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Section Synopsis (July 2006)
NEWS & NOTES
SRUTI PRESENTS VELLORE GOPALACHARIAR AWARD TO
VIDWAN S. RAJAM IN CHENNAI
-SRUTI STAFFERS
The Vellore Gopalachariar Award instituted by
Vellore Ramabhadran in memory of his father, and administered by Sruti,
was presented to Sangeeta Kala Acharya S. Rajam, veteran musician,
musicologist, teacher, and Contributing Editor of Sruti. A host of
musicians, senior critics, music lovers and Rajam's friends and admirers
attended the function organised on the 10th February to coincide with
his 87th birthday. Rajam is equally famous as a classical painter
and Sruti thought it a fitting tribute to display some of his paintings
of the Trinity and other vaggeyakara-s in the gallery-hall where the
function was held, at 'Sri Parvati'-- a new centre for cultural
activities (run by art critic Lakshmi Venkataraman)-- on Eldams Road in
Chennai. It set the tone for the evening's function.
Rajam was honoured by M. Subramaniam, Chairman of the Trust Board of the
Sruti Foundation, who presented him with a shawl, garland and a
dry-fruits hamper; and by Editor-in-Chief K.V. Ramanathan who handed
over the citation and a purse for 5,000 rupees. He was felicitated by
mridanga vidwan Vellore Ramabhadran. Rajam recalled his association with
Ramabhadran and his father Vellore Gopalachariar and thanked Sruti for
presenting the Vellore Gopalachariar award to him. The proceedings were
crisply and interestingly compered by Deputy Editor S. Janaki. P.S.
Narayanan, Publisher, Sruti proposed the vote of thanks.
The highlight of the function was a power-point presentation titled "Rajam:
A Kalaa Kaalakshepam", on Rajam's life and work by Sriram.V,
Contributing Editor of Sruti and a well-known writer and speaker on
music and heritage. Rajam's musical background; his superlative
performance in the College of Arts where he got a double-promotion which
enabled him to complete the six-year course in four years; his role in
the early `talkie' films where he acted and sang; his association with
many music stalwarts of yesteryears who also taught him; his years in
the AIR; his visualisation of the Trinity and other vaggeyakara-s which
has been accepted worldwide; and above all, Rajam's simplicity and
willingness to help on subjects related to art and music; -- all these
and more were covered by Sriram in such an interesting manner that the
members of the audience felt they were reliving the experience with S.
Rajam.
By Sriram's own admission, this was the first time he was making a
presentation on a personality in his very presence! 'Rajam Sir', as he
is affectionately known, seemed to be pleased with the presentation. "Sriram
spoke entirely the truth, no more, no less. I couldn't have spoken as
well as he did," was his comment.
Even today, if one calls on the octogenarian vidwan at his home at 41
Nadu Street in Mylapore, one will find him perched on a stool, bent over
a painting placed on his favourite bench cluttered with water colours,
paper, brushes and reference books. Or energetically conducting a music
class for his students of varied ages and capabilities in the adjoining
room! Having studied the purana-s and epics in depth and by linking them
to his knowledge of music Rajam is a veritable walking encyclopedia. He
pays great attention to minute details both in his paintings and in his
music-making.
Recognition has been late in coming his way as Rajam has always shunned
publicity. One wonders why no Padma award has been conferred on such a
multifaceted genius. He is an invaluable link with the past, and is one
of the very few musicians who can authoritatively throw light on
personalities and events of yore.
The Vellore Gopalachariar Award was instituted in 1999. In the early
years it was in the nature of a talent promotion prize and was awarded
once in two years to young talented percussionists like J. Vaidyanathan
and B. Purushothaman. The award was then converted to an annual award
for senior musicians as recognition of their meritorious contribution to
the field. The Vellore Gopalachariar Award has been presented to veteran
musicians like Chingleput Ranganathan, Madras A. Kannan, S.V.
Parthasarathy and P.S. Narayanaswamy. As stated by K.V. Ramanathan in
his welcome address, this year it was a "double delight" for Sruti to
honour vidwan S. Rajam, an eminent member of the Sruti Parivaar, on his
birthday
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Vidwan S. Rajam: A Versatile Artist
-A.S.S
TS. Rajam-- a simple man of singular achievements in several fields. He
is a classical painter, a Carnatic musician, teacher, and a respected
musicologist. He has been a Member of the Experts Committee of the Music
Academy for many years.
