Music amidst rain!

Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s Concert on 2nd January, 2011 at Jaigopal Garodia School, West Mambalam (Rasika Fine Arts)

Accompanists:
Nagai Muralidharan – Violin
Thanjavur Ramdas – Mridangam
Alathur Rajaganesh – Khanjira

Concert Duration: 1 hr 50 min

List of Songs:
1. valaci (varNam) – navarAgamAlikA – Adi
2. kAppaduvE – Anandabhairavi – rUpakam – rAgA outline
3. kanna tanri – nArAyaNi – Adi – AlApana; swarams at kanna tanri
4. nandagOpAla – yamun kalyANi –Adi – AlApana
5. srI valli dEvasEnApatE – naTabhairavi – Adi – AlApana; neraval and swarams at mAmava sadA
6. cittam irangAda – sahAnA – misra cApu
7. swara rAga sudhA – SankarAbharaNam – AlApana; swarams at swara rAga
Tani Avartanam
8. nI nAma rUpamulaku – sowrASTram

After a nice rendition of the navarAgamAlikA varNam and kAppaduvE, Sanjay sang the first AlApana of the concert in nArAyaNi rAgam. I thought the rAgA had shades of AndOLikA and could find it out only after the song started.

As the beautiful yamun kalyANi AlApana progressed, I was hoping that he would sing jambupatE. But he sang another lovely Dikshitar’s song, nandagOpAla.

Every moment of the naTabhairavi was awesome! After an unhurried cittam irangAda, Sanjay started SankarAbharaNam AlApana.

The concert was getting more and more blissful by the minute, when a drizzle started. The concert happens in the small school ground with chairs arranged under a shamiana. Those not sitting under the shamiana started moving to the school building. By the time the AlApanai concluded, rain had already intensified and water started dripping through the shamiana!

Despite the rain, Sanjay started swara rAga sudhA. With the heavy downpour, speakers being covered by plastic sheets, water pouring through the shamiana almost everywhere, many in the audience standing and somebody holding an umbrella for Thanjavur Ramdas, the concert had to, unfortunately, end with a very few rounds of kalpanA swarams and hardly a couple of minutes long tani Avartanam!

There was a heavy rain for at least the last 10-15 minutes of the concert. The audience remained despite the rain and Sanjay thanked them at the end of the concert.

As the concert ended, somebody asked those still under the shamiana to leave quickly lest the shamiana falls because of the water getting collected on it!

This really was a new experience!

P.S.: Rain has still not stopped. Looks like the crazy rain in Madras is back!

5 thoughts on “Music amidst rain!

  1. Preeti

    Was there to hear this beautiful concert. Its a pity it had to end abruptly when everyone was so engrossed in Sanjay’s ragams.

    Reply

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