Sooryagayathri sang for an overflowing auditorium for Raaga Vaibhava recently at Sri Nadabrahma Sangeeta Sabha on JLB Road in city. She was accompanied by her uncle Vid. P.V. Sanil Kumar on violin, her father Vid. P.V. Anil Kumar on mridanga and Vid. Vazhappally Krishnakumar on ghata. It was gratifying to see the packed hall with the eager audience and the latecomers found sitting on the steps as the balcony was also full.

Sooryagayathri has made quite a big name in the field of devotional music. She has released several popular albums in the ‘Vande Guru Paramparam’ spiritual music series under her mentor Kuldeep Pai, who is always in search of young talents.

Sooryagayathri is blessed with two main ingredients essential for music — assured confidence and bhava-filled devotion. There was warmth and enthusiasm in her presentation.

The vocalist opened the concert with the mesmerising Charukeshi varna of Lalgudi G. Jayaraman ‘Innam en manam ariyadavar pola’ set to Adi Tala. The presentation, though without mistakes, did not give the expected effect. The very opening phrases were more suitable for light music than for classical music and lacked classical fervour. After a short ragalapana of kalyani, ‘Ganapate mahaa mate’ by Muthuswami Dikshitar was presented followed by short kalpana swaras. ‘Akhilandeshwari Raksha Maam,’ again by Muthuswami Dikshitar, earned good applause from the audience. Poorvikalyani raga was disappointing as Hamsanandi crept in more than once and ‘pdns’ prayoga, which is not allowed (it is a vakra raga,  audava-sampoorna raga with only srgmds or srgmpdps in arohana) was repeated. But the composition that followed was welcome.

‘Aadaddella OLite Aayitu’ by Sri Purandaradasa’ had good sangatis in the pallavi section and was presented with clear diction. ‘Muthiah Bhagavatar’s popular composition ‘Vanchatonuna’ in Karnaranjani was energetic with good improvisations in the chitteswara. Shanmukhapriya was the vocalist’s next choice. While the listeners wondered why she had chosen three  pratimadhyama ragas for the evening, Sooryagayathri presented ‘Sharavana Bhava ennum tirumanram’ by Papanashanam Shivam.

The ragalapana was loaded with good brigas and good breath control with also a neraval at the pallavi — ‘Sharavana bhava.’ Sooryagayathri can work on lower notes. The sahitya in the low notes went unheard throughout the concert.

The other main attraction of the evening was ‘Inta Soukhya’ by Sri Tyagaraja in Kapi. Surprisingly no higher notes were touched or elaborated in this or the other ragas throughout the concert. Kapi ragalapana had some melodic moves but however the expected detailed raga elaboration did not materialise and soon taniyavartanam was chosen. The vocalist’s father Vid. Anil with Vazhappally Krishnakumar pleased the audience with their perceptive support.

The end pieces included ‘Brahma okate parabrahma okate’ for which the girl is famous, ‘Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma’ on audience request and a tillana by Oothukadu Venkatasubbiah, all of which drew tremendous applause from the listeners.

Sooryagayathri is blessed with encouraging and supportive parents. Her father’s face beamed with joy and pride and he was seen exchanging smiling glances with her mother who was seated in the front row.

More practice, some theoretical knowledge and more concert experience can mould this girl into a great artiste.

—Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan