Adithya Prakash, Vocal, at the Raga Sudha Hall, Sunday February 3, 2019.

[yeshprabhu]

M R Gopinath, Violin
N C Bharadhwaj, Mridangam
Harihara Subramanyam, Ghatam

A pleasant, soothing voice rich in sowkhya bhaava, singing in unhurried manner, good adherence to shruti, and no gimmicks with taala, and no circus-like singing of kalpanaswaras: In other words, almost all the qualities I am looking for in a Carnatic vocalist. In addition to all these fine qualities, he has good stage presence and pleasant mannerisms. Taken together, this is rather extraordinary in one so young. When he started the varnam in Shree raga, within half a minute I felt a warm feeling of sukham, comfort, enveloping me, the same sukham I feel when ever I listen to Sangeetha Kalaanidhi Shree Maharajapuram Santhanam and Sherthalai Dr.Sri Ranganatha Sharma. He sang a brief, introductory Harikambodhi raga alapana to set the bhaava of the raga, and the mood of the kriti, Enduku nirdaya, of Sri Thyagaraja. My Sangeetha Acharya Sri T N Bala used to tell me during my classes, "Always sing a brief, introductory alapana, no more than a minute long, to set the mood of both the raga and the kriti. If you sing the kriti in chowka kala, sing this introductory alapana also in chowka kala". In this kriti, Thyagaraja is pleading with Sri Rama, "Why are you so unkind to me, why do you not show mercy for me?"; so this kriti must be sung at a slow tempo to comply with the meaning of the kriti, which the vocalist did. He not only sang with bhaava, but he also took his time to sing all the five charanams of the kriti. The line he chose for neraval, the fifth charanam,: "Dharalo nivai thyagarajupai", was very appropriate indeed because it has Sri Thyagaraja's ankita in it.

Sri Shyama Shastri's Anandabhairavi raga krithi, Himachala tanaya brochutakidi, was next. It was very pleasant to hear this. It created a meditative mood.

What followed next I found spell binding: An elaborate alapana of Lalita raga and wonderfully sung Sri Deekshitar kriti Hiranmayee Laxmeem sadaa bhajaami. The Janaka raga of Lalita, the majestic Mayamalavagowla raga, the king of all the ragas (according to Sri Purandara Dasa) is so rich in sowkhya bhaava that it has generously endowed its janya ragas such as Lalitha, Saveri, Bhowli and Nadanamakriya with an abundance of sowkhya bhaava also. The line he chose for neraval, Sangeetha vaadya vinodineem Girijam taam Indiram", together with the very soothing kalpana swaras, created the pleasant mood that I felt when I heard Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Sanjay Subramanyan singing this kriti with great bhaava a few years ago at the Narada Gana Sabha. Violinist Kumbhakonam Sri M R Gopinath's Lalita raga alapana was soothing, melodious and simply wonderful. Also, he did not take too much time as some violinists do. I wish to say a few words about the violinist. Not much is said or talked about him in the Carnatic music world, and so he has a low-profile. And he does not talk much, or promote himself, and lets his violin speak for himself. At a concert at Arkay Convention center four years ago, I first noticed how smoothly he used his bow: There are some violinists who use all their strength and use the bow as if it were a tool to produce loud sound, the way some mridangists beat the bridangam with all their strength to produce loud thumps, producing only noise, but thinking that they are generating sunaada. In the website rasikas.org, I read that he learnt to play violin from an eminent violin vidwan of the past, Sri P K Vishwanatha Sharma, who used to accompany the great vocalist Chittoor Sri Subramaniam Pillai.

The main krithi of the concert, Sri Thyagaraja's Nidhi chaala sukhama, Kalayani raga, came as a suprise to me. I hadn't heard this krithi at concerts in a very long time. It is one of my top ten most favorite krithis in Carnatic music. The Kalyani alapana was very pleasing and rich in melodious sangathis.

The bridangist Sri N C Bharadhwaj and ghatam player Sri Harihara Subramanyam, gave a very enjoyable and entertaining Thani avarthanam. It is good that Sri Adithya Prakash sang the krithis of all the Trimurthys of Carnatic Music. At a concert in New Jersey many years ago, I had met a well respected musicologist who told me that vocalists have an obligation and duty to sing the kritis of all the Trimurthys at their concerts to pay their respects and to acknowledge the Trimurthy's contribution to Carnatic Music, And when they do so, it imparts both weight and depth to their concert. Quite true indeed.

An altoger pleasant, enjoyable, and deeply impressive concert. I just hope that Adithya Prakash will protect his music from the speed virus that has infected the music of so many musicians. And I also hope that he will always remember that Carnatic music in not just a tool for entertainment (Even though it can be used as such), rather, it is a tried and tested and the most efficacious tool for enlightening the minds of both the rasikas and musicians.

