Sitthukadu T.G. Murugavel’s nagaswaram recital gave a peek into a tuneful past

Sitthukadu T.G. Murugavel with Sitthukadu T.G.M. Venkateshwaran on the nagaswaram is being accompanied by thavil vidwans Mannargudi M.R. Vasudevan and Velliyampakkam V.M. Ganapathi.
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: All India Radio

India assumed the G20 presidency in December 2022 and will be been hosting the G20 Summit till November 30, 2023. The theme of the G20 Sammelan is ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (One Earth-One Family One Future).

The nation’s rich cultural legacy will be emphasised through the following: Protection and restitution of cultural property; Leveraging digital technology for protection and promotion of culture; and Promotion of cultural and creative Industries and creative economy. It was in the order of things that the cultural events organised by All India Radio, Chennai, in this regard, were flagged off by a mangala Isai recital by nagaswaram artiste Sitthukadu T.G. Murugavel. He was accompanied by Sitthukadu T.G.M. Venkateshwaran. The duo was fortified by special thavil vidwans Mannargudi M.R. Vasudevan and Velliyampakkam V.M. Ganapathi. Murugavel, whose distinguished career spans four decades is the only artiste to play a gold-plated nagaswaram.

Energising the ambience with the thavil’s distinctive, high-powered prelude, the melam ensemble laid the ground for a Mallari exposition (Gambhira Nattai, Khanda jati triputa tala) that transported listeners to temple maada veedhis and the purappadu of the utsava murtis. Murugavel outlined a vibrant Gambhira Nattai in which graceful jarus and lingering karvais along with emphatic double gamakas and janta phrases complemented each other. A panoply of richly embroidered rhythms and cross rhythms in sollukattu was the ceremonial umbrella that shaded the leisurely sway and majestic gait of the Mallari. Madhyama kala accelerated to dhurita, finally slowing to vilamba, in keeping with the composition’s prescribed protocol.

Up next, the kriti ‘Murugan thunai’ in the rarely heard raga Visharada (Dandapani Desikar, Rupakam) generated an aura of auspiciousness. Taking off from the middle octave panchamam, the crisp sangathis of the pallavi swept through updrafts into the airiness of the tara sthayi rishabham in the anupallavi.

Racy chittaswaram

Punctuated by a racy chittaswaram and economical swaraprastara, the tempo sustained unflagging energy. From Tyagaraja’s Pancharatna treasure trove, the artiste drew out ‘Endaro mahanubhaavulu’ (Sri, Adi) prefixed with a concise alapana. Prana (breath), the life force that manifests as sound and musical form in voice and in wind instruments, has established a unique synergy between the human voice and the nagaswaram. This voice-nagaswaram connect was particularly evident in the twice rendered (swara-sahitya) lines of the charanam.

Spooling the main alapana, Shanmukhapriya, in widening ripples around the madhya sthayi panchamam and the tara sthayi rishabham, Murugavel captured attention with a plaintive madhyamam woven into the descent to the madhya sthayi. The artiste chose not to dwell overlong on any particular suite, opting instead for a peripheral trek around the raga’s terrain. Spotlighting the swarakshara woven into the pallavi’s sahityam at the very beginning, M. Balamuralikrishna’s composition, ’Sadaa tava paada’ (Adi) was a soothing madhyama kala exposition. Kizhkala kalpanaswaras explored raga swaroopa with deep jarus. With melkala kuraippu speeding towards a panchamam landing, the concluding swara sequences were centred around the kriti’s “sa da” leitmotif to dovetail with the pallavi eduppu.

The tani avartanam, crafted by Vasudevan and Ganapathy, stood out for its sharp sollus in alternating nadais.

Lalgudi Jayaraman’s thillana in Mishra Shivaranjani (Adi), with its captivating interplay of the two gandharams in the anupallavi and the subtle hues of graha bheda melody sheening the charanam, formed a fitting finale to a well-structured recital.