• Know about the Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi concert in Kalady, Kerala and the genius of his compositions.

Kalady, the birthplace of the divinely inspired philosopher Adi Shankaracharya, paid tribute to a mega composer, Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi (1700-65?), whose works drew inspiration from such icons. The Avalamkode Saraswathi Temple in Kalady became a vibrant centre of classical music and scholarship on 9th January with a huge congregation of musicians and listeners celebrating his phenomenal creations.

Neelakantha Sivan Cultural Academy, Avanamkode Saraswathy Temple Trust from India and the US based SciArt Services and Layasaaram Institute of Indian Arts came together in this dawn to dusk event, which included scholarly talks, solo performances as well as group events. The presence of Cochin High Court Judge Mr Gopinath, stalwarts of Indian Classical D Raghavachary (of the Hyderabad Brothers duo, who had presented a fine vocal concert on 9th) and Chitravina N Ravikiran lent both gravitas and depth to the proceedings.

Keynote speech and concert

The programme on the tenth commenced with a lecture-demonstration by Ravikiran, who shared scholarly insights into the life, philosophy, and extraordinary musical, lyrical and cultural contributions of Venkata Kavi.

He then presented a thematic concert that traversed through compositions like Ananda nartana ganapatim bhavaye, Agama Rajagopala and Sarasijabhava jaye which left the listeners awestruck. The concert was embellished by Thissur A Jayakrishnan on mrdangam and Tripunithura Kannan on ghatam as well as by the direct disciples of Ravikiran - Sanjay Suresh on violin and support vocalists Dathre and Dhruv S Pathangi.

Sapta Ratna Chorus

Another highlight of the celebration was the ghoshti gānam (chorus performance) of the immortal seven Gems (Saptaratna Krtis) of Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi. The collective singing stood as a powerful testament to his unmatched musical and lyrical mastery. Various gurus took the lead in training their respective groups to present these masterpieces with enthusiasm and competence.

The event was further augmented by solo renditions of Venkata Kavi compositions by artistes from across India and other countries including Dr Manju of Adi Shankara Sanskrit University, Dr G Bhuvaneshwari, Sharmila Sivakumar, Reju Narayanan, Shantala Raju, students of Neelakanta Shivan Cultural Academy, Sowmya Acharya, Hyderabad Ramamurthy, Prameela Mandayam, Dr Arun Kumar, Divya Venkateshwaran, Aditya Anil, Pathangi Brothers, Vaikom Venugopal, TVMR Rajesh and Bhargav Ram Sampathkumaran.

Composer of Rare Genius

Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi occupies a singular and exalted position in the history of Indian music, standing apart as one of its most original and visionary composers. Widely regarded as far ahead of his times, he is celebrated for the sheer range and depth of his compositions, which display an extraordinary synthesis of devotional intensity, rhythmic innovation and melodic sophistication.

His works, though predominantly centred on the epic, Bhagavatam and his favourite Lord Krishna, are actually all inclusive, revealing his devotion towards Shiva, Devi, Vinayaka, Subramanya, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Anjaneya. They effortlessly show his profound understanding of theology, aesthetics, and musical architecture.

Shri Venkata Kavi’s compositional style is marked by complex rhythmic patterns, imaginative use of tala structures, and a rare command over raga bhava. His songs frequently incorporate intricate swara (note) and jati (rhythmic syllable) passages, unconventional take off points, and layered rhythmic designs, elements that were revolutionary for his period and continue to challenge and inspire performers today. Despite this structural complexity, his compositions remain deeply emotive, seamlessly uniting intellectual rigour with spiritual expression. They attract audiences even as they tease erudite scholars because of their instant appeal and enduring knowledge.

Sanskrit, Tamil & Marathi creations

A defining aspect of Shri Venkata Kavi’s legacy is his exceptional multilingual scholarship. He composed extensively in both Tamil and Sanskrit with a fluency and intensity rivalling Niagara Falls. 

He also composed a handful of pieces in Marathi, which was prevalent in the Tanjore region then, thanks to Maratha rulers such as Serfoji, Tulajaji and others.

This adapted linguistic form enabled the composer to communicate devotional sentiment with immediacy and authenticity, while retaining musical elegance. It is noteworthy that Venkata Kavi also adopted a few North Indian Ragas like Dwijayavanti, Hameerkalyani and Sindhubhairavi in addition to compositional structures reflecting his exposure to Marathi devotional musical forms.

Aradhanas in Seattle, Chennai & Udupi

Venkata Kavi Aradhanas in recent months in Udupi, Chennai and cities like Seattle have been equally impactful with even Western Orchestras performing Melharmony arrangements of some of his songs.

The lion’s share of the credit for all this must go to the boundless energy and enterprise of musician and educator Vanitha Suresh, founding director of Arohana School of Music in Madison, USA and her think tank that includes Revathi Subramaniam, Krishnan Suresh, Sajeev, Aravinda Hebbar, Nityananda Rao, Vibhu Rao, Prameela Mandyam and many others. 

Listeners can download the Venkata Kavi App while students can visit www.acharyanet.com to enjoy and learn many of these masterpieces.

Crocidile Ghat, Kalady

Sankara in Kedarnath, Uttarakhand.

The author is an Indian Classical Musician and ardent lover of Indian Culture.

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