Amidst the crisis of livelihood that the pandemic has created this year for nagaswaram players, many of them in the Delta districts, a couple of inspiring moments stand out. One such was the award of the Padma Shri to star performers Sheik Mahaboob Subhani and Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, known for their bhakti-laden music steeped in classicism.
To celebrate the award, the South Zone Cultural Centre of Thanjavur, part of the Ministry of Culture, presented Sushira Vadyotsav, an online screening of their nagaswaram concert held recently at the Tiruvarur temple.
January has always been special both for the couple and their admirers. You could unfailingly spot them at the annual Tyagaraja Aradhana in Tiruvaiyaru. Year after year, this writer has seen them leading the nagaswaram sessions just before the Pancharatna rendering begins. Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, beautifully dressed in bright silks and jewellery, and husband Sheik Mahaboob Subhani play each kriti exquisitely, soaking the audience in the mood and the ambience.
A huge crowd gathers unfailingly for the duo’s evening concert at Tiruvaiyaru on the banks of the Cauvery. People of all communities come from the nearby villages along with their families to enjoy the notes of the nagaswaram. And the marquee becomes a picture of integration of people whose only focus is the music.
Mahaboob Subhani and Kaleeshabi, who hail from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh, live in Srirangam. In an interview, Mahaboob said, “We hail from a long line of musicians who played the Chilakluripet bani.We are the eighth generation and our son Sheik Ferose Babu is being trained to take the legacy forward. We consider this award a recognition of our lineage.” Their music reflects the grand tradition of their guru, Sheikh Chinna Moulana.
Nagaswaram artistes Sheik Mahaboob Subhani, Kaleeshabi Mahaboob with their son Ferose Babu | Photo Credit: R_RAVINDRAN
Improvisation technique
The pure classicism of their Tiruvarur concert proved again how nagaswaram artistes’ improvisation of ragas and rendering of alapanas have influenced many vocalists. And how this instrument, which is usually played at marriages and temple festivities, undergoes a transformation when it reaches the concert stage.
Mahaboob Subhani began the concert with a brief flourish of Ritigowla raga as a precursor to Papanasam Sivan's ‘Tatvamariya Tarama’ in praise of Lord Ganapati. ‘Mgrgm’ began the kalpanaswara, first played by Mahaboob Subhani with Kaleeshabi coming up with a fitting response. Brisk and riveting swaras flowed from the instruments with the interlude ending in a korvai.
An alapana of Kannada followed. In the phrases, Mahaboob Subhani touched the upper gandhara, and the higher stayi prayogas enveloped the atmosphere in the raga’s beauty. The kriti chosen was ‘Sri Mathrubhootham’ by Muthuswamy Dikshitar. The sedate pace accented the nuances of the words in praise of Siva as Mathrubhootheswara.
The central presentation was the Kiravani that they played in turns, with impressive phrasings on the upper Rishabha. This was followed by the kriti ‘Devi Neeye Thunai,’ and detailed swaraprasthara. The thavil duo accompanying them, Thirupungur T.G. Muthukumaraswamy and Dharapuram V. Ganesh, made sure that they gave their best to showcase the beauty of an age-old tradition.
The author is a trained classical musician.