Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a concert at the iconic Tata theatre in Nariman Point Bombay. It’s located bang opposite the sea at Marine Drive, Nariman Point. I could have a great view of the setting sun from the corridors of the theatre. See below the magnificent sunset:
TMK was accompanied by very competent Akkarai Subbulakshmi on violin, B. Sivaraman on mridangam and young and energetic Chandrasekara sarma on ghatam.
It’s a thematic concert based on the poetry of Narayana Guru of Kerala written in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Narayana Guru was a scholar in Tamil, Malayalam and Sanskrit. Coming from a lower caste, he tried to bring about social reforms through his poetry. In his works, he propagated Advaita and a pluralistic society with one religion and one God.
The concert was well attended and the bulk of the crowd is Malayalam-speaking. Narayana Guru is not so well-known to the present generation and therefore the concert was preceded by a brief introduction.
TMK started with a serene Sama raga setting the meditative mood which prevailed throughout the concert. This was an invocation of absolute reality. The second piece was on Advaita philosophy calling the world Maya and God as the conjurer as well as the enjoyer of Maya. This was followed by songs set in Kamboji, Natakuranji, Kalyani, a Ragamalgai, and finally a piece in Raga Yaman.
The song ‘Kangal ethanai’ set in the raga Natakuranji is perhaps the most spectacular of all. This was followed by Thani avarthanam by Mridangam and Ghatam. After ‘Thani’, TMK presented two beautiful compositions. They are: ‘Aadu Pambe’ set in ragamaligai(in the ragas Jenjuti, Vagadishwari and Dhenuka) and ‘Samastha prapancha’ in raga Yaman. Don’t miss listening to these two songs. They are available on YouTube. You just need to type the name of the song followed by TM Krishna on Google or Youtube.
Considering that it’s difficult to relate to any song rendered (since they are all new to me), I would say, TMK’s experimental project is highly successful. It needs a great musician to bring out the lyrical beauty of poetry in musical form. Not just lyrical beauty, through the medium of music, the listeners will get to learn the message conveyed by the great social reformer who almost went unnoticed by posterity. The power of poetry, beautifully worded lyrics, the power of an artist who could see music in the poetry &lyrics, individuals contributing in tuning the poetry to suit the Carnatic music style and last but not the least, the brilliance of presentation by TEAM TMK – are all the key ingredients needed to popularize the teachings of a great guru like Narayana guru. It’s indeed a great service to a society in turmoil.
Needless to add that Akkarai Subbulakshmi was very impressive on violin. The chemistry between TMK and Akkarai is indeed great. Sivaraman on Mridangam and Chandrasekhar Sharma on ghatam gave their best support to the vocalist and violinist. Last, but not least, the iconic Tata theatre in Nariman point, South Bombay provides the best ambience for a musical recital of this kind. The near-semicircular shape of the stage and the seating arrangements are visually pleasing while the alternating convex and concave triangular forms above the stage and wall panelling ensure uniform and excellent acoustics throughout the hall. See the grandeur of the stage below:
After the concert was over at 9.30 pm, I came out only to find that Bombay’s nightlife had just begun. Saturday night fever was setting in! Eateries on the road and restaurants were getting crowded and doing brisk business. Children accompanied by parents were being entertained by merry-go-rounds, giant wheels etc on the roads which are otherwise busy during the daytime, and last but not the least, young, married/unmarried couples could be seen relaxing and cosying up to each other on the Marine Drive promenade, oblivious to the surroundings!
I just managed to grab something to eat and took a train to get back home by midnight.
It was an evening well spent!
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