1 SRUTI August 2011

1 z SRUTI August 2011 south indian classical music and dance magazine Issue 1 October 1983

Welcome to the brand new pages of SRUTI. In the tradition of a sutradhara, I have the pleasant task of telling you what lies in store for you. The lead group of articles on the phenomenon of Mandolin Srinivas shows that ours is a new kind of magazine. Not only do we bring you a fact-filled report on the musical prodigy (Are of Triumph: A Prodigy at Play, p.3) but we place his advent and achievement in perspective through three related articles: What Makes or Unmakes a Prodigy (p.4): The Twain Meet Again (p.7) and A Sextet of Sensations (p.12). Rounding out this lead group is a column by guest writer K.S. Mahadevan (p. 1 1) and a critique of Srinivas as a musician which appears elsewhere (p.42). In this inaugural issue, we also offer the first in a series of in-depth profiles of personalities of the world of South Indian classical music and dance – profiles of a kind you would not have encountered in any other magazine in India. The profile of D.K. Pattammal, under the caption Trailblazing Traditionalist (p.20) will be concluded in the November issue. Along with the profile . we offer this time a critical appreciation written by Contributing Editor K.S. Muthu- raman (p.36) and also an interview with Pattammal by another singer, Sita Rajan (On Pallavi Singing, p.38). Other music-related items are critiques with the unique SRUTI angle. Besides the review of Srinivas as a musician which I already mentioned, you will also find a comprehensive piece on T.M. Thiagarajan. These appear in the section entitled Sounds of Music (p.41) which will be a regular feature. The corresponding feature on dance, Images of Dance (p.45) this time focusses on the art of Lakshmi Viswanathan. This dancer appears again in another aspect, as an interpreter of a Kshetragna padam, which she says is one of her favourites. For this lovely picture-spread, see the centrefold. Don’t miss, too, an interview with Sonal Mansingh, the Delhi based exponent of Bharatanatyam and Odissi (p.18). M. Krishnan, a man of letters and lenses whose name is commonly linked with wildlife, has made two contributions to this flying starter of an issue. As part of the DKP/50 package, we present an amusing story in which he recalls an incident involving Semmangudi and Pattammal (p.37) while we bring you an outstanding photo image of Nataraja which this outstanding lensman rcorded in the Pudukottai museum under trying circumstances. By of way news, we bring a report on a Dance Festival With A Difference (p.14) and another on the migration, albeit seasonal, of high-flying musicians and dancers to the greener pastures of Europe and America (News and Notes, p.2). And don’t miss Anami’s scoops (p.47). The cover photo of DKP is by the Waran Bros. The Last Page this time belongs to the Publisher who tells us how this issue was put together, while the chief takes a leaf out of his brother’s book to explain why the magazine has been started (inside back cover). Oh yes, I almost forgot to introduce myself. Well, call me

“Alapana” Narasimhan Avenue Madras 600 01S India Lalgudi Jayaraman and G.J.R. The Sikkil Sisters, Kunjumani Krishnan (violin) gone to the and Neela (flute) off in the other U.S. and Canada at the invitation direction to Malaysia and Singa- of Carnatic Music Association pore, accompanied by V.V. Ravi of North America. About ten (violin), Percussion support by to fifteen performances slated. mridangist Karaikudi Krishna- Mridangam accompaniment by murthi who lives and teaches in Tiruchi Sankaran, who teaches Singapore. During two-week in Canada or by T. Rangana- visit, four public recitals in Globetrotters than who is at the Wesleyan Malaysia, four in Singapore and Arangetram University in Middletown, a radio as well as a television Alarmel Valli (bharatanatyam Connecticut. Lalgudi Senior performance in the island state. Usha Rani, daughter of made it a point to call Assistant andodissi) off to the U.K., The Bombay Sisters, Saroja and mridangist Guruvayur Dorai, Editor Ganapathi before Europe, the United States and Lalitha (vocal) tripping to the disciple of Indira Rajan, in leaving for the U.S. to convey Canada, returning first week of Middle East (Dubai and Madras on 3 September. ' his best wishes for SRUTI's December. Indira