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My Favourite Raga
Sudharani Raghupathy: Brindavanasaranga is my first choice.
“Music gives a rhythm to life, more so for a dancer’s. A sound understanding of ragam and talam is essential for a dancer. When you get involved in a sangati or an alapana, it lends depth to the abhinaya. I have experienced it for more than 50 years. Though I belong to the Thanjavur school where nritta is a dominant factor, abhinaya is my forte. Know-how of music is an integral part of dance training,” says Sudharani Raghupathy.
“Talk of favourite ragas and memories fill my mind. During my study abroad in the Sixties, it was great fun when we tried playing Carnatic ragams on western instruments such as harp, piano and guitar at Colgate University. And I can clearly recall how enchanting Brindavanasaranga sounded on the piano. Later, when I was once travelling by train from Delhi to Chennai along with Guru Madurai Krishnan, he heard me humming a song in Brindavanasaranga. I then told him how much I loved the raga and he immediately composed a tillana in the raga. It is my most popular piece and a favourite one too,” recalls Sudharani.
Rare javalis
“I was drawn to Kaapi raga because of the rare javalis in it. I remember performing one such piece at the Khajuraho dance festival almost 20 years ago. It was so well received that there was a request to repeat it at my recital on the National programme of music and dance (on Doordarshan).
“I discovered the beauty of Thodi when I heard the legendary Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar at a concert in Bangalore. Post-concert I was almost in a trance. Such was the effect of listening to Ariyakudi along with another titan — violinist Chowdiah.
“I had the good fortune of learning music from the great Chowdiah. It was an amazing experience. He would play the swaras on the violin and I would repeat them. I underwent further training in music under Kittappa Pillai (he was an excellent musician) and Madurai N. Krishnan. It was enough to hear these masters perform for the compositions and ragas used to get imprinted on your mind and heart,” reminisces the dancer.
(As told to Chitra Swaminathan)
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Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
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