Spotlight

The Tamil Isai Movement: A Battle Of Words

The Tamil Isai movement hit the world of South Indian classical music in the early nineteen forties like a clap of thunder. The "lightning" before the thunder was provided by Sir Annamalai Chettiar, then Raja of Chettinad. The Raja, who was known for his philanthropy and generosity, donated a tidy sum of money to the Annamalai University for the propagation and composition of Tamil songs to be sung in classical music concerts. More significantly he convened a conference to focus attention on the need for promoting Tamil songs. At this conference held at Chidambaram in 1941, the musicians were to sing only Tamil compositions. It was a historic conference sparking as it did a controversy which raged in the world of South Indian music for some five years. The furore was started by a resolution it passed, reading as follows: Musicians in Tamilnad are urged to sing Tathilsongs at the commencement and conclusion of concerts.

Organisers of concerts are requested to ensure that songs are mainly in Tamil. The backdrop to this resolution was the fact that, in the Tamilnad of the twenties and thirties, there was a total disregard for its cultural heritage. Written Tamil was in the hands of pundits who made comprehension impossible for the common man. Witnessing Bharatanatyam was looked down upon and classical music was the exclusive domain of a select few. When the average Tamil looked around for identity and roots, he found that the English language dominated politics and literature, while Telugu and Sanskrit were pervasive in music and dance. In the wake of the independence movement, patriotism began to sway the hearts of Indians, and Tamils were no exception.

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