Hamir Kalyani - a ragam that is almost always bound to evoke a state of bliss in the listener. A rakti ragam in which you are probably used to listening to shorter alapanais, breeding through some oft-heard phrases, because it is indeed a raga that many artistes do not attempt very long alapanais in. 

And then you have Vidwan MS Gopalakrishnan - I recently came across a recording of Hamir Kalyani by this great artiste on YouTube. The timestamp said it was a 32 min rendition, but little did I expect that 16 of these 32 minutes would be dedicated to a very expansive alapanai. I have since then also heard Vidwan TN Seshagopalan's 64 minute Hamir Kalyani presentation as well, which holds one equally awestruck. 

But what really keeps me going back to this particular rendition by MSG is his exploration of the raga in the mandra sthayi. Almost 8 minutes of this 16 minute alapanai is just in the mandra sthayi, and you would be hard pressed to find a phrase repeated in the same tempo and style. In the mandra sthayi itself, he demonstrates multiple speeds. The best way I can describe the alapanai segment in the mandra sthayi is by saying that its a complete alapanai in itself - there is a akshiptika, a ragavardhini and a magarini - all before he moves onto the madhya and tara sthayi. I would like to especially bring your attention to around 5:50 in the alapanai - there are beautiful descending jarus between s and lower p, then lower d to lower g, and then lower m to anu mandra s. The jarus appear to cross all the notes between s and s, even notes which this ragam does not have, but the effect is so beautiful. It's like you can almost see a ball descending through each note of the music system, and it still remains in perfect sync with the raga bhavam. I listen to this section again and again, just spellbound as to how he has played this phrase.

The madhya sthayi and tara sthayi are no different. The use of flat notes in between offers a stark and poignant contrast to the gamaka-filled notes.

One observation that I had throughout was that this whole alapanai seems to have a more hindustani flavour than usual - and it's possible that this may have been played for a north Indian audience, since in between you can hear someone uttering “kya baat hai” in sheer joy of listening to this maestro playing.

Throughout the alapanai you hear so many different gamakas and techniques - jantai svara-s, lots of jaru-s, dirgha bowing, playing in multiple strings at the same time, etc. And right at the end of the alapanai is a breathtaking segment of super fast phrases covering all three octaves, a fitting end to such an elaborate alapanai of this majestic ragam.

The kriti that the master chooses is Subbaraya Sastri's Venkata Saila Vihara. While the kriti is beautifully played, I once again find myself listening to the kalpana svara presentation again and again. What I find most enchanting about his presentation is the gap he leaves for the mridangist to also explore and enjoy - the gaps are neither too long nor too short - they feel complete, and you find yourself bobbing your head along to the rhythm. In the finale svara, his masterful bowing is fully on display, as he increases the speed as he travels all the way to the ati tara sthayi - I can fully imagine myself having my mouth open in wonder if I had the privilege of watching this concert in person. Last but not the least, there is no kanakku or theermanam at the end - there is just a crescendo built up, while being replete with raga bhavam and the signature phrases of this raga. 

I would encourage everyone to listen to this piece - you will find yourself listening to it on loop like me. Probably I can never reach his level of genius, but for my part, I keep trying to revisit my understanding of this ragam through this legendary rendition, and who knows, maybe some day, inspiration will also similarly strike me!