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NEWS & NOTES World peace and harmony concert n 11th November 2008 a landmark concert Owas presented at the Dag Hammarskjold auditorium at the United Nations in New York City by renowned Carnatic musicians Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar (flute), Nirmala Rajasekar (veena), Mullaivasal G. Chandramouli (violin) and Tanjore K. Murugabhoopathi (mridanga). The concert for world Sikkil Mala, Nirmala Rajasekar, G. Chandramouli and K. Murugabhoopathi in concert peace and harmony, put together in was appropriate that the musicians musicians, scholars and music lovers a weeks time, was the brainchild of began the concert with a song from New York and New Jersey and Abaynesh Asrat (CEO & President for peace – Santi nilava vendum included dignitaries from the United of Nation to Nation Networking – and concluded it with an ode to Nations. Sathyabhama Rajalingam, Ltd.), Raj Janarthanan (President, San friendship – Maitreem bhajata. Vatapi veteran Carnatic vocalist from Sri Vision Energy Technology & Board Ganapatim peppered with rounds of Lanka, felicitated the artists with of Directors, NNN) and Krishni kalpanaswara, Bhogeendra sayeenam, an “Award of Excellence” for their Anandarajan (Founder & President, Raghunatha nannu, Tyagaraja’s performance and contribution to Youth Centre for Music & Arts Inc.). composition Nadaloludai preceded by the field of Carnatic music. Several It was a benefit performance to help an alapana, and Unnaiyallal composed people in the audience expressed their the women and children suffering by Papanasam Sivan were the other joy at witnessing a special concert at in Sri Lanka because of the war in kriti-s presented in the recital. this prestigious venue. Kalyani was taken up as the main Jaffna. Nation to Nation Networking Ltd. suite for elaboration. An excellent and (NNN) was founded in 2004 by The event was made possible as a elaborate raga delineation by Mala Abaynesh Asrat (New York based result of the enthusiastic response and Chandramouli was followed psychologist and social worker) to of Sikkil Mala, Chandramouli and by a brilliant tanam by Nirmala on build strong, intellectual and peaceful Murugabhoopathi who were in the the veena, and a fine tani avartanam communities around the world. The U.S.A. on a tour sponsored by Youth by Murugabhoopathi. The tukkada aim of NNN is to help the “voiceless” Centre for Music and Arts and were segment included Kurai onrumillai and around the world. It provides for performing in the new ensemble Kaatrinile varum geetam presented as education and healthcare for children “Nadha Sangam” with Minnesota a tribute to M.S. Subbulakshmi, the and women by working with the based vainika Nirmala Rajasekar. last Carnatic musician to perform at United Nations and charitable this venue. As the concert was presented at organisations in the U.S.A. the United Nations auditorium it The invited audience comprised A CORRESPONDENT Seminar on Margi and Desi in dance special event took place in the T.S. Parthasarathy or TSP as he was classical music and dance. He was a quiet campus of the MGR affectionately called. one-stop source for musicians, dancers AJanaki College in December T.S. Parthasarathy, veteran music and and scholars looking for authoritative last year. This was a seminar on “Margi dance scholar and erstwhile Secretary reference material. It was fitting that and Desi in Dance,” to celebrate the of the Music Academy, was a veritable he should be remembered during the intellectual achievements of the late encyclopaedia on matters relating to music season in Chennai. 1 z SRUTI April 2009 NEWS & NOTES Sunil Kothari receiving the TSP Award Purisai Sambandan as Ravana and Sangeeta Isvaran as Hanuman Most universities in the West celebrate classical and what is generally termed to the central tradition of the art. By scholarship for its own sake and right as folk. He added that in popular the 10th century, any style that did not at the beginning a brief account of parlance on account of the English fit into that framework came to be the general concept of scholarship is terms ‘classical’ and ‘folk’ we have been known as desi. provided. It suggests that scholarship also using marga as classical and folk He said Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan had is a far from uncontested notion, [sic] as desi. But the connotations of further developed it as the direct which in order to occupy pride ‘classical’ in English language point flow of a river, over a period of time of place, should be contested and at the European history of the term, with a possibility of future growth critically appraised by peers. Precisely which is not exactly the term that we this was done at the seminar organised use for classical meaning ‘sastreeya’; and development. Ever renewing by one of T.S. Parthasarathy’s similarly also for ‘folk’ as desi. chiselling refinement can help a desi protégés, dancer Swarnamalya of the form to reach the level of marga form. Kothari added that the most Raga Mandira Trust in