Rajan, Bahrain) Saroja's daughter Rama, daughter of R. Thyaga- success. nattuvanar, in the accompany- Jayantasri Rajaram, disciple of rajan, disciple of Pushkala ing party. Royal Tropical K.V. Narayanaswamy and Vazhuvoor Sam Raj, giving Gopal, in New Delhi on 25 Institute, Amsterdam; Padma Narayanaswamy (vocal) bharatanatyam performnces in September. Mandapa, an organization also to the U.S. for a string of both places. which features Indian arts, and Aparna, daughter of K. ' performances. Accompanists: Sivasubramanian. and Saranya. the Indian Embassy in Paris; and Parur M.S. Anantharaman for various ethnic Indian organi- progeny of C,R. Jagannathan, (violin) and Tiruehur Narendran disciples of K.J. Sarasa, in zations in the U.S. and Canada. (mridangam). Some 30 to 35 recitals in all, Coimbatore on 27 September. N. Ramani and son R. Thyaga- plus some television appea- T.\. Krishnan. accompanied rajan (flute) also to the U.S.. rances. by daughter Viji Narayan and with R. Ramesh providing son Sriram (all violins), leaving Chitra Visweswaran (bharata- rhythmic escort. for Kuala Lumpur on 19 natyam) off on a three-and-a- Rajeswari Padmanabhan October, The trio performs at half month tour of Europe, the (veena) touring the U.S. with the diamond jubilee celebra- U.S. and Canada, returning Ramnad Raghavan. resident tions of KL's Sangita Abhivrutti third week of December. Kev First Subscriber . mridangist. Sabha. then elsewhere in performance at the International T.R. Subrahmanyam. vocalist Malaysia and also in Singapore. Fair in Lausanne. Switzerland, Recitals of these musicians in and university teacher resident Karaikiuli Krishnamurthi again followed by recitals in other Swiss; America organized mostly bv in New Delhi, first to write out provide-- percussion support. cities and in West Germany i ndian associations or sabhas and a cheque in favour of SRUTI Duration of trip: about ten days. France, the IJ S. and Canada. attended mostlv bv South even before we had opened a Tiruehur V. Ramachandran also About 45 recitals in all. inclu- Indians. An important excep- bank account. Thank you ding some 25 in the Americas. tion this time the Navaratn participates in the celebra- TRS: (.. ciebration (19-23 September) tions of (he Sangita Abhivrutti organized bv the ( enter for the Sabha in KL. with TNK and Arts of the Wesle\an Universiu. Krishiiamurthi providing instru- Kev person at the Center none ment;!! support Other recitals other than Jon Higgins Bhaga- being planned to coincide with vathar. Sukanya, a bharata visit i'or this purpose. natvarn dancer and Prabha Atre. well-known Hindustani classical mijs>,. sinaer featured in the 'Celeh-i'ion, in addition to the vocalist-., the violinists, the I'. Srinivas {mandolin) performs flautist- .in«.l the veena plaver at a World Music Festival in from the south. Berlin on 29 October. Arc of Triumph: A Prodigy At Play

i play all the time 1 am busy with the stuff of enchantment and the materials of fairyland my works transcend utility i am the artist a creator and a demi god From a spider and a fly by Don Marquis aster Srinivas. as the prefix implies, Mis just a young lad: his mandolin is toy-like. But place the lute in his hands and what we have is really not a child at play, though it is that in one sense, but a little master making marvellous music as if it is child's play. A child at play, making it seem that top-class music is child's play: a prodigy at play. Fver since last December when he burst into limelight. Srinivas has been on a conquering trail, tracing an arc of triumph on a goldleaf map. His concert on 28 December 1982 at the Indian Fine Arts Society was not really his first public solo recital — he had appeared a year earlier at a festival organized in memory of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar in Madras — but it was this that catapulted him on the path of fame and fortune. Since then he has given numerous recitals, criss-crossing South India and once venturing even as far as Rourkela in the north. The scuttlebutt in the music community is that the young lad gives more than twenty recitals a month and that he is "solidly" booked for three to four months ahead. Legends quickly grow around such phenomena as Srinivas. but his father who manages the young prodigy's career says that Srinivas gives only about ten performances in a month.

