Ashtapadi 14 | Dr UKB | Gita Govindam | AIR | Udaiyalur Kalyanaraman Bhagavathar | Namasankirtanam

Dr Udaiyalur Kalyanaraman is committed to the old tradition - Pracheena Sangeetham. The spirit of his revivalist movement goes beyond bringing together innumerable expert singers who also belong to impressive Guru-Sishya paramparas, to sing for large gatherings. He has just been singing beautifully, mesmerizing his listeners with a style which had been almost forgotten. While critics have been lamenting the lack of devotion in present day Carnatic music, the Bhagavathars along with Kalyanaraman, have shown that devotional music (#bhajanai sampradaya) is another genre, not to be confused with the elaborate vicissitudes of classical music.

Dr Kalyanaraman's lineage is essentially the core of #Thanjavur culture, and impressive. From both his parent's, families he can boast of distinguished artists like Puthagaram Ayyaswamy Bhagavathar and Valkudi Santhana Bhagavathar. He grew up under the influential guidance of a famous musician of his time, Tiruvidaimarudur Venkatarama Bhagavathar. In #Udaiyalur which is a stone's throw away from Patteswaram, the young Kalyanaraman, cycled home from school hurriedly, to join the Bhajanai group wherever they were performing.

He learnt by listening and observation. He also went to every village in the surrounding district, and assimilated the culture of devotion which was kept vibrant by patrons and temples as well as "Mutts". He speaks of his Guru's evocative singing with feeling: "When he began the #Sankirtanam, by chanting "Sri Gopalavilasini... ", facing the beautiful Radha-Krishna image which was in the Puja, it seemed as if the deities would step out of the picture with folded hands in response. Such was the magic of the music that everyone present felt the presence of Divinity among them." The added touch of irony was that Venkatarama Bhagavathar was visually handicapped. Perhaps that is one of the reasons too, that his singing visualized more powerfully, the "Leelas" of Krishna.

Kalyanaraman is no less evocative and sincere in Namasankirtanam. He is precise about the traditional system, technique, and content of the music. Above all he imparts "soul" to his music with an abandon rarely heard. Every #raga is used to bring out the beauty of the perfectly pronounced lyrics. His husky voice has a quality that is magnetic. You never tire of hearing him. The nuances are well practiced, yet sound spontaneous. It is not surprising therefore that Kalyanaraman is busy every day of the week. Along with his trusted accompanist, #Babu who has been very supportive not only on the mridangam, new milestones are reached in the avenue of devotional music. Known for imbibing the traditional #Carnatic music in his singing style, Dr Udaiyalur #Kalyanaraman has come a long way. Each of his performance brings out his incredible instinctive understanding of '#gamakas','#Swaram' and their myriad nuances.

Courtesy: Lakshmansruthi.com

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