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Section Synopsis (November 2006)
NEWS & NOTES
MARABU FOUNDATION'S WORKSHOPS IN TANJAVUR
-A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The Marabu Foundation was launched on the 4th
February at Thillaisthanam in Tanjavur with the broad objective of
"promoting peace and harmony through traditional arts, literature and
education". It was inaugurated by Babaji Raja Bhonsle Chatrapati. The
specific purpose of the Foundation is to create an awareness of our rich
cultural heritage among people, especially the young, belonging to
different sections of society, living in the region once famous as a
seat of learning. It has launched the "Purindu Kollvom" series of
workshops to enable the participants to understand different facets of
Indian literature, music, dance, and Hindu religion. Two courses-- one
on Tevaram, and the other on Divya Prabandham-- commenced on the
inaugural day. The Marabu Foundation also conducted a three-day workshop
on Subramania Bharati and a week-long workshop on Divyanama Keertana-s
of Tyagaraja in May. This was followed by a certificate course in
Sivapuranam recitation in mid-July in which a number of children
from nearby villages participated.
The workshop on 'Divyanama Keertana-s of Tyagaraja' was unique in
nature, as the Managing Trustee R. Rukmani, Trustee Meenakshi Rajmohan
and the course Co-ordinator Dr. R. Kausalya conducted the workshop in
the traditional age-old gurukula mould. The workshop was inaugurated by
L. Venkatesa Iyengar, a senior vidwan of Tanjavur. About 28 participants
from various places like Mysore, Coimbatore, Theni, Tiruchirapalli,
Tanjavur, Tiruvaiyaru and nearby places attended the workshop. The
participants were either music teachers or performers. No fee was
collected from them.
Tyagaraja has composed innumerable compositions of which 86 are known as
'Divyanama Keertana-s'. The songs can be easily understood even by
beginners. Such keertana-s are meant for group singing, without any
discrimination among participants, the sole aim being the propagation of
bhakti. Group singing also provides peace of mind and helps relieve
mental strain. Through the medium of bhajana sampradaya and through the
efforts of stalwart musicians, such songs were popular among the masses.
Unfortunately, most of these keertana-s have been forgotten. With a view
to rekindling interest in Tyagaraja's Divyanama Keertana-s, the Marabu
Foundation conducted a workshop from 9th to 14th May 2006 at
Thillaisthanam.
Tiruvaiyaru Chellam Iyer, an ardent devotee of Tyagaraja and music;
Bhama and Padmini Krishnamachari, disciples of the late Dr. S.
Ramanathan; and Mythili Kumar, a scholar based in Tanjavur; were the
resource persons. Dr. R. Kausalya, the Co-ordinator, explained the
meaning of the songs taught and gave an outline of the raga lakshana.
An important aspect of the workshop was the gurukula way in which it was
conducted. Each day started at 4 am. The participants, after having
their bath, washing their clothes, and drinking a steaming tumbler of
morning coffee, would be ready for their practice session at 6.30 am. As
the resource persons, the participants, the Trustees and the Co-ordinator
were all living under one roof, a good sense of understanding and
rapport developed among them. The resource persons would often correct
the participants as they practised their lessons. Breakfast was followed
by formal classes. There was a sense of informality, and even 'pazhayadu'
(rice cooked the previous day) was served for breakfast on popular
demand by the participants. After a lunchbreak, classes would resume and
go on till about 5.30 pm.
Everyday, after the conclusion of the sessions, Chellam Iyer related his
experiences with stalwarts in the field of music.
After dinner, there were lecture demonstrations on interesting topics
like: singing of Tevaram especially Tirutandagam, Tirukuruntogai and the
tala aspect in Tevaram (by Tevaram Balasubramaniam); Maharashtra bhajana
sampradaya and Marathi forms like ovi, dindi, saki, abhang (by
Swaminatha Rao); music in the bhajana sampradaya and namavali (G.
Rajagopala Sastrigal); and raga alapana and kalpana swara singing based
on geetam-s and varnam-s, and the role of karvai (by Chellam Iyer).
For many of the participants the gurukula-style workshop was a new
experience. They enjoyed it immensely and voluntarily participated in
activities like serving food, cleaning the place, decorating the
portraits with garlands and flowers, drawing kolam, etc. They even
washed the clothes of the elders. One evening they visited the samadhi-s
of Tyagaraja and Narayana Teertha and paid their sangeetanjali.
According to the organisers, Thillaisthanam with its quiet and calm
rural atmosphere, was an apt place for conducting the workshop as it was
associated with Thillaisthanam Rama Iyengar, Tyagaraja's disciple, and
his disciples Narasimha Bhagavatar and Panchu Bhagavatar. It was also a
Tevara sthalam.
Kausalya, the co-ordinator, was a quiet but hard taskmaster and did not
allow even a single minute to go waste. A total of 30 Divyanama Keertana-s
(some of which are not in vogue today) were taught with notations.
N.V. Subramanyam, Managing Trustee of Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust in
Chennai, was the chief guest for the valedictory function. The
participants rendered some of the compositions they had learnt in the
workshop. Vadivu Devi from Tanjavur danced to a divyanama keertana (Marava
ara in Devagandhari / Adi). According to her all divyanama keertana-s
have scope for elaborate abhinaya.