Watch young Srinivas at play and it is at )nce evident why he is the most popular performer today, out-drawing such In the world of objective who asserted at a recital the night before s a musical prodigy, Mandolin Janmashtami, as if it were a commonplace ASrinivas belongs to an elite group of reality, he is playing a fact, that Srinivas is Krishna the Child individuals with extraordinary musical diminutive foreign instrument God himself playing, recalling the adula- ability who began to compose or give called mandolin, but what tion piled on Flute Mali in his youth when public performances before the age of he is really doing is playing he was described as Kaliyuga Bala- twelve. They have appeared throughout krishnan. history, in India as well as elsewhere in on the heartstrings of his the world. In the West, the group includes There is a sense of excitement as Srinivas audience. such famous names as Mozart, Schubert, walks to the raised platform and arranges Chopin and Menuhin. himself and his accompanists on it. His guru sits slightly behind him to his left; The term prodigy is often so loosely favourites as Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. on occasion, his lanky father takes this applied that it becomes necessary to define K.V. Narayanaswamy, Voleti Venkates- place. When "special tavil' Valangaiman what exactly it is. It refers to a rare type warulu. M.L. Vasanthakumari. Maharaja- Shanmugasundaram plays with him — at of superior child who from the earliest puram Santhanam, Madurai Seshagopalan a fee reportedly a multiple of what the stage of life shows an extraordinary and and even that double-fielder Yesudas. kid gets— he sits to the right of Srinivas; practically untrained capability in one or Never diffident on the stage although on such occasions especially, the more fields. Musical prodigies are the perhaps a little shy in the beginning, these mridangam is played by the left-handed most well-known; there are, however, days he exudes the confidence of a maestro Tanjavur Upendran sitting across from prodigies in other fields too, particularly without in any way acquiring the very Valangaiman. Srinivas adjusts the tension arithmetic, painting and language. All grown-up and adult features that mark of the four strings of his mandolin with these, in common, require a basic sense the faces of children in most paintings of care, showing his concern for tonal purity. of structures or numbers. the Madonna and the Child. His face And then when the nod to begin is given, How do children become prodigies? A radiates his own sense of fun at music- he starts with the varnam, and the purely scientific explanation is offered by making and his smile flashes like lightning, audience is fully keyed up. Dr. N. Mathrubhootham, a Madras illuminating the dark chambers of each psychiatrist. Innate felicity in a certain listener's heart with joy. In the world of As he plays, Srinivas swivels on his field, he says, is in most cases due to objective reality, he is playing a diminutive bottom, raising his thinghs and knees off genetic inheritance. The human brain is foreign instrument called mandolin, but the dais, his left side at an higher divided into compartments, performing it is soon evident that what he is really elevation. He often turns to the right, different perceptual functions, which are doing is playing on the heartstrings of his communing with the percussionist, and determined by particular genes. If the audience. Men and women not only enjoy further down the circular line to his right, genes happen to arrange themselves in his music but glow with pride, parent- if there is a ghatam accompaniment as certain lucky patterns, the highest abilities like. Mothers particularly flock to his well. Or he turns to his left some 110 of parents or ancestors are passed on, recitals, putting aside the usual excuses degrees and nods at his guru or father allowing the individual to excel in a for not patronising Carnatic music more keeping time, sometimes correcting his particular field. Thus Chopin amazed regularly. Like the fiftyish matron in father's beat. When he is not himself audiences before the age of eleven, Madras who usually is loathe to leave her playing, he cardies the mandolin in his probably because his gene combination house because she wants to wait on her right hand, keeps time with his left and gave him an extraordinary tonal per- young son when he returns from work, encourages his accompanists with soft ception. Similarly, a child unusually but now readies the food and puts it aside cries of "good" or its equivalent. Difficult talented in painting has inherited an in a warm place with a little note and passages roll off his lute but he is no extraordinary visual perception. Studies attends as many of Srinivas' recitals as contortionist. His neck and jaw muscles for example by the psychiatrist Galton she can. Illustrative, too, of this sentiment tense when he brings off particularly have demonstrated that 'eminence' runs is the statement of a Tamil writer of fiction difficult phrases and sometimes his What Makes Or Unmakes A Prodigy

