Today, the 6th July is the birthday of Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna and in his memory, we present you the memorable concert of 1978.
Who can be the best person to write about this concert other than an ardent rasika, who had the opportunity to be present in such a rare concert? We are so fortunate that Smt. Kamini Dandapani agreed to write about this memorable concert and I am very grateful to her for this support.
When I asked her, how she actually felt while listening to this concert nearly after 40 years, she mentioned that her first feeling was of immense gratitude for how fortunate she was to get to listen to it. Actually, the only song she remembers vividly as being sung at this concert is the Priyaragamalika thillana, which really rocked her world! She was determined to dance to it – she promptly called up Balamurali Sir the day after the concert and requested him to teach it to her, which he did, with great patience; She then taught it to her dance guru and he choreographed it. She performed it and Balamurali Sir attended, not just coming for the last item, his thillana, but from the beginning and sitting through the whole thing. At the end, he thanked every member of the orchestra individually. She said “for all of us it was like being blessed personally by God”.
oOo
December 1978: Balamurali Krishna was awarded the Madras Music Academy’s Sangitha Kalanidhi, one of the most prestigious honours a musician, particularly a Carnatic musician, can receive. It is a distinguished and rarefied club indeed, and Balamurali, whose best seemed to grow ever better and more breathtaking with every passing year, was taking his rightful place in this circle with this distinction. It is truly a privilege and blessing to witness a musician at his peak; Balamurali’s peak stands taller, spans a longer period of time, and is more awe-inspiring, than that of almost any other musician I know.
By this time, I was a seasoned veteran of his concerts. I attended every performance of his I could, tuned into every radio concert, bought every cassette he released. I knew I would be richly rewarded with a sublime musical experience, each one unique, each one transcendental, each one that would lift my spirits and soul like nothing else could. It was with this anticipation that I attended his Sangitha Kalanidhi concert in December 1978. I was a college student, at an age when everything is experienced with heightened intensity. Imagine the ecstasy of actually being present at a once-in-a-lifetime, special event like this!
Most of the details are a blur in my memory. I do remember a packed hall, awe-struck silences, thunderous applause. And walking out feeling that life couldn’t get better than this. One song in particular stood out - his thillana, newly composed (for the occasion, I think), and more beautiful, thrilling and brilliant than any of his other thillanas I had listened to until then. It turned out to be a very special thillana indeed, for me: so enchanted and enthralled was I by it that I, then a Bharata Natyam dancer, learned it from BMK himself, had it choreographed by my guru Adyar Sri K. Lakshman, and performed it - the first dancer to do so - at a concert attended by Balamurali himself. He was delighted with the new shape and form his thillana had assumed and my guru, the entire orchestra, and I, received his warm appreciation. It is hard to top such an experience and memory, the seed for which was planted at this concert in December 1978.
Listening to this concert nearly 4 decades later, I was struck by how tranquil, smooth and soothing the music is. The thrills and excitement are there, but all enveloped in that serene beauty. It is like the sun - dazzling and brilliant, but not scorching you with pyrotechnics and gimmickry or leaving you unmoved with a distant coolness; rather, you are cocooned in a perfect warmth that uplifts, nourishes, energizes, delights and soothes. This is also a concert of deeply philosophical and spiritual songs. To me, his selection of songs reflects something of Balamurali’s mind-set at the time. Having achieved this honour, he pays homage to his gurus, to the very roots of Indian music, recognizes the conflicts and weaknesses that human beings have to struggle against and surrenders himself to the divine. What an exceptionally beautiful way to accept a grand award - with humility and gratitude.
Sama Veda : Paavakaa Nah Saraswathi Vaajebhir-Vaajinivati
Yajnyam Vastu Dhiyaavasuh
BMK begins the concert by going to the primordial source of all Indian classical music, the Sama Veda. He invokes the Goddess of music, Saraswathi, purifier of the intellect, fount of wisdom, and asks that his offering to her strengthens her wisdom in him. A simple chant with a powerful message. And in the two moods and modes in which he sings these words, you gain a glimpse into the infinite possibilities of this music.