Meenakshi Rajmohan, one of the Trustees, announced that Marabu
Foundation had plans to conduct more such thematic workshops in the
gurukula pattern. With help from sponsors, the scheduled workshops could
also be offered free to the participants. The organisers requested each
participant to teach the Divyanama Keertana-s to at least 20 students,
as the aim of the workshop was to propagate the rare compositions of
Tyagaraja
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TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF NATYA
SANKALPAA IN CHENNAI
-S. JANAKI
There was a time when those who taught Sadir / Bharatanatyam-- the
natyacharya-s and nattuvanar-s, would not perform on stage; and the
nartaki-s or dancers were always busy learning and performing the art
and did not teach dance. Then there came a few versatile personalities
who could sing, do nattuvangam and dance well, so they not only
performed but also started their own dance schools. There were others
who did not make it big in the performance scene, but proved to be fine
dance teachers. In the 1960s and 70s many famous dancers felt the need
to impart holistic training in the dance form to their students and
therefore introduced the teaching of theory, yoga, music and languages
like Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu in their dance institutions. Now dance
schools are aplenty, especially in the city of Chennai, where the demand
to learn Bharatanatyam is very high. Dancing is not highly remunerative
unless one has reached the top, and it takes years to do so. Teaching
dance is, indeed, an assured source of monthly income. Apart from the
veteran guru-s, there are, however, some good senior dancers in the
30-45 age group, who have struck a good balance between performance and
teaching. They perform, they teach and also engage others to train their
students in different disciplines. Urmila Sathyanarayanan is one such
successful Bharatanatyam dancer.
Urmila, a disciple of guru K.J. Sarasa, the late K.N. Dandayudhapani
Pillai, and Kalanidhi Narayanan has won laurels for her sparkling nritta,
subtle abhinaya, and her traditional approach to the dance. She launched
her dance school Natya Sankalpaa on 21st April 1996 in Chennai. The
formal inauguration of the Trust and the first arangetram of her
students was however held the following year in the presence of
personalities like M.S. Subbulakshmi, Padma Subrahmanyam, T.S.
Parthasarathy and R. Krishnaswami. Presently, the school has more than
120 students on its rolls and seventeen dancers have made their formal
debut (arangetram). The students are also taught dance theory, music,
and yoga. Urmila Sathyanarayanan, S.K. Suresh and Rama Durai Swaminathan
teach Bharatanatyam to the students. Suresh also helps choreograph
items, does the nattuvangam, supervises the music classes and provides
vocal accompaniment for Urmila's recitals as well as for students of
Natya Sankalpaa. The other staff members are Sai Kripa (dance theory),
Kannan (yoga) and Usha Rani Rajappa (music). Many students of the school
have given solo and group performances in sabha-s, at corporate
functions, and in important art festivals organised in Mamallapuram,
Chidambaram and Konarak
Natya Sankalpaa celebrated its tenth anniversary on 23rd April at the
Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai. The students of the school, from tiny tots
to teenagers, were showcased in different items of dance, music and
yoga, according to their abilities. It was a typical dance school
function and the large auditorium was overflowing. The programme
commenced with the well-known Gnanasabhesa stotram and Todayamangalam so
typical of the Vazhuvoor bani. This was followed by a pushpanjali and a
sabdam. The dance choreography for the Tulsidas bhajan Sree Ramachandra
kripalu bhajamana was interesting and crisp, and was performed admirably
by the children dressed in neat skirt costumes who depicted stories from
the Ramayana while maintaining the seven-beat tala cycle at a steady
pace. The senior disciples of Natya Sankalpaa acquitted themselves well
with their neat nritta and subtle abhinaya in the navarasa ragamalika
varnam Angayarkanni anandam kondaaley, a composition of Lalgudi
Jayaraman. The evening concluded with a joyous tillana.
Leela Samson, Director - Kalakshetra Foundation, who was the chief
guest, congratulated Urmila and her dedicated team on the occasion of
the tenth anniversary of the school and blessed all the participants.
She shared a few words of wisdom with the children as she advised them
that no artist can ever be mightier than the art, and not every dance
student can become a performing artist. Learning Bharatanatyam
inculcates a discipline, and helps one to enjoy and appreciate the dance
and thus helps in shaping future rasika-s. The other guests of honour
natyacharya K.J. Sarasa, art patron Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti and
sabhanayaka R. Krishnaswami felicitated Urmila on the happy occasion and
expressed the hope that the school would grow from strength to strength.
Sarasa had a special word of praise for her warm and affectionate
disciple Urmila, who she said was blessed with all the attributes
necessary for a fine dancer. She also complimented Swamimalai K. Suresh
(son of Pandanallur P.V. Kalidas and grand-nephew of the late
natyacharya S.K. Rajarathnam Pillai) for his pivotal role in the success
of the dance school. Sarasa also released a special souvenir with
felicitation messages, articles on dance, and resume of the staff
members and students of Natya Sankalpaa
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Opinion
Column
Awards And Awardees
-B.R. KUMAR
In the Editor's Note in Sruti 259 on the Padma Awards to artists from
South India, you are perfectly right in saying that the awards,
especially the national awards, must be like Caesar's Wife! As you have
written with a mild tinge of remorse and rebuke, the working of the
awards system needs to be visible to the Indian public at large with the
criteria clearly spelt out. You had recalled the days of Dr. V.K.
Narayana Menon, but in those days too there were quite a few artists who
clamoured for national recognition. Many of them were 'Asutoshi-s' in
the real sense, (easily satisfied like Lord Siva) with what they
possessed! But today the scenario is quite different where almost every
known artist is found to be on the prowl to placate the powers that be
and thus secure this or that award locally or globally!