in families and suggest the heredity of ment are probably due to blessings (he exactly development ends and exploitation genius. uses the word anugraha) received from begins. For there is also the problem of the Hindu philosophy, with its emphasis on some person or persons; or alternatively prodigy as meal ticket: the child-wonder reincarnation, is claimed by some to offer _are the expression of the 'transferable carted from concert hall to concert hall, a different explanation: that the talent power' resulting from good deeds done forced to practise a staggering number of shown by a person in a particular field is by the subject's forefathers. Balakrishna hours every day, and all this to gain the fruit of good deeds done, or a high Sastri is further of the opinion that a increasing money and fame for the adults degree of learning achieved in earlier person's talent in one field can be extended in the family as well. Such exploitation is births, which has manifested itself early to some other fields also. bound to have repercussions on the above in life. This explanation is contested by It could be that the scientific and religious normal sensitivity that usually Sri T.S. Balakrishna Sastri, the well- explanations are two ways of expressing accompanies prodigies: "Being gifted is known Harikatha exponent. He feels that the same thing. What Balakrishna Sastri a bed of roses with the thorns included." such brilliance is within the scope of refers to as anugraha and 'transferable Statistically it has been proved that mental normal human intellect, and that most power' may be just what the scientist illness is more common among such people do not realise the full extent of labels as genetic combinations. But what- children when compared to those of their potential. This he attributes to a ever the explanation, both schools of average intelligence. As early as 1891, general lowering of standards in habits thought are agreed on one thing: it is not Italian physician Cesare Lombroso ex- and environment, and hence what today sufficient if children are born prodigies, pressed the view that 'genius is allied to appears to be genius or extraordinary they also have to be made. Environment madness'. Intensive studies were made ability is not much more than what was, is important: most of these children need by psychologist Anne Roe of the in fact, considered average intelligence a to grow in an atmosphere of appreciation, personalities and development of highly few generations ago. (Here there is an with ample scope for learning creative individuals. Among the interest- interesting similarity to American opportunities and rewards. D.O. Hebb ing observations was the high frequency physiotherapist Glenn Doman's theory in his "The Organization of Behaviour" of social difficulties in early years. that "our individual potential is that of suggests that the term 'intelligence' is used According to Dr. Mathrubhootham, the Leonardo, Shakespeare, Mozart, in two different senses, which he dis- emphasis on excellence in one particular Michelangelo, Edison and Einstein"). tinguishes as Intelligence A and field leaves them inadequate to cope with other aspects of life. This inadequacy, Balakrishna Sastri however cites a few Intelligence B. By Intelligence A he refers the early fame, the frenetic pace of life, examples of unusual ability — one of a to the genetic potential, or the inherited all contribute towards stretching the al- boy in Hyderabad who, at the age of quality of the brain, which underlies any ready taut nerves, until, in extreme cases, eight, suddenly exhibited flashes of kind of mental development. This cannot the breaking point is reached and all knowledge which he had not attained by be observed or measured, though there is control is lost. any process of conscious learning. ample evidence to show that innate differ- Although he had received absolutely no ences do exist. Intelligence B is the Not all child prodigies are, however, coaching in Sanskrit, he was able, when observable and measurable efficiency of unfortunate. Those whose parents/ supplied with the simple trigger of any mental functioning at any age, which guardians have the necessary wisdom and deity being named, to rattle off all the results from interaction between Intelli- understanding to give them proper slokas relating to that particular god and gence A and the stimulation provided by guidance, are able to give full expression much more. Another is of a boy from environment. Given this interaction, these to their creativity in adult life. These are Madras who promptly recites any verse unusually gifted children would blossom the children likely to attain the stature of from Thirukkural, although he has never into the famous and brilliant personalities a Mozart or a Michelangelo when they been observed to have read it at any that they have the potential to become. grow up. It is important, therefore, to