“Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul”.

This is what Prince Rama Varma’s recent concert in Bangalore at Bharat Cultural Association, with MES Kalavedi, Vidyaranyapura, reiterated emphatically.

The concert was held in memory of Late Sri Vasa Sreeramam, who was a great connoisseur of Carnatic music. With his keen interest, he used to discuss and interact with great legends like Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. Nedunuri Krishna Murthy, Vid. Akella Mallikarjuna Sarma, and Vid. Dwaram Bhavanarayana, and he attended music concerts even at the ripe age of 87. To commemorate his zeal and passion for classical music, the Vasa family conducts music concerts by eminent artistes every year.

Vid. Prince Rama Varma was accompanied on violin by Vid. Avaneeswaram S. R. Vinu, a senior violin artiste from Kerala. He was awarded the ‘A-Top’ grade from All India Radio and has performed as a soloist and as an accompanist on prominent stages across the world. Vid. Trichy B. Hari Kumar gave support on the mridangam—he is a top-rank artiste of All India Radio and has great knowledge and expertise of his thunderous instrument.

Vidwan Rama Varma opened the concert with ‘Omkara Pranava’ in Shanmukhapriya, a padavarnam by Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna. With that he set the tone for the brilliant renditions that followed. He presented ‘Hoova Taruva’—Purandaradasa’s composition, ‘Devaranama’ in Mayamalavagaula and Tyagaraja Kriti ‘Raminchuvarevarura’ in Suposhini raga, before launching into the main item.

With an illustrious raga alapana and impressive swara kalpana, Vid. Rama Varma presented one of the most popular compositions of all time by his legendary ancestor Maharaja Swathi Thirunal—’Sarasaksha Paripalaya’ in raga Panthuvarali/Kamavardhini. He highlighted and emphasized beautifully lines like ‘Kurume Kushalam – Bhavabheeti Naasana Chanaa Adbhuta Guna Nilaya’, and his motto to enunciate the lyrics correctly, taking care of everything that adds polish, depth and authenticity to the presentation, evoked tremendous response from the audience. His impactful tone and emotion enriched the raga’s unfolding beautifully.

The able support on violin by Avaneeswaram S. R. Vinu was hailed with claps by the audience. The sound quality of his violin, the dexterity, the intonation, the expression, the harmony, the rhythm, the pace, the flow—the technical proficiency—everything was so beautiful and distinctive that they vouched for his mastery and dedication. Vid. Rama Varma praised him for these very qualities.Hari Kumar’s ‘thani’ on mridangam enthralled the audience. They were mesmerized by the power and tempo that his strokes exuded, by his sheer command and mastery of the instrument.

Vid. Rama Varma continued the musical treat by singing another Purandaradasa Devaranama, ‘Hodi Nagaari’ in Anandabhairavi, Prayaga Rangadasa’s composition ‘Balatripurasundari’, followed by ‘Gopal Gokula Vallabhi’, a Tulasidas bhajan, and ‘Ramakrishnaru Bandaru’ by Purandaradasa, ‘Ada Pogona Baro’—a sweet composition by Sripadarayaru—and Bhadrachala Ramadasu’s composition ‘Garuda Gamana Raa Ra’.

Before commencing his next song, Prince Rama Varma explained the structural brilliance of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, who incorporated Western ‘Nottuswarams’ with the design principles of Carnatic music in the song ‘Vande Meenakshi’—which he sang on request from the audience.

He turned it into a sweet interactive teaching session where the audience was encouraged to sing the notes, and the air was filled with glee, energy, and enthusiasm. The same spirit prevailed when he sang ‘Sri Rama Nee Naamamu’ by Kaiwara Yogi Narayana—everybody joined him in singing and clapping, and the auditorium reverberated with music and the output of unified happy voices. Later came a song on ‘Mattapalli Narasimha’ by contemporary composer Smt. Vatsala Rangaswami, followed by a much-awaited ‘Thillana’ by Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna in Kunthalavarali, which left the audience in a state of awe, in complete enjoyment and involvement.

Prince Rama Varma doesn’t just sing—he redefines the language of music, giving it a depth of understanding that transcends mundanity and conformity. He seemed to have absorbed the very essence of classical music in its most pristine form—the way he enunciates each note of any raga is a testament to his prowess. With this concert, he once again proved that he is an unparalleled musician whose identity will remain etched gloriously in the annals of Carnatic classical music!