The period was late 70s. The artist on the
stage was M L Vasanthakumari. To my just-being-trained but eager understanding the
maestro was deep into Kalyani raga alapana, not one of my favourite ragas then.
While the sanchara was in the region of anthara gandhara in the thara sthayi, a
50 something seasoned veteran rasika seated next to me was actually rubbing his
hands in glee. I could feel him move forward in his seat as though to get
closer to the artist so as to hear her more clearly. I was more interested in
watching my neighbour’s expression than what the maestro was unfolding on the
stage. After diverting my attention for a few seconds from the stage to my
neighbour, when my attention reverted to the stage I was a bit perplexed, I was
sure that a few seconds before MLV was deep into Kalyani, but when I came back
to the music (after a tiny break, closely but unabashedly observing my
neighbour) I was hearing Sudha Dhanyasi.
The violinist who was earlier following MLV closely almost swara to swara, was now
gingerly bowing only a single swara. I could actually sense pin drop silence in
the hall & almost everybody’s attention was on the stage. As a 14 year old
who had started formal training in carnatic music about 4 years back, I was unknowingly
witnessing and enjoying an expert & aesthetic exposition of what I later
came to know as “Sruthi bedham” or “Griha Bedham”. After taking us briefly
through the beautiful world of Sudha Dhanyasi, MLV brought us all back to
Kalyani. When the alapana was completed and the sabha was filled with roaring
applause (in which I joined whole heartedly), I knew instantly that I had
witnessed an absolutely superb concept in music, understanding of which would have me always looking forward to
it in all concerts which I would hear for the rest of my lifetime.
However after the MLV concert it took me many months with an old harmonium and
listening to hours and hours of tapes of MLV, TNS, SKR and BMK to get a hold on
the concept. Being reasonably familiar with a key board and knowing how to
operate one, I used to spend long time playing the same notes time and again;
driving my family members crazy.
A brief digress from Griha Bedham - Ours is
a family of music lovers, where there was a tradition that each child in the
family was inducted at an early age in atleast one aspect of classical music,
be it vocal or instrument. In my generation myself & my sister Jaya were
inducted into vocal & my brother Vaidhyanathan who is referred as Malli was
trained in mridangam. Amongst my
mother’s siblings – my mother (Renuka / Bala) & one of my chithis (Jagada) were
into vocal having learnt under T.S.Krishna Bhagavathar (who himself was a
student of Tiger Varadachariar), the other chithi (Radha) for a change started
with Bharata Natyam, younger mama (Sundar) into mridangam & the elder mama
(Ramu / Ramaswamy) into sitar & later violin. This tradition is being
religiously followed for the past 4 generations & continues till date. To
take this lineage still earlier, my grandmother (Rajalakshmi / Rajam) & her
mother (my great grand mother) were keen students of music too, having
performed many a concerts individually & giving voice over for dance
programs, etc. Naturally my grandmother’s first & second cousins too were trained
in some aspect of carnatic music either vocal or instrumental & as narrated
to me all family functions invariably ended in some sort of musical program.
Given this family background as above, my
penchant with the harmonium was not found unusual by my (immediate) family
members. Though it would have sounded quite monotonous and quite plain (try
playing thodi, harikambodhi, karaharapriya, natabhairavi, shankarabharanam,
kalyani in a harmonium), I was never discouraged.
Coming back to Griha bedham I feel that if
one had a reasonably good background of carnatic classical music & if he/she were adventurous enough to
try it, he/she would have at some point of time dabbled with Griha Bedham
/Sruthi Bedham.
My own personal experimentation with one in a concert stage was in 1985 when I got a one
hour program to render Thyagaraja Krithis in a Aradhana function organised by a
Sabha in Chembur, Mumbai. My initial attempt was in thara sthayi anthara gandharam in
Kalyani (the first conscious experience of mine hearing to MLV). However
instead of Sudha Dhanyasi I tried Nata Bhairavi, a sampoorna mela ragam. This
however came spontaneously, I had not planned to do this. Theoretically I knew
it could be done, but with a violinist whom I was meeting for the first time (a
senior respected mami, who was a veteran accompanist for local dance programs)
& with whom I could not have any practise session, suddenly I was not very
sure whether I should have taken up this.
(To give an example of this mami’s musical prowess - Earlier in the same
program when I did a brief raga alapana of Nagaswaravali, the mami played a
very melodious Bahudhari during her chance, she could not hide her shocked
expression when I started Sripathey
instead of Brovabarama which she was sure I would sing!.)
My mother & a couple of her friends
who knew this to be my maiden attempt at griha bedham, were mildly shocked at
my attempt. Later after the program they sounded a bit critical & chided
me. My mother’s friend, a music teacher, lectured that one is not supposed to
do such experimentation in the initial stages as a musician. In fact my mama
who also attended this concert of mine told me later that he was not sure
whether I would be able to come out of this chakravyuh unscathed. The kalyani
composition of Thyagaraja which I rendered that day was “tharama nee mahima
pokata” one of the few compositions by the bard on Tirupathi Shri Balaji.
After this moderately successful attempt
my later concerts (frequency averaging about one concert in every 2 years)
would invariably include griha bedham as one of the ingredients. But after my
initial experience with the violinist mami, I would try to ensure that my
accompanying violinist is familiar with this concept.
Over a period of time I seemed to have
developed a group of fans (mostly family members, relatives & a few junior
students) who would attend my programs.
Most of the people attending these concerts would invariably feel that I render
ragas and compositions which they do not hear frequently &/or I give too
much weightage to a particular composer who is known as a travelling bard &
is renowned for his Sanskrit
compositions on various deities. But that is a different matter altogether………..
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