time. Balakrishna Sastri goes on to say nurture such talent carefully: that these apparent miracles of achieve- It is difficult, however, to determine where SAROJINI PARAMESWARAN was his initial claim to eventual entire face seems to constrict a little. But Connoisseurs and common the signs of tension are erased by his enthronement as a demigod discovered. enchanting smiles which he beams from people alike marvel at his Upon returning home from a visit one time to time at his playmates, as well as at prodigious talent. day, his parents found him playing the the throng of admirers in front. Ultimately father's mandolin (which already was the image that prevails is that of a charm- equipped with a contact microphone, ing little boy, playing with zest, enjoying his fantastic lay a gnana or understanding making it an "electric mandolin"). The himself, dressed neatly in a pair of pants of rhythm, his swara gnana, his inspired boy was by no means adept at it but and shirt without collar, his forehead passages born of manodharma. Execrative seemed to be doing passably well. They sporting an inch-long dab of holy ash and downgrades there are too. happy to have discovered, too, that Srinivas had been a small disc of ver-million powder, his jet a new star target. A few claim to find a doing the Krishna-act for some time black hair parted to the left, oiled and technical flaw here or a slip up there. ;already. Struck by his interest, they neatly combed down and making two Some aver that Srinivas has only a very

o history is complete without a replica of the instrument to the latter. Today,the violin has become widely Nfootnote. Thus, to the history he Since that time, the violin has become an accepted in the South, both as a solo himself is making, musical prodigy essential part of Indian classical music, •instrument and as an indispensable Uppalappu Srinivas has contributed a especially Carnatic music, so much so accompaniment. The Carnatic violinist footnote which is: thanks to him, yet that it is hard to believe that there was does not however play it in the Western another Western musical instrument has ever a time when it was not in common style. He does not stand and play, but been acceptably adapted and introduced use. It must be remembered, however, adopts a relaxed sitting posture; his violin into the realm of South Indian classical that till Vadivelu started playing it the is balanced between his chest and right music. violin was considered the exclusive domain heel, and not held by the chin rest, as it is India is noted not so much for rejec- of Western musicians. by his Western counterpart. These ting foreign influences as for adapting differences in posture and technique allow The origin of the violin is interesting. and assimilating into its own culture ideas free movement of the fingers of the left Some experts trace its evolution from a and artifacts imported from abroad. This hand up and down the finger board. At primitive variety of bowed instrument called trait has been as forcefully exhibited in the same time they also have a detrimental the ravanqhasta or ravanastra, the bow of the field of music as in such other arenas effect in that they reduce the volume of which is claimed to have been invented by as religion and art. Foreign musical idioms the violin; this is to some extent countered Ravana himself. (There is, even now, in Sri as well as instruments have been accepted by using quality violins. The range of the Lanka, a variant of the above called the and made our own, in some cases so well violin is about two-and-a-half octaves and 'vinavah' which is played by strolling that it would need a scholar's head to the tone blends smoothly with that of the musicians.) Sculptural representations of trace foreign strains in them. human voice. Some are not convinced, violins or violin-like instruments in the however. The late Rangaramanuja Bicultural fusion between India and Chidambaram (7th century) and Agastis- Ayyangar, for example, was of the opinion the West has been taking place, showing waram (10th century) temples seem to that the violin, tuned an octave higher Rudyard Kipling's pessimism about East bear evidence to the theory that the violin than the voice, would destroy the vocalist's and West ever meeting to be unfounded has been in some form existent in India sruti sense. He felt that it was a mistake but, in the field of music it has been for many centuries. Whether this theory to have ever started using it as an limited to instruments to the exclusion of is in fact correct or not, the use of the accompaniment in South Indian classical content. This is essentially true, although violin in South Indian classical music dates music. Tyagaraja and Dikshitar did compose a back to not more than a hundred and few pieces which reflect Western influence fifty years ago. It is believed that around A recent and interesting mutation is the and although our eclectic film music this time, Baluswami Dikshitar heard the ten-sring double