Grace and poise marked popular violinists Lalitha and Nandini’s concert at theIndian Fine Arts Society. From the vibrant ‘Jalajaksha’ varnam in Hamsadhwani by Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbiah to the closing soulful Tiruppugazh, their proficiency came through in every piece.
In raga Mandari, the siblings chose to play Patnam Subramania Iyer’s ‘Paraloka bhaya’. The niraval and swara section stood out for their seamless exchange.
The sisters then presented the soulful ‘Sriramam ravikulabti somam’ in Narayanagowla by Muthuswami Dikshitar. Nandini shared that they learned this kriti from Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, who highlighted the greatness of the reference to the Ramayana.
Sankarabharanam not only offered Nandini and Lalitha a chance to explore the essence of the raga, but also allowed them to showcase their individuality. The niraval and swara section in Swati Tirunal’s celebrated Navaratri kriti ‘Devi jagajjananim’ were well-conceived.
This was followed by Sharavanabhavananda’s ‘Jnana vinayagane’ in Gambhira Nattai and Dikshitar’s ‘Sriguruna palitosmi’ in raga Padi.
The concert was buoyed by Vijay Ganesh on the mridangam and Hariharasubramaniam on the ghatam. They matched the verve of the sisters with their percussion support, and engaging tani avartanam.
