Malathi Vasudevan –
Sri Krishna and Ramkumar Mohan, who were ordained as ‘Trichur Brothers’ by Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati, wowed avid music lovers in Auckland last fortnight.
Although the Cultural Capital of Kerala was always known to Malayalis as ‘Thrissur,’ the anglicised name (Trichur) is still popular among outsiders.
The performance of Trichur Brothers at Mt Roskill Intermediate School on May 30 was par excellence and the New Zealand Carnatic Music Society which organised the event can be justly proud of its success.
The singers were accompanied by their father Trichur Mohan on the Mridangam and H N Bhaskar on the Violin.
Great Start
They started their four-hour concert with the evergreen Bhairavi Ata Thala Varnam ‘Viribhoni’ followed by ‘Siddhi Vinayakam’ in Shanmukhapriya which they embellished with some crisp Kalpana Swarams.
A quick Swati Tirunal number ‘Gopalaka’ preceded a beautiful essay in Varali by the vocalists and violinist. ‘Ka Va Va,’ a challenging composition by Papanasam Sivan was followed by a round of Swarams.
Hindustani Jog
The technical ‘Ragam Tanam Pallavi’ in Hindustani Raag Jog was given full treatment as the Trichur Brothers sang their chosen line with gusto. They explored a variety of other ragas in the Tanam and Swaram sections adding colour to the proceedings.
The Medleys
The Thukada section of the concert featured Thunbam Nergayil, Vande Matharam, Laxmi Kantha Baro by Purandara Dasar and a film song, ‘Rama Leela Megha Shyama.’
Before bringing down the curtain after Mangalam Ramachandraya Janaka, they sang a beautiful Malayalam lullaby. Composed by Irayaman Thampi who sang it as he admired his nephew, the future king, Swati Tirunal, it was a fitting finale.
Malathi Vasudevan is a Chartered Accountant by qualification and profession practicing in Hamilton. She is also the Treasurer of the Sri Balaji Temple Trust (Hamilton) which owns and manages the recently opened Balaji Temple in Hamilton.