He has been associated with Sruti magazine from the time it was launched
in 1983. A very senior Contributing Editor, "Rajam Sir" is a very jovial
and affectionate `father figure' to the Sruti Staff. His phenomenal
memory is evident in his detailed recollections about old musicians
which are read with great interest by Sruti readers.
He has been a key panelist in major seminars organised by the Sruti
Foundation like the music of GNB, the music of Lalgudi Jayaraman, and on
Carnatic & Hindustani music.
S. Rajam's Music Appreciation Notes were started in the 17th issue of
Sruti magazine. Over the years, more than 75 raga-s and the entire
72-melakarta scheme have been covered in detail.
Rajam's illustrations on musical themes and personalities-- line
drawings as well as his famous wash paintings-- have adorned the pages
of Sruti for almost 23 years. Every painting tells a story-- it gives us
a wealth of information. His art is rooted in the Hindu ethos, capturing
the essence of religion and mythology.
In his youth "handsome Rajam" acted as hero in films and was himself a
fine photographer.
He is the recipient of the prestigious central Sangeet Natak Akademi
award (1991). For all his greatness he is totally unassuming and
straightforward. Sruti published a Cover Story as a fitting tribute to
this versatile personality in August 1991, issue number 83.
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MAIN FEATURE
Devakottai Narayana Iyengar (1905 - 1987)
Uncompromising Puritan Vainika
- A. SESHAN of Mumbai
Devakottai Narayana Iyengar was one of those rare veena vidwan-s who
could establish their hold on the rasika-s without resorting to any
gimmicks or publicity for themselves
Early Days
He was born to Azhagarsami Iyengar and Soundaravalli Ammal in
Devakottai in the Ramanathapuram District of the then Madras
Province on March 29,1905.... Azhagarsami Iyengar, father of
Narayana Iyengar, used to play the veena at home for
self-satisfaction but did not give any concerts. It is no wonder
that, born in such a family, Narayana took to the instrument early
in life. His first teacher at the age of thirteen was Dasavadyam
Venkatarama Iyer, who got the prefix due to his ability to play ten
instruments, though violin was the main one. He went to
Tiruvidaimarudur in the then Tanjavur district and enrolled himself
as a student of Sakharama Rao, who, besides being a renowned
gottuvadyam player, was also adept at vocal music and veena. Iyengar
spent three years with him in traditional gurukulavasam. Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer was his contemporary in Sakharama Rao's household....
Subsequently Iyengar joined Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer. Sambasiva Iyer
and his elder brother Subbarama Iyer were the leading vainika-s of
the time and to be accepted as a student by them was an achievement
in itself. Iyengar spent four years with Sambasiva Iyer in
gurukulavasam. He always spoke happily to this writer of those days
when he was literally saturated with music day and night. He used to
practise for 10 to 12 hours a day....
It was also his good fortune that the great doyen among Carnatic
musicians, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, lived close to his place. He
took advantage of this opportunity to learn many kriti-s from him.
Ariyakudi would sing a kriti and ask Narayana Iyengar to play it on
the veena. By this process, the latter learnt many songs, especially
of Tyagaraja. His first music concert or arangetram was at the Ambal
shrine in Koviloor in 1925 when he was 20 years old. Karaikudi Muthu
Iyer played the mridanga and his own brother Sundararaja Iyengar
accompanied him on the khanjira. Both were regular accompanists for
Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer's concerts. After that maiden performance,
Narayana Iyengar had many opportunities to perform in public all
over India.
Karaikudi style
Narayana Iyengar was essentially a purist who would not compromise
on classical values and was determined to follow the path traversed
by his guru-s. In his conversations with this writer, he expressed
his unhappiness about some of the contemporary trends in veena
playing. One was the lack of emphasis on tala.... To him, knowledge
of the sahitya was as important for a vainika as for a vocalist....
None made an impact on him like the Karaikudi Brothers.... Once I
asked him about the differences in playing techniques between the
four schools. Being a sensitive artist he would not talk about the
other schools....