As you are aware, the world over, any system of awards always draws flak
and comes under fierce attack. Take the case of the Booker Literary
Prize of England. This year many well known writers in English openly
decried it on the ground than an unknown writer, who has contributed
very little, has bagged the Booker Prize! Even the Nobel prizes are
looked upon with a certain amount of hush-hush cynicism and suspicion.
It is said that the Nobel Prize awards committee destroys all the
minutes of its meetings as soon as the awards are announced, in order to
steer clear of public scrutiny and litigation! But the awards do not
escape the criticism that many deserving individuals are excluded on
extraneous considerations such as inherited ideological leanings and
idiosyncrasies!
Some years ago, an awardee told me at New Delhi that he received a phone
call at about 4 am on the day of the presentation ceremony and so he had
to rush to New Delhi by catching an early morning flight from his native
city so as to be in Delhi at 10 am! But at the same time, I heard from
his co-awardees that the particular gentleman had been camping at New
Delhi, canvassing for himself for many months till the finalisation, and
he pretended that he had rushed to Delhi in the last minute to receive
the award!
Testing and measurement principles need not be shrouded in mystery. Take
the case of the Oscar Awards of Hollywood. Every year, before the awards
are announced, the Oscar Awards Committee calls for nominations from the
public at the global level through the print and electronic media.
People are asked to nominate their own best actor, best actress and the
best film. Nominations pour in from all parts of the globe. These
nominations are collected, sieved, voted upon by the members of the
Academy and then the Committee announces the awards. See, how
democratically it works. There are no controversies in these awards. In
fact, people rejoice when they hear the names, whom they have nominated.
There is all round jubilation. The jury cannot bring in their personal
partisan choices! And hence there are no speculations and accusations!
In a democratic country like ours, the awards must be finalised with the
help of truly eminent non-partisan individuals, drawn from various walks
of life. But their names must be kept absolutely confidential, till the
awards are announced. The awards must be based on the nominations and
recommendations from individuals both ordinary and eminent, small and
big organisations promoting art and culture. The awards must be based
purely on the individual achievements and accomplishments over many
years. Age should play a prominent role in deciding the awardees. Names
which could not make the grade at a particular point of time, must be
kept in the reserve and must come up for consideration for the next two
or three years.
In this mode of selection, the public would play a vital and decisive
role till the announcement of the awards. In the case of close calls,
public debates could also be arranged through the media.
At present the awards are given through subjective deliberations and
decisions with ample room for personal considerations and
contradictions. There is no element of objectivity at all in this
method. This could be overcome only through free and fair public
participation with all shades of opinion. Even in school and college
level examinations, at last it has been found and accepted that the
'objective' type of testing and measurement alone is the most desirable
and successful way of grading the students. Why not it be applied in the
arena of arts and culture also?
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MAIN FEATURE
C. SARASWATI BAI
(Part - 2)
Gayanapatu Kirtanapatu Charitram
- Editor SRIRAM.V.
Saraswati Bai began her travels within India once again on returning
from her tour of Ceylon in 1913.... Travel to far off places meant
being on the move for several days and journeys by several modes of
transport including the bullock cart. Bai, who had been of a sickly
constitution as a child, found that she had to put up with the
rigours of such travels and also of the strain of standing for six
to seven hours each night and perform non stop.
In 1916, Bai and her troupe performed at the Gandharva Maha
Vidyalaya, Bombay in the presence of Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar
and she was awarded the title of 'Gayanapatu' (skilled in singing)
by him on the 13th of February.... Bai continued travelling across
the country and in 1920 arrived in Poona. There on the 15th April,
she performed at the Kirloskar Theatre and among the audience was 'Lokmanya'
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the great patriot. In his own words: "I was
present at one of the Harikirtans performed by Mrs. Saraswati Bai, a
Madras lady, at the Kirloskar Theatre and had the pleasure of
presenting her a 'gold medal' on behalf of the Poona public, for her
proficiency in performing a Kirtan as well as for her learning in
Tamil and Sanskrit. She addresses the audience in Tamil, but as the
songs and texts used are in Sanskrit, one not knowing the Tamil
language can easily understand her address and follow her right
through. Her voice is melodious and singing very good." It was
on this occasion that the second of Bai's two most well known
titles, namely 'Kirtanapatu' (skilled in kalakshepam) was conferred
on her by Tilak. Hereafter Bai was always referred to as 'Gayanapatu
Kirtanapatu C. Saraswati Bai'. The terms became as much associated
with her as Sangeeta Ratnakara was with Ariyakudi, Gayaka Sikhamani
with Muthiah Bhagavatar and Gayana Gandharva with Chembai.
Returning via Hyderabad, Bai was invited to perform in the presence
of the Nizam of Hyderabad at the King Kothi palace in May....
...Bai was a direct beneficiary of the boom in the recording
industry which began in the 1920s.... The then limitations in
recording, especially the time duration, prevented Bai from
recording any of her discourses, but she did present a number of
songs, especially the popular ones from her Harikatha-s and these
became great successes....
...In 1929 the Corporation of Madras took on the responsibility of
broadcasting with one of its principal aims being to provide radio
music for the benefit of residents of Madras. The first Harikatha on
the radio, recorded at the studio in Ripon Buildings, was in 1931
and was done by an unnamed male artist. But by 1932, 24 artists were
invited to perform Harikatha-s and upanyasam-s and Bai was one of
them.... In later years, she was to remain a top graded artist of
the AIR and many of her Harikatha-s are still broadcast.
