S. Hari Kumar Sivan’s spirited rendition of ‘Anuragamu Leni Manasuna’ is a traditional kriti of Saint Thyagaraja that is loaded with conventional as well as contemporary nuances, making for a delightful hear. Accompanying him on the mridangam is Neyveli Venkatesh and on the ghatam is RN Prakash.

The composition set to Raag Saraswati in Rupak talam is amply improvised by Sivan with imaginative swaraprastharas and virtuous tanams. Venkatesh blends in with the syllables of the kriti, providing a sound support and enhancing the aesthetics of the recital manifold. Prakash intersperses the recesses with wonderful fillers.

Raag Saraswati is a janya ragam of the 64th melakarta Vachaspati. It has an uneven scale without Ga and Ni in its ascent and without Ga in its descent. Its jati is shadav-shadav, that is, it uses six notes in its ascent and six in its descent. The word ‘saras’ means, ‘to glide’ or ‘to move’. Be it the flow of words or water, this metaphorically explains the raga’s name.

Its arohana and avarohana are as follows:

S R2 M2 P D2 S

S N2 D2 P M2 R2 S

Musicians
S. Hari Kumar Sivan (7 string violin)
Neyveli Venkatesh (mridangam)
RN Prakash (ghatam)

Raag Saraswati, kriti composed by Saint Thyagaraja (1767-1847) in Rupak tala