Sunday, December 26, 2010

The book we made at home

First published in The Bengal Post

“I have fixed 11th December as the date for the book release by the Prime Minster.” My wife’s cousin Cheenu was smiling confidently as he dropped this bombshell. “What book?” I asked, nonplussed by this casual remark Shrinivasan, son of Radha Viswanathan and grandson of T Sadasivam and MS Subbulakshmi, made in mid-October a couple of years ago.

My wife Gowri confessed that in the midst of a debilitating illness in July of the same year, she had agreed to write a book about the special relationship between her grandaunt MS and her daughter-disciple Radha. Bedridden for months, she had forgotten all about it.

Cheenu then cheerfully entrusted me the task of finding a publisher for the proposed book! I explained to him that no publisher on earth would even accept or reject the proposal in that time. I tried to persuade him to postpone the release by a few months, but he assured me that that was an impossibility.

Gowri and I came up with a compromise formula. She had written an article on Radha for Sruti magazine in 1983 and several on Subbulakshmi over the years, for The Hindu and Frontline, among others. She had also to her credit a childhood biography of six artists, including MS. I collected all the relative files stored at various locations on the Internet and our own home computer, and suggested Gowri compile it all into some 10,000 words, to be supplemented by several superb photographs from Cheenu’s collection. And we would publish the book ourselves, looking for a good distributor to promote it. This was the best we could do in time for the December deadline.

The task of scanning thousands of photographs and selecting the best through several iterations of parleys between Gowri, me and Cheenu, now back in his hometown of Bangalore, was a mammoth one. Our team at this stage consisted of Gowri, my assistant Ravikumar and me. We emailed the images to Bangalore for Cheenu to approve and mail back. We had to try a variety of methods of handling the enormous files.
Once Gowri started writing, the book possessed her, and her 10,000 words grew and grew until they reached a very respectable 65,000. She was still in some pain from her ailment but just about able to type on her computer all day long, sometimes late into the night. She had replaced Radha as the late MS’s vocal accompanist back in the 1980s when Radha fell seriously ill and could not continue her sterling onstage contributions to MS’s Carnatic music concerts, which she had started as a young girl in pigtails. Memories of the years she had watched Radha accompany MS and help her on and off stage, her own unforgettable years playing the same roles, the tragedy of the meningitis that felled Radha in the prime of her life and Radha’s indefatigable spirit came to Gowri in a torrent of emotion. She was in tears most of the time as she stuck to her labour of love.

Soon we set up a smooth daily routine. Gowri emailed me her day’s output—we worked in different rooms—I did one round of editing and proofreading, though the spontaneous outpourings were almost print-perfect most of the time; I then emailed my copy to my daughter Akhila in the US (she too was in tears, most of the time, she tells me); she sent it back within hours; I then emailed the file to Abhirami Sriram, our efficient and empathetic Chennai-based editorial associate; and Gowri gave the copy she returned a final once-over. The whole process took about 24 hours.
Ashok Rajagoplan, the friend who designed the book, stayed some 20 km away and hated commuting, so he too was a long-distance resource. We realised rather late in the day that he did his work in Coreldraw, hardly the best book publishing solution in the world—at least back in 2008. Throughout the period he must have visited our home-cum-office two or three times. We also met a few times at a coffee shop in neutral territory, carrying laptops, CDs and USB devices containing the files relating to the book.

The book was beautifully designed and I was sure it would look gorgeous. But would it be ready in time? No, not by a long margin, I realised just a week before the scheduled date of release. That is when another friend Arun Ganesh stepped in, converting the files to Indesign and getting the whole book print ready within 24 hours.

The printer would need at least ten days to give us a sufficient number of copies for the two release functions planned, the one at Chennai two days after the Delhi event. Our Plan B was to make some fifty copies via digital printing to take to Delhi. Parliament was in session and the PM decided on a semiprivate function at his official residence, so we could not sell the books during the function. It was a blessing in disguise as the guest list was small and 50 copies would be just right.

The last straw was when the digital printing equipment crashed and we were able to carry exactly seven copies to Delhi. Alls’ well that ends well, and the book launch went off without further troubles, with Pandit Ravi Shankar graciously receiving the first copy from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (MS and Radha by Gowri Ramnarayan can be bought online at www.sruti.com).