About a week after this concert, on Feb 10, 2019, I attended another concert of Adithya Prakash at the Raga Sudha Hall. This time Sri R K Sriramkumar accompanied him on the violin, and Sri J Vaidyanathan on the mridangam. At the beginning of the concert, the organiser announced that the vocalist has started to learn from both Vidwan Sri T M Krishna and Vidwan R K Sriramkumar! This should help his music a great deal: I hope TMK's influence will prompt him to sing much slower and with more bhaava, and Sriramkumar will help him to pronounce Sanskrit words correctly. I have observed that he mispronounced several words and even used wrong words in some places: For example in the Lalitha raga kriti Hiranmayee Laxmeem, in the line "Hari vaksha sthalaalayaam" there was no difference in the two "la"s, both "la"s sounded as in Leela, the first la should sound as in Parimala, or as in "Kuntala" or "Varali", or the Kannada word "Kelu" (listen) or "Bale" (Bangle). In the line "maanikya aabharana dharaam" (one who is wearing maanikya jewelry), he used the word taraam, not dharaam, which changed the meaning of the line. In the Shloka Kastoori tilakam lalaata phalake: he pronounced phalake as palake: most of the Tamilian vocalists pronounce it as he did, though. These are just a few examples. I have observed that Vidushi Smt Bombay Jayashree is one of the very few Carnatic vocalists who pronounces Sanskrit words correctly, perhaps because she learnt from the eminent violinist Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman, who knew Sanskrit.

On the whole, however, it was a very good concert; I liked it very much. Now that he is learning from two of the modern day Carnatic giants, his music should improve dramatically and reach a new level and admirable height.
Yesh Prabhu, Mylapore, Chennai

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n3vkrQgwOw&t=1382s

For those who wish to know what ragas and krithis were sung, here is the list.

1. Saami ninne kori, Varnam, Shree raga, Karooru Devudu, composer
2. Enduku Nirdaya, Harikambodhi raga, Thyagaraja krithi
3. Anandabhairavi, Himachala tanaya brochutakidi, Shyama Shastri krithi
4. Lalita raga, Hiranmayee Laxmeem sadaa bhajaami, Deekshitar krithi
5. Shivakama Sundari, Mukhari raga, Papanasam Shivan
6. Nidhi chaala sukhamaa, Kalyani raga, Thyagaraja
7. Smara sundaranguni sari evvare, Paras raga, Dharmapuri Subbarayar
8. Shloka, Kasturi tilakam lalaata phalake, Ragamalika. Kapi, Hamsanandi,and Neelambari, followed by the krithi Madhava mamava deva. Neelambari raga. Narayana Teertha, composer
9. Tamil vrittam in ragamalika: Kurinji, Nadanamakriya
10. Tillana, Senjurutti raga (Shenjurutti, Harikambodhi raga janya)
11. Mangalam, Pavamana (Nee nama roopamulaku) Sowrashtra raga, Thyagaraja

Yesh Prabhu, Mylapore, Chennai.

[Sachi_R]

Sri. Prabhu,. Thank you for such a detailed, well-considered, informative, review.

Young vocalists guided by established stars who eschew gimmicks are indeed a welcome phenomenon in CM.

Thanks again.

[rajeshnat]

At the beginning of the concert, the organiser announced that the vocalist has started to learn from both Vidwan Sri T M Krishna and Vidwan R K Sriramkumar! This should help his music a great deal: I hope TMK's influence will prompt him to sing much slower and with more bhaava, and Sriramkumar will help him to pronouncw Sanskrit words correctly. I have observed that he mispronounced several words and even used wrong words in some places:
Yesh Prabhu, Mylapore, Chennai.

There was a review of Aditya Prakash that i wrote then @2016, he was introduced which i just wrote in the review as
Vocal : Aditya Prakash (disciple of PSN, Palai Ramachandran,Rose Muralikrishnan, Sugandha Kalamegham)
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=28339&hilit=aditya

Few days back in private whatsapp i had to correct someone that AdityaPrakash is not just a disciple of TMK and RKSK. AdityaPrakash was an already a great musician when he was yet to be a disciple of TMK/RKSK. That does not mean I am slamdunking the fact that he will not be a greater musician with TMK+RKSK as guru. Both are also great gurus.

I am just putting this fact just to give a holistic trace of his gurus as we forget in general his earlier gurus . I am very very glad that aditya prakash is singing intense CM@ chennai any time after Dec season , As per what i wrote then in 2016 I came out with an impression a great CM talent is possibly getting bit classically thin as he is going in parallel with Band.

Rsachi ,
I recollect you saying he is your relative ,has he moved from land of california to chennai for the sake of music.

[Sachi_R]

He was immersed in music and dance from his very birth (mother is the famous danseuse Viji Prakash of USA). His sister is the well-established dancer Mythili Prakash.
They travel around the world and spend much time in Chennai.

[rajeshnat]

Yesh Prabhu,
The list of songs is more santhanamish , I am assuming he had planned more numbers of maharajapuram santhanam with the joy of seeing you. Next time please ask him to sing vilayada ithu nerama in shanmughapriya(Washington TN Bala) .

