• Sudha Raghunathan has a sweet and clear voice with an alluring extra sheen. A confident musician with pleasing stage manners, she gave a wholesome and enjoyable concert at The Mylapore Fine Arts Club on December 26, 2002.

She commenced her concert with the Hamsadhwani varnam Jalajaksha. Dikshitar's Siddhivinayakam (Shanmukapriya) has majestic lyrics and the sangatis flowed freely. The few brisk rounds of swaras were well received. The Tiruppavai of the day was rendered in Huseni, with great feeling. Neevadanegana (Saranga) was sung in the usual fast tempo with swaras at Satyambu nityambu. Dhanyasi alapana with fast phrasings, touching the higher Panchama, was flawless. Balakrishnan padamalar of Papanasam Sivan was the kriti taken up and rendered at a slower tempo. A ragamalika at this stage of the concert was unconventional but enjoyable. Sudha took up Dikshitar's Chaturdasa ragamalika Sriviswanatham, featuring 14 ragas. The audience at the MFAC is a proud lot, and is considered very knowledgable. The change of ragas coming in quick succession, did test their abilities to recognize the ragas! Bantureeeti in Hamsanadam was rendered at jet-speed and made the mridangist produce loud rhythmic beats in Bhajana-style. Neraval and swaras at Ramanama were exciting. Kharaharapriya was taken up for elaboration. Even though the usual sancharas were exploited, the rasikas did not get enough satisfaction  A sruti-bheda that was attempted did not click and had to be abandoned. The over-exploited Pakkala nilabadi did not succeed in arresting the waning attention of the rasikas. A lesser known kriti would have been welcome at this stage. Manasuna dalachi was the spot for neraval and swaras. The swaras culminated in a korvai of unusual length. Narayana ninna (Suddhadhanyasi) of Purandaradasa, a favourite with Sudha's fans, was sung. The alapana in Hamsanandi, the raga chosen for RTP, was brilliant and changed the course of the concert. Quickly moving to Tara sthayi, she did sancharas at great speed with flawless brigas. Tanam was done with mridangam accompaniment, as is the practice at the Navaratri Mandapam in Trivandrum. The Pallavi saw swaras in Valachi, Bahudari, Natakurinji and Revati. The voice remained in firm grip throughout the exercise. An Abhang in Yamankalyani, Bharatiyar's Chinnanchiru kiliye and Venkatachala nilayam in Sindhubhairavi were the enjoyable tail-pieces which concluded the concert.