Gig review/ Vikku Vinayakram, V. Selvaganesh, others

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Vikku Vinayakram, V. Selvaganesh, Uma Shankar, Swaminathan Selvaganesh/ 3 G

Genre: Carnatic percussion 

Details: The Studio NMACC, April 29

Rating: *****

Just three months ago, 80-year-old ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram had enchanted the large crowd at the NSCI Dome, Worli, with his guest appearance with the Indo-fusion band Shakti. His 11-beat solo on 'Bridge Of Sighs' lasted 17 minutes, transporting the audience into another zone.

On Saturday night, Vikku was in supreme form again, but this time it was a family affair, also featuring his sons Selvaganesh on kanjira and Uma Shankar on ghatam, and grandson Swaminathan on vocals and kanjira. Held in the intimate setting of The Studio at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, it was a treat for the 200-odd attendees.

Selvaganesh, who conducted the proceedings, declared, "I can actually see the audience. Very soon, I shall even feel them". He was absolutely correct, as what followed was an interactive session in which the crowd joined in reciting rhythmic syllables and clapping in synchronised timing.

Aptly, the concert was titled 3 G, which stood for 'Three Generations' and had nothing to do with the rock guitar trio some people associate the name with. And it wasn't just about virtuosity, dazzling solos, rapid konnakol (chanting of syllables) and a bit of crowd participation, as it also had a high entertainment quotient. Selvaganesh, who doesn't speak much in the stage company of seniors like John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain, was at his humorous best here, specially while explaining rhythmic passages. Once the crowd got a hang of things, he quipped, "You can go home now".

Though it was technically a rhythm ensemble, the line-up interestingly didn't feature the mridangam, the primary instrument in Carnatic percussion. The magic was basically created on two ghatams, two kanjiras and konnakol. The concert began on a spiritual note with 'Shiv Tandav', based on shlokas sung by Swaminathan, and moved on to 'Seven And A Half', where Selvaganesh explained the beat cycle and had the audience join in.

One of the evening's highlights was 'Rhythm Of Train', in which Selvaganesh brought out sounds made by a train in normal movement, as heard from an AC coach, while a door opened or while travelling over a bridge or through a tunnel. Ghatam solos by Vinayakram and Uma Shankar were filled with technical brilliance and improvisation.

A composition called 'Guru Vandanam' was played as a tribute to Vinayakram by his family disciples. Swaminathan, who did most of the singing, joined father Selvaganesh on a kanjira duet, which was marked by flawless spontaneity.

For nearly 90 minutes, the audience was cast in a spell. The way it flowed, one would have loved it to last an hour longer. But as Selvaganesh joked, "We all have a home to go."