Sounds of patriotism: The Indian National Orchestra.
There cannot be a second opinion about the fact that music is the best way of expression especially in the Indian context. There are several similarities as well as difference between the North and South Indian classical music. And several attempts have been made to bring them together in the form of jugalbandis and other orchestral forms.
Dr. Jayanthi Kumaresh has taken a dynamic step to create ‘Shastriya Sangeeth’, an ensemble presented by The Indian National Orchestra (INO) with the sole mission of integrating the Hindustani and Carnatic genres through popular instrumental orchestral forms with a touch of vocal as well. The INO had 25 artists on stage, all dressed in white (with a bit of saffron and green reminding us of the National Flag). The INO opened Sri Krishna Gana Sabha’s Yagnaraman July Fest, 2011.
The strains from the nagaswaram played by the Sri Lakshman Group lent an auspicious start to this magnificent collaborative feat. Each of the six items presented that evening was unique and fascinating in its own way. A spiritual presentation of ‘Sri Vignarajam Bhaje’ of Oothukadu Venkatakavi in Gambira Nattai raised a lot of expectations. As Bombay Jayashri mentioned in her introduction, it was a seamless blend of styles and talents. ‘Dancing Peacock,’ a tribute to the National Bird, was set in Ritigowla. It began with chatusra tempo and culminated into tisra mode. The composition painted the picture of two peacocks dancing when they see the gathering clouds, and progressed into a the sounds of several chirping birds from all directions before the finale which had the sound of rain.
‘Gangeshwari’ turned out to be a marvellous piece that created the image and sounds of water dripping, to the meandering river which ultimately surged into a roaring deluge. The piece was imaginatively structured with all the instruments contributing independently and collectively joining in the crescendo to create the sound of fury, beauty, awe and grandeur of the river Ganges. Set in the raga Gangeshwari by Pt Ravi Shankar (Charukesi sans rishabam), this one was the piece de resistance.
The highlights of ‘Himalayan Heights’ were the beginning with brisk rhythmic beats from the mridangam (Patri Satish Kumar and Neyveli Narayanan), ghatam (S. Karthick), ganjira (Guruprasanna) and morsing (Girishh) leading to the serenity of the silver clad peaks brought out through the subtle tabla (Udayaraj Karpoor) and the stirring sections of the sitar (Rafeeq Khan and Shafeeq Khan) and sarangi (Murad Ali). More emotion was added by the veena (Jayanthi, Ambarish and Ramya), violin (Akkarai Subhalakshmi, Sornalatha and Charulatha Ramanujam), flute (Mala Chandrasekar and Naveen Iyer) and vocals (Abishek Raghuram and Uthra). The choice of the raga Haricharan in the Northern parlance (with two madyamams) moved gracefully into the vivacious Kamavardhini on the veena, flute and violin. Adi Sankara’s slokas from Gangashtakam were interspersed to lend more weight.
The folk touch came in the form of a revue of Ganesh in Behag set in tisra gati. It began on the simple notes of the flute with the other instruments joining in along the way before ending with lilting touches from the sarangi and the sitar. Sindhu Bhairavi is a melody that is popular from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. That was the name of the concluding item which was inspired by a Lalgudi Jayaraman thillana, remixed with participation of the entire orchestra that marched towards a grand finish. Composing and orchestration are highly creative and demanding jobs; they have to be grammatical, melodic, credible and appealing. They have been taken care of and executed remarkably by Jayanthi, Kumaresh, Abishek Raghuram, with arrangement by Girishh Gopalarkrishnan and special percussion by Pramath Kiran.
With so many instruments and artists to co-ordinate, there is always a possibility of some artists getting a raw deal or going unnoticed. Surprisingly, each and every artist on stage had a significant part to play in elevating the music into an exceptional level. Perfect synchronisation was a high point here. The entry, integration and exit of every instrument were smooth, leaving the listener amazed. The gamaka of the veena, the softness of the violin, the subtle notes of the flute, the smooth glides of the sitar, the poignant passges of the sarangi, the sharp structures of the mridangam, ghatam, ganjira, morsing and tabla… they were given due respect and registered in every item presented.
The INO’s effort was a musical extravaganza done with elegance. It was a confluence of two popular forms of classical music without confusion; a blend of melody, rhythm and harmony eschewing even traces of dissonance. It was definitely an experience to be cherished. The introduction of INO is a novel and welcoming effort. Jayanthi, in her conclusion, said it has come to stay. True, the ingenuity and sincerity of the effort by the group is sure to take it to larger audience and greater platforms, both nationally and internationally.
