The classical scene

from 2009-11 Melbourne

Matrimonials

A Carnatic vocal arrangetram

Classical singer Pragadeesh’s Carnatic vocal Arangetram was held at the George Wood Performing Arts Centre in early October. Vocal arangetrams are quite rare outside India as they demand a level of understanding and grasp of music that is difficult to achieve in a non-Indian milieu. That a young teenager - from a nonperforming family and raised in Australia could pull such a quality arangetram like this off - must surely be a divine gift indeed.

Pragadeesh began with a demanding Bhairavi varnam, followed by a Koteeshwara Iyer kriti in Hamsadvani raga. By then it was quite apparent that the audience was in for an evening of delightful music. This was confirmed when the young vocalist treated the audience to a cascade of swaras in Nattai raga, followed by raga aalaapanas in Lathangi and Sri ranjani which were superb. His rendition of kritis from a range of composers was crisp and melodious, and he showed considerable skill in the delivery of niravals as well.

Pragadeesh sang with an unruffled calmness, poise and composure that would put many

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Accompanying him were a group of talented young musicians from India: Ragavendra Rao on the violin, Arjun Ganesh on the mrudangam and N Rajaraman on the ghatam. Pragadeesh did not allow such seasoned performers from India to overwhelm him in the least, and he held his own. It is also to the credit of these artistes that they let Pragadeesh shine without attempting to steam his limelight. ***

The master’s touch Padmabhushan Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan need no introduction to anyone in the dance world in India - or indeed anyone familiar with bharatanatyam. This couple has been a fixture in the Chennai dance scene for decades, and have done yeomen service for dance and the arts in India. So it was with bated breath that artistes and cognoscenti awaited their one-only performance in Melbourne on 18 October at the Rowville Secondary College.

The Dhananjayans’ Dance school in Chennai is the Bharata Kalanjali Dance School, and they have trained scores of talented dancers who live in India and abroad, one of them being Radhika Mahadeva who runs a well known dance school in Melbourne, which was the main organiser of this event.

The emphasis that evening was on the Naatya aspect of dance, and the Dhananjayans gave a veritable tour de force of expression, bhava and emotions. Shantha Dhananjayan as Kooni in the episode from the Ramayana Rama Pattbhisheka Bhangam was exemplary - demonstrating just the right touch of psychological manipulation, craftiness and subtlety. Dhananjayan in the role of Nandanar in an episode from the famous Nandanar Charitram, a perennial favourite, was simply superb. He set out to prove – and prove he did – that even a lay person with no previous knowledge of Indian dance, could easily follow a story when the abhinaya is properly done.

The Dhananjayans were accompanied by dancers from their preeminent schoolGopukiran, Seetha Sasidharan and Divya Shiva Sundar, whose brisk pieces regaled the audience. They performed a couple of items with Radhika Mahadeva’s three senior students, besides a solo Ashtapadi from Radhika herself.

The orchestra consisted of N Sasidharan [vocal], R Kalaiyarasan [violin] and K P Ramesh Babu [mrudangam]. The nattuvangam was wielded alternatively by Shantha Dhananajayan and Gopukiran.

The Dhananjayans’ tour was made possible by the support of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.

Chitra Sudarshan

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