Vocalist Dhanya Dinesh performed for Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha in city recently. She was accompanied by Pruthvi Bhaskar on violin, Nandan Kashyap on mridanga and Shamit Gowda on ghata.

Dhanya is the recipient of ‘Nadakishori’ award this year. Sri Nadabrahma Sangeetha Sabha, Mysuru, conducts an annual classical music contest in the month of August every year where young classical musicians in all categories from all over the State are invited to perform. The contestants are filtered to a count of ten by the Selection Committee and the selected participants perform before an invited audience with accompaniments. Three concerts are performed every day and four on the final day. The results are transparent and announced immediately after the competition. The winner is given the title ‘Nadakishori/ Nadakishora’ and a full-fledged concert in January every year. Dhanya won the award this year with a big margin. The best accompanists’ award this year went to Prithvi Bhaskar and Nandan Kashyap, who accompanied Dhanya in the present concert. 

Young Dhanya is blessed with a sublime, melodious and shruti-aligned voice that can traverse different octaves with utmost ease. Her uncanny ability to deliver complex swara patterns and pallavis and dwell in creativity effortlessly is an asset. Dhanya started the concert with the well-known varna in Bhairavi- Veeri Boni’ by paccchaviriyam Adi Appayya. ‘Ranganai tudiporku’, a Tamil composition in Chakravakam by Papanashnam Shivan saw kalpanaswaras at a complex place. Mysore Vasudevachar’s ‘Bhajana seya raada’ in Dharmavathi took a grand pause at ‘niravadhi sukhadayaku nee’ churning up a reposeful niraval. The niraval frequently brought memories of her Guru Naiveli Santanam in many phrases.

Bhairavi brought out more of Dhanya’s skills. Prithvi essayed a beautiful response. Tanam was predictable but the pallavi had all the grandeur towing the laya pulse and exciting swara segments.

The lyrics of the pallavi were “Sangeeta and the laya gyanamau sakala saubhagyamu’ by Dr. M. Balamurali Krishna set to Adi Talam. Dhanya not only presented this panchamukhi pallavi in other talams also with the same count, but developed kalpana swaras also in all the talams. The pallavi was also presented in Khanda Eka khanda nade, Chaturashra mathya Khanda nade, and Mishra jhampe khanda nade.

The way the young vocalist comfortably presented this complex pallavi with such ease without faltering anywhere was commendable. Nandan Kashyap and Shamit Gowda from Mysuru played an excellent taniyavartanam for this complex talam, which gained appreciation from the listeners. Dhanya concluded the concert with a Swati Tirunal Tillana in Dhanashri.

—Dr. Padmavathi Narasimhan