22/08/2026
Narayana Theerathar composed not kritis but tarangas—waves—each phrase part of a Sanskrit opera called Krishna Leela Tarangini, where the devotee calls, protect me, protect me, O Madhava, O Krishna of the Yadu clan.
Smt. Jayalakshmi Sekhar and K*m. Samanvitha presented Madhava Mammava in a Veena concert at Bekal Gokulam Goushala in Periya, Alakode, Kasargod, accompanied by K*m. Manasvini on Tambura, Sri Sunaada Krishna Amai on Mridangam, Sri Sai Bharath on Kanjira, and Sri Trichy Murali on Ghatam. The twin veenas moved like breath, one calling and the other answering, while the tambura held the shruti beneath.
Madhava Mammava is composed in raga Neelambari, set to Adi thala, part of Narayana Theerathar's Sanskrit opera; the pallavi calls: O Madhava, protect me, O Lord Krishna, Krishna of the Yadu family. The kriti describes Krishna as protector of noble people and invokes him for protection, highlighting his compassionate nature. Neelambari is a raga of grace and petition, its swaras gentle yet insistent, and the veena's gamaka brought the plea to life—each phrase a wave, each wave an offering.
Two hundred and twenty-five cows stood still in the evening air, Goumata bearing silent witness as the strings carried the name Madhava across the field. The veena did not perform; it petitioned. The swaras rose toward Krishna, and in that rising the instruments became one voice, the plea made audible. The Goushala sits near the Arabian Sea, close to Bekal Fort, where the sound of protection sought became the sound of protection given.
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