Smt. Bombay Jayashri's concert was the 4th in the Parampara series since the inception of Parampara Centre for Music. It was an extraordinary concert where melody and peace reigned supreme and nuances were numerous. The music that was created on the beautiful morning of June 7th continues to ring in my ears still!
Bombay Jayashri tends to open her concerts with a medium tempo krithi on Ganesha or another aspect of the almighty in stead of with a varnam. She began this concert with a melodious Papanasam Sivan's "Karuna Nidhiye" in Bhowli. It was truly a gentle awakening. She followed this up, in contrast, with a rousing Subbaraya Sastri's Begada kriti "Shankari Neeve" with its attractive chitta swaram. A grand Tyagaraja krithi of "Meru samana Dhira" in Mayamalavagowla was laid out in all its grandeur. I was reminded of her amazing Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi in the same raga from the "Azhaga" album.
She sang a beautiful, refreshing Nalinakanti alapana (which frankly kept me guessing for some time till I was reminded of "Manavi Alakincha radate" in the same raga) followed by GNB's "Ni Paadame Gati" with its raga mudra (signature) giving the name away. After this, Jayashri sang "Taamadam Thagadayya" in Mohana Kalyani. Though I have heard this repeated in 4 other concerts of hers, she sings it each time with the same verve and exhilaration. After her kriti "Eppadi Manam" in Huseni (Arunachala Kavi), she reserved the main piece for an expansive alapana, Neraval in her rendition of "Palinchu Kamakshi" (Syama Sastri).
A short, soft and sweet Thani by Shri Vaidyanathan followed the main piece. Smt. Jayashri rendered "Muruganin Maru Peyar Azhagu" (Behag) prefixed by an evocative slokam. This also figures, aptly enough, in her "Azhaga" album, but, the raga and the words of the composition do not ever tire one out. I have first heard MLV sing it (with Sudha Raghunathan as vocal support) in the 1980's in one of her concerts in Keys' High School, Secunderabad. Each rendition has its own charm and Jayashri's is a bit more leisurely. Later, Jayashri sang "Natha Hare" (Ashtapadi in Bhageswari) and ended the concert with a Lalgudi Thillana (Brindavani) which has her own unique stamp of style and brilliance and a traditional mangalam.
Violin by Sri HN Bhaskar was supportive and equally evocative all through.
Audience spontaneously stood up at the end of the concert as if in standing ovation. I could see that several of them were moved and beyond words to express the joy, peace and satisfaction that they experienced.
I am sure that Smt. Bombay Jayashri Ramanath will be back again in our midst in the future.
- Krishnaprasad
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