In answering my question, he confined himself to explaining the
salient features of the Karaikudi style. According to him, its most
important feature is strict adherence to kalapramana....
Another feature of the Karaikudi style is that while alapana is
brief, swaraprastara is elaborate. It was a scintillating experience
to listen to Iyengar producing different patterns in kalpana swara-s.
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was reported to have told Iyengar that he
had modelled his swaraprastara after Sambasiva Iyer.... Iyengar
experimented with the contact mike and gave it up as it was not to
his satisfaction. This writer found that the swara-s in the upper
octave did not come through well whenever he used it.
Gamaka-s were the forte of the Karaikudi Brothers and naturally of
Narayana Iyengar.... Iyengar was of the firm opinion that the bhava
of a raga is greatly dependent on the use of appropriate gamaka-s at
the right places.... His mastery of the instrument could be gauged
from the fact that he could produce four to six notes on one fret (mettu)....
Yet another speciality of the Karaikudi style is tana playing
(called madhyama kala in those days). Narayana Iyengar excelled in
playing it which always occupied a central place in his concerts. It
was a treat to hear him play the ghana panchaka raga-s as ragamalika
in tanam.... His technique was noted for curves, not sharp
angles....
He had a large repertoire consisting of the songs of Purandaradasa,
Tyagaraja, Dikshitar, Syama Sastry, Patnam Subramania Iyer, Veenai
Kuppier and others. He used to play the English Note of Muthiah
Bhagavatar, popularised by Madurai Mani Iyer. Once he told me that
he knew in all 1,000 kriti-s, varnam-s, swarajati-s, tillana-s and
other tukkada items. Dikshitar's Chaturdasa ragamalika in 14 raga-s
was part of his repertoire. One remembers his beautiful rendering of
Dikshitar's Puraharanandana in Hameer Kalyani and a rare gem of
Tyagaraja-- Sarvabhauma in Ragapanjaram.
Teaching Methodology
Iyengar retired from the then Central College of Carnatic Music (now
Government College of Music), Madras, in 1964 after teaching veena
in that institution for 14 years. On retirement he was invited to
Bombay, as it was called then, to head the music school of the
Bharatiya Music and Arts Society, where he served for ten years till
1974. After returning to Chennai he took advanced classes in the
Music Academy during 1975-78. His arrival in Bombay sparked off an
intense desire on the part of many in the city to learn to play the
instrument and there were students from all walks of life, young and
old.
Iyengar's adherence to the Karaikudi style was evident not only in
his performances but also in his teaching method. It was a fully
integrated one incorporating all the elements of the system like
gamaka, tala, etc., right from the beginning of lessons....
Another aspect of the teaching method was the importance accorded to
the anga-s of the tala like laghu and drutam. They are indicated by
the striking of the tala strings at the beginning of each anga. This
technique fixes the rhythmic element firmly in the mind of the
student and helps in preserving the structure of the kriti, as
envisaged by the vaggeyakara....
Following the established convention, the initial exercises were
taught in trikala and each sangati of a kriti was rendered twice....
With his prodigious memory Narayana Iyengar wrote the text and
musical notation for more than 45 varnam-s and kriti-s when he
taught the writer and his wife in private lessons during his stay in
Bombay....
Appreciation of other artists (read hard copy)
Students
Among his students were the late musicologist S. Ramanathan,
Kanthamani Rangam, V.C. Padma, Vijaya Viswanathan, Srikanth Chary
and Lalitha Venkataraman, besides his daughter Vedavalli. He gave
many concerts along with Vedavalli and also with M.A. Kalyanakrishna
Bhagavatar and K.S. Narayanaswamy....
Last days
I still remembers with sadness the last occasion when my wife and I
called on our guru at his house at 18 Tulasinga Perumal Koil Street
in Triplicane. Narayana Iyengar's children lived with him....
Narayana Iyengar passed away on the 9th of January 1987.