violin, the brainchild of directors borrow anything they can from violin played by the musical band attached L. Shankar, and built by his American anywhere they find it including, it is to the British Governor at Fort St. George. colleague, Ken Parker of Stuyvesant suggested, from the nether world. A He learned to play the instrument, and Sound. It is a double-bodied instrument; number of instruments from the West adapted it to Carnatic music. It was, the necks of the instrument can be played have already found a place, some more however, Vadivelu, the disciple of his individually or collectively. When one prominently than the others, in Indian more famous brother Muthuswamy neck alone is played, the strings of the classical music. (Equally, in recent years. Dikshitar who helped popularize its use. other create sympathetic effects, over- Indian musical instruments and idioms Other notable names responsible for the tones. It is possible with the double violin have begun to penetrate Western music, spread of the violin are Varahappa Iyer, to cover the entire range of the string classical as well as jazz.) Tanjavur Subba Iyer, Tiruvenkadu orchestra. About a century and a half ago, so the Sivaramakrishna Iyer and Tirukodikaval Another Western instrument akin to the story goes, Maharaja Swati Tirunal was Krishna Iyer. Of these, Krishna Iyer was violin has been employed to a limited so pleased when he first heard Tanjavur one of the first to give solo violin recitals, extent in Carnatic music. It is the viola Vadivelu, his court musician, play the and earned for the violinist a status next which, according to musician T. V. Gopala- violin, that he made a gift of an ivory only to that of the vocalist. krishnan, is more suited 10 accompany the male voice than the violin. It is said the holes' prevents the clarionet and the which are tuned like the strings of a violin. that a certain famous violinist converted his saxophone from being fully suitable for Frets guide the fingers of the left hand and a y!ola into a seven stringed instrument, and Indian classical music, although A.K.C.'s tortoise shell plectrum held in the right hand passed it off, as a violin in concerts , mastery helped him overcome the handi- cap. is used to play the instrument. One is drawn without his audience being any the wiser The saxophone is played as a solo instrument to the similarity between the mandoliJ) and for it. Among the present day musicians , by Kadri Gopalnath, a disciple of T. V. the Indian bulbultara, the essential difference Balamuralikrishna, the well-known Gopalkrishnan. It is a bass instrument, with a being that, in the latter, there is a keyboard. vocalist, and violinists Annavarapu range of two-and-a- half octaves which The mandolin is especially popular in Naples, Ramaswamy and Ganesh (of the Ganesh approximates that of the human voice. But Italy, where it is used to play folk songs and and Kumaresh duo) also play the viola. here again, there are certain handicaps: for love songs. The tone of the instrument is instance, it is difficult to obtain the weak. It has a characteristic tinkling trill The vi~lin and the viola are not the only madhyama and pratimadhyama (F and F which is produced by strumming back and Western instruments to have become part of sharp) notes. More recently, one other forth over a pair of strings to give the effect Indian classical music. Others like the Western instrument to have gained a foothold of a long-held tone. With a few exceptions it harmonium, saxophone and clarioriet have in Indian classical music is the guitar .Brij has been largely overlooked by Western also found a place, though a much less Bhushan Kabra was the first to use it. He classical composers. Mozart, Beethoven, prominent place than the violin. Unlike in the adapted the classical guitar in certain respects Mahler and Vivaldi have written a few short South, the harmonium is still a popular in order to suit the needs of Hindustani pieces for it. The modern composer, Carlos accompaniment in the North. In South Indian music. Three of the brass strings have been Surinach, has used three mandolins in the classical music, three people achieved a replaced by him with bronze strings in the score of his ballet, Acrobats of God, written measure of fame with it~ Tiruchendur lower octave, and to lend c.ontinuity there is for danseuse Martha Graham. The mandolin Harihara Iyer, Perur Subramania Oikshitar an extra string, ca.lled the 'chikari'. The used by Srinivas was made specially for him and Kasi Iyer , brother of the legendary S.G. instrument is played with a steel bar .Thus two years ago. It is essentially the same as the Kittappa. Oikshitar's skill in playing the adapted, the guitar gives sustained notes and Western mandolin, the main difference being instrument earned much admiration. But the is able to cover a wide range-of tones in that, instead of doublewire strings, it has four harmonium is not much favoured by the which the ~s~ of c~ords is an additional single strings only and