Archana presenting a music concert accompanied by M.A. Jyothi on Violin and A. Radhesh on Mrudanga.
Mysore:
L Archana, an upcoming young vocalist, is the daughter of vocalist and Guru Koviladi Kala. She is an accountant by profession, working in Infosys, Bengaluru. Kala hails from a family of musicians from Srirangam, Tamil Nadu. She has migrated to Mysore after her marriage. Since then Kala is a permanent sight in the music circle of Mysore.
Trained under the able hands of a music guru like Kala, Archa-na has blossomed into a fine singer. Added to that, she has developed a cultivated Manodharma through hard work and a keen sense for Sahitya. These two factors contribute a lot in the making of a singer.
Archana was on the dais of Veene Seshanna Bhavana of Ganabharathi during their monthly concerts on Oct. 15. She was accompanied by M.A. Jyothi on Violin and A. Radhesh on the Mrudanga. She began her concert with the popular Shaha-na Varna Karunimpa of Tiruvotriyur Tyagayyar. It was surprisingly suffixed with a Swara, which no one expects from a young singer but nevertheless gave an impetus to her concert. This was followed by another popular Tamil oblation to Ganesha Gajavadana Karuna Sadana (Sriranjini-Adi-Papanasham Shivan).
Immediately she took up a not so brief Alapane of Saveri with one more popular Kruti Shankari Shamkuru Chandramukhi of Shama Shastri set to Adi Tala. Saveri is a prominent Audhava Sampurna raga, derived from 15 Maya Malava Gowla, which evokes Karuna Rasa. Selection of Saveri gave a soothing feeling. The singer took up a Neraval at Shama Krishna Sodari Shya-male Shatodari. Normally this raga is rendered in Vilamba Kala. If the pace becomes any thing slower than the raga permits, it will put the audience to sleep.
Once again there was a not so brief Alapane in Gowri Manohari Raga. Tyagaraja’s Guruleka Etuvanti Guniki was the Madhyama Kala composition chosen. Archana suffixed it with a neat and brief Swara. A rare and interesting raga, Nasika Bhushini, a Prati Madhyama Janaka Raga with number 70, is known as Nasamani in the Dikshitar Sampradaya. It is a minor Mela Kartha Raga with very few compositions. But one has to be very careful while rendering this raga as any minor change in the frequency of Nishadha may tend this Raga into Kosala. Archana chose Sri Rama Saraswati in this raga, by Muthuswamy Dikshitar.
It was time for the Main raga to be taken up. But before that, Archana sang a Purandara Dasa Devara Nama Nanda Tanaya Govindana Bhajipudu in Bhim-palas. Shankarabharana was the main raga of the evening. The Raga image was poignantly projected in the Alapane as the approach had a well rehearsed effort. This was evident when she attempted successfully a Grahabheda (Thodi, the Murchana with Adhara Shadja as Gandhara). It requires certain amount of confidence to do so. The Alapane neatly done, the Kruti Swara Raga Sudha Rasayuta of Tyagaraja was rendered in the traditional Tanjore style with some sangathis evolved by the great Nadaswara Vidvans of that region. The Anu Pallavi line Pramanandamane was taken up for a methodical extrapolation of Neraval, with imaginative Swara Kalpane.
The tail enders after the main raga were Kurai Onru Illai (Raga-malike-Adi-Rajaji), Pannagadhipati (Yamana-Adi-Purandara Dasa) and Elliruve Tande Baaro of Sheshagiri Dasaru in Behag. The first one by Rajaji was on the request of a listener.
Archana was well supported by the accompanists and Radhesh displayed some rare strokes in his Mrudanga in his term of Tani Avartana.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Feature Articles/ by S. R. Krishna Murthy