By Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan

Sandeep Narayan sang under the aegis of SPVGMC Trust on the 11th day of the music series. He was accompanied by the mridanga legend Umayalapuram Sivaraman on mridanga, U. Ganesh Prasad on the violin and Giridhara Udupa on the ghata.

Sandeep is endowed with a rich voice timbre and good tonal alignment. The Navaragamalika varna ‘Valachi Vacchi’ set to Adi tala by Patnam Subramanya Iyer gave a bright start to the concert. ‘Siddhi Vinayakam Seveham’ in Mohana Kalyani by Muttiah Bhagavatar was full of verve. 

‘Sri Mathrubhootam’ by Muttuswami Deekshitar describes the myth behind the temple Mathru Bhooteshwara and Sugandhi (Kumtalamba) in Trichi. The composer offers his obeisance to the Lord who assumed the form of the mother of a staunch devotee. The vocalist rendered the kriti well in a leisurely pace.

Sandeep then took the main item of the evening Kharaharapriya. He displayed the raga with delightful sancharas and when he winded up the ragalapana after elaborating for ten minutes, the senior mridangist urged  him to sing the raga for some time as it could be essayed farther in the tara sthayi. Sandeep took the legend’s advice in good humour and resumed the ragalapana at Tara sthayi dwelling deeper into its aspects. Ganesh Prasad’s rendition of Kharaharapriya was also good with colourful sancharas. Tyagaraja’s ‘Chakkani Raja Margamu’ was magnificent with a neraval at ‘Kantiki Sundara’ followed by excellent swara spins carrying ample creativity and dynamism, ending with an intelligent muktaya swara. The much-expected Taniyavartanam followed by Sivaraman and  Giridhara Udupa.

After the taniyavartanam, the senior mridangist was asked to speak on Sri Jayachamaraja Wadiyar and S.Rajam, whose centenary celebrations were also celebrated during the music festival. Sivaraman shared his experiences with the two great personalities and remembered the kindness of the late Maharaja. 

While the audience expected  a RTP, Sandeep disappointingly used the last hours for tukdas, which included ‘Karedare Barabarade Guruve’ of Bombay Sisters’ fame in Janasammodini, Meera Bhajan ‘Payoji Maine Ram Ratan Dhan Payo’, Tulasidas bhajan ‘Gopala Gokul’ and Bhageshri Tillana by Lalgudi Jayaraman.