has been fitted with a classicist -RabiDdranath Tagore called it "the asset. In Madras there is 23-year old contact microphone. bane of Indian music" -for it -. SukumaiPrasad who plays a Spanish guitar The above-mentioned instruments just about does not lend itself to the fi!le variations of with a contact microphone attachd to it. He sum up those of Western origin which are pitch so .essential for our music. Speed can, was learning Western classical music till being presently employed in Indian classical however, to some extent make up for the 1976, when he switched over to Camatic music (though, in film music, almost tonal discontinuity, as it did in the case of music, with success. Last year he won a everything from the accordion to the zither is Subramania Oikshitar . special award from the Music Academy for used) .The possibilities, however, are endless; his perfor- mance there. The clarionet and saxophone were pri- in fact, the latest addition to the list is the marily band instruments in the South, one of piano on which a Christian convent teacher in the first to use them in Carnatic music being Mysore is reported playing Carnatic music. It the Nadamuni band which played at would not be an exaggeration, therefore, to weddings and other functions. Various other Finally, of course, there is the mandolin say that the day is not far off when other bands which flourished in those days, such which has become so very popular that it instruments like the synthesiser will furd a as the MadraS Corpora- tion Band, also used forms an automatic prefix to the name of place in Carnatic music. Srinivas who has mastered it. This western them. At present, the well-known names SAROJINI p ARAMFSW A,RAN connected with instrument looks like half a pear when viewed from the side; in this respect it Ithe clanonet are A.K.C. Natarajan, his brother Venugopal and Mani. The resembles the Renaissance lute, but it is I employment of keys to open and close smaller, has a deeper bowl and a thinner neck. It has four sets of double wire strings, who had studied classical music for six rise to fame, with pride but without years with none other than the late These days, Srinivas is like immodesty, Srinivas interjects and asks Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar and the proverbial salesman, if he could not say something. Asked to performed as a radio artiste over three travelling a great deal of time. speak up, he says but one thing, pointing decades and whose main interest is in to Subbarajugaru: "He's the greatest classical music, inquired of Srinivas one teacher there is! It is very difficult to get a day if he could play classical music. The classical pieces. (At the same age. .guru like him.'" He seems to think he is youngster responded by playing a few Ravikiran knew five times as many lucky not only in this respect but also in simple kritis which he had picked up from compositions but he had been learning that, living in the same building as his his father. Encouraged by this demon- for more than a decade). teacher, he is able to have the benefits of stration, Subbaraju offered to teach These days, Srinivas is like the proverbial the traditional guru-sishya system. classical music to Srinivas who, it seemed, salesman, travelling a great deal of time, With this kind of learning environment, did not need anyone to instruct him on but he studies with his teacher an hour prospects are that Srinivas would continue how to play the mandolin. Guru and his every morning and evening whenever they to develop and reach greater heights. newly-found disciple started working are together in Madras or elsewhere: But there are features associated with together and the rest is history. Subbaraju accompanies his student out- the present circumstances that give cause side Madras only for some recitals. But for concern. Firstly, like the girl in the The teaching sessions went—and still do regardless of where he is. the determined popular American musical "Oklahoma", — something like this. Subbaraju would disciple puts in about five to six hours a the guardians of Srinivas seem to have sing a kriti and. listening. Srinivas would day of assiduous practice. When he gets difficulty in saying "no", in this case to repeat the composition or phrases on the a chance, he also listens to recorded requests for performances by the prodigy. mandolin. Vocal demonstration, recitals by the late T.N. Rajarathnam It is not easy to pinpoint the exact reason instrumental repetition— and the Pillai (nagaswaram) and his contemporary for this: partly it is perhaps the all too process would go on like this until the hero M.S. Gopalakrishnan (violin). human temptation to make hay while the boy could play on the mandolin correctly Concertgoers find that brilliant passages sun shines; partly it is their difficulty in what the teacher sang aloud. The text of in Srinivas' playing remind them of these gauging at what point to curtail the the composition, the sahitya, would not maestros. number of performances