By Siddharth Vijayaraghavan
Curated
by ArtEry, the Nuance Series commenced its first lecture demonstration on 16
February 2020, with Sangita Kalanidhi S. Sowmya’s presentation on Padams.
Vidushi
Sowmya began by casting light on the etymology and the initial usage of the
term ‘padam’ in Bharata’s Natya Sastra,
and delved deep into the subject. She explained the various types of
padams—from Jayadeva’s ashtapadis, padams of the Dasakoota, to sringara sankeertanas
of Annamacharya. Sowmya then spoke about famous padam composers in Telugu -- Kshetrayya, Sarangapani,
and Muvanallur Sabhapatiayya, and Tamil composers like Ghanam Krishna Iyer,
Subbarama Iyer, and Mambazha Kavirayar. She even included specific compositions
of Ramalinga Adigalar and Bharatiyar to illustrate the relevance of the padam as a musical form in modern times.
Throughout
her presentation, Sowmya emphasised the importance of looking at the padam as a musical form far beyond the cliche of it being
a slow, dense composition sung towards the end of the concert. Citing examples
based on her learning from her gurus (vidushi T. Muktha, and Sangita Kalanidhi S. Ramanathan), she brought
forth the padam as a musical form, highlighted its musicality,
and told us how to apply it judiciously in practice. An engaging workshop by
vidushi Sowmya.
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