The first lecture of Day 14 was presented by Sangita Kalanidhi S. Sowmya on “Bhashanga Ragas as handled by Muthuswami Dikshitar”.
What are Bhashanga ragas? My understanding is that in the current raga classification system, we have Melakarta ragas or parent scales, and Janya ragas or derivatives. In general, Janya ragas use a subset of the notes of the parent scale and are referred to as Upanga ragas. However, when a note that does not belong to the parent scale appears in the Janya raga, it is classified as a Bhashanga raga.
One has to be cautious with the use of the word derivative. It merely indicates the position of a raga within the classification framework. There are many Janya ragas that predate the Melakarta system and are older than the parent ragas under which they are grouped. Therefore, the term does not imply that the Janya ragas evolved from the Melakarta ragas. This precedence could be one reason for the presence of what appears to be a foreign note. Another possibility is the incorporation of ragas from other musical systems, such as Hindustani music. This is my understanding, and it may not be complete.
The science student in Sowmya came to the forefront during her explanation of the terms Grama and Bhasha and their historical evolution. Her lecture felt like time travel as she took us from the fifth century to the present day. Her explanation made it clear that my initial description was a very basic interpretation of the term Bhashanga, and that the concept is far more nuanced. She classified Bhashanga ragas into three groups based on how such changes might have occurred. Throughout this discussion, the Sanskrit scholar in her was clearly on display.
When she moved to musical illustrations, the veena artist in Sowmya came to the fore. She played several examples to highlight the subtle nuances of these ragas. This was followed by a lively question and answer session. One question asked her to define a Bhashanga raga in lay terms. Her response neatly summarised the lecture and went far beyond what I had stated at the beginning.
In his summing up, Shriram praised Sowmya’s multidimensional abilities and added his own perspective to the topic. The moment when the two of them firmly held their ground on the interpretation of a particular phrase in the Brindavanasaranga composition “Soundararajam” was striking. It reflected their depth of knowledge, clarity of understanding, camaraderie, conviction, loyalty to their respective traditions, and mutual respect.
The second lecture of the day was by this year’s Nritya Kalanidhi, Vidushi Urmila Satyanarayanan. She spoke on “Setting Muthuswami Dikshitar Kritis to Dance”, with a focus on the versatility of Dikshitar. It is often said that Dikshitar’s compositions focus more on philosophy, kshetra history, and iconography, and less on overt emotion. I was therefore curious to understand what makes these compositions appealing for dance choreography.
This question was addressed at the outset. Urmila explained that Dikshitar’s compositions lend themselves well to dance. The madhyama kala sections add sparkle, and the stories embedded in the lyrics provide rich material for choreography. She began with a performance to “Sri Maha Ganapatim” in Gaulai, followed by “Anandamruthakarshini” in Amritavarshini.
The English note based nottuswaram “Rama Janardhana” was taken up next. Beginning with the swaras and then transitioning to the lyrics worked especially well for the younger dancers, and the shift to the senior dancers was seamless. Dikshitar had composed “Nee Sati Deivamu” in Sriranjani for the arangetram of his student Kamalam, and this was the next piece performed.
My personal favourite of the demonstration was “Ardhanareeshwaram” in Kumudakriya. The portrayal of the male and female energies was striking, both in the dance and in the orchestral accompaniment. The jatis were rendered with strength for the male aspect and in a gentler tone for the female aspect, adding a distinct dimension to the presentation. Shriram also highlighted this point in his summation.
The final piece was “Suryamurthe” in Sourashtram. Urmila mentioned the challenge of choreographing a composition set to Dhruva tala. It was a joy to see Dikshitar’s lyrics come alive through movement. I enjoyed the performance of the orchestra as much as that of the dancers themselves. The young performers were particularly delightful.
All in all, it was a very satisfying morning.
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