Chaitra Sairam, a gifted disciple of Bombay Jayashri, recently enchanted audiences with her vocal recital at Mudhra’s Navarathri Vaibhavam. A standout moment was her elaborate Bilahari alapana, a testament to her creative musical spirit. She beautifully rendered Dikshitar’s ‘Kamakshi varalakshmi,’ concluding with exquisite swaraprastara at the pallavi.
The accompaniment was equally brilliant. Shraddha Ravindran’s violin artistry shone throughout, delivering both powerful solo passages and nuanced support. Adding another layer of depth was 13-year-old Ayushmaan Sairam, son of Chaitra and mridangist Delhi Sairam, whose impressive mridangam thani showcased a remarkable sense of anticipation for his age.
Chaitra continued to mesmerize with an expansive alapana in Thodi, leading into Syama Sastri’s ‘Ninne nammi naanu’ (Misra Chapu). Her niraval and kalpanaswaras at ‘Kamakshi kanjadalayadakshi’ were captivating, with Shraddha’s responsive violin work perfectly maintaining the concert’s dynamic flow.
The performance began with Lalgudi Jayaraman’s ‘Tharunam en thaye,’ a Sama varnam, followed by Puliyur Doraiswamy Iyer’s classic ‘Sarasiruhasana priye’ in Nattai, featuring intricate swaras at the pallavi. Transitioning to Dharmavati, Chaitra presented Dikshitar’s ‘Paranthamavati yuvati,’ with the niraval and swaras focusing on ‘Paranjothi vikasini’ in the charanam.
Her rendition of ‘Kamalacharane’ in Amritabehag, a cherished composition by the legendary G.N. Balasubramaniam, was delivered with remarkable aplomb, particularly its beautiful chittaswaram. Chaitra concluded the recital with two devotional bhajans: Swami Brahmanand’s ‘Jaya Durge’ in Hamsanandi and ‘Kathyayani mahabhage’ in raga Durga (Misra Chapu), drawn from the sacred Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. It was a truly memorable musical offering.