Padmashree Srinivasan chose to render a few rare kritis and ragas at her concert for Mudhra’s Navaratri Vaibhavam

Padmashree Srinivasan with Mantha Sriramya on the violin and Puttur Nikshith on the mridangam
| Photo Credit: Photo courtesy: Paalamtv

Paalamtv had recently organised Padmashree Srinivasan’s Carnatic vocal concert as part of Mudhra’s Navaratri vaibhavam.

Padmashree’s concert was impressive without being ostentatious and was marked by a judicious blend of rare and popular kritis.   She began her concert with ‘Amboruha padhame’ a vibrant varnam composed by G.N. Balasubramanian in raga Ranjani. Following a verse from Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, she rendered ‘Paradevi tiruparkadal vanda dheerga lochani’ in Anandabhairavi by Neelakanta Sivan. Padmashree’s delightful phrases such as ‘Pankaja mel valar thaye’, ‘Karinayaka nadaiyale’, and ‘Kanjanaabhan Manaiyaalae’, enhanced the appeal of the kriti.

After a crisp alapana of raga Bhavani, Padmashree presented ‘Kanikarambutho kavave bhavani’, composed by Kalyani Varadarajan. A well-nuanced alapana of Kamboji preceded Tyagaraja’s Lalgudi Pancharatnam ‘Mahita pravrddha shrimathi’. Padmashree presented the composition with due dignity. The niraval was at the phrase, ‘Pahi vadana jita sudhakare’, followed by a pleasing swaraprastara.

The rare kriti ‘Sharavathi tata vasini, hamsini, saraswathi’, in raga Sharavathi by Muthuswami Dikshitar, was a pleasant surprise. This short kriti, rich in lyrical beauty, ends with a lively chittaswaram.

The centre piece was Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Shankari ninne ika chaala nammiti’ in raga Pantuvarali. The composer’s effortless flow of words packed with aestheticism could also be noticed in this composition. Padmashree decorated it with a lively niraval for ‘Kaamitaartha Daayini Kaatyaayani Gauri’.

During the lighter session, Padmashree sang Bharatiyar’s ‘Kalamam Vanaththil’ in Kavadi Chindu. While the tune and rhythm of the verses would strike a chord with the listeners, keen observers can notice the deeply spiritual side of the fiercely patriotic poet.  The joy he feels in his devotion can be seen in the words, ‘Aval aanandathin ellaiyatra poigai’ while describing Devi as the endless ocean of bliss.

Following the Bindumalini thillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman and Dikshithar’s note, ‘Vaagdevi Maamava Kalyani’, Padmashree concluded her concert with ‘Ksheerabdi Kanyakaku’ by Annamacharya in Kurinji

Padmashree was accompanied by Mantha Sriramya on the violin, and Puttur Nikshith on the mridangam. While Sriramya impressed with her unobtrusive playing, Nikshith scored with his sparkling tani.