Date:25/07/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2008/07/25/stories/2008072550390300.htm

Back Friday Review Bangalore Chennai and Tamil Nadu Delhi Hyderabad Thiruvananthapuram

Her teacher's pupil

Shankari's flute play at Thyagaraja Gana Sabha was impressive.

SWEET MELODY Shankari

N. Shankari is a senior student of the Uttaraa Center for Performing Arts and has been trained by Geetha Ganeshan in Bharatanatyam and Jayaprada Ramamurthy in flute play. Shankari gained proficiency in both dance and music has given several performances in the country and abroad at prestigious venues. Shankari is at present pursuing integrated M.Tech in nanotechnology from Amity University in Noida. This bright young girl played the flute last week at Thyagaraya Gana Sabha. She was accompanied by Pawan on the violin, G. Ramachandran on the mridangam and Srikanth on the ghatam.

She displayed her repertoire by beginning in a traditional manner. She started with with a Bhairavi Viboni varnam and then chose to play, as an invocation, Oothukadu Venkata Subbaier's Sri Vighna Rajam Bhaje in Gambhira Nata. This was followed by a brief delineation of Panthuvarali. It was a neat exposition. Siva Sivayanaraada of Thyagaraja was her choice in this raga. Her technique of playing of swaras on her flute was laudable. After presenting another composition of Thyagaraja, Raminchuvarevarura in Suposhini in Tisra Adi talam, she went for the major raga effort, Mohana, that shaped up well on the wind instrument as if it was made for it. Bhavanutha of Thyagaraja was chosen to present in this imposing melody. The swarakalpana was interesting.

G.S.