Recorded at Darbar Festival 2009 on 3rd April, at London’s Southbank Centre

Musicians:
- Aruna Sairam (vocal)
- Jyotsna Srikanth (violin)
- Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam)
- RN Prakash (ghatam)
- Priya Parkash (tanpura)

Aruna leads a 5-piece Carnatic group through the ambiguous colours of Teertha Vitthala Kshetra Vitthala, a devotional song recounting a legend of Krishna.

Teertha Vitthala Kshetra Vitthala recounts a myth where Pundalik, a devotee of Krishna, was visited by the god at his family home. Busy serving his parents food when Krishna arrived, he was torn between respecting his family or turning his attention to the deity. As a mark of respect he placed a brick outside the house for the god to stand on until he had finished attending to his parents. He then went outside to greet Krishna, terrified at the prospect of facing his divine anger. But Krishna was impressed by Pundalik’s loyalty to his parents, and stayed on earth with him to meet his fellow devotees. The word ‘vitthala’ derives from the Marathi word for ‘brick’.

Lyrics:
Vitthala is a holy body of water, Vitthala is a holy land.
Vitthala is God and Vitthala is His worship.
Vitthala is my mother and Vitthala is my father.
Vitthala is my friend and Vitthala is my clan.
Vitthala is my teacher, Vitthala is the teacher of Gods.
Vitthala is tranquility, Vitthala is everlasting.
Namdev says ‘I have found sanctuary in Vitthala’.
‘Even in this Kali yuga, I can come to no harm!’

Aruna Sairam’s voice brings a husky authority to modern Carnatic music. She first learnt to sing by listening to her mother and is part of a long line of female musicians. The direct teaching lineage stretches back over 200 years, to the singers and dancers of the Tamil court. She is an exponent of ‘pure’ Carnatic singing but also looks outwards, with collaborations ranging from jazz and Sufi to Gregorian chant and film scores. She sings in 12 different languages, and vice-chairs the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India’s premier national music and dance institution.

She pulls no punches when it comes to the psychological obstacles faced by female musicians today: “You’re constantly told you’re not good enough…it can be more difficult to be in touch with your inner talents, as society expects women to nourish others first.”

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