andhya Anand
Carnatic Vocalist & Violinist
2025 Individual Artist Fellow - NJ State Council on the Arts
Nādānubhūti - February 2026
February Event Highlights
The inaugural session of the Nādānubhūti Series was an inspiring celebration of Carnatic music. The evening featured a Lecture Demonstration by Padma Sugavanam on “Different Musical Forms of Carnatic Music,” offering valuable insights into the tradition. Student speaker Nithila Sankar presented on “Carnatic Music and its Relation to South Indian Temples,” highlighting its cultural significance.
The program concluded with a soulful solo recital by Navyatha Aduru, showcasing emerging talent.
The event set a strong and inspiring start to the series.
An Inspiring Lecture Demonstration on Different Musical Forms of Carnatic Music
We were privileged to host an enriching and interactive lecture session by Smt. Padma Sugavanam, who took our students on a thoughtful journey through the structure, evolution and philosophy of different musical forms in Carnatic music.
This session was designed not merely as a talk, but as a deep exploration into how Carnatic music is learned, understood, and internalized.
Exploring Foundational Musical Forms
Smt Padma Sugavam started the evening with a beautiful rendition of Nadatanumanisham a Thygaraja swami kriti in Citta Ranjani ragam set in Adi talam, not just because it’s a beautiful kriti, but because the lyrics themselves worship Lord Shiva as the embodiment of Nada (sound), which is the literal foundation of the musical forms she went on to discuss. She started in to introducing Abhyasa Gana the importance in guru shishya parampara and Sabha Gana and its importance in listening to Carnatic concerts as part of learning process.
Her topic in to musical forms started with the discussion on Lakshana Gita and Lakshya Gita, highlighting the distinction between compositions that describe the grammar of a rāga and those that demonstrate its musical expression. Students learned how Lakshana Gitas outline structural elements such as scale, parent melakarta classification, and key characteristics. She demonstrated this by singing a geetham in Ragam Jaganmohini. She then went on explain in detail how Lakshya Gitas which often present greater musical complexity in practice.
She then moved into Jatiswaram, explaining its origins as a dance composition and its importance in building rhythmic precision and laya control. Students gained insight into how rhythmic swara patterns strengthen mathematical awareness and coordination in music.
This naturally led into Swarajati, described as a bridge between Jatiswaram and Varnam. With both swara passages and sahitya, Swarajatis prepare students for more advanced compositions while deepening their rhythmic and melodic understanding. She explained that older Swarajatis were grand, expansive compositions. A primary example is "E Mayaladira" in the Raga Huseni, which is recognized as the oldest known Swarajati. It was composed by Melattur Veerabhadraiah, who is widely regarded as the architect of the Swarajati musical form.
A fascinating segment addressed the Nottuswarams, discussing how these compositions were inspired by Western band melodies and adapted into the Carnatic framework. This offers students a unique glimpse into early cross-cultural musical exchanges. Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar composed many of the Nottuswarams learned today; these are primarily set in Raga Sankarabharanam, the Carnatic equivalent to the Western C Major scale.
Feb 2026 Highlights video
A central highlight of the session was the emphasis on the Varnam and how it is the most crucial milestone in a student’s musical journey. It was explained that the Varnam is where students truly begin to internalize the unique personality and "bhava" of a raga. It develops precise control over gamakas (oscillations), phrase handling, tempo consistency, and melodic flow.
While the Varnam and Swarajati share a similar structure and format, their delivery and context differ significantly; the musical complexity of a Varnam is far greater. This distinction was illustrated through demonstrations of phrases in the Kalyani, Mohanam, and Sankarabharanam ragas.
The discussion also paid tribute to the legendary Pachimiriyam Adiyappaiah, famously known for composing the majestic Varnam "Viriboni" in Raga Bhairavi. Composed well before the era of the Trinity, this masterpiece remains one of the greatest and most foundational compositions in the Carnatic repertoire.
Students were reminded that swaras alone do not create a rāga. It is the movement, nuance, and emotional depth that bring it to life. Varnam, therefore, serves not only as a learning composition but as a lifelong reference point for alapana, tanam and improvisation.The session was highly interactive, with students asking thoughtful and perceptive questions:
When did Carnatic music originate?
Who created the first rāga?
Can we compose our own rāgas?
How do we know if a rāga already exists?
Who was the first composer to compose geethams?Are there Laskhana geethams for all the Melekartha ragas?
Like Lakshana geethams are there any Varnams which describe the raga?
And many more
Smt.Padma Sugavanam addressed these questions with joy, patience, clarity and historical context, explaining that while Indian music traditions date back thousands of years, what we recognize today as Carnatic music evolved over centuries. Students were encouraged to think creatively and even consider composing their own rāgas and Lakshana Gitas.
Beyond technical knowledge, the lecture emphasized a powerful idea:All aspects of Carnatic music ultimately serve one master — the rāga.Through compositions, improvisation, and performance, the goal is to understand and express the unique personality of each rāga.
For many students, this was their first experience listening to a structured lecture-demonstration beyond concert exposure. The session provided valuable theoretical grounding to complement their practical learning.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Smt.Padma Sugavanam for her time, generosity and engaging interaction. It was truly a meaningful and memorable experience for our students.
We also thank our guru Smt Sandhya Anand for setting the stage to such an opportunity. We extend our deepest gratitude for bringing this experience to our community and looking forward to many more of the enjoyable sessions through her Nadanubhuti initiative.