On the 111^th birth anniversary of renowned vainika and vocalist M. A. Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar, his family honoured flautist T. N. Sivakumar for his remarkable contributions to music. Vidwan T.N. Sivakumar, despite losing his vision before his teenage years in an accident, has risen to prominence as a renowned flautist. Sivakumar also excels in singing and playing the violin. Alongside his performing career, he teaches a vast number of students globally.

The event opened with an address by Cleveland V.V. Sundaram, chief guest for the occasion. He spoke on Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar’s legacy, including his instrumental role in organising the first Tyagaraja festival in New York. This was followed by an inspiring speech by the awardee T.N. Sivakumar about his life and journey in music.

Following the award ceremony was a lecture demonstration by flautist Sruthi Sagar. He commenced his demonstration with Ganamurte by Tyagaraja in raga Ganamurti, set to Adi tala, to highlight the connection between the flute and Lord Krishna. Various theories about the origins of the flute were discussed, including how it was initially made from bones, later from clay, and how birds poking holes in tree bark inspired humans in the evolution of the flute. Sruthi Sagar also explained the differences between modern and ancient flute techniques and how they are mentioned in the Tamil scripture, the Silappadikaram. He shared some interesting facts, such as the Silappadikaram specifying the exact measurements of the flute and its components and that the flute was originally set to be played in the Harikambhoji scale, suggesting that Harikambhoji may be an older version of Mayamalavagowla in terms of importance. He also spoke about the relationship between bhakti and Carnatic music, emphasising the ideology that music about God is a fragment of moksha, the path to God.

The topic of gamakas was explored, where he discussed and demonstrated various types of gamakas, including kampitam, spuritam, tripucham, aandolam, and several others. He also elaborated on the methods of playing akaram and how to distinguish between swara and sahithya on the flute. The session was quite interactive, with Shruthi Sagar asking the audience, which was filled with music students and rasikas, questions involving the nuances of some basic ragas, like Mayamalavagowla and Kalyani. He also demonstrated the intricate techniques used to play different gamakas with the help of dhaattu varisais at different speeds.

Highlighting the importance of sahithya and its bhava, he played the song Sabapatikku in Abhogi to help the audience understand the difference between playing just the swaras, the sahithyas, and the sahithyas with heightened awareness of its meanings and nuances.

The phrase Kripa Nidhi, part of the anupallavi of Sabapatikku was used to showcase where softness and power must be applied while playing the instrument. The phenomenon of double tone, where both the upper and lower octaves of the same swaram are heard simultaneously, was also demonstrated by the artist.

The evening served as a heartfelt tribute to the enduring legacy of M. A. Kalyanakrishna Bhagavathar and his significant impact on the Carnatic music tradition.

By

Shreya Sandeep