Sunil Gargyan captured the Margazhi mood with a pasuram rendition

Sunil Gargyan, endowed with a clear voice that moved effortlessly across registers, opened his concert at the Indian Fine Arts Society with a Pantuvarali varnam by Sadkala Narasayya. H.S. Sudhindra’s resonant kappi mridangam, marked by brisk and assured strokes, set an energetic tone for the evening.

Margazhi and the Tiruppavai are inseparable, and Sunil swiftly followed with Andal’s pasuram ‘Pullum silambina kaan’ in Sankarabharanam set to Misra Chapu. Each verse of the pasuram was rendered with clarity while the overarching bhakti rasa came through with conviction.

G.N. Balasubramaniam’s ‘Samagana lole’ (Hindolam, Tisra Ekam) showcased Sunil’s command over briga-laden phrases in the alapana. Anayampatti Venkatasubramaniam’s violin responses were restrained and complementary.

Sunil Gargyan accompanied by H.S. Sudhindra on the mridangam and Nerkunam Shankar on the kanjira.
| Photo Credit:
SRINATH M

This was followed by ‘Vinaradhana’ in Devagandhari by Tyagaraja, set to Adi tala. The main piece of the evening, Tyagaraja’s ‘Pakkala nilabadi’ (Karaharapriya, misra chapu), featured a well-chosen niraval at ‘Manasuna’. Venkatasubramaniam provided measured accompaniment, while the tani avartanam by Sudhindra and Nerkunam Shankar on the kanjira was simple and cohesive.

A student of the late P.S. Narayanaswami, Sunil presented his guru’s Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in Hamir Kalyani, set to Chatusra Jampa tala in kanda nadai. Sudhindra rounded this off with a mohra and korvai, highlighting his rhythmic acuity, though the focus leaned towards calculation than tonal aesthetics.

Sunil concluded with Purandaradasa’s ‘Jagadodharana’ (Kapi), followed by ‘Manadirku ugandadu’ in Sindhu Bhairavi by Thanjavur Sankara Iyer.