides in that rich voice, linking each note with another in such unique ways. The raga? Ranjani! There’s something so fun about threes in this raga. Patterns of three repeated over and over give rise to such beauty! After the violin played an outstanding alapana, Gayatri ma’am took over. Sheer brilliance and endless prowess. In an already non linear raga, such breathtaking varjas, such twists and leaps and runs. So much punch packed yet contrasted with such grace and heartbreaking emotion. And in that first round of taanam she revealed her creativity knows no octave. Each round of taanam with the ragam strutting between the syllables was joy. Then they began that pallavi, one we’ve heard countless times from the album but for the first time live –
Ranjani Kanjadalalochani! Brovavamma Talli Ni-
Those extra pauses in the uttarangam! Aha. Neraval poured the raga on each word before they went to swarams. To everyone’s delight they began the Ranjani mala swarams!! Sriranjani, Janaranjani came first before Karnaranjani and that haunting Manoranjani. Saving the best for the last, came Ranjani ma’am’s evocative Sivaranjani. How even in fast swarams the emotion stays so intact! And then it came, the favouritest. Sumanesaranjani. I’d been smitten way before I knew it was Madhukauns. From that album. Here it was back again, with years more of acquired beauty and with that Chandrakauns! Oh God, at Ma Grahabhedams are a little intuitive, these Pa Grahabhedams are so so slippery and seem to demand even more purity. But it was Gayatri ma’am, so it was absolute MAGIC.
In an unexpected twist came a Jagadodharana, but oh so beautiful that it didn’t feel out of place at a Navaratri concert at all. Such fearless akaara singing. Right after came the lovely Sharana Sharana to sweep us off our feet and make us dance to more joyous Peelu.
How could I forget – the bestest Bhagyada Lakshmi Baaramma ended the concert in Navaratri perfection.
3 hours of such music, in the middle of the week and the hall was packed. Bangalore got its Navaratri feast! Today? Chennai! Can’t wait. (Even though it’s literally two hours only :P)
The Margazhi Monsters operating under the name Ranjani-Gayatri have arrived a month early and there’s been no return to normalcy in sight (or hearing) for the listener. Fun fact – during that Tri-Raga Grahabhedam, my ‘smart’ watch told me I had crossed a PAI goal! Extra proof that their music LITERALLY increases heart rates. Talk about palpable, even palpitative, effects of their music!
Maathe. They own this, no further questions asked. Bliss to relive their matchless rendition.
Since the event was titled Sangamam, the pieces were chosen to reflect this theme. The tale of Shiva and Vishnu’s union, the Ayyappan Avadarittha Kathaamritam was elaborated in nectar-sweet Kharaharapriya with gripping neraval to Triloka Mangalakaramoorti, followed by swarams! How masterfully they poured the raga while navigating the tight cycle of eight… Time to re-watch the Eppo Music Kambhoji MASTERCLASS about this!
Notes on Ra-Ga 