A nuanced journey through Delhi P Sunder Rajan’s recent chamber concerts in Kerala where violin and voice converge in quiet brilliance
Violinists turned vocalists are an infrequent phenomenon in the world of classical Carnatic Music. Do they have an edge over other vocalists? I strongly feel they do have. Before stepping into the role of the vocalists, they might have had lots of stage-experience as violinists accompanying at least a dozen maestros having widely different baanis(styles). They thus become very well conversant with the ins and outs of the technical and aesthetic segments of various Kritis repeatedly rendered by the inimitable legends in the field. Take for instance Ranjani and Gayatri whose meteoric rise as vocalists was partly the resultant of the glory they had attained as ace violinists.
Delhi P Sunder Rajan belongs to the same league in the sense that he established his presence in the field first as a gifted violinist and later on as a remarkable vocalist. The sole difference is that Sunder Rajan is so keen to pursue his career both as a violinist and as a vocalist. Recently this Savyasachi sang consecutively for two days as part of a chamber-music concert held at SAAYA, close to Angamaly in Ernakulam District.
Self-reflection
Born and brought up in a family embedded in Carnatic Music, Sunder Rajan is an amazing synthesis of nature and nurture. Intensively trained in violin under Ganabhooshanam V Janakiraman, Sunder Rajan grew up as a child prodigy. He was fortunate enough to accompany the leading vocalists in Carnatic Music even during his formative years. In the 1970’s and in the 1980’s, Delhi was one of India’s major cultural hubs in the sense that renowned musicians and dancers from far and near were invited for recitals in its various venues off and on.
Incessant invitations to play violin for the noted vocalists established Sunder Rajan’s stature as a violinist beyond question. This, in course of time, augmented his confidence and urged him to step into the territory of vocal music too. Every artiste, at a certain point of time, has to go in for self-introspection so that he/she realizes in full measure his/her strengths and weaknesses. The very next step is to hone one’s talents in such a way as to utilize it most prudently. Sunder Rajan precisely did the same which was evident in the two concerts he gave recently at SAAYA.
Core of classicism
Remembering a concert Sunder Rajan presented in the same venue almost two months back, some of the discerning listeners submitted to him their suggestions about the Kritis they are interested in. Those suggestions made it easy for the singer to strategize his concert both days. One of the positive impacts of Sunder Rajan’s willingness to respect the sentiments of the avid listeners was that one could hear some of the most famous and familiar Kritis in his concerts. Through C M Unnikrishnan, the host, I had intimated the singer my desire to listen to ragas, Pushpalathika and Sreeranjini.
On the very first day, Sunder Rajan commenced his concert with the Shloka, Mathangaananam penned by Kottayath Thampuran for the invocational segment of Kathakali in raga, Kedaragaulam. The way he sang it was strikingly different from the way in which it is sung prior to the Kathakali recital. Here he zeroed in on to the nuances of the raga repeatedly making the devotional content secondary. On the contrary, the singing of this Shlokam in Kathakali is primarily oriented towards Bhakti and therefore the raga-ornamentation is secondary.
Sunder Rajan then took up Ninne kori, the Varnam in raga, Kanada. The next one was Sada chaleswaram bhavaye, a Deeksthitar-composition in raga, Bhoopalam. The treatment of this weighty composition was simply awe-inspiring. It was an amazing amalgam of bhava and laya. Sunder Rajan later enamored the listeners with Papanasam Sivan’s Guruvayoorappa in raga, Chakarvaka, followed by one of Thyagaraja’s most popular Kirthanas, Ganamoorthe, in raga, Ganamoorthy.
The terse rendition of Jalandharasu peetasthe in raga, Valachi, was an unusually delectable treat. Sunder Rajan seemed to be carried away by the raga, Valachi, when he chose the Thyagaraja – composition, Eti janmamithiha. He delineated the raga in detail and dealt with the Kriti rather exhaustively. Thirupurachi Narayanaswamy’s Ehakainana in raga, Puspalathika, is a rarely heard Keerthana.
Sunder Rajan sung it to the hilt. The highlight of the concert was Maragatha vallim, the immortal composition of Dikshitar in raga, Kamboji and Adi tala. Eminent vocalists of the day seldom include this composition in their concert these days for reasons only known to them. Sunder Rajan’s treatment of the Kriti and its expansive swaras were in one word a profound discourse. His intricately woven brigas and the sagacity with which he unfolded a few extraordinary phrases during the kalpanaswaras were nectar to the ears. Of the three compositions he sang subsequently, Murukane marupayar azhaku of Guru Surajananda in raga, Bihag, was a true gem.
Elevating the experience
The seasoned violinist, Edappally Ajith Kumar and the veteran Mridangam player, Balakrishna Kamath, in their deft fingerings, ensured harmony and melody through and through.
On the second day, Delhi P under Rajan started his recital with Swamy ninne kori, an alluring Sreeraga Varnam of Karur Devudu Iyer. He then proceeded to Deekshithar’s Shreemahaganapathim in raga, Gaula. The devotional fervor with which he sang this composition is ineffable. Following a fluent and mellifluous rendition of the all too familiar Thelisi Ramachandra of Thyagaraja in raga, Poornnachandrika, he moved to the saint’s Sumugana nilva, in raga, Kokilavarali.
Singing a composition in this raga is almost like kshrasya dhara; walking on a razor’s edge. If one is a little less prudent, the identity of the raga concerned will be at stake. Sunder Rajan neatly sang the composition underscoring his swarajnana. He then moved on to Dajana seya radha of Mysore Vasudevacharya in raga, Dharmavathi followed by Nenaruncha ra na pai of Thayagaraja in raga, Simhavahini.
The piece de resistance of the recital was his amazing articulation of the redoubtable Thyagaraja’s Chakkani raja in raga, Kharaharapriya. In the late 1970’s I happened to hear the creative colossus, Madurai Somasundaram, unraveling the grace and grandeur of this composition in front of a sea of faces at the Siva Temple, Ernakulam. Afterwards I haven’t had a chance to listen to any of our preeminent vocalists tackling it with immense imagination.
Delhi P Sunder Rajan negotiated each of its segments right from the delineation of the raga with aplomb. Soukhyam, the salient feature of his music, prevailed throughout. Attukal balasubramanyam’s fingerings on the violin was perfect to a fault. Kadaykkavoor Rajesh Nath embellished Sunder Rajan’s chiseled Sangatis by employing befitting gamakas sporadically. Syama Sastrikal’s Kanakasaila in raga, Punnagavarali, had a soothing effect. The finale was a Thillana of Veena Sheshanna in raga, Chenchurutti.
Having paid attention to the two consecutive concerts, my polite inference is that Sunder Rajan’s music unfailingly demands an intimate audience. It is seldom suited for the uninitiated. The unflinching individualistic traits in his music can address only an informed community of listeners. It is neither flamboyant nor mundane. It is no mean task to identify such a gifted yet not so popular vocalist and give him a comfortable platform for unleashing his instinct and imagination. As an unparalleled Sahrudaya, C M Unnikrishnan deserves the full credit for organizing the two-day event impeccably.
