 Nisha’s Impressive Recital
 Young Nisha Poornima Rajagopal’s vocal concert at the TTD Sravana Mandiram hall, Chennai 17, on Friday evening (Sept 24), stamped her unmistakable class as an artiste of increasing stature and evident promise. She is so well recognized by all concerned with quality music, here and abroad, that, at least for now, she has given the go-by to her engineering-based aspirations – She is a B.E. in ECE from the University of Madras.
May be, this ‘ best vocalist under 25 –
Music Academy Award Winner, Dec 2003 Music Festival season’, and winner of many other prizes and scholarships, has conscientiously made the correct choice. For the deserving rasika she provides, presently, dignified aural and pleasing stage presence.
What is most admirable in her music is her mellifluous and expansive voice range, subtle and deep, rich in bhaava and beautifully sruthi aligned. There is nothing surprising in her well-controlled articulations, for she has the advantage of tradition-bound training received from no less than five gurus – her own mother and eminent performing artiste Vasundhra Rajagopal, Sangeetha Kalacharyas Prof.T R Subramaniam, Calcutta K S Krishnamurthi of revered memory, P S Narayanaswamy and Nadhakkanal Suguna
Varadhachari.
On Friday evening, Nisha chose just seven compositions for her recital – three of
Tyagaraja, one each of Dikshitar,
Annamacharya and Sivan, besides a navaragamalika varnam. The Thiruvaiyaru saint’s Keeravani kriti ‘ Kaligi Yunte Gada Galgunu’ (Adi) was so rich in plaintive appeal, tempered alapanas,and expressive swara prastharas, thereby visually bringing the saahitya bhava before the rasika, as it were. The neraval was imaginatively rendered, embellished with practised voice culture.
 The Vedanta Desika slokam (the day was the great Vaishnavite Acharya – polymaths’ 737th Jayanthi – purattasi thiruvonam : 1268 –2004) preceding the Annamaiya composition in Bhouli, Sriman Narayana, and the Kedaragowla – Latangi viruttams before Sivan’s composition Venkataramana (Latangi), the Malayamarutam Tyagaraja composition Manasaetulortune, as also his Everani – Devamiruthavarshini (Adi), were all immaculately rendered.
One or two more years’ of well-planned concerts at prestigious venues should enable Nisha gain the frontline ranks assuredly. She has the poise, eagerness and potential. She needs and deserves thoughtful encouragement.
The latter half of the concert was appreciatively marked by an abhang, a Meera bhajan and two other lilting pieces.
Dr.R Hemalatha’s play on the violin was marked with characteristic, elegant refinement. B Ganapathiraman’s mridangam play was restrained, though supportive. He did not appear to be in the required mood for a full and enthusiastic ‘thani’.
R. Srinivasan
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