The Akkarai Sisters concert: Some leisurely moments would have enhanced the appeal

Akkarai Sisters accompanied by Patri Satish Kumar (mridangam), Kamalakiran (violin), and  Krishna Sairam (ghatam). The duo performed at Brahma Gana Sabha art festival, in Decembe r2023.
| Photo Credit: Ravindran_R

The Akkarai Sisters’ concert was a mixed bag. It had some robust segments and technical accomplishments, yet fell short on pleasantness and sensitivity. S. Subhalakshmi and S Sornalatha seemed to lay emphasis on rapid tempos and power.

‘Seethamma mayamma’ (Vasantha, Tyagaraja) had all the fine elements of a madhyamakala kriti, with a good coat of the niceties of Vasantha. The whirlwind swara appendix robbed some sheen off the kriti rendition, as the duo, perhaps egged on by the mridangist, went for a slam.

A brief alapana was followed by the Tirupaavai, ‘Ongi ulagalanda’ in Arabhi that lent substance to the concert. Sriranjani raga brought back the focus on musical creativity, with both Sornalatha and Kamalakiran (violin) offering many soothing phrases. ‘Bhuvini dasudane’ needed a more sober speed to be appealing, but such was the nature of the concert that it was on skates as well. The sangathi-packed rendition was competent but did not help calm the frenzy. The swara at ‘Padamule gati’ was intelligent in parts, with good use of sahityalaya by the sisters.

‘Karunakari devi kamakshi’ in Sumanesa Ranjani was an interesting interlude. The song composed by Sornalatha herself, bordered on devotional style singing. Subha Pantuvarali was the main piece of the evening. Subbulakshmi sang an ornate raga alapana with many sancharas in madhyamam and panchamam that were pleasant. Kamalakiran took a lot fewer minutes, but showcased his mature understanding of the rakthi spots of the raga.

‘Ennalu urake’ of Tyagaraja in Misra Chapu is ideally suited for the madhyamakala penchant of the sisters. The song’s low and high notes were fully utilised to present crescendo effects.

The niraval at ‘sati matalada’ was crafted well, using the gait of the raga and dhatu phrases. Swaras are a staple part of the sisters’ concerts, and they unleashed some pleasing first kalam swaras, matched equally artistically by Kamalakiran. The sprint in second speed took over, bringing it to an all-too-familiar climax. While the Subha Pantuvarali effect was good, it could have been tempered with more sensitive rendition.

Kamalakiran was brilliant in all aspects of raga alapana and underlined his laya skills whenever the challenge was thrown. Patri adds a natural pep to the proceedings but not really in this concert. He played the ‘mel kala’ strokes sometimes even in the pallavi of a song, when more sedate percussion is the requisite. It was a perfect opportunity for ghatam artiste Krishna Sairam to indulge in his own brisk touches as the decibels sometimes soared.

The Akkarai sisters have an excellent range of manodharma skills and musical instinct. They also possess good voice strength in the lower registers, although they may benefit from a slight lowering of sruthi, to beat the shrill at higher octaves. In addition, they may need to reflect on the overall flavour they would like to stand for, an identity they would like to make their own.

One is not sure if the sisters unwittingly or otherwise, mimicked the style of other famous duos. If so, that would fetch them less accolades in the longer run.