How Jayanti Kumaresh has mastered the art of keeping the audience engaged

Jayanti Kumaresh presented a well composed Lathangi Alpana. , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR

Instrumentalists, especially those who play the veena, usually have difficulty maintaining the audience’s attention. Since most rasikas strongly associate Carnatic music with literature, they prefer to listen to familiar works. This makes it difficult for the instrumentalists as they have to repeat some famous songs or ragas.

Vidushi Jayanti Kumaresh is someone who gives maximum priority to audience engagement. There was never a dull moment in his singing for the Sangeet Academy.

Making a pleasant start with Muthuswami Dikshitar’s ‘Parvathi Kumaram’ at Nattakurinji, he played Kalpanaswara which had elements like raga-alapana and showed influence of tanam. He then explored lathangi with a clean, structured alapana, taking up Papanasam Sivan’s composition ‘Pirava Varam Thaarum’. Handling high-speed vocals is a skill he has developed over the years.

Jayanti Kumaresh with KU Jayachandra Rao on Mridangam and Trichy S on Ghatam. Was Krishnaswami. , Photo Credit: Raghunathan SR

Starting each piece with a brief introduction about the raga or composition, Jayanti ensured that the audience understood what he had expressed musically. His alapan of the mukhari for ‘Entani ne Varnintunu’ reflects the Gaikai approach and reflects the mood and characteristics of the raga from the first phrase. His next raga to expand was Saveri, where his alapana stood out for some long solo-metu phrases and judicious coverage of all three octaves. Jayanti presented Kalpanaswara in both the tempos in ‘Dhara Dharavi Neela’. His Melakala swaras never lost the essence of the raga, appropriately displaying its key features.

Kantamani, the 61st Melakarta raga, is rarely sung in concerts. It is a Prati Madhyam raga and unfolds in Uttarangam with Shuddha Daivatam (D1) and Shuddha Nishadam (N1). After a detailed explanation of the raga in her alapana, Jayanti played a delightful tanam, which was greatly appreciated by the audience as she used many left hand techniques. His pallavi ‘Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha’ was established in the third Jathi Jhampa tala. A set of neat Kalpanaswaras with an arranged Kanakku ending resulted in Jayanti’s signature climb to the top octave in the final note, strengthening his chemistry with the Rasikas, who immediately applauded in the final Meetu.

Jayanthi was accompanied by KU Jayachandra Rao on mridangam and Trichy S Krishnaswamy on ghatam. The percussionists provided good support throughout the Kachhi and played the Veena appropriately.

Some other pieces include a Thilana in Mishra Sivaranjani composed by Lalgudi Jayaraman and ‘Kamakshi Lok Sakshi’ in Madhyamavati by Shyama Shastri.