RAGA V AIBHAVAM

- SMT . R AJASHREE Y OGANANDA

DR.R ADHA B HASKAR , MUSICIAN AND MUSICOLOGIST HAS DEVISED A NOVEL CONCEPT CALLED THE M USIC A PPRECIATION PROGRAMME THROUGH WHICH SHE TRIES TO ENLIGHTEN RASIKAS ABOUT THE FINER NUANCES OF K ARNATIC MUSIC . STARTED NINE YEARS AGO , THIS PROGRAMME HAS RECEIVED VERY GOOD RESPONSE FROM RASIKAS . R AGA V AIBHAVAM - A JOURNEY INTO THE BEAUTIFUL WORLD OF WAS PRESENTED BY D R.R ADHA ALONG WITH K.P.N ANDINI AND AISHWARYA S HANKARON 29 TH J ULY 2012. T HIS WAS ORGANIZED BY S RI R AMA L ALITHA K ALA M ANDIRA , B ANGALORE AND RECEIVED GOOD APPRECIATION FROM RASIKAS .

DR.R ADHA IN HER INTRODUCTION , SAID THAT IT WAS NOT ENOUGH FOR A RASIKA TO JUST KNOW THE NAME OF VARIOUS RAGAS . O NE MUST GO DEEPER INTO IT AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND ITS CHARACTER , MOVEMENTS , ITS FORM AS DEPICTED IN VARIOUS COMPOSITIONS ETC . S HE TOOK A VARIETY OF RAGAS TO PROVIDE AN INTERESTING FARE . B EGINNING WITH MAYAMALAVAGOULA AND ITS JANYAS , SHE EXPLAINED ITS LAKSHANA , - AND MENTIONED THE POPULAR COMPOSITIONS IN IT . S HE POINTED OUT HOW M UTHUSWAMY D IKSHITAR IN HIS FIRST COMPOSITION “S RI NATHADI GURUGUHO ” IN THIS HAS BROUGHT OUT THE RAGA SWARUPA IN A CRYSTAL CLEAR MANNER BY ESSAYING THE AROHANA –AVAROHANA VIVIDLY . S HE ALSO DEMONSTRATED THE NATURE OF GAMAKAS EMPLOYED BY EACH NOTE IN MAYAMALAVAGOULA AND GAVE AN INTERESTING COMPARISON OF THE “ GA -MA ” COMBINATION USED IN THIS RAGA AS WELL AS IN S HANKARABHARANAM RAGA . A BRIEF ALAPANA AS WELL AS ROUNDS OF KALPANA SWARAS IN THE SAME , UNFOLDED THE RAGA IN ITS VARIOUS DIMENSIONS . D R.R ADHA , ALONG WITH A ISHWARYA AND N ANDINI SANG VARIOUS POPULAR SONGS IN M AYAMALAVAGOULA LIKE D EVE , T ULASIDALA , M ERUSAMANA , A ADIKONAR ETC . I MPORTANT J ANYAS OF THE RAGA LIKE M ALAHARI , S AVERI , P HARAS ETC . WERE HIGHLIGHTED THROUGH SUITABLE SONGS .

MADHYAMAVATI , A NADABHAIRAVI AND V ARALI WHICH WERE TAKEN NEXT WERE AGAIN DETAILED THROUGH SUITABLE EXPLANATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS . T HE KEY PHRASES OF EACH WERE WELL HIGHLIGHTED SO THAT RASIKAS COULD IDENTIFY THE RAGAS WITH THESE TYPICAL PHRASES . F OR EXAMPLE , THE UNIQUE MADHYAMA AND GANDHARA IN V ARALI WERE DEMONSTRATED TO SHOW HOW THEY LEND A DISTINCT COLOUR TO THE RAGA .

THE MAIN RAGA TAKEN WAS K ARAHARAPRIYA AND ITS J ANYAS . I N THIS , D R.R ADHA FOCUSED ON HOW K ARAHARAPRIYA HAS BEEN GIVEN A UNIQUE STATUS THROUGH THE COMPOSITIONS OF T HYAGARAJA AND LATER BY P APANASAM S IVAN . A MEDLEY OF IN SOME OF ITS IMPORTANT J ANYAS LIKE , D EVAMANOHARI , J AYAMANOHARI , M ANJARI , K API , SRIRANJANI , K ANADA , N AYAKI MANIRANGU , M UKARI , S UDH BANGALA R ITIGOWLA , K ANNADAGOULA , U SENI , MADHYAMAVATHI , S AINDHAVI , S RI RAGAM ETC . MADE A VERY INTERESTING FARE AS THE AUDIENCE TRIED TO IDENTIFY EACH RAGA WHEN THE SONGS WERE PRESENTED .

THE PROGRAMME CONCLUDED WITH R AGAS D ESH AND S INDUBHAIRAVI . I N BOTH , T ILLANAS AS WELL AS POPULAR COMPOSITIONS PROVIDED INTERESTING LISTENING . T HEY WERE COMPETENTLY ACCOMPANIED BY A NAYAMPATTI VENKATASUBRAMANIAM ( VIOLIN ) WHO PRESENTED THE ESSENCE OF THE RAGAS IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER . M UDHRA BHASKAR ( MRUDANGAM ) GAVE AMICABLE SUPPORT .

IN HIS SPEECH , M R.K RISHNAPRASAD WHO RUNS THE S ABHA IN A VERY DEDICATED MANNER , APPRECIATED THE EFFORTS OF DR.R ADHA TO PRESERVE THE VALUES OF K ARNATIC MUSIC BY CREATING MORE INFORMED RASIKAS .