Honours And Awards
Narayana Iyengar was one of those rare souls who never ran after
honours and awards. In those days these were also limited since
there was no proliferation of music sabha-s as we have now. The most
prestigious ones for the Carnatic musician were those of the Music
Academy (Madras), Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi) and the Tamil
Nadu Sangeeta Nataka Sangam (Chennai), as it was then called. Of
them, the latter two were official institutions. The Tamil Nadu
Sangeeta Nataka Sangam included him in the list of musicians and
dramatists honoured on March 16, 1966 by the then Chief Minister M.
Bhaktavatsalam at the Rajaji Hall in Government Estate on Mount
Road. The title "Kalaimamani", now conferred, was not in vogue at
that time. The brochure prepared for the ceremony simply talks of a
prize-awarding function for artists ("Kalaignarkalukku parisalippu
vizha" in Tamil).
The Sangeet Natak Akademi honoured him in 1969. The citation says,
inter alia: "Born on March 29, 1905 at Devakottai, Tamil Nadu, Shri
Narayana Iyengar is a well-known vainika of the Karnatak (sic)
system.... For his eminence in the field of music and his
contribution to its enrichment, Devakottai Narayana Iyengar receives
the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Karnatak Instrumental Music."
President V.V. Giri gave him the award. Since its inception in 1952,
only 15 vainika-s have been honoured over a half century, which is
partly due to the paucity of eminent artists in this field. In the
very first year Iyengar's guru Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer was selected
along with Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar for vocal music. The last to
win the award was E. Gayatri in 2002.
Dr. V. Raghavan, the then Secretary of the Music Academy, was
appreciative of Iyengar's strict adherence to the classical style.
He had sarcastically told him that there were vainika-s who indulged
in gimmicks and what remained for them to do was to throw the
instrument up in the air and catch it a la the ghata vidwan! He once
promised Iyengar that he would try to get the title of Sangeeta
Kalanidhi conferred on him the next year but unfortunately passed
away before fulfilling his promise.
The other awards received by Narayana Iyengar were:
Tamra Patra from Swami Haridas Sammelan, Bombay in 1974,
Title of "Madhura Kala Praveena" from Sri Sathguru Sangeeta Samajam,
Madurai in 1978,
Merit Certificate from the Music Academy, Chennai in 1981, and
Award from the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata in 1982. .
Click to read more
BACK OF BOOK
S Stamps On Saint Composers - Part 12 Arunagirinatha
-S. SANKARANARAYANAN
With the article on Samartha Ramdas (Sruti 253,
October 2005), we concluded the series on Stamps On Saint-Poets.
The saint-poets might not have been 'musicians' or 'composers' as these
terms are now understood. Nevertheless, they composed their devotional
outpourings in musical garb, that is, the lyrics were set to then
prevailing musical tunes by the saint-poets themselves even while they
wrote the songs. They themselves sang and propagated them.
Their use of the regional language or dialect, the oral mode of
dissemination of the songs, stress on devotion and their ultimate goal
of God-realisation-- all these formed the tenets of composers of
keertana-s (sankeertana-s) who were to follow the saint-poets.
Keertana-s are compositions which are near-classical in style and
devotional in character. These were the fore-runners of classical music.
The credit for ushering in this transformation goes to three musical
geniuses. They were Tallapaka Annamacharya, Arunagirinatha and
Purandaradasa.
Annamacharya was a pioneer of sankeertana-s. He should have been dealt
with as number one under this series on Stamps On Saint Composers. By
oversight, he was discussed under 'Saints And Poets' in Sruti 247).
In this issue we start the series on 'Saint Composers' with
Arunagirinatha.
The story of Arunagirinatha has been covered by Lakshmi Devnath in the
"Series for Youngsters" (Sruti 238). Hence this piece will endeavour to
focus more on his contribution to music, more specifically to the laya
aspect of Carnatic music.
Stamp on Arunagirinatha
The Dept. of Post issued a commemorative stamp on Arunagirinatha on 14
August 1975, on the occasion of the sixth centenary celebration of the
saint, at Venus Colony, Alwarpet in Madras (now Chennai). It was
released by Jaganath Pahadia, the then Deputy Minister for
Communication.
The celebration continued till the 17th of August. The highlights of the
function on that day were: invocation by M.S. Subbulakshmi, bhajan-s by
the Tiruppugazh Anbargal group from Delhi, and a discourse by
Thirumuruga Kirubananda Variyar.
