Vazhapally R Krishnakumar: People now understand the value of ghatam

The video of ghatam artiste Vazhapally R Krishnakumar’s performance of the national anthem became popular online recently. The musician has been using his time during the lockdown to experiment with ghatam and has named his venture, Layanubhava. The series includes him playing Mallari, a piece of music usually performed in nadaswaram, and background score of Manichithrathazhu’s song Oru Murai...in the kunthalavarali ragam.
While several artistes such as TH Vinayakaram, V Suresh and Sukanya Ramgopal have conducted concerts with ghatam as the main instrument across the country, Krishnakumar is one of the first to do the same in Kerala. “Violin and mridangam are the major accompaniment, ghatam, kanjira and mukharshanku are chosen after these instruments,” he says. “In 2017, my six students and I conducted the first ghatam concert in Kerala called Modam Mohanaghatanadam where we played ragas and keerthanas on the instrument.”

The artiste is also involved in the project called Dhwani, a fusion performance with ghatam, mridangam, violin, idakka and flute. While its first edition was in anandabhairavi raga, the second that released on August 15 was in desh raga. “It became quite popular and we are now getting a lot of requests for virtual live shows through which we receive decent remuneration. It comes as a huge relief during these times,” says Krishnakumar, who is from Tripunithura.
Prior to the lockdown, he was also part of fusion experiments with instruments. “At Chettikulangara temple, we performed a concert titled Anandalayavrindam with ghatam, thakil, chenda, idakka and flute. I was also part of another venture called Thouryathrikam that included 25 artistes performing Carnatic concert, kathakali, mohiniyattam and bharatanatyam. We first staged it in February and performed across South India. We will resume the show post Covid-19,” says Krishnakumar.

The artiste was first introduced to the world of music by his parents when he was seven years old and had begun by learning mridangam. “At my teacher Vazhappaly Chellapan master’s home, there was a ghatam and I used to play it whenever I got a break," he recalls, adding that gradually he started performing with the instrument for small concerts and started “falling in love with it”.
After Class 10, he shifted to Thiruvananthapuram to learn more about mridangam. “I became Cherthala Jayadev’s disciple and that became a turning point in my life. He imparted advanced lessons about ghatam to me and I became the topper in a national-level competition by Akashavani. That’s when I felt I should specialise in the instrument,” he says.
Soon, he went to Chennai to learn more about ghatam from V Suresh. “There I learnt about how we should use all our fingers to bring out the music on a ghatam,” he says. He accompanied concerts of veterans like M Balamuralikrishna, KJ Yesudas, Neyyatinkara Vasudevan, Neyveli Santhanagopalan, TN Sheshagopalan, Parashala Ponnammal and TM Krishna. “I was fortunate to play for contemporary musicians and the veterans in Carnatic and Hindustani music,” he says.
Krishnakumar says that now he is trying to “explore more possibilities of ghatam in Kerala”. “Ghatam can be performed at any speed and can blend with any genre of music. People are now understanding the value of the instrument and recognising the instrument. I am also thinking of the future of the instrument which is now only made in Manamadurai by one family,” he concludes.