Srividya at Kerala Fine Arts- Kochi

They have seen her dance, act and even sing some of those popular film hits on the stage, but to hear Srividya presenting a full Carnatic vocal was something the music buffs had not bargained for. It was quite natural then that the Kerala Fine Arts Hall filled in with a motley crowd that evening. There were many who had simply reached there to have a glimpse of their favourite star, others curious to find what she had in store for them and then the die-hard music fan hoping to hear an echo of her eminent mother, the late M..L.Vasanthakumari.

The concert organised by Society Dharani as its inaugural event in the series of classical music programmes with Srividya singing in a surprisingly high-pitch which she found difficult to sustain through the Thodi varanam, namely, Eraa naa pai. It must have left a few of the listeners keep their fingers crossed in trepidation. As the concert progressed she managed to get into her natural warble in her voice which gave altogether a pleasant feeling to a rather tensed audience.

Srividya resorted to a racy style of singing, quite rare among the present-day vocalists, choosing ragas and krithi to suit that particular mode of rendering. After Shobhillu, a Tyagarja krithi in Jaganmohini and a virutham , the delineation of Varali was made lively with the deft use of the ‘Gaandhaaram’. A late beginner, Srividya’s knowledge must have been acquired by listening to quality music during her childhood days and from her mother whom she used to accompany for concerts. The portrayal of Bilahari was compact. She seemed at ease with the Chinna Krishna Dasar’s Endha Brahma naadamu in roopakam but appeared to falter when she ventured into a bit of swara singing. Her ability to convey herself through compositions surfaced when she proceeded to sing Marugelaraa in Jayanthasree. She went into a detailed exploration of Kalyani which was resplendent in the use of light phrases. Rama ni vaadu by Tyagaraja was rendered in a manner to do credit to the late Sathur Subramaniam who popularised it. After Saaramaina in Behaug by Swathi, Srividya sang a couple of Meera bhajans which had traces of Misra Pahaadi and Misra Bhairavi respectively. Neena anaatha bandho by Purandaradasa in Nathanamakriya and a Sai bhajan, composed by herself., brought the conclusion of the concert. Nellore Nandan (violin),Vdavathur Sajeevan (mridangam) and Palghat Narayanan (ghatom) provided nice accompaniment.

By Courtesy – The Hindu- Kochi.