association In short many things we term as important discussion on these two with the Natya Department of ‘classical’ in the modern sense belong types is found in the writings of Dr. the MGR Janaki College. In her not much to the city culture, but are Ananda Coomaraswamy in his book introduction, Swarnamalya outlined a renovated or restructured aspects of Why Exhibit Works of Art? in which the importance of research and the village culture. There is much scope the word marga is explained as a sharp epistemology of reflective practice. for inter-changeability of the marga distinction between ‘learning’ and The seminar drew a good number of and the desi. This only indicates that folklore, ‘high art’ and ‘popular art… music and dance students and some in aesthetics we need not consider “in India a corresponding distinction very senior practitioners including hierarchy – that one is superior to the has been drawn between the V.P. Dhananjayan and Sudharani other. constituted Samskrita and provincial Raghupathy, who lit the lamp of – desi languages and literatures and Kothari left these thoughts with the learning, knowledge and scholarship. between a highway, marga and local or performing artists, historians and Dr. Sunil Kothari, dance scholar, byway desi art; and what is Samskrita scholars for further consideration and author and critic was honoured at the and marga being always superior to discussion. It certainly created an seminar and was invited to deliver a what is desi.” awareness that we need to have more keynote address on the theme “The seminars of this nature. Kothari continued that given the concept of dance as margi and desi”. legendary status of Bharata and his Another special feature of this He started off by saying that with Natya Sastra, the dance movements eloquent seminar was V.R. Devika’s the staggering variety and plural and compositions described by lecdem entitled, ‘A presentation of vocabulary of dance in India, it is well him, along with his framework of Terukoothu, total theatre of Tamil nigh impossible to even enumerate classification and description, came Nadu with Bharatanatyam as an and catalogue various dance forms, to be recognised as constituting the argument that the classical and folk ritual, tribal, rural, urban, social, marga or the established path, leading divisions are very thin in India.” 2 z SRUTI April 2009 NEWS & NOTES Her translation of margi and desi as and great stamina to withstand high Kunhiraman explained the need for classical and colloquial was effective. energy performance for eight to ten neutral analysis of phenomenon. For her all are folk – belonging hours after long distances of travel A panel discussion on the topic to the people. The classical and under trying conditions. “Dance, Divinity and Performance folk divisions she said are not only If folk is not associated with religion very thin in India but almost non- Space” moderated by S. Janaki (of but only with nature, then Terukoothu existent, an imported statement. Sruti), concluded the seminar. is not folk. It is a highly ritualistic This assertion was acceptable to Sudharani Raghupathy, Indra Rajan, theatre that has the entire village most of us. Nandini Ramani, Anita Ratnam, taking part in rituals. It also provides Revathy Ramachandran and Rajshri Juxtaposing Bharatanatyam with an opportunity for vow taking and Vasudevan shared their thoughts and Terukoothu to observe compatibility fulfilment. experiences. The discussions were and similarity, Devika introduced Devika further explained: “If folk thoughtprovoking and interesting. ever inquisitive Sangeeta Isvaran as does not require training, then Hanuman in Bharatanatyam and A major virtue of such events is that Terukoothu is not folk. An artist joins Purisai Sambandan performing the participants and bodies concerned a Koothu group while very young Ravana in the Terukoothu style. The are induced and encouraged to and learns as a chorus and then takes team also illustrated how the lyrics question earlier findings, analyse, on smaller roles all the time being also have a margi and desi division. synthesise and formulate a new set in the play and learning through of conclusions based on established observation. Rehearsals are held for Devika observed that if folk is simple facts. This is often called “action steps and for singing. Since it is an and spontaneous then Terukoothu is research” with its final emphasis ensemble, the artist must sing in sruti not folk. It has a tradition of at least on reflective critique, a process four hundred years and has been with the mukhaveenai and mridanga- which would have us examine practised in the Tondaimandalam tabla and the petti.” critically whether our scholarship area. It has a text that needs to be This certainly was a learning is congruent with what we believe learnt for many months, and requires experience to all, dispelling to be our major values. This is the artist to be well educated in the common understanding of expected to stimulate more seminars mythology.

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