Bai was now caught up in a virtuous cycle of growth. An increased
number of broadcasts meant more sales for her records which in turn
increased the number of concert opportunities. Papanasam Sivan was
to write later that the "rates that Bai commanded were then the
highest in the field". Theatre artists studied her style, women
began to copy her methods of dress, and patriots such as S.
Satyamurthy began looking at ways and means of harnessing her
popularity to serve public causes. No wedding or happy occasion was
complete in any well known family in South India without a
performance of Bai's. Men who had initially sneered at her, became
her ardent admirers and champions....
Bai, to quote E. Krishna Iyer evinced "interest enough in the higher
ideals of the art. She attends and sometimes takes part in
conferences and discussions regarding music. She is endowed with
fair culture and she is still an earnest student constantly
equipping herself and adding to her stock." Such a person would have
automatically gravitated towards the Music Academy and Bai was
involved in it from its inception. In 1927, she performed at the All
India Music Conference held in conjunction with the All India
Congress Session at the Spur Tank, Madras. She was one of five women
who participated. From then on began a lifelong association with the
Academy which itself was an outcome of the conference of 1927. The
Academy's annual conferences became occasions when Bai read out
several papers on Harikatha and its practice (see article Bai And
The Music Academy)....
...Bai travelled once again, now to Rangoon (present day Yangon) in
Burma (now Myanmar) which then had a number of Indians. The visit
lasted through November and December 1935. The local press was
ecstatic in its reviews and Bai left Burma on 22nd December,
honoured by a civic reception....
In October 1936, Bai performed for the first time in Calcutta. From
there she travelled to Benares, where she was awarded the title of 'Sangeeta
Samskrita Vidyaratna' by the Kasi Pandit Sabha. Returning in
December 1936, she was awarded the title of 'Harikatha Prasanga
Marga Darsini' by the then fledgling Indian Fine Arts Society on the
24th of December at the Gokhale Hall in George Town.
Mahamahopadhyaya U. Ve. Swaminatha Iyer wrote an appreciation of her
the next day....
Bai's career reached its apogee in 1939. S. Satyamurthy and W.
Doraiswami Iyengar were very keen that her portrait be unveiled at
the Madras University Senate House. But the proposal was shot down
by the University senate which was then dominated by pro-Justice
Party members. The Jagannatha Bhakta Sabha, run by Tiruvenkatachari
aka Muthanna (son of Rao Bahadur T. Rangachariar, the eminent
lawyer), came forward to host the function and house the portrait.
The event took place at Ritherdon House, Egmore, the residence of T.
Rangachariar. W. Doraiswami Iyengar funded the portrait and a
souvenir was released at the function which took place on 16th
December 1939. (See Bai And Some Sabha-s).
Ironically, Bai's rather long decline into retirement began almost
immediately. The reasons were not entirely under Bai's control. For
the long fadeout of Harikatha itself had begun.... There was a
decline in opportunities and in 1943 Bai went on her last overseas
tour to Ceylon.
Bai herself perhaps looked forward to the reduction in the number of
performance opportunities. Years of travel to all kinds of far off
places had sapped her of her vitality and she was becoming
increasingly tired....
In 1948, Bai was diagnosed as having diabetes and that further
affected her stamina. Performing Harikatha now meant frequent
intervals for taking some refreshment to keep her energy levels up.
Despite all this, her love for the art form kept her performing
whenever the opportunity arose.... When her friend, eminent author
and multifaceted personality Vai. Mu. Kothainayaki Ammal founded the
Mahatmaji Seva Sangam in 1948, Bai agreed to become its first
President and took keen interest in its activities (see Sruti 207 on
VaiMuKo).
In 1950, on the 31st December, Bai became the first woman to be
honoured by the Music Academy, receiving a certificate of merit
though many felt she ought to have been given the Kalanidhi (see Bai
And The Music Academy). In 1952 she turned 60 years of age. The
Maharani of Travancore, on coming to know of it, suggested a public
felicitation and Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer was asked to head a
committee. The event took place at the R.R. Sabha Hall,
Sundareswarar Street on 8th March 1953 (see Bai's 60th Birthday)....
1954 saw Bai presiding over the annual festival of the Indian Fine
Arts Society and receiving the title of Sangeeta Kala Sikhamani on
4th January 1955 from M. Bhaktavatsalam then Minister for
Agriculture....
Guru Krishnachar passed away in 1957 and as mentioned elsewhere his
obsequies were conducted at Bai's residence. He had been her eyes
and ears to the world and his passing left behind a big void....
...Bai's earnings had dipped with fewer performance opportunities.
For a woman who had earned Rs. 450 per performance in the 1910s and
Rs. 2000 by the 1930s, she was now getting only a fee of Rs. 600....
Bai's last performance was in the early 1960s when she performed at
the Sringeri Mutt in Raja Annamalaipuram. She lived in quiet
retirement through the 1960s. She received the Fellowship of the
Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1964 along with personalities like P.V.
Rajamannar, T.L. Venkatarama Iyer, V. Raghavan, and B.R. Deodhar.
The odd radio performance did take place....
...Her husband passed away as peacefully as he had lived in November
1971. She was to live on for three more years.
Bai passed away on 13th January 1974, a day after Tyagaraja's
Aradhana. It was Bhogi day, the day when the old order changeth,
yielding place to the new. She was in many ways the last of the
Titans. She had come into the field of Harikatha when men such as
Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Mangudi Chidambara Bhagavatar,
Tiruppazhanam Panchapakesa Sastrigal and Soolamangalam Vaidyanatha
Bhagavatar were performing. Being many years their junior, she had
outlived them all. She was the last representative of the golden age
of Harikatha....