The stamp depicts the portrait of Arunagirinatha. It is in the
denomination of 50 (50 p.), in colour mauve, and perf. 14 x 13-1/2. It
was printed at the India Security Press, Nasik by photogravure process,
on unwater-marked adhesive stamp paper. As usual, a First Day Cover was
also issued along with the stamp.
Pictorial Cancellation
The Tamil Nadu Circle of the Department introduced a pictorial
cancellation at Palani with effect from 8 September 1978 (on a permanent
basis). It depicts a kavadi,vel (spear), and a peacock-feather-- all
sacred symbols of Muruga worship.
Of the six famous shrines of Muruga (Aarupadai Veedu), Palani is perhaps
best known outside of Tamil Nadu, and hence the introduction of this
cancellation there.
Life of Arunagirinatha
Arunagirinatha was a saint, philosopher, poet and a composer. He was a
man of profound religious experience.
His Tiruppugazh occupies a pre-eminent place in the sacred music
of the Tamils. In Tamil literature, it stands alone.
The traditional story of Arunagirinatha's life is as follows:
He was born in Tiruvannamalai. The year of his birth is not known.
However, he is believed to have lived in the 15th cent. AD.
In his youth he was addicted to worldly pleasures and, in the process,
lost his wealth and health, and became a prey to disease. In utter
disgust he tried to put an end to his life. Lord Muruga is supposed to
have saved him in the nick of time. It is said that the Lord wrote the 'shadakshari
mantra' on his tongue, gave him a japa mala (rosary), and bade him sing
His praise. He also gave the opening words of the first verse. Thus was
born Tiruppugazh.
Arunagirinatha spent the rest of his life in visiting shrines and
composing thousands of songs. Having completed his mission, he is
believed to have assumed the form of a parrot and taken eternal abode,
perched on the hand of the Lord in the Tiruttani temple.
The Tiruppugazh
After he started composing songs, Arunagirinatha undertook a lifelong
pilgrimage of the various shrines of Muruga, spread all over south
India. In every shrine he dedicated one or more hymns to the presiding
deity.
Arunagirinatha is said to have composed a total of 16,000 songs, but
only 1330 are now available to us. Even these would have fallen into
oblivion but for the dedicated efforts of two pious souls-- V.T.
Subramania Pillai and his son V.S. Chengalvaraya Pillai.
In 1871 Subramania Pillai, who was a District Munsif, chanced to listen
to a Tiruppugazh song while he was on an official tour of Chidambaram.
The song so captivated him that he decided to set out on a mission to
search for the entire body of Tiruppugazh songs. He toured all over
south India, collected manuscripts, including palm leaves, assembled the
texts and published them in two volumes, the first in 1894 and the
second in 1901. After his demise, his son Chengalvaraya Pillai brought
out a new edition of the songs.
Music of Tiruppugazh
Arunagirinatha composed the Tiruppugazh in the style known as "Chitra
Kavita". Its uniqueness is the gait of the songs, called chhandam,
wherein the format of the rhythm is determined by the interplay of
syllabic instants. The advantage of the chhandam metre is that it is
suitable for being set to music in more than one tune, keeping the
chhandam intact.
The original music of Tiruppugazh has been lost for ever. Now the songs
are rendered in many popular (and even uncommon) raga-s which have no
relevance to Arunagirinatha's time.
Rhythm: his forte
Arunagirinatha reigns supreme in the sphere of tala. Rhythm was his
forte. It is in regard to tala that Arunagirinatha's compositions have
acquired unparalleled fame in the lore of devotional poetry and
classical music. There are songs in Tiruppugazh which come under the 35
sooladi scheme, the 52 tala scheme, the 'Navasandhi' pattern, as also
the 108 classical tala scheme. Scholar T.S. Parthasarathy says: "Arunagirinatha's
songs are the only authoritative lakshya for most of the tala-s in our
system of music. Some of the intricate tala-s defy known classifications
and are yet to be analysed."
Generally, the great vaggeyakara-s of art music have used raga to
portray the bhava or emotion of the kriti, whereas Arunagirinatha has
achieved the same purpose by the dexterous use of the tala. The tala, in
turn, is governed by the chhandam, which is generally given along with
the title of the song.
