Shri Gurusthan of Northborough held their first Annual Bhajanotsav at Shri Gurusthan temple on April 13th, a very pleasant Sunday evening. The beautiful spring weather outside was only rivaled by the enchanting prime time vocal concert presented by Shri Aditya Venkatesh to conclude the Bhajanotsav.  Aditya was accompanied on the violin by Ms. Smitha Krishnan and on the mridangam by Shri Mali Santhanakrishnan.

Aditya portrayed his rich musical heritage very well, having trained by Smt. Shanta Subramaniam (who herself was a student of stalwarts Shri D.K. Jayaraman and Smt. T Brinda), Smt. Padma Sandilyan and Shrimushnam Sri. V. Raja Rao.  Aditya showed his depth of repertoire  and set the tone of the concert by starting with the Natakurinji pada varnam, Swami Nan Undhan Adimai by Papanasam Sivan. It takes a well-trained musician to sing such a complex pada varnam doing full justice. This was followed by another Papanasam Sivan composition Guruvarulum Tiruvarulum set to Khanda Chapu, where Aditya showed his command over talam, a testament to his training under  legendary mridangist Sri Raja Rao. The beauty of this Papanasam Sivan classic was embellished  multifold by Shri Mali’s vibrant accompaniment.

Aditya did a pleasing neraval and swaram at “Sangeetha Vadhya” in atheetha eduppu   in Diskshithar masterpiece Hiranmayim Lakshmim, leaving this listener to imagine how wonderful it would have been had he added an alapana in Raga Lalitha as well!! Following a couple of brisk krithis, Aditya treated the audience with a detailed Bhairavi alapana and the main composition of the concert “Ikha Nannu” by Pallavi Seshayyar. Not many musicians are singing these rare krithis in concerts anymore. Smitha Krishnan did a fitting alapana of Bhairavi and it was a treat to listen to the kalpana swara prastharam of both the artists. The main piece was concluded by a crisp thani avarthanam by Mali with exquisite patterns and a well-woven tisra nadai.

A beautiful Sai chindu in Chenjurutti ragam was the highlight of the second half of the concert. The tune, melody and lyrics were all outstanding and made the entire concert a memorable offering to Baba. The Sai chindu was preceded by the moving “Yuktamu Gaadhu” by Saint Thyagaraja and the delectable Parulanna Maata jaavali showcasing his training in Smt. T. Brinda school of music.

Aditya concluded with a rarely heard Anandha Bhairavi thillana followed by the last few verses of Khandha Sashti Kavacam, a very warm ending to the concert.  A nice touch throughout the concert was the addition of appropriate slokams before the krithis. With such a busy professional and academic life, it was impressive to see Aditya and Smitha continue to invest the time in their passion and take their music to new heights. While it was great to see Aditya singing kalpana swaras for a tough raga like Asaveri or a challenging kriti like Chade Bhuddimanura, Smitha’s extempore response was equally impressive. Mali’s experience and seasoned accompaniment ensured high energy for the entire concert.   Aditya’s shruti, laya, diction and pleasing stage presence were all fantastic and may Baba’s blessing be with him in his successful music career.

To listen to some of Aditya's recordings visit:

https://www.youtube.com/user/AdiVenk/videos

https://soundcloud.com/aditya-venkatesh

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