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BACK OF BOOK
Stamps On Saint Composers - Part 15 Narayana Teertha
-S. SANKARANARAYANAN
In this series we have been focusing on commemorative
postage stamps. In this issue we propose to use another philatelic item,
namely, Special Cover.
A Special Cover carries the picture of the subject of issue and a
special cancellation is also provided on the cover. No commemorative
stamp is issued and, therefore, any postage stamp of appropriate
denomination can be used for the cancellation.
Special Cover on Narayana Teertha
The Department of Post issued a Special Cover in honour of Narayana
Teertha, a great saint, scholar and litterateur who lived in the 17th
century. The cover was issued on 16 July 2005 in Chennai on the occasion
of the 330th jayanti of the saint. It carries the traditional picture of
Narayana Teertha. In the background is a scene from Krishna Leela.
Narayana Teertha occupies a prominent place among the saint composers
who fostered and nourished the bhakti cult. He is best known as the
author of Sree Krishna Leela Tarangini, a magnificent musical opera
(dance-drama). The Tirupoonthuruthi Sri Narayana Teertha Swamigal Trust,
Chennai headed by Tirupoonthuruthi Venkatesan, has been celebrating
Narayana Teertha's jayanti and aradhana for the last many years.
His Life
There is no reliable information on many aspects of his life. Scholars
have, therefore, constructed his biography on the basis of internal
evidence available in his works. To this are added 'events', some of
which may best remain in the realm of speculation and surmise.
Narayana Teertha was born in Kaza village near Guntur (Andhra) in 1675
AD. His jayanti or birthday falls on Sukla ekadasi of Ashada or the
Tamil month Adi (June - July). He was a Telugu Brahmin. From his works
one can discern that he had mastered Sanskrit, music and Bharatam.
He seems to have taken to sanyasa quite early in his married life.
Sivarama Teertha was his guru. In the eighth tarangam the author states
that "he serves the lotus feet of Sivarama Teertha as a bee" ( "Sivaramateertha-padaambuja
bhramarena" ).
Soon after the ordination, Narayana Teertha set out on a pilgrimage to
holy shrines. It eventually took him to Varahur or Varahapuri, near
Tanjavur, where he settled down. (There is a popular legend that during
the pilgrimage he was afflicted by a stomach ailment and that a divine
command bade him proceed to Varahur and worship the Lord enshrined there
to get relief from the ailment.) It was at Varahur that he composed Sree
Krishna Leela Tarangini. In the third song (in the first tarangam) he
pays obeisance to 'Varahapura Venkatesa'.
It is believed that Narayana Teertha attained samadhi on Sukla ashtami
of Phalguna / Tamil month Masi (February - March) in 1745 AD at
Tirupoonthuruthi, about 13 kilometres from Tanjavur.
Sree Krishna Leela Tarangini
Sree Krishna Leela Tarangini is a condensed version of the 10th skanda
of Sreemad Bhagavatam (up to chapter 58). It has 12 tarangam-s, and it
covers the story of Krishna from his birth to his wedding with Rukmini.
It consists of 303 sloka-s, 31 choornika-s and 153 songs. The author has
composed the sloka-s in 17 vrittam-s (metres in Sanskrit). The songs are
in the form of keertana-s, with pallavi, anupallavi and charanam-s. He
has used 34 raga-s and ten kinds of tala-s for the keertana-s. Quite
appropriately, the author has decorated the songs pertaining to the
Rasaleela (8th tarangam) with jati-s.
He has signed his songs as Narayana Teertha. However, in a large number
of songs the name appears with prefixes: Sivanarayana Teertha,
Varanarayana Teertha, Narayanananda Teertha and Dheeranarayana Teertha.
In some songs we also find the signatures with elongated prefixes:
Gurubhakta Narayana Teertha, Sarasa Narayana Teertha, Bhavya Narayana
Teertha, Yati Narayana Teertha, Sadhu Narayana Teertha, Vishnubhakta
Sivanarayana Teertha, Sreeharibhakta Narayana Teertha, Muni Narayana
Teertha, Bhakta Narayana Teertha, Siddha Narayana Teertha, Nijanarayana
Teertha and Yogivara Teertha Yati. It is evident that the author has
resorted to these varieties of prefixes to meet the requirement of the
varnamettu and tala of the song as also to keep prasa.
About 40 songs do not have his signatures.
In the beginning of each tarangam the author gives a synopsis thereof
and lists the episodes to be enacted. He also gives the names of the
principal characters who take part in the episodes. He uses sloka-s,
daru-s and choornika-s (long prose passages) for this purpose. We find
them before the keertana-s too.
The tarangam-s acquired an honoured place in the bhajana tradition from
the time of Bodhendra Swamigal. The simple language, the delightful
music and the vivid description of various incidents in Krishna's
boyhood captured the hearts of one and all who participated in the
bhajan-s.
The songs entered the concert stage much later, perhaps in the middle of
the last century. Some of the songs often heard in music concerts are:
Pooraya mama kaamam
Kshemam kuru Gopala
Saranam bhava karunaamayi
Ehimudam dehi
Govardhana gireesam
Govindamiha
Jayajaya Swamin
Kalaya Yasode
Madhava mamava
Siva Siva bhava bhava
The Tarangini is the longest dance-drama in the Sanskrit language. It is
a fine piece of devotional literature too. Scholar T.S. Parthasarathy
says: "The composer writes a simple but unique style in which all the
literary graces such as assonance, rhyming and liquid sounds are blended
to create a total picture of idea, sound and melody." He sums up the
work: "Krishna Leela Tarangini is a treasure, which deserves to be
cherished by litterateurs, musicians and dancers."
