Sreevalsan J Menon’s unusual concert explores Kerala’s own Carnatic tradition

Kochi: Music aficionados of Kochi recently had a rare opportunity to explore a less-explored side of Carnatic music as singer-composer Sreevalsan J Menon dedicated his concert to ‘vaggeyakaras’ from Kerala. Menon’s line-up for an evening concert at Kalikkotta Palace in Tripunithura was carefully picked to shed light on the rich yet unmapped tradition of Carnatic music with a flavour of Kerala.

The concert which followed most of the traditional pattern began with ‘Bhajamanasa Vighneswaram anisam’, one of the most popular compositions penned by former IAS officer R Ramachandran Nair who wrote under the pen name Thulaseevanam. Set to raga bahudari, the song exuding a sense of piety and pleasure is composed by Mavelikkara Prabhakara Varma. Menon’s impeccable rendition gave the perfect start to his thematic concert with the fitting tribute to two Carnatic maestros from Kerala.

The initial piece was followed by ‘Raghavathe charu pada saarasa’, written by K C Kesavapilla and composed by Cherthala Gopalan in Thodi raga. After the Sanskrit compositions with devotion as the dominating mood, Menon wanted to cast a soothing spell over the audience. Swathi Thiunal’s extremely popular ‘Aliveni enthu cheyvoo’ was his next pick. The charming rendition of the Malayalam padam set to the playful Kurinji lighted up the mood. There was more space for Swathi Thirunal, the most prominent face of the Carnatic tradition rooted in Kerala, as Menon’s next was ‘Pahi Jagajjanani’ in Hamsanandi.

Irayimmman Thampi’s ‘Sambho Goureesha’, composed by Cherthala Gopalan was followed ‘Kousalya priyamana kalyana mandapam’, written by Advaithadasan. Interestingly, the Advaithadasan poem was composed by Edappally Ajithkumar, the veteran violinist who accompanied Menon in the concert. The composition in Sindhubhairavi showcased the musical brilliance of the Kochi-based violinist. Menon concluded the concert with ‘Jaya jaya Ramachandra Janakeepahe’ from Seethaswayamvaram, the Kathakali penned by Kottarakkara Thampuran.

“I strongly believe that Kerala has its own tradition of Carnatic music. It is evident from the style of many composers and singers. It is not just related to sopanasangeetham. It has the influence of even Arabian music,” Menon told the audience during an interaction post the concert. Menon was accompanied by Edappally Ajith on violin, Balakrishna Kamath on mridangam and Tripunithura Radhakrishnan on ghatam.