Blab Music
Delhi P. Sunderrajan Concludes A. Kanyakumaris Tyagaraja Series with Nine Raga Kritis
Delhi P. Sunderrajan delivered the 13th and final concert of the monthly series ‘Ekaika Raga Kritis of Tyagaraja’ on 4 August 2026 at the Arkay Convention Center in Chennai. The series, curated and launched by violin maestro A. Kanyakumari last June, had run for a year and had systematically exhausted about a hundred of Tyagaraja’s solitary‑raga kritis.
The final recital was a vocal performance by Sunderrajan, who is primarily known as a violinist and guru. He was accompanied by M.A. Sundareswaran on violin, Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan on mridangam, and K.V. Gopalakrishnan on kanjira. The program consisted of nine kritis, chosen from the remaining repertoire, and was designed to showcase depth of interpretation rather than novelty of selection.
The concert opened with ‘Padavi ni sadbhaktiyu’ in Salagabhairavi, a kriti that critiques hollow piety while praising genuine devotion. The performance included a brief swara segment. Sunderrajan then presented ‘Bhushavali’, a shadava‑sampurna raga that omits the nishada in the ascent and is derived from Vachaspathi. The accompanying violinist provided a responsive melodic line.
Next came ‘Tanamidane’, a composition in which Tyagaraja acknowledges his faults rather than lamenting them. The program then moved to ‘Nee dayarada’ in Vasanthabhairavi, set in the Rupakam talam, followed by ‘Varadaraja ninnu kori’ in Swarabhushani, a rare shadava‑shadava raga derived from Kharaharapriya and also in Rupaka talam.
The recital continued with ‘Ennalu urake’ in Subhapantuvarali, a raga that evokes a reflective mood. This was followed by ‘Manavyala kincha ratade’ in Nalinakanti and ‘Evvare Ramayya’ in Gangeyabhushani. A short delineation of the raga Andolika preceded ‘Raga sudha rasa’, a kriti that aligns with the raga’s thematic name.
The final composition was ‘Kamalaptakula’ in Brindavana Saranga. The concert concluded with the mangalam ‘Pavamana’, which served as a closing prayer for the series.
The Arkay Convention Center, operated under the auspices of Madhuradhwani, hosted the entire series. The 13‑concert run was a unique year‑long exploration of Tyagaraja’s solitary‑raga kritis, a format that had not been performed in this manner before. The series’ conclusion marks the completion of a comprehensive presentation of Tyagaraja’s repertoire that had been systematically exhausted.
The event was covered by local media, including The Hindu and Newsbytes, which highlighted the challenges of presenting a nearly exhausted repertoire and the artist’s focus on interpretive depth. No further concerts or tours have been announced to continue the series.
The final concert underscores the enduring relevance of Tyagaraja’s compositions and the continued interest of performers in presenting them with fidelity and depth. It also highlights the role of accompanists in supporting vocal presentations of complex kritis.
The Arkay Convention Center remains a key venue for Carnatic music in Chennai, and the series’ closure does not preclude future programming of similar thematic concerts by other artists.
The series’ conclusion leaves the audience with a comprehensive experience of Tyagaraja’s solitary‑raga kritis, and the documentation of the performances provides a reference point for future scholars and performers interested in this repertoire.
The final recital was a vocal performance by Sunderrajan, who is primarily known as a violinist and guru. He was accompanied by M.A. Sundareswaran on violin, Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan on mridangam, and K.V. Gopalakrishnan on kanjira. The program consisted of nine kritis, chosen from the remaining repertoire, and was designed to showcase depth of interpretation rather than novelty of selection.
The concert opened with ‘Padavi ni sadbhaktiyu’ in Salagabhairavi, a kriti that critiques hollow piety while praising genuine devotion. The performance included a brief swara segment. Sunderrajan then presented ‘Bhushavali’, a shadava‑sampurna raga that omits the nishada in the ascent and is derived from Vachaspathi. The accompanying violinist provided a responsive melodic line.
Next came ‘Tanamidane’, a composition in which Tyagaraja acknowledges his faults rather than lamenting them. The program then moved to ‘Nee dayarada’ in Vasanthabhairavi, set in the Rupakam talam, followed by ‘Varadaraja ninnu kori’ in Swarabhushani, a rare shadava‑shadava raga derived from Kharaharapriya and also in Rupaka talam.
The recital continued with ‘Ennalu urake’ in Subhapantuvarali, a raga that evokes a reflective mood. This was followed by ‘Manavyala kincha ratade’ in Nalinakanti and ‘Evvare Ramayya’ in Gangeyabhushani. A short delineation of the raga Andolika preceded ‘Raga sudha rasa’, a kriti that aligns with the raga’s thematic name.
The final composition was ‘Kamalaptakula’ in Brindavana Saranga. The concert concluded with the mangalam ‘Pavamana’, which served as a closing prayer for the series.
The Arkay Convention Center, operated under the auspices of Madhuradhwani, hosted the entire series. The 13‑concert run was a unique year‑long exploration of Tyagaraja’s solitary‑raga kritis, a format that had not been performed in this manner before. The series’ conclusion marks the completion of a comprehensive presentation of Tyagaraja’s repertoire that had been systematically exhausted.
The event was covered by local media, including The Hindu and Newsbytes, which highlighted the challenges of presenting a nearly exhausted repertoire and the artist’s focus on interpretive depth. No further concerts or tours have been announced to continue the series.
The final concert underscores the enduring relevance of Tyagaraja’s compositions and the continued interest of performers in presenting them with fidelity and depth. It also highlights the role of accompanists in supporting vocal presentations of complex kritis.
The Arkay Convention Center remains a key venue for Carnatic music in Chennai, and the series’ closure does not preclude future programming of similar thematic concerts by other artists.
The series’ conclusion leaves the audience with a comprehensive experience of Tyagaraja’s solitary‑raga kritis, and the documentation of the performances provides a reference point for future scholars and performers interested in this repertoire.
