Feast of sound, rhythm and melody

The seven ladies on stage sparkled in visions of white much like the spectrum that holds within its fold the brilliant hues of the rainbow. As the Sapta Swaras danced in abandon, seven Ragas cast a spell on audiences who were treated to a feast of sound, rhythm and melody through the confluence of mellifluous singing and six different musical instruments.

Monsoon Nirvana, Cisne for Arts into its seventh year of existence celebrated the “power of seven” through a stunning ensemble of melodious and musically powerful women. M Nagalakshmi (mridangam) Debopriya Chatterjee (flute) U Nagamani (mandolin) Chandana Bala Kalyan (vocal) Padma Shankar (violin), Savani Talwalkar (Tabla) and Radha Padmaja (Morsing) put up a scintillating show marked by brilliant individual performances, spontaneous improvisation and perfect coordination in traversing Ragas from Yaman to Bhairavi in a concert at Hyderabad’s Shilpakala Vedika.

As Harini Madhira founder Cisne for Arts put it, “We are not going to introduce the artistes based on their lineage. We will let you discover their greatness based on their performance.” The words certainly rung true! The accomplished ladies proved their mettle and reflected the greatness of their gurus through their prowess on stage.

With the percussion instruments setting the beat, the artistes took turn to bring out the beauty of each Raga encouraging each other and enhancing the experience of rasikas who followed every nuance and subtle expression with appreciative nods all the way to the fusion and finale in Bhairavi.

What made the concert more enjoyable than most, was the fact that the performers included women who defy stereotypes and chart their own course. Entering fields considered an exclusive male domain for a long time the percussionists and morsing artiste belong to an abysmally small number of artistes opting to challenge prejudices and performing on stages across the world.

Radha Padmaja an award winning morsing artiste from the city who learnt from guru Sudarshanachari spent hours gaining perfection on an instrument that can cut the tongue if wrongly played. Though women are sought after for vocal singing and musical instruments that concentrate on melody, anything that requires strength and energy has always been considered “male”.

Savani Talwalkar and Mandapaka Nagamani are examples of talented musicians on the Tabla and Mridangam, winning applause and accolades for their power packed performances. Daughter and disciple of noted table maestro Suresh Talwalkar, Savani, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar awardee played the tabla effortlessly making it look simple and easy while Nagalakshmi, an A grade Radio artiste and teacher at the Vizianagaram music college set the rhythm of the concert with the mridangam.

Debopriya Chatterjee, disciple of the legendary Hariprasad Chuarasia showed promise living up to the reputation of her guru, while Padma Shankar gave a brilliant exposition of the violin cheering and encouraging other performers all through the concert.

U Nagamani who plays the mandolin along with guru and husband UP Raju, displayed astonishing perfection where the notes tugged at the heart, literally speaking to and mesmerising audiences. Capping all the instruments with her rich and lilting voice was Chandana Bala Kalyan daughter of acclaimed Violinist Nataraja Murthy and disciple of Guru HS Sudhindra. Her voice vied with the instruments to create a sublime experience.

The event spearheaded by a woman and enhanced by all women performers truly stands out in terms of novelty and quality. It is both a tribute and a triumph and an undeniable expression of women power at its best.