Excerpt from GNB - a biography


by Vedagiri, Muthuraman & Mahadevan

It was a concert in Delhi in 1956. Justice T. L. Venkatrama Iyer and many other rasikas went to the concert as usual with high expectations. GNB sang Kamboji;..... He then took up 'Sri Subramanyaya Namaste'.....

Justice TLV stood up and choked with emotion said : " I am supposed to be an authority on Dikshitar Sahityas. I have heard this kriti handled by so many illustrious vocalists including GNB. Still, when today GNB skipped the usual niraval of 'Vasavathi' I was a but disappointed. But when he took'Thapathraya' for niraval and swaraprasthara, all of us were lost in the melody and felt like floating somewhere in the higher atmosphere. I couldn't imagine that there was such a fine passage with 'Swarakshara Samyoga' in the charanam. Only a genius like GNB with an inquisitive mind can make such 'discoveries' in time-tested kritis. One will not like to hear any other passage for niraval after tasting the nectar-like niraval of GNB in the charanam".


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