Next time do hear maharajapuram ramachandran sing Hiranmayeem Lakshmeem(slow lalitha) followed by chAla kalla lAdu(fast Arabi), you may just appreciate that there is most classical music in rightly balancing slow and fast numbers with a steady madhyamakALa as a trajectory!!!

Thank you Yesh for your lovely review. May be next time little more white spaces please. Do keep writing often .

[rajeshnat]

Yesh Prabhu
I see that you have pasted your whole review of what you wrote and put it in Youtube link as comments . In future if I would suggest just put a link in youtube into this website , dont give any content outside of rasikas . Just a suggestion choice is yours.

Rasikas content and readership is under threat from facebook, whatsapp and youtube.

[yeshprabhu]

Hi Rajeshnath,
I first wrote the concert review on YouTube several days ago. Later I revised it, added a few more details, and posted the longer review on rasikas. You tube readers do not like long, detailed reviews. They like comments that are one or two sentences long.

[sureshvv]

For example in the Lalitha raga kriti Hiranmayee Laxmeem, in the line "Hari vaksha sthalaalayaam" there was no difference in the two "la"s, both "la"s sounded as in Leela, the first la should sound as in Parimala, or as in "Kuntala" or "Varali", or the Kannada word "Kelu" (listen) or "Bale" (Bangle). I

Are you sure? AFAIK "sthalam" means place and use the soft "la". May be @rshankar can comment.

[yeshprabhu]

sureshvv wrote,

"Are you sure? AFAIK "sthalam" means place and use the soft "la". May be @rshankar can comment."
[/quote]



Hi sureshvv,
I am aware that there is controversy about the pronunciation of la in words such as Vaksha Sthala, Mangala, Manjula, etc: Whether soft la is used or hard La? I took Sanskrit as my second language up to B Sc level, at St Aloysius College, Mangalore. My Sanskrit teacher was a well respected Pandit. He was emphatic that it should be pronounced as in ManjuLa. So when I visited my ancestral place Manjeshwar (decades ago), now in Kerala, I spoke with the head priest who had told me that the original name of the town Manjeshwar was ManjuLeshwar which, over time, became Manjeshwar. It is ManjuLa, not Manjula, he said, as in SthaLa! I admit that there are well respected Sanskrit scholars who pronounce SthaLa as Sthala. Even the lyrics in Sanskrit script at many websites have written the word as Sthala (soft la). Thanks for your comment.

[sureshvv]

@yeshprabhu

Thank you for the clarification. Does devanagari script even have the hard La letter? I was under the impression that the hard La was mostly from regional languages.

PS: As someone who argued for SrivaLLI devasenApathe my sympathies lie entirely with you

[yeshprabhu]

sureshvv wrote, "Thank you for the clarification. Does devanagari script even have the hard La letter? I was under the impression that the hard La was mostly from regional languages."

Yes, Suresh V V, Devanagari has the hard La alphabet: It is a horizontal 8, with a short vertical line in the middle., sort of the symbol in mathematics for infinity. By the way, I have observed that Kannada speaking people, for some reason, generally differentiate and pronounce la and La correctly, and very easily.

[Sachi_R]

Folks,
The Samskrita "La" is used only in Vedic writing. In Samskrita it is otherwise always "la".


Now Samskrita as used by Tamilians, Kannadigas etc. has replaced "la" with "La" as a regional variation in many words like "manjuLa", "sthaLa", "tALa" etc. In correct Samskrita, all those Las are las. So... Sri. Dikshitar would have most likely written "sthaLa", being a Tamilian, and that would apply also to Swati Tirunal, Vasudevachar, and so on, too. So when someone sings a Dikshitar kriti, the "La" and "la" should be distinguished as he wrote them. Perhaps SSP would be a good reference document.

[sankark]

Folks,
The Samskrita "La" is used only in Vedic writing. In Samskrita it is otherwise always "la".


Now Samskrita as used by Tamilians, Kannadigas etc. has replaced "la" with "La" as a regional variation in many words like "manjuLa", "sthaLa", "tALa" etc. In correct Samskrita, all those Las are las. So... Sri. Dikshitar would have most likely written "sthaLa", being a Tamilian, and that would apply also to Swati Tirunal, Vasudevachar, and so on, too. So when someone sings a Dikshitar kriti, the "La" and "la" should be distinguished as he wrote them. Perhaps SSP would be a good reference document.

Therein lies the rub. In thamizh, sthalam is never written as ஸ்தளம்; it is always ஸ்தலம். Eschewing the s, it is தலம். தளம் means floor/petal of a flower.

Both மங்களம் மங்கலம் are accepted whereas it is always மஞ்சுள but never மஞ்சுல

As for Dikshitar, I doubt if he would have meant ஸ்தளம்; My 2 cents is he would have meant sthalam/ஸ்தலம்.