Padam Paadam ( Lesson :)

As a student of Carnatic Vocal Music, I am privileged to be a sishya of Kalaimamani Smt. Geetha Raja, a direct disciple of Smt. T. Brinda, who carries forward the legacy of the Veena Dhanammal family. Apart from knowing a treasure trove of Krithis by the trinity, various tamil composers and songs of Subbaraya Sastri, Subbarama Dikshithar etc., this school of music is known for their command over padams and javalis. My sister and I are so fortunate to be learning such rare krithis, padams and javalis from someone like Geetha aunty who is the torchbearer in this space.

To begin with, 'What is a padam?'. A padam is a musical form in Carnatic vocal whose lyrical content is usually based on the Sringara Rasa of the Nayaka Nayika Bhakthi tradition (yearning of the Nayika or the heroine is interpreted as the soul's longing for the Nayaka or the hero).

Some tidbits with respect to Padams:

1. Choice of Ragam - Padams are usually composed in rakthi ragas. Rakthi ragas are those whose beauty lies not in the scale or swaras but their unique phrases. Well known rakthi ragas used in padams include Anandabhairavi, Thodi, Begada and Kalyani to lesser known ones such as Ahiri, Huseni and Ghanta. The full capacity of a raga is brought out in a padam. It is also observed that different ragas are chosen while composing a padam depending on the mood portrayed. This apt usage of ragas is especially seen in Kshetrayya's padams to depict the various moods and emotions of a nayika. A padam is replete with gamakas and requires utmost breath control from the singer and hence one singing a padam must have utmost command of the raga bhava to appropriately convey the desired mood and expression to the audience.
2. Choice of Talam/Rhythm - Most padams are sung in vilamba kalam or are slow in pace to accommodate the gait of the padam. This slow pace is usually brought out by either Misra Chapu or Tisra Triputa talam. The slow pace is more predominant in the telugu padams as compared to those composed in tamil which show a slightly faster pace or madhyama kalam. Maintaining the kalam/pace shows one's expertise in rendering a padam.
3. The Central Idea - Most padams portray the aspect of Shringara or the yearning of an individual soul, the jivathma, for the supreme soul, the paramathma. Those padams that are shringara based have a nayaka or the hero, the nayika or the heroine and the sakhi or the friend. The sakhi acts as a messenger between the two. In madhura bhakthi the nayaka, nayaki and sakhi correspond to the paramathma, jivathma and the guru (who unites the jivathma with the paramathma). According to the Natya Shasthra, written by sage Bharatha, there are 8 nayikas known as Ashta Nayikas namely Vasakasajja - one waiting for her lover, who is returning after a long journey, Virahotkanthita - one distressed by the separation from her lover, who due to his preoccupation fails to return home, Svadhinabhartruka - one who is loved by her husband, whom she has under her control, Kalahantarita - one who separated from her lover due to a quarrel or jealousy or her own arrogance, Khandita - one enraged with her lover, Vipralabdha  - one deceived by her lover, Proshitabhartruka  - one whose husband has gone away on business and does not come back home on the appointed day thus leaving her distressed and Abhisarika - one who moves out of her home to secretly meet her lover. The kind of nayika in a padam is best understood in a dance recital where the dancer depicts appropriate expressions to describe the nayika.
4. Importance of Lyrics - Padams normally have simple diction with very few words stretched through long talas. Hence they are filled with gamakas and asserts the need for raga bhava as mentioned in point 1. The bhava of the padam is brought out only when the singer has understood the meaning of the lyrics fully and this is especially a need when the language is unknown to one. Padams we hear and see nowadays are either composed in telugu or in tamil. Famous telugu composers include Kshetrayya, Sarangapani, Sabapathi Iyer, etc. Tamil composers include Madhurakavi Bharathiyar, Ghanam Krishna Iyer, Muthuthandavar, Kavikunjara Bharathi, etc.
5. Position of padam in a concert - Normally a padam is placed along with the tukkadas in the second half of the concert, but is a heavy piece in contrast to the tukkadas which are comparatively on the lighter side. A padam can be called ultra classical and can be rendered only when the singer is with emotional fullness and is perfect with the technicalities. Thus the second half of the concert is where a padam is sung and not the first half where the singer is still building the tempo and atmosphere of the concert.
6. Duet singing - Padams and javalis are a stronghold to the Dhanammal school of music. They were considered a family treasure and were nurtured and passed on through generations. Duets or 'jodi singing' was observed in this family as it helped maintaining the continuity essential in a padam. Some of the notable duets in this family include Dhanammal's daughters Rajalakshmi and Jayaratnam and later Jayammal and Kamakshi, Jayammal and Balasaraswati, Brinda and Mukta. 

Personally I enjoy padams for their simplicity, in terms of how they don't have hundreds of sangathis yet they are complex in terms of breath control and keeping the pace constant. It does take a lot of time to learn them, and feels like there is a lot to keep in mind, but the satisfaction one gets in singing a padam after learning it, can truly be understood only by the singer. 

Every time I sing a padam I find myself learning to modulate my voice better, break between the words more nicely/appropriately and fluently, and to move on to the next line from the previous with that flow that is absent the first time it is sung. Singing padams also helps improve stamina, especially nowadays where we are learning to give concerts without accompanists. Knowing to sing padams also helps me become a better Bharatanatyam dancer. This improves spontaneity when I dance. I don't have to take that moment to think 'Oh, what line comes next' and I can portray the abinaya better!

I leave you behind with a Telugu Padam of Kshetrayya, Bhamaro sung by Vibha and myself along with our Guru. The slow kalapramanam in Misra Chapu is observed along with some classic phrases of the rakti raga Kedaragowla. Also observed is Kshetrayya's mudra Muvva Gopala and the practice of singing his padams starting with the Anupallavi followed by the Pallavi.