Ramana Balachandhran’s performance was a blend of technique and expertise

It was a small aft 4 erstwhile the faint hum of the tambura began to capable the auditorium astatine Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. A fewer aboriginal listeners had already taken their seats, scattered crossed the space, portion others trickled in, exchanging quiescent greetings. Within the adjacent half-hour, the assemblage began to thicken, murmurs faded and the aerial turned expectant.

The juncture was Kala Darbaar, presented by Kalpakalakshmi Charitable Trust, and the evening featured a performance by the young vainika Ramana Balachandhran.

Ramana, with Patri Satish Kumar connected the mridangam and Chandrasekara Sharma connected the ghatam, began the performance with ‘Velava ennai aalava’, a varnam successful Nattakurinji. From the precise archetypal phrase, it was evident that this would beryllium much than conscionable a veena recital. Ramana sang on , allowing the sahithyam to weave into the tonal richness of the veena.

Then came Sumukham, a four-note Carnatic raga with swaras ‘Sa Ri Ma Ni’, created by the legendary Balamuralikrishna, that exists without the swara ‘pa’, and the creation ‘Mahaneeya namassulive’, served arsenic an offering to Ganesha. The operation itself was a challenge, yet Ramana’s mentation was earthy and flowing. The kalpanaswaras that followed brought retired captured the richness of the raga.

A philharmonic dialogue

The manodharma successful Sankarabharanam began with a dependable stillness — dilatory phrases that seemed to breathe. As it grew, truthful did its affectional gravity, until the assemblage felt wrapped successful its expanse. The poignant composition, Tyagarajar’s ‘Emi neramu nannu brova’ successful rettakalai Adi tala, was the sub-main portion of the evening, wherever the composer’s plea to Rama was carried by Ramana done the strings of the veena with prowess. The kalpanaswaras became a dialog betwixt the 3 artistes.

In ragam-tanam-pallavi, acceptable successful Purvikalyani, Ramana began with an extended usage of the bass strings of the veena. The opening phrases established a calm, meditative temper that led to the pallavi, ‘Sada sivane enakku un padhame thunai, ullam kulirndarul puri’ was acceptable successful Adi talam, with the eduppu — positioned 2 syllables earlier samam.

Being a percussionist himself, Ramana explored the aforesaid pallavi successful tisra, chatusra and khanda nadais successful trikalam. His mastery of raga transitions was evident arsenic helium moved effortlessly from Purvikalyani to Kaanada and past to Yamuna Kalyani, maintaining the melodic integrity and rhythmic interest. This conception emerged arsenic the precocious constituent of the evening, earning a thunderous applause from the audience.

This was followed by the tani avartanam, which began with a elemental ‘Na Dhin Dhin Na’ operation and nary sooner evolved into analyzable rhythmic patterns. Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam) and Chandrasekara Sharma (ghatam) maintained the thrust and vigor arsenic accompanists, keeping the assemblage engaged passim the performance.

Next was ‘Sabalyame nin darisanam aiyya’, a creation by Sadhu Om connected Ramana Maharishi, acceptable to tune successful Suddha Sarang. The veena brought retired the devotional extent of the creation with clarity and Ramana’s brushed vocal phrases added warmth to the mood. However, the fast-paced percussion accompaniment contrasted this different soulful and affectional composition.

The hall, which was astir housefull, reverberated with divinity, arsenic Ramana ended the performance with Jayadevar’s Ashtapadi, ‘Nijagadasa yadunandana’ followed by the celebrated namavali ‘Arunachala shiva’, teleporting the assemblage to the beatified hills of Arunachala.