Tiruppugazh is the best known work of Arunagirinatha. His other works
include: Kandar Alankaram, Kandar Antadi, Kandar Anubhooti, Tiruvaguppu,
Vel Viruttam, Mayil Viruttam and Cheval Viruttam.
His philosophy
Arunagirinatha's ishta devata was Muruga, who was also his preceptor.
However, he finds a way to praise other principal deities of the Hindu
pantheon, such as Ganesa, Siva, Vishnu (Rama and Krishna) and Devi, into
his songs on Muruga. In some of those songs he has also given graphic
accounts of several episodes from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the
Purana-s, particularly the Bhagavata Purana, with extraordinary poetic
skill.
Arunagirinatha looks at the various deities as an Advaitin does, that
is, as manifestations of the Parabrahman. Even so, he seems to advocate
sagunopasana and urge people to follow the path of devotion, detachment
and unqualified surrender (bhakti, vairagya and prapatti).
Verily, Arunagirinatha was a bhakta, gnani and a yogi.
Propagation of Tiruppugazh
During the last hundred years, many earnest devotees have dedicated
their entire life for the propagation of Tiruppugazh (and other works of
Arunagirinatha) with a missionary zeal. It is entirely due to their
untiring efforts that the Tiruppugazh cult has spread all over the
world-- wherever Tamil-speaking people live. Even a brief description of
their services would need a sizeable volume. We therefore mention the
names of the more prominent among them (besides Subramania Pillai and
Chengalvaraya Pillai already referred to).
They are: Vallimalai Sri Satchidananda Swamigal, Maunaguru Swamigal,
Pampan Swamigal, Thirumuruga Kirubananda Variyar, Professor Velur T.A.
Sambanda Murthy Achariyar, T. Ekambaram of Tambaram, T.M. Krishnaswamy
Iyer, K.V. Jagannathan, Pithukuli Murugadas and 'Guruji' A.S. Raghavan
(of Delhi) and 'Tiruppugazh Anbargal' which he founded in 1958.
Tiruppugazh in concerts
Tiruppugazh songs found a place, sometimes even a prominent place, in
music concerts from the early part of the last century. And this
continues. In this context, one readily recalls the names of Kanchipuram
Naina Pillai, Chittoor Subramania Pillai, Alathur Brothers and their
disciple Chingleput Ranganathan, M.M. Dandapani Desigar, K.B.
Sundarambal and Seerkazhi Govindarajan.
We conclude this story with the words of T.S. Parthasarathy: "Arunagirinatha
was a rare musical genius. His Tiruppugazh songs will continue to
influence musical thinking for centuries to come."
Stamp on Kirubananda Variyar
There is also a 5-Rupee commemorative postage stamp on Thirumuruga
Kirubananda Variyar. It was issued on 18 February 2006 in the centenary
year of his birth. He was born on 25 August 1906, and died on 7 November
1993.
Variyar was the foremost exponent of, and commentator on, Tiruppugazh.
He also published a magazine Tiruppugazh Amritam for about 40 years.
Each issue contained one or two songs along with commentaries. He was
the commentator as well as the editor of the magazine.
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BOOK SHELF
BEYOND DESTINY. The Life and Times of Subbudu. By Lada Guruden Singh. [Bharatiya
Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati Munshi Marg, Mumbai - 400 007. Paperback. Pp.
265. Rs. 275]. -SUJATHA
VIJAYARAGHAVAN
He has had star performers falling at his feet. An aggrieved senior
musician has torn his shirt in fury. He has been accused of favouritism
towards a few select artists. A prima donna reportedly made a bid to buy
his favour and was spurned by him. Private and public organisations have
vied with one another to heap honours on him. Lawsuits have dogged him
again and again.
What more could a biographer ask for to top the best-seller list!
Lada Guruden Singh, chosen by the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, to write on
the Life and Times of Subbudu, the Critic, is well aware of the daunting
task before him as the "city still burns" with the fallout of the
searing pen of his protagonist. Singh, who is described as "a young
writer, a performing artist and admirer of Subbudu," is awestruck by the
multifaceted personality of Subbudu. He is bewildered as to whom he
should place before the readers-- "the sensitive maverick, karma yogi,
naive egoist, or the ageing lion".