His Philosophy
Narayana Teertha was an Advaitin and sanyasin who took to Sagunopasana
(worship of God with forms and names). In this respect, he is in the
distinguished company of Bodhendra Swami of Govindapuram, Sridhara
Venkatesa Ayyaval of Tiruvisainallur, Sadasiva Brahmendra and Sadguru
Swami of Marudanallur, all of whom advocated, and practised,
Namasiddhanta and Bhajana Sampradaya in south India.
Narayana Teertha chose music and dance as means for self-realisation,
and wrote the Tarangini as an offering to God. Though his ishta-devata
was Sree Krishna, he has sung on other deities too-- Durga, Saraswati,
Siva, Dakshinamoorti, Sree Rama and Varadaraja. He has commenced the
work invoking the blessing of Ganesa in the first song, of Garuda in the
second and sought the grace of Varahapuri Venkatesa in the third song.
The purpose of the work was to instill bhakti in the hearts of the
readers and listeners. He has therefore used simple words and avoided
roundabout expressions. There is no attempt to display his poetic gifts.
The book published by Sri Narayana Teertha Educational and Charitable
Trust, Madras, in 1986 is the source for much of the inputs for this
article. A most useful edition for a deep understanding of the Tarangini,
it gives the original in Sanskrit with transliteration and translation
in Tamil and a scholarly commentary in Tamil, titled 'Venkatesa Priya'
by the eminent scholar, the late Varahur Brahmasri Guruswamy Sastrigal
Click to read more
BOOK SHELF
KATHAKALI KUTIYATTAM AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTS - Fifty Years of
Theatrical Exploration. By G. Venu. [Natana Kairali, Ammannur Chakyar
Madhom, Irinjalakuda, Thrissur, Kerala. 680 121. 2005. Paperback. Price
not mentioned]. -K.
GOPALAKRISHNAN
Half a century in a human life is indeed a pretty long and crucial
period. Sixtyone-year old Gopalan Nair Venu, popularly known as G. Venu
in performing arts circles, reminisces over his artistic pursuits and
experiences from the age of 11 in the book under review.
Venu has been a good friend of mine from the late 1980s and we are both
settled in the Thrissur district of Kerala. Objectively reviewing a book
authored by a friend sharing a lot of common interests is definitely not
an easy job. So I first glanced through the book as one authored by a
friend and subsequently went through a detailed reading as a reviewer,
totally discounting my association with the author.
This book is an ideal example of how traditions of the arts can
influence a child positively. The rich classical and folk traditions
that Venu saw when he was hardly ten influenced him remarkably and led
him to intensive training in Kathakali at the age of eleven with the
blessings of his father Chittore Gopalan Nair. He gives a brief
description about this experience along with tributary sketches of
stalwarts like Guru Gopinath and Guru Chengannur Raman Pillai, among
others. These accounts are worth a good reading for both laymen and
buffs in arts. Venu also describes the development of his interest in
mudra-s (hand gestures) and his efforts at making notations of Kathakali
mudra-s, a maiden attempt in the whole history of Kathakali.
Interest in the arts took him to several parts of India with a variety
of assignments during his formative years and later to several European
and Asian countries. Venu gives interesting but brief profiles of a few
artists and art scholars with whom he had interaction, direct or
indirect. Those on Alice Boner (Swiss painter and sculptor who came to
Kerala in the 1930s and wrote on Kathakali and photographed it),
Balasaraswati, Uday Shankar, Shambhu Maharaj, Ustad Allauddin Khan,
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya and Kapila Vatsyayan make interesting reading.
The book contains some rare photographs from Alice Boner's collection
available at the Rietberg Museum.
Accelerating in reverse into his artistic trudges, Venu narrates how he
happened to be associated with the traditions of puppetry, both shadow
and glove, and his rich experience therein. Adoringly he explains the
efforts of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya for the preservation and promotion
of puppetry and other arts of Kerala, when she was the Chairperson of
the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi. He writes, "Soon Kamala Deviji
relinquished office as her term as Chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi
was complete. A few months later, I was informed that the Akademi was
discontinuing its assistance. The new chairman Dr. V.K. Narayana Menon
had a different approach to art forms" (p. 88). Reading between the
lines gives a clear idea of the difference between a visionary like
Kamaladeviji and the bureaucratic attitude of Dr. Menon who, ironically,
hailed from Kerala.
The book gives a bird's eye view of a variety of Kerala performing arts,
along with a chapter on mask dance traditions. Venu goes down memory
lane to narrate how a Kutiyattam (Koodiyattam) performance by Guru
Ammannur Madhava Chakyar that he saw in Thrissur in 1982 (when he was
37) turned his life in another direction, which made him what he is
today. Understandably, he is quite emotional in describing his
interaction with the art of Koodiyattam and the Ammannur family and
gives a description of his efforts in research and documentation of the
art, along with his international experiences. His happiness in becoming
a promoter of Koodiyattam is evident in his lines describing the
recognition of Koodiyattam by UNESCO as "A masterpiece of the oral and
intangible heritage of humanity" and the `popularity' that it has earned
ever since. Sadly, however, he fails to mention in this connection, the
efforts of Delhi based Sudha Gopalakrishnan, an associate of the Margi
Koodiyattam School in Tiruvananthapuram, who prepared the project for
UNESCO and did a great job to get this recognition.
