Dayananda - B.D.Goenka Trust,
Maduvankarai,
Sriperumbudur
Chennai-602 105

‘Stars of Hope,’ a fundraiser in aid of Krupa, brought several artists together in Chennai, in what was a high-energy concert unifying different genres of Indian classical art. Sadly the glamour that enveloped the presentation threatened to overcome the virtuosity and talent of the performers; the dress change for the musicians and dancers during the performance is just one example of this excessiveness. But fortunately for the art, talent won.

The programme was an eclectic mix of Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Hindusthani and Carnatic music, supported by percussion maestros Bikram Ghosh on the tabla and Selva Ganesh on the kanjira. Fusion was the order of the day, combined with well thought out and well co-ordinated presentations. There was enough for everybody- for the connoisseur as well as for the amateur.

Although now acknowledged as their signature style, it was still thrilling to hear vocalists Sriram Parasuram and Anuradha opening with Maru Behag and Amritavarshini ragas, combining deftly the Northern and Southern styles of classical music, weaving a tapestry of each raag in all its splendour while alternating in a scintillating raag alaap. Anuradha’s high pitch was distracting, yet the melody remained intact. ‘Morai naino va tharase gaye’ and ‘Thadapathe’ were their opening numbers sung with an ease of familiarity and mastery over form and content. R.S.Kannan on the violin, and Umakant Puranik on the harmonium kept up the melodious accompaniment assiduously.

It was the percussionists clothed in flamboyant colours who caused the most fireworks on stage. Skills were pitted against each other in gripping encounters, their enthusiasm occasionally drowning out even the vocalists. The pick of the evening was a half hour unadulterated percussion exposition entitled ‘Pure Sound.’ The tablas and the kanjira in full throttle filled the auditorium with pulsating rhythm, expert permutation of talas that culminated in a frenzied effort.

The two dancers were Shobana and Murali Mohan, Bharatanatyam and Kathak dancers who adapted their repertoire to present cross-cultural pieces. The latter has a quiet dignity about him that came to the fore in his abridged presentation of Thyagaraja’s ‘Pancharatna Kritis,’ and his pure nritta in Dhamar, 14 beats, shone with his tight control over rhythm. Shobana was the more flamboyant, whose exotic costumes and statuesque figure stole the show. Her moving ‘Ahalya Moksha’ to the accompaniment of Rajesh Vaidya’s bhava-laden veena, proved that emotion does not require prose to be understood. The sorry plight of a restored Ahalya, lost in the present was a masterpiece adaptation, hitherto unexploited by the mainstream dramatists. The dancers combined in a thillana-tharana in Reetigowla ragam Carnatic-style performed by Murali, and Bhagyashree raag, Hindusthani-style, performed by Shobana. The ‘Maan Apman’ Marathi story that sermonized on dowry was but a simplistic portrayal, significant only because of its message.

The medley of sorts was a serious endeavour by the artists to give off their best for this 3-hour show. All for a good cause- that’s what probably made the difference.