Tyagaraja aradhana in Sydney

Sydney Music Circle (a non-profit community organisation promoting Carnatic music among local artistes in Sydney, Australia) celebrated Sri Tyagaraja Aradhana 2004 over the weekend of February 21/22. This is the 20th year that the aradhana has been held since it was started in Canberra in 1984. The programme has been free to all and is funded purely by donations from the public.

This year's programme began in the afternoon of February 21 and featured over 60 students rendering kritis of Saint Tyagaraja either individually or in small groups. Children as young as six years of age provided musical tributes to the saint-composer. At the conclusion of the programme there was a sumptuous dinner.

The programme on Sunday morning commenced with pooja for Sri Rama and then group rendition of Tyagaraja's Pancharatna kritis. About 80 people participated in this rendition. The highlight of the day was the 'Tyagaraja Ramayanam' – a dance drama using the songs of Tyagaraja to describe key incidents from the Ramayanam up to Sita Kalyanam. It had beautifully choreographed and composed dance and swaras.

The main Tyagaraja kritis that were used included 'jO jO rAma' (rItigauLa) to portray Kausalya rocking baby Rama to sleep; 'brOcEvArEvarE' (shrIranjani) to describe Rama and Lakshmana protecting the yagna from the rAkshasas; 'shrIrAmapAdama' (amrtavAhini) describing 'ahalya mOksham'; 'lAvaNya rAma' (pUrNa ShaDjam) showing Sita admiring the glorious Sri Rama; 'shar shara samaraika' portraying Sita's svayamvaram culminating in Rama lifting the Shiva Dhanus; and 'pavanaja' (kuranji) to portray Sita Kalyanam.

The final scene brought tears of joy to the eyes of many in the audience. Kudos to the brains behind this feature. The mellifluous music provided by young local performers was a superb complement to the dance.

The aradhana continued with individual renditions of Tyagaraja kritis by adults. Over 50 songs were rendered. Again, a hearty lunch was provided to the 400-odd who attended the programme.

The programme concluded as per schedule with a group rendition of 'gItArthamu' in suraTTi and mangaLam in saurAShTra. Overall, it was a brilliantly organised and conducted event. Details about Sydney Music Circle are available at www.smc.does.it

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Published on ^13th March, 2004