Compounding his problems is the fact that Singh has to enter unfamiliar
territory. He is a stranger to the art scene in Chennai, which is
Subbudu's chief domain of activity. And he does not appear to know
either Carnatic music or the Tamil language, respectively the content
and the medium of a major portion of Subbudu's writings.
Singh has chosen therefore to play the role of a faithful scribe to one
who is renowned as raconteur par excellence. The outcome is a book of
memoirs rather than a biography. It is significant that the book is
dedicated not by the author but by the subject, who plants his
characteristic barb in the terse one liner.
The life and times of Subbudu, told in his own words, packs the same
punch as all his writings. There is not a dull page in the slim volume
of 262 pages.
The opening chapters deal with Subbudu's early years in Rangoon and his
trek back to India during the Second World War. The account of his
musical training is sketchy and the information that can be gathered is
that he was mostly a self-taught genius, who could learn by observing
other people being taught. His forays into vocal Carnatic music, playing
the harmonium and the mridanga and participation in bhajan-s mark his
initiation as a performer. Playing errand boy for the artists who were
invited by the Sabha run by his father, gave him the opportunity to
observe the stars at close quarters and get a taste of off-stage goings
on.
A punster, prankster and a naturally endowed actor who could unlock his
jaw at will to play Hanuman on stage; the child Subbudu is most
certainly the father of the man. It is regrettable that his love of
theatre and his career as a script- writer and actor are barely touched
upon in this volume. According to Singh, Subbudu wanted that "his
biography should mainly concern his critical intervention only in the
realm of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music."
As for Bharatanatyam, Subbudu admits that he "learnt the ropes of dance
criticism by accompanying artists on the harmonium and mridangam." It
was `Kalki' who was his inspiration to take to art criticism. At the
very outset `Kalki' gave him his Gospel. "You must write in such a
manner that, after the performance, people forget about the artiste and
start talking about you." The reminiscences show step by step how
artists and the media served as props to elevate the master critic to
the dizzying heights he scaled.
He became a bilingual critic, writing in English for the Statesman in
Delhi and in both English and Tamil for the newspapers and magazines in
Chennai. "He ravaged through the streets of the Indian performing arts,
beating his chest and roaring stridently till artistes followed his path
or were hunted down. His attacks, personal and offensive, were never
limited to the talent a person possessed but sought to prick the skin
that adorn the talent," sums up Singh in his prologue.
To offset the formidable image, there are cameos of Subbudu as a family
man with deep, emotional attachments, as a loving albeit absent-minded
father, a caring husband and an affectionate brother. There are a good
number of photographs of the family among the numerous colour and black
and white photos tracing his personal and public life.
His career as a critic is recounted through anecdotes, observations and
snippets. The text is peppered with witty and startling quotes of
Subbudu, his admirers and opponents as well. We have glimpses of his pet
peeves and prejudices, of behind-the-scenes happenings and the motives
for some of his reviews. Subbudu's versions of almost every controversy
stirred up by his writings and comments are narrated with the relish of
a cultural don. Singh's interviews with artists and others have not
helped to present different points of view as most of them have been
noncommittal and have ended up showering praises either on Subbudu or on
themselves.
Correcting an M.S. Subbulakshmi here, ticking off a Semmangudi there,
getting even with a Yamini Krishnamurthi in a lawsuit and calling the
shots in the competition among the magazines and newspapers, Subbudu
rides the crest. It is apparent that he is a rare phenomenon, a unique
combination of knowledge, experience, wit, courage and above all a
highly expressive style bordering on the poetic. Any attempt to follow
him would be hara-kiri, for he trod the dangerous line between the
sensational and the scurrilous with the dare-devilry of an adventurer.
He is as much a critic of himself as he is of others and is candid
enough to admit, "Even I need some flattery in this old age," when
questioned about his lavishing praises on undeserving artists.
The book has excellent production values, a characteristic of the Bhavan
publications. The selection and reproduction of photographs, both old
and recent, add a visual dimension to the text. Samples of some of his
reviews, had they been included, would have created a better
understanding of what the book is all about.