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Nagaswaram music: an endangered species

(First published in The Bengal Post)

It has been a brilliant lecture demonstration by Dr. Kanniks Kannikeswaran at the Music Academy on the great Muttuswami Dikshitar, one of the revered Trinity of Carnatic music composers of the 18th century and dhrupad. (The scholars present question the validity of his claim that Dikshitar was influenced by dhrupad in his compositions, as TM Krishna points out in his comment below).

I then enter the academy’s main hall, where Vyasarpadi Kodandaraman is drowning a sparse audience in vintage nagaswaram music.

According to a Wikipedia definition, the nagaswaram is the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. “It is a wind instrument similar to the shehnai but larger, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.”

To me, like millions of other south Indians, no ceremony or festival is off to an auspicious start without a nagaswaram preamble. Historically, the nagaswaram accompanied by the tavil for percussion has always preceded the temple idol taken out in procession. It is therefore naturally an open air instrument, which explains the need for its loudness.

The great practitioners of the art of nagaswaram playing have belonged to families steeped in it, several of them in different parts of Tamil Nadu, most famously in the rice belt of Tanjavur on the banks of the Kaveri, the legacy being handed down from generation to generation through the centuries.

There is a close link between the nagaswaram tradition and hereditary barbers. Hardly 40-50 years ago, when it was still common for the family barber to come home to do the honours, he also greeted you first thing in the morning on Deepavali day with a few choice samples of nagaswaram music. My childhood was made traumatic by Ekambaram who not only gave me dreadful haircuts, but also managed never to play a tuneful note. He was invariably a rich man on festive mronings because every household tipped him generously to keep it short.

Some of the greatest artists in Carnatic music have been nagaswara vidwans, most notably Tiruvavaduthurai Rajaratnam Pillai who has had arguably the most seminal influence on most of the finest exponents of south Indian classical music, especially the major vocalists of the 20th century, and even some of today’s stars. One of the most charismatic singers of yesteryear, GN Balasubramanian, whose centenary celebrations conclude in January 2011, was much influenced by the nagaswara bani, especially the lightning fast brigas—a kind of modulation—of Rajaratnam that lesser mortals consider impossible of achievement by the human voice.

The so-called pitamaha of Carnatic music, the late Semmangudi Srinivasier, the epitome of orthodox brahminhood, who had great reverence for nagaswaram music, was fond of telling the story of how he often crossed the Kaveri to listen to the incomparable music of a stalwart nagaswara vidwan, though past his best and under the influence of alcohol most of the time. Semmangudi’s eyes invariably misted over as he remembered the days of his youth, unmindful of his audience or any embarrassment at a public show of his emotions.

Unlike the great shehnai maestros of the north, south India’s nagaswaram wizards are hardly known outside the region. In addition to Rajaratnam Pillai, there have been many other magnificent exponents of the art—Karukurichi Arunachalam, Shaikh Chinna Moulana Sahib, the Tiruveezhimizhalai Brothers, the Semponnarkoil Brothers, and Namagirpettai Krishnan to name but a few. It is along with tavil playing perhaps the only branch of Carnatic music dominated by non-brahmin musicians, one that also features Muslim practitioners.

Nagaswaram and tavil are endangered species. Many of the best traditions of the art are rapidly changing and lack of glamour is driving many young inheritors of the legacy to seek other professions. Temples in the state have been invaded by light music, with hardly any classical music concerts being hosted there, and the grand mallari to herald the lord’s procession getting diluted over time.

The ubiquitous electronic sruti box has virtually replaced the old-fashioned ottu, the smallish nagaswaram look-alike that acted in the past as a drone to maintain the pitch. The compulsion to enter the concert hall from the temple grounds of the past to earn a livelihood as musicians has forced artists to adapt several aspects of their music to suit the changed environment. Unfortunately, many of them insist on artificial amplification to be on a par with other musicians, something they really do not need, something that detracts from the rich sounds of their instruments. Audiences no longer flock to nagaswaram concerts, with the decibellage as a result of microphone usage perhaps one of the discouraging factors. Despite efforts by the leading music organisations including the Music Academy honouring the best of them with awards, the public response to this supreme wind instrument continues to be lukewarm.

