Kamala Deepthi’s vocal virtuoso created ripples.
In a much relief from the sultry and suffocating outside, warmth of melodic notes comforted the music aficionados as young vocalist Kasturi Kamala Deepthi’s pliable voice lent remarkable expression to a string of ragas at Kalabharati in Visakhapatnam.
A disciple of renowned T. N. Seshagopalam, she excelled in distinct raga essays. With an in-depth grasp of the nitty-gritty of Carnatic classical idiom, she scaled its rich and varied nuances with gusto. Her penchant for alapana made the chosen ragas softly meander letting their abiding charms unfold in full bloom. Her inaugural piece Begada varnam was just opening of a concert that stood out for its impeccable classicism. She presented almost all the pieces with measured raga alalapna and each raga bloomed like a flower in spring in her soft voice. Embellished with well-structured aalapana raga Mohanakalyani for Siddvinayakam of Muttyya Bhagavatar wafted its fragrance all around.
Her rendition of Bhuvinidasudane of Thyagaraj in raga Sriranjani brought out the sense of a staunch devotee’s total surrender to the will of the Lord. The fluent nereval for the line Padamulegati further heightened its rasa bhava. Akshayalinga Vibho of Muttuswamy Deekshitar in raga Sankarabharanam with tidy swarakalapana scaled to a peak. While the abiding charms of the raga surfaced in its entirety in delineation, lyrical part of the rendition unveiled the grandeur of Lord Siva in its cosmic nature.
Raga Durbar gently rippled through for Nityaroopa of Thygaraj and redolent with appealing aalapana raga Saramati for Sarasadalanayane of Muttayya Bhagavatar evoked warm response.
That intensely emotive rendition in perfect blend of artistic virtuosity and fitting treatment of raga was the hallmark of her concert was evident in every frame of the session.
RTP in ragas Mohana and Ranjani with pallavi being Govindasundara Jaganmohana Deena Mandara Bhaktha Ranjana in its elaborate treatment at amble stood out for its aesthetic appeal in classicism. It is rather rare to have such a musical feast of remarkable order from a young artiste in her early twenties. She capped the session with a bubbly Tillana of her Guru in raga Husseni. M. Satyanarayana’s bow was aglow particularly in its share of raga Sanakarabharanam, Mohana and Ranjani. Dhanwada Dharmarao on mridangam and M Suryaprasadarao on ghatam were at their best.