A musical ode to Oothukadu Venkatakavi

Pathangi Brothers’ musical tribute to Oothukadu Venkatakavi

An exclusive Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi concert could well be a dare for the artistes as much as it is a divine treat for the rasikas, thanks to the lyrical profundity, melodic richness and rhythmic wizardry that his compositions are steeped in. Presented with such an opportunity, Pathangi Brothers — Dathre and Dhruv — rose to the challenge and came out with flying colours.

The mere mention of the composer’s name instinctively connects the mind to Krishna gaanam. The brothers explored that and much more in their vocal concert as Narada Gana Sabha and the International Foundation of Carnatic Music (IFCM) celebrated the Venkata Kavi Day at the sabha’s mini hall recently. V.S.P. Gayatri Sivani on the violin and Suriya Nambisan on the mridangam complemented the duo with an uplifting accompaniment.

It was a compelling recital by the young siblings who displayed confidence and competence in equal measure. ‘Sindhithavar nenjil iruppadhu’, a lilting number on Ganapathi in Nattai, set the tone for an energetic performance, and the swara interplay at ‘Kaatchiyena thagum’ was vibrant with both Gayatri and Suriya Nambisan contributing handsomely.

‘Vijayate govinda’ in Asaveri unfolded next with the gait of Misra Chapu lending an air of repose. The madhyama kala segment comprising three stanzas in succession to cap off the charanam — an uncommon feature — was the icing on the cake, and the vocalists rendered it with verve.

‘Guru padaaravinda komalam’ in Abhogi set to Rupakam, one of the many guru keertanams by Venkata Kavi (wherein he reveres none other than Krishna as the supreme preceptor, though he refers to the Lord only as gurunatha, sadgurunatha, gurudeva, etc.), provided the most sublime flavour of the evening. After Dathre and Dhruv traversed the contours of the raga aesthetically, Sivani’s brushes with the bow added an exquisite resonance.

The anupallavi line ‘Parama yoga yaga vedam padithilen, padithadhu pol nadithilen’, which was taken up for niraval, offered a fascinating blend of the composer’s humility and pride at the same time (“I have not learnt or practised penance, sacrifice or the vedas, nor have I ever feigned to have learnt them”). It was an inspired niraval with the singers vying with each other to bring out the composer’s sentiment with delicate modulation and expressive phrasing. Slight mispronunciation by Dathre at ‘nadithilen’ a couple of times in the faster tempo was but a minor slip. The duo proceeded to complete the song with sparkling swara passages in two speeds at the beginning of the pallavi, with the accompanists supporting seamlessly to enhance the appeal.

The siblings’ willingness to do the hard yards was evident as they ventured into two kritis in rare ragas. The first one was Lalithagandharvam, derived by combining the arohanam of Sankarabharanam and the avarohanam of Hamsadhwani. Dathre and Dhruv rendered the Sanskrit composition ‘Sri Sivanayike’ on Madurai Meenakshi with clear diction. Then they ascended a notch with the delineation of Hamsageervaani (the scale of Simhendramadhyamam sans ‘ni’). The brothers navigated the tightrope with ease, ahead of presenting another composition in Sanskrit ‘Raga rasananda nartana’ on Krishna. The two-speed swara essay at the pallavi opening culminated in a nuanced korvai with the accompanists playing ideal allies before Nambisan’s smooth and clear strokes highlighted the tani avartanam in Adi talam.