Still, sensitive and dedicated nagaswara vidwans like Vyasarpadi Kodandaraman and the glamorous Injikudi Subramaniam have remained true to their invaluable inheritance and play the purest kind of nagaswaram music despite pressures from the changing milieu. The wonderful Kambhoji raga suite that Kodandaraman unfurled before the privileged few who had assembled at the Music Academy hall a few days ago will linger in their hearts and minds for a long time.

Monday, December 13, 2010

SAMEER

Sameer Athreya (born 12 December 1999) is a child
prodigy who gave his first public concert at age 7
and won the hearts of music lovers with his amazing
display of Hindustani classical music. He sings
khayal, thumri, taranas, bhajans, as well as
devotional songs(Sanskrit, Hindi, Kannada,
Marathi, Gujarati) with the panache of a veteran .He
also plays on harmonium. He has been featured on
All India Radio and television channels (including
TV 9 and Kasturi channel's Swaramadhurya
programme which has been telecast repeatedly). He
has received rave reviews in The Hindu, The Asian
Age, Deccan Chronicle, Udayavani and Taranga
(Kannada) publications. He excels in complicated ragas
and intricate talas

For the past two years he has been training under
Dr.Sakuntala Narasimhan of the Rampur-Sahaswan
gharana.

He has also set to tune some Dasa Vani
(devotional Kannada songs). Like any child of
his age, he also loves watching cartoons, skating,
Karate and working at the computer. His cartoon
strip creation on Saving Mother Earth won
him an award in February 2010.

Some memorable concerts:

20.01.2007. First full length public recital aged
7, at Veenapani Centre for Arts, Bangalore,
accompanying himself on the Harmonium,
Received electronic swarmandal in appreciation
of his genius.

27.05.2007. Concert for Swarohan Cultural
Organisation, Bangalore , honoured with
prestigious gift of a tanpura.

11.11.2007. Annual Celebration programme of
Ghethak Tabla Vidyalaya Bangalore

5.12.2007. Concert at Dattajayanti annual
music festival, Harihar.

2006-08. Television appearances and recitals
on channels ETV, Kasturi and TV 9.

12.01.2009. All India Radio interview with
recital.

12.04.2009. Concert at Raga Sangama,
Sahakaranagar.

25.04.2009. Participated in Dignity Foundation
concert at Indian Institute of World Culture,
Bangalore.

4.05.2009. Concert at Sirsi

14.08.2009. Concert at Poornapragna Vidya
peeta, on the occasion of Krishna Janmastami

13.11.2009. Harihar Datta Jayanti music
festival, jointly with Dr. Sakuntala Narasimhan

Some press comments:

His profound grasp of the advanced aspects and
subtle nuances of Hindustani music leave you
with that sense of incredulity and wonder that
happens when you confront child prodigies.....
His sense of shruthi is amazingly perfect....The
sweet and sonorous voice is definitely that of a
child but the mastery of melody and rhythm are
that of an accomplished musician� -The Hindu
27.4.2007

7 year old Sameer.S.Athreya's recent Hindustani
music concert in Bangalore included a repertoire
worth taking note of; a tarana in Desh raga,
Punjabi thumri and a Haridasa Krithi in Kannada��
-The Asian Age,11.2.2007.

Sameer who turned 7 last month could easily
qualify for Ustad status judging by his astounding
knowledge of, and command over, Hindustani
Classical music.....It hasto be seen to be
believed....This youngster had the audience
smiling and crying alternately, with joy.
Charmingly interacting with audience Sameer
stole their hearts that evening. Such prodigies are
rare to come by....� Radel Newsletter Jan-March
2007

He can tune songs in multiple Ragas, Can
play Harmonium and Piano easily, Can read
and write in 7 languages , all at the tender age
of 6,This kid can easily be called a Prodigy.

Taranga, feature article for children's day
Nov 2006

Contact :
Parents: Satish K & Vidya K R.
Address:- T-157, 14th main, 35th cross,
4 th T Block , Jayanagar,Bangalore- 41
Ph no :-080-22459223
Mobile :-98450-63458
Email :-vidyakr@yahoo.com

Guru

Sameer is being trained by Dr.Sakuntala
Narasimhan of the Rampur- Sahaswan gharana.
Dr Sakuntala Narasimhan is
the only vocalist in the country to have sung in
the National Programme of Music of
nationwide TV, in both the Hindustani and
Carnatic styles.