By Dr. Rama V. Bennur
Raaga, an amalgam of music, yoga and Ayurveda held its 50th concert on June 17 at Vasudevacharya Bhavan with pomp and fervour. A top ranking artiste, Vid. Pattabhirama Pandit gave a fine Karnatak classical vocal concert for a packed audience along with Mathur Srinidhi (violin), H.S. Sudheendra (mridanga) and Raghunandan Vyasarao (ghata). Vid. Pattabhirama Pandit, ably groomed by Padma Shri K.V. Narayanaswamy and Padma Narayanaswamy, has developed a unique style of his own. He gives a new dimension to the same old ragas with his true involvement and innovative manodharma in a robust rendering or expression. His adherence to tradition is unshaken by his new ideas. The perfect grooming has helped him in imbibing all the good qualities of his Guru. The opening piece, ‘Raagasudharasa’ (Andolika-Tyagaraja) hinted at what was to follow. A short and crisp swaras that followed literally carried the raga bhava. Another crispy ‘Sripathenee pada’ (Nagaswaravali) of Tyagaraja was lively with brilliant kalpanaswaras. After the evergreen ‘Rangapuravihara’ (Brindavanasaranga-Muthuswami Dixitar), Pattabhiram chose raga Kambodhi for a fair delineation. His open throated singing of the age old phrases were more structured and rigorous, reminding one of his Guru’s singing. Mathur Srinidhi was equally competent and melodious.
