Importance of voice culture

WHILE LAKSHYA or lakshana is to be given importance in Carnatic music is often debated, it seems to be nobody's concern whether voice culture is essential for Carnatic music. Many music organisations in their missionary zeal vie with each other to educate rasikas on the delicate nuances of raga, tala, pallavi, kritis etc., through seminars, workshops and lec-dems. I do not think anyone has paid attention to why Carnatic musicians are averse to proper voice training.

It is said that musicians in the beginning of the last century sang to a high-pitch sruti, but we are in the dark as to the quality of their voices. Musicians today cajole their voice through the sounds of ``ra, re, re, ai, ooo'' and not through pure akara. This tendency not only distorts the purity of sound in vistaras of ragas, but also in the articulation of sahityas. Thus, Carnatic music suffers doubly.

It is worthwhile speculating how Carnatic music would sound when sung by the likes of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Parveen Sultana or Gangubai Hangal. What is the inhibiting factor in voice culture in Carnatic music? Nothing but the sheer indifference of vocalists to truly visualise the beauty of a well cultivated voice, delineating a raga or interpreting a kirtana.

While vocalists get away with their vocal frivolity, instrumentalists are not shown the same indulgence by rasikas. If an accompanying violinist or any other instrumentalist in solo strikes a scratchy note, the faces of rasikas twitch and uncharitable comments are made about his standard. But a vocalist struggling for sruti alignment or striking a false note, on and off in a concert, is not only tolerated but hailed with appreciative gusto. It has sunk deeply into the minds of vocal artistes that they need not have a well-cultivated voice to gain rasika appreciation or pay their due to the art they are practising.

For Lalitha Kala Vedika, Neyveli Santhanagopalan provided a concert that was lethargic in content for the most part. Considering the status of his voice, he limited his exposition to the middle octave with a few streaks in the tara sthayi, as in the Kalyana raga alapana. He was clever enough to camouflage his vocal deficiencies through sound manipulations in the lower ranges to confer an image of self-enjoyment.

The programme contained ``Sri Mahaganapathy'' (Gowlai), ``Sadinchene'' (Arabhi), ``Muruga Thirumal Maruga'' (Harikambhoji) and ``Kamalamba Bhajave'' (Kalyani). Whether V.V. Ravi (violin), Mannargudi Swaminathan (mridangam) and T. V. Vasan (ghatam) received appreciation from rasikas or not, Santhanagopalan was lost in ecstasy of every note of the accompanists. In the series featuring artistes from Andhra Pradesh, organised by Sarvani Sangeetha Sabha, the inaugural concert was by Modumuri Sudhakar, the grandson of Padurpalli Ramakrishna Pantulu. His raga alapana of Bhairavi and Poorvikalyani was characterised by good sancharas conforming to sampradaya. There was the element of briskness in the presentation of kritis and swaras.

The programme included ``Vatapi Ganapathim'' (Hamsadhwani), ``Endaro Mahanubhavulu'' (Sri), ``Upacharamu Jesevaru'' (Bhairavi), ``Enta Muddo'' (Bindumalini), ``Telisirama'' (Poornachandrika) and ``Parama Pavana Rama'' (Poorvikalyani). The sahityas were well emphasised without mutilation or wrong intonation especially since the artiste was familiar with the language.

In the accompanists, V. L. Sudarshan (violin), Melakkaveri Balaji (mridangam) and B. S. Purushottaman (kanjira), Sudhakar had an ebullient team. The violinist and the mridangist displayed their style of support with extraordinary vigour.

- SVK

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