Equally, he overlooks the contribution of brilliant artists like
Kalamandalam Sivan Namboodiri, the first non-Chakyar to take to the art
form way back in 1965 in the teeth of opposition; and Kalamandalam
Girija, the first non-Nangiar to take up Koodiyattam subsequently. More
surprisingly, the efforts of the late Guru Paimkulam Rama Chakyar in
bringing Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam outside the temple precincts
(respectively in 1949 and 1956) under the inspiration of the late Kerala
litterateur Prof. Joseph Mundassery, and in 1980, to take them abroad
through the Kerala Kalamandalam with the support of Sanskrit scholar
Christopher Brisky (later he became the Polish Ambassador to India) and
Paris based Milena Salvini (Director - Mandapa), have not found a place
in Venu's thoughts either while dealing with the changing scenario of
Koodiyattam. It was Guru Paimkulam, a trailblazer and an unparalleled
revolutionary-traditionalist with foresight in every sense, who
initiated the teaching of this more than 2000 years old traditional art
form of India sustained only in Kerala, to members of communities other
than Chakyar-s to ensure its preservation. He institutionalised the
teaching of Koodiyattam through the Kerala Kalamandalam in 1965. In this
backdrop, when Venu, who came into the world of Koodiyattam only in
1982, says, "I entered this field at a time when even the Chakyar-s had
given up on their family tradition saying that it will not help them
make a living (p. 115)," it gives the reader the wrong impression that
he was the first non-Chakyar initiated into the art form. From the early
20th century itself many persons from a variety of conventional art
forms in India started giving up their family traditions and entered
other fields for socio-economic as well as other reasons, and
Koodiyattam was no exception.
One wishes the chapters on the comparative study of Noh and Koodiyattam
and Kabuki and Kathakali were more detailed and more in-depth in
content, as the author is one of the few persons competent to essay such
a study.
Another attraction of the book is the account of his encounter with
Mohini Attam, with the assistance of his wife Nirmala Panicker. Brief
essays on tantra mudra and the Kerala style of netra abhinaya make for
serious reading.
Venu is better known in Kerala, the land of Koodiyattam, as a
professional researcher, art aficionado and impresario of Koodiyattam
and puppetry, rather than as a performer, although he had presented some
amateurish performances under the aegis of his institution on a few
occasions. So when he says: "I had to recently retire from the stage as
a performer primarily for health reasons," (p. 192) people like me, who
are familiar with the performance of both the outstanding and average
professionals of Koodiyattam, cannot but be surprised. He has published
his photos as a performer along with those of stalwarts like the late
Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Ammannur Madhava Chakyar, the late Ananda
Sivaram, Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair and Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair (from
pp. 173 to 177 respectively), giving the impression that he is also an
artist on a par with them! Indeed, this will mislead readers not
familiar with the art scenario of Kerala.
Nangiar-s, who traditionally perform the female roles in Koodiyattam and
in the 10th century art of Nangiar Koothu, are the female members of the
Nambiar caste which handles the mizhavu (percussion) for Koodiyattam and
Chakyar Koothu. Usha Nangiar is the only professional artist and Aparna
Nangiar is an up-and-coming artist from this traditional community.
Ignoring this fact, Venu describes his daughter, a very talented
up-and-coming artist from another community, as 'Kapila Nangiar', while
avoiding using this suffix in the case of accomplished artists like
Girija, Shylaja and Sathy, who are not from the traditional community
either. He says, "Nangiar Koothu gained popularity through Usha Nangiar,
Kalamandalam Girija, Shylaja, Margi Sathy and Kapila Nangiar" (p. 134).
This is unacceptable as Nangiar Koothu had been popularised in Kerala
and outside through the contributions of Usha Nangiar, Kalamandalam
Girija, Shylaja and Margi Sathy earlier. The truth is that his daughter
Kapila 'Nangiar', a former disciple of Usha Nangiar, came into the
active performance scene only a few years ago. (Recently, SPIC-MACAY,
along with a few other organisations abroad, has wrongly given Kapila
the traditional title Nangiar in their publicity material, giving the
impression that she is from the traditional family of Nangiar-s). Venu
should have realised the likely loss of credibility that might result
from such statements.
In general, except for the serious pieces of misinformation cited above,
this book gives a good account of Venu's artistic pursuits and is a good
memoir. A reprint with necessary corrections will only enhance the value
of the book.
Click to read more
SRUTI BOX
Lecdems At The Academy -K.
GOPALAKRISHNAN
The lecdems at the Music academy (held at the Kasturi Srinivasan
Hall) are among the highly authentic and informative sessions of the
season. Rasika-s are immensely benefited by the numerous avenues of
knowledge and the various nuances in presentation which are not
perceivable during concerts.
Despite attendance by a band of dedicated NRIs, unfortunately, last
season too, the number of up-and-coming musicians attending the
sessions was dismally low. It was 'nil' at least on days which I, a
non professional, attended. Many a rasika felt that 'something has
to be done' to avoid the overlapping of lecdems by the morning slots
of concerts in the main TTK Hall. T.N. Krishnan's violin recital in
the morning slot on the New Year day was too tempting for many among
the audience that the concluding day's open house proceedings at the
'Vidwat Sadas' turned to be a lacklustre event. And even those
loyalists who stayed back till the end almost 'sprinted out' to the
main hall, only to be contented with TNK's usual Marubari (Khamas)
and Visweswara (Sindhubhairavi)-- the concluding pieces!
