Some concerts entertain us, some inspire us, but a few leave a lasting impression in our hearts. "Navratri with the Nightingale" , featuring the legendary Dr. Sudha Ragunathan ji, Sudha Ragunathan was certainly one of those rare concerts.
What an evening of beautiful music! The song choices were wonderful, the pace was lively, and the entire concert flowed so beautifully that time simply flew by. It was a perfect blend of melody, rhythm, devotion and emotion.
Sudha ji began with “Mathe Malayadhwaja” in Khamas, one of the finest Daru Varnams composed by Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar. With its beautiful use of rhythmic syllables, it was such a bright and brisk opening.
Next came “Ganapathiye Karunanidhiye” in Kharaharapriya by Papanasam Sivan, beginning with a lovely virutham and followed by beautiful kalpana swaras. Balu followed each swara phrase with such ease and precision, beautifully matching Sudha ji's creativity.
“Shobillu Saptaswara” in Jaganmohini was simply wow! So lively and effortlessly sung.
The Suddha Dhanyasi alapana for “Narayana” was another highlight, filled with lovely phrases. Balu followed with his alapana bringing out the raga with great sensitivity, depth and imagination. The song was super divine.
“Alaipayuthey” brought a wonderful mix of emotion and pace, while “Unnai Allal” the main piece in Kalyani was a pure delight. Sudha ji’s Kalyani alapana was expansive, graceful and full of colour. Balu's phrases were beautifully shaped, and his musical response complemented Sudha ji’s singing wonderfully. The song led beautifully into the neraval on the line “Neeye Meenakshi Kamakshi.” The neraval was especially memorable for the way she explored the line with imagination and the grandeur of Kalyani. What made the kalpana swaras truly special was how each phrase ended beautifully on Nishadham (Ni), perfectly coinciding with the syllable “Nee” in “Neeye . Sudha ji wove one phrase after another with such variety, imagination and ease. So was Balu Sir. Their exchange was a real treat.
The Kalyani piece was followed by a power-packed thani avarthanam by Somasundaram sir! What a bang! His rhythmic brilliance, energy and control were simply outstanding .
And then came the soul stirring “Chinnanchiru Kiliye Kannamma” - favourite song for many audiences, The delicate podi sangathis, the variety of musical phrases and the emotions she brought into every line were simply amazing. In Maand, Mam sang “Kannamma” perhaps eight or nine times each time bringing a different shade of the ragas beauty.
Another very special moment was “Bhavadharini Navaratri,” a Kannada bhajan composed by Dr Nandakumar of Bhavan. It created such a lovely devotional atmosphere. The audience joined Sudha ji in singing, and the whole hall was filled with a wonderful feeling of togetherness. That soulful tune is still lingering in my head!
We had collected 19 song requests from the audience, and I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for Sudha ji to choose!
The concert ended with a powerful “Bho Shambho.” full of energy and devotion, leaving everyone wanting more.
Throughout the evening, we kept wondering how does Sudha ji maintains her voice so beautifully? The sweetness, strength, clarity and control are truly remarkable for her age.
I have always felt that, after the legendary M. S. Subbulakshmi amma, Sudha Ragunathan ji is one of those rare artists with such a wonderful stage presence. Her music, her personality and the way she connects with the audience make her performances so special.
The short Q&A session after the concert was another lovely highlight. Sudha ji is truly beauty with brains! What quick, clever and thoughtful answers she gave! She responded with such ease, humour and warmth. Despite her achievements, she remains so humble and approachable.
It was also wonderful to see her give the accompanists an opportunity to speak and share their thoughts, and to invite the audience to share their views too. These little gestures made the evening even more special. Balu and Somasundaram sir both spoke so beautifully .
We were fortunate to have so many genuine music lovers in the audience from various communities tamil, telugu, Bengali, kannada, kerala including a few youngsters who thoroughly enjoyed the concert and gave a fantastic feedback .Sudha ji made us feel every emotion in her singing proving that language is no barrier when music speaks straight to the heart .
One comment from our MC, Dr Kumar, beautifully summed up the evening. He shared that his 94-year-old father had once told him, “There is some magic in her music.” Isn't that so true! There really is something magical about Sudha ji's music. It touches people across generations, bringing the same joy and emotion to a 94-year-old rasika and a young listener discovering the beauty of Carnatic music. That is the true greatness of an artist.
For all of us at IFAB, it was an absolute pleasure to organise Navratri with the Nightingale. The beautiful music, the warmth of the audience and Sudha ji’s wonderful personality made it an evening we will treasure for a long time.It truly felt as though Goddess Saraswathi herself had come to bless us with her divine presence this Navratri, through Sudha ji’s beautiful music .