TM Krishna & Vikku Vinayakram: Ragam Shankarabharanam

The centrepiece of the TM Krishna/Vikku Vinayakram recital at the Kerala Literature Festival began with the poem "Azhuden" by Perumal Murugan and was followed by the Shyama Shastri-composed "Sarojadala Netri" in Ragam Shankarabharanam. The highlight of this piece was an outstanding ghatam solo by the 81-year-old Vidhwan Vikku Vinayakram that was so filled with excitement and energy that it belied his age. He held his own with ease even during the thaniavarthanam with the much younger Praveen Sparsh on mridangam and Vikku's own grandson Swaminathan Selvaganesh on kanjira, both of whom excelled during their solos.