The present volume could be the springboard for more detailed, objective
and in-depth studies of the art of the times and an assessment of
Subbudu's lasting contribution to the world of performing arts. It could
hopefully lead to a better evaluation of the norms, ethics and
methodology of art criticism.
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SPOT LIGHT
Sangeeta Sthalam-s - 16 Heritage
Landmarks in Music
The Mylai Sangeeta Sabha -SRIRAM.V
Unlike the kshetram-s that we have covered so far, this is a sthalam
that exists only as a memory. Both the institution bearing the name
and the venue where it conducted its performances are long gone....
By the 1880s, Mylapore began to emerge as a residential area
especially for the top ranking members of the legal profession....
By 1911, however, Mylapore could boast of a full fledged Sabha and
that was the Mylai Sangeetha Sabha. It was promoted by Ramakrishna
Lala and Krishnaswami Iyengar....
In a way, the Sabha was instrumental in Papanasam Sivan coming to
Madras for the first time....
For a proper description of the Sabha and its environs one must turn
to a visual and musical artist, namely S. Rajam and the following
details are based on what he said, standing outside the Sabha's
erstwhile premises one rainy afternoon in 1999.
The Vanniyar Sangam ran a school at the intersection of Nadu Street
and Salai Street in Mylapore. This had a large hall that comprised a
raised cement platform with a thatched roof. The Mylai Sangeeta
Sabha made this place its home and concerts were held here almost
every week on Sunday afternoons. The tickets were priced from four
annas (for an entire series) downwards. The four anna ticket
entitled one to sit close to the performers. There was a rope that
divided the hall into exclusive sections for men and women. Concerts
began at 4 pm and were invariably for four hours and more. Artists,
on arrival, were given "panakalkandu (palm candy) and goli soda" by
way of refreshments which were to last for the concert duration....
As evening set in, illumination, by way of gaslight was provided.
The Sabha's Ramanavami and Janmashtami series were well known. The
roof of the hall housed a family of scorpions which provided free
entertainment by falling on artists at odd intervals....
S. Rajam remembers Bidaram Krishnappa arriving for a concert,
looking like the Maharaja of Mysore himself, complete with turban,
alpaca coat and flashing ear studs. He remembers Malaikottai
Govindaswamy Pillai and Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai staying as
guests of his father at his Nadu Street residence whenever they came
to perform at the Mylai Sangeeta Sabha....
Kanchipuram Naina Pillai was a regular performer at the Sabha,
complete with his full bench. Tiger also performed here, but would
more often be seen as a member of the audience and would invariably
come covering his head in a shawl to protect himself from the
dew....
S. Rajam remembers a long list of artists who performed here. This
includes, Ariyakudi, Musiri, Palghat Rama Bhagavatar, Gottuvadyam
Narayana Iyengar, the Madurai Brothers, the Karaikudi Brothers,
Mudicondan Sabhapati Iyer, Marungapuri Gopalakrishna Iyer, B.S. Raja
Iyengar, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Budalur Krishnamurthy
Sastrigal, Mangudi Chidambara Bhagavatar, Dholak Nannu Mian, Ghatam
Sundaram Iyer, Konnakol Pakkiria Pillai, Morsing Sitarama Iyer,
Madras Lalithangi, Tiruvarur Rajayee, Madurai Shanmukhavadivu, C.
Saraswati Bai and Padmasini Bai. It is said that Mudicondan
Venkatarama Iyer gave his first performance in Madras at this Sabha
in 1919....
The Sabha which frowned on dance and nagaswaram performances and
drama was threatened when A.K. Ramachandra Iyer founded the Rasika
Ranjani Sabha in neighbouring Sundareswarar Street in 1929.... The
Mylai Sangeeta Sabha fell on bad days with competition also coming
in by way of the Music Academy, whose membership by 1931 was
considered a status symbol. The death of the Sabha's promoters
ensured that it was wound up by the mid 1930s. There was
a brief revival in 1943 by C.V. Narasimhan and S. Venkateswaran,
both ICS officers who arranged for performances at the P.S. High
School and were supported greatly in their efforts by the then
rising star whose initials were the same as those of the Sabha. It
faded away later....
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