Violin maestro Avasarala Kanyakumari has never shied away from challenges or charting new paths during her stellar musical journey spanning six decades. Her latest initiative — launching the ‘Ekaika Raga Kritis of Tyagaraja’ — is a one-of-a-kind series of live concerts, under the aegis of Madhuradhwani at Arkay Convention Centre. The inaugural concert featured a violin recital, led by Kanyakumari, who was joined by her nephew and disciple, Srikanth Mallajosyula and his son, Sivateja Mallajosyula — representing three generations of the family on stage. N.C. Bharadwaj on the mridangam and K.V. Gopalakrishnan on the kanjira provided a spirited rhythmic support.
The multifaceted musician and nonagenarian T.V. Gopalakrishnan, who was the guest of honour for the evening, lauded Kanyakumarifor her initiative. Kanyakumari too fondly recalled her on-stage association with TVG — with the veteran accompanying her on the mridangam for her solo concerts, and she, in turn, playing for his vocal recitals.
An ‘Ekaika Raga Kriti’ refers to a composition that stands as the sole representative of a particular raga, and is believed that Tyagaraja’s vast oeuvre contains over a hundred such gems. Kanyakumari’s inaugural episode showcased 12, with the theme set to be carried forward by different artistes in the subsequent monthly editions.
There was a precursor to this concert series. On December 13, 2019, on World Violin Day, Kanyakumari began uploading one Ekaika raga kriti every Friday on her Facebook and YouTube channel. Encouraged by the response and sustained by the circumstances of the pandemic that followed, she continued with the series, which crossed the 100-episode mark. She is currently premiering the Devaranamas, primarily those by Purandaradasar. She has been uploading them every week on Facebook since February 2022.
It may come as a surprise to many that Tyagaraja composed only single kritis (ekaika raga kriti) in several well-known ragas such as Gowlai, Abheri, Ranjani, Kurinji, Charukesi, Brindavanasaranga and Kiravani. The repertoire was thoughtfully curated, keeping the concert format in mind and allowing ample scope for raga elaboration and swara exploration.
Perfect synchrony
Synchrony prevailed as the trio, presented the kritis — ‘Sri gananatham’ (Kanakangi), ‘Dudukugala’ (Gowlai), ‘Vinata suta vahana’ (Jayantasena) with swarakalpana, ‘Nee daya rada’ (Vasantha Bhairavi), ‘Sripathe’ (Nagaswaravali) with raga alapana and swarakalpana, ‘Ragasudharasa’ (Andolika) with a brief raga essay and swarakalpana, ‘Patti viduvaraadu’ (Manjari), ‘Maaravairi ramani’ (Nasikabhushani) with raga alapana and swaras, ‘Sita kalyana vaibhogame’ (Kurinji), ‘Vara raga laya’ (Chenchu Kamboji ) and ‘Adamodi galade’ (Charukesi) with raga alapana and swarakalpana — leading into a crisp tani and, finally, ‘Raminchuvarevarura’ (Suposhini).
Explorations and accomplishments mark Kanyakumari’s illustrious career — be it emerging as a leading violinist at a young age, accompanying renowned instrumentalists like N. Ramani and Sikkil Sisters (flute), U. Shrinivas (mandolin) and Kadri Gopalnath (saxophone). She has also successfully conducted instrumental ensemble concerts ‘Vadhya Lahari’ for a decade from 1987 — violin-veena (N. Vijayalakshmi / Mudicondan Ramesh) and nagaswaram (Mambalam M.K.S. Siva / Vyasarpadi G. Kothandaraman), with Srimushnam V. Raja Rao / Mannargudi A. Eswaran on the mridangam. She also organised large-scale choirs, featuring Annamacharya’s compositions last year — in Dubai and Chennai — with her disciples in the lead , under Team Mohana’s ‘Guru Vandanam’ programme.
Kanyakumari has always been a strong voice for instrumental music, consistently advocating for its recognition to be on a par with vocal music in the concert arena. “With proper training and hard work, a kriti can be replicated in instruments, almost like a vocal rendition, while retaining its emotive depth,” she says.
Beyond her own transcendent artistry, Kanyakumari’s legacy resonates through her disciples. Many of them are well-known accompanists, carrying forward her precision and passion. Kanyakumari’s tutelage also extends beyond the violin, with her shapingpractitioners of other instruments as well, including R. Prasanna (guitar), Mudicondan S.N. Ramesh (veena) and Vyasarpadi G. Kothandaraman (nagaswaram). Remarkably, she has achieved all this without accepting a single rupee as fee. When asked the reason, she simply responds, saying, she is following in the footsteps of her mentor and guru, M.L. Vasanthakumari.
Disciples speak
Embar S. Kannan: I joined my guru in 1986, when she was an extremely busy artiste — but she always found time to take class for me between her concerts and tours. A key aspect of her teaching is that she sings and teaches, which has helped me and other students imbibe the true bhavam of the song.
L. Ramakrishnan: My guru gives utmost importance to rendering sahityam on the violin, as it is sung. She is very particular about maintaining depth in music; she calls it ‘azhutham’. As a person, she keeps pace with the times, embracing social media and other emerging technologies with ease.
Vittal Rangan: She continues to push boundaries, constantly ideating and bringing something new to life every single day.
Kamalakiran Vinjamuri: Her attention to detail, the way she imparts swara-jnanam and how she translates it into fingering technique are exemplary. She is insistent that each of us discovers our own styles. That’s why, in our school, we all sound different — yet there is a common thread that binds us. Somehow, she makes each of us feel that we share a special bond with her.
V. Deepika & V. Nandhika: Our guru sings very well and can make the most complex music sound simple and elegant. She teaches from wherever she is, even over the phone.
Published – July 01, 2025 02:57 pm IST
