A musical treat for City folks

KOCHI: The one-and-a-half hour long sopana sangeetham rendered by Ambalapuzha Vijayakumar turned to be a musical evening to cherish. The programme organised by the Bank Employees Art Movement Ernakulam (BEAME) at Naresh Pal Centre near Lisie Hospital provided an opportunity for music buffs in the city to enjoy the rustic nuances of an age-old music tradition. The rendition was accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the edakka. Vijayakumar  presented some thyanis after giving a brief description about them. The songs in praise of Gods and Goddesses took listeners through ragas ranging from poraneera, gandharam and paadi.As a traditional performer of ‘Kottipaadi seva’ at Ambalapuzha Sree Krishna temple, Vijayakumar started with ‘Neelakanta manohare….’ where the edakka set the  rhythm to match the beautiful lines.Most of the lyrics of the compositions used for traditional ‘Kottipaadi seva’ are not known. But a few gems among them such as Poonthanam Namboothiri’s famous description of Goddess Thirumandhamkunnilamma deserve special mention. The song, ‘Ghanasangham,’ was popularised throughout Kerala by the late Njaralathu Rama Pothuval. Vijayakumar also did justice to ‘Ghanasangham.’ Although the rendition, he adopted the style of Pothuval by singing and playing the edakka himself.The most remarkable song of the evening was a traditional one composed in Thiruvattar style. The Ardha Nareeshwara sthuthi in praise of Lord Siva and Parvathy appealed to many as he beautifully blended the lasya bhava of the Goddess with the thandava bhava of the Lord.  The musical evening ended with the famous song, ‘Shailaraja thanaye.’