Another aspect of the lecdems was that the lay listener in the
audience in need of 'genuine' clarifications, never got a chance to
present his views and the feedback sessions were virtually
'swallowed' by the pandits, both on the dais and among the audience.
'Time constraint'-- the routine justification-- only indicated the
improper planning of the lecdems and unwillingness on the part of
artists as well as the organisers to listen to pertinent queries
from the 'non vidwans'. This was clearly felt at the end of
Umayalpuram Sivaraman's demonstration on the final day, about the
various types of mridanga wherein he explained the significance of
the area of the 'membrane portion' (top layer of the two-fold
leather) in the 'valantalai'. To explain it further, he played three
or four varieties of the instrument with varying membrane
dimensions, but of different pitches. It was felt that the tonal
differences could be more demonstrative had he used mridanga-s of
the same pitch. When vidushi R. Vedavalli raised this point at the
end of the session, it went unheard among questions from a bunch of
people and not a single question could be answered by the vidwan
again due to the customary 'paucity of time'!
Somewhat disappointed at this, but after the session concluded, I
personally requested Dr. V.V. Srivatsa, who moderated the
proceedings, to ensure that at least genuine queries are to be
answered at the end of the sessions. The freedom to decide whether
the question is relevant and merits an answer, may be left to the
artist. Alternatively, written questions could be accepted for which
the Academy could arrange to obtain replies from the artist
concerned and convey to the rasika later.
l One felt that the contact address / phone no. / e-mail id of the
presenter could be indicated in the souvenir or at least at the
venue for the benefit of music lovers.
l Even as the lecdems proceeded, one had to tolerate applause on too
many occasions from the audience, including musicians among them,
say, when the speaker mentioned the name of his/her Guru or narrated
a glorious incident. Generally, nobody seems to be aware that the
lecdems need to be purely academic sessions and should not turn out
to be 'emotional gatherings'. It appears impossible to overcome the
"Jora kai tattunga" syndrome!
l I was not sure whether the sessions have been fully documented by
the Academy. If not, they should have been and this must be done in
future.
In Sruti 258, on p. 45, it has been given that "... For niraval,
Govinda Rao demonstrated Sailaraja tanaya...." Shouldn't it be
Sailaraja `tanayey' of the charanam segment of Janani pahi-- Swati
Tirunal's navaratri kriti in Suddha Saveri? Unfortunately, I
couldn't attend this session.
A poser for tailpiece: What do you call the 'valantalai' of a
mridanga in the case of left-handers?! .
Click to read more
BRIEF NOTES
Awarded
Bush Foundation Artist Fellowship for Traditional and Folk Arts
(2006-07) to Nirmala Rajasekar (Carnatic vocal and veena),
based near Minneapolis, U.S.A.
Selected
Toronto-based Menaka Thakkar, well-known Odissi and
Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer and teacher as "Face the Arts"
personality for July by The City of Toronto and Toronto Life
magazine, as part of Toronto's Live With Culture campaign and the
magazine's 40th anniversary celebrations.
Re-elected
Dr. Sunil Kothari, dance scholar, writer and critic, as Vice
President of World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific (WDA AP) for South
Asia, at the AGM on 11 June in Hong Kong.
Celebrated
80th Birthday of Tambura S. Venkataraman, 28 June in Chennai.
Married
Priyashri Rao, Bharatanatyam dancer, Carnatic musician, and
research scholar, to Venkat Shastry; 7 May in
Bangalore.
Umaa Nambudripad, Bharatanatyam dancer and musician, to
Sathya Narayanan; 25 May in Chennai.
Subhashini S.R., Bharatanatyam dancer, to Anand R.; 1 June in
Chennai.
Music Courses
The Department of Music in Queen Mary's College, Chennai offers M.
Phil and Ph. D in Music, both Part-time and Full-time from this
academic year.
Formal Debut
Nithya (Bharatanatyam), daughter of Mrs. Priya Subramaniam &
Mr. R. Subramaniam, and disciple of Jayanthi Subramaniam (Kala
Darsana); 8 June in Chennai.
Supriya Balakrishnan (C-vocal), d/o of Mrs. Sujatha & Mr.
Balakrishnan, and disciple of Chitravina N. Ravikiran (The
International Foundation for Carnatic Music - IFCM); 10 June in
Chennai.
Shambhavi Chidambaram (Bharatanatyam), d/o Mrs. Sandhya & Mr.
Chidambaram, and disciple of Jayanthi Subramaniam (Kala Darsana); 24
June in Chennai.
Launched
Website relating to research in music < www.musicresearch.in > by
musicologist Dr. N. Ramanathan.
Released
Book titled Essence And Essentials of Dance, by dancer S. Divyasena
(Divyanjali School of Dance & Music); 6 June in Chennai.
Died
Usha Srinivasan (54), Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher;
senior disciple of the late K.N. Dandayudhapani Pillai; Director,
Hasta School of Bharatanatyam; office bearer of ABHAI and Tamil Nadu
Eyal Isai Nataka Manram; 8 June in Chennai.
H.P. Ramachar (81), veteran khanjira vidwan; staff-artist of
AIR-Bangalore; recipient of Karnataka Rajyotsava Award, Laya Kala
Nipuna, Palghat Mani Award and Sangeeta Kala Ratna; 23 June in
Bangalore. His daughter Latha Ramachar is a khanjira artist.
Click to read more
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