without the risk be learnt, nor would the reproduction of Aspects of this learning process that strike of dampening the high degree of popular the kriti be learnt merely on the basis of Guru Subbaraju as being noteworthy are enthusiasm; and partly it is the tremendous solfa notes, but what resulted would be a Srinivas' extraordinary ability to grasp pressure put on by a greedy and perhaps rendering based on text rather than swara the finer points of music by merely selfish public. Sabha secretaries and alone. The student would frequently use listening, his exceptional memory, his festival organisers, as well as parents his own imagination to play the raga sense of rhythm and his reverence for his involved in prospective weddings, refuse alapana or often come up with his own teacher. He notes that even though to take a "no" for an answer, the latter kalpana swaras. First a few compositions; Srinivas has learnt to read notation, it is refusing to be put off by higher fees that then a few more were known to Srinivas his student's "ear and heart" that serve the guardians presumed would deter them. by the time of his sensational recital at as the instruments of learning. Managing a prodigy successfully — the Indian Fine Arts Society ten months managing to do so without killing the ago; since then he has rapidly expanded Subbaraju, it is clear, has played a his repertoire which now includes eighty- remarkable role in providing the right five kritis (seventy of Tyagaraja's and environment and guidance for the about fifteen by such others as Muthu- development of Srinivas' extraordinary swamy Dikshitar. Syama Sastri, Purandara talent. It is not therefore surprising that Dasa, Muthiah Bhagavatar and Patnam successful Srinivas holds his teacher in Subramania Iyer): about fifteen the highest esteem. After his teacher has Tiruppugazh songs and a number of light talked at length to SRUTI about the boy's goose that lays the golden eggs— is indeed most difficult. In this case, the thinness I MEET SRINIVAS of the razor's edge is underscored by the Some say it is a pity Srinivas fact that, halfway through his fourteenth has chosen to play the he magazine SRUTI asked me year, Srinivas has the height (142 cms) of mandolin which has limita- Tif I could interview a child prodigy an eleven-year old and weight (30 kgs) of named Mandolin Srinivas and ask him only a nine-year old, measured against tions. questions which youngsters would one set of norms established for the normally ask of each other. Though I had average Indian child. He probably needs never been to his concerts, I immediately to drink a litre of milk a day. according to lad adds inches to his height, acquires a knew he was a great person who played one physician who knows the case, but little fuzz over his upper lip and generally the mandolin. I was present when the the family, although the beneficiary of a ceases to look so small. When that time grown-ups in the magazine were celestial kamadhenu that is showering comes, what carries Srinivas forward interviewing him and I was amazed to fame and fortune on it and routing gifts would be his maturity in handling an hear that he had learnt to play the of all kinds through admirers, has not undoubtedly remarkable talent and his mandolin himself and that he learnt new found a mobile enough cow that could further continuous development. Some songs by repeating on the mandolin what trot along with the whiz kid on his up- say it is a pity that Srinivas has chosen to his guru sang. country travels. He looks healthy enough, play the mandolin which has limitations Then I took out my pencil and paper and radiant even, perhaps sustained in the in the rendering of South Indian classical started to interview him. First I asked hard life of a musician in great demand music. The mandolin indeed does have him whether he enjoyed sports. He did by the adrenalin of success, but it is no such limitations, but Srinivas has over- not answer at once. Maybe he was shy wonder that his rather puny physique has come many of these already to be able to and had never met a girl before. And also led many to believe that he is eleven, ten play in the gayaki style even while he did not know Tamil, nor English, and or only nine years old. producing some astonishing effects which we had an interpreter between us. He still seem unique to this kind of instrument. Furthermore, if the human voice is indeed replied hesitantly that he was not fond of Secondly, although the rat-tat-tat schedule the perfect medium for our glorious playing games but did listen to cricket of performances helps build up experience music, why is it so little attention has commentary. He did not enjoy eating and confidence, it may yet lead to been given by South Indian vocalists to sweets nor did he like movies. (Two staleness unless Srinivas manages to find voice culture? How many of them have unusual things for a boy). He was about enough time, amidst the rigours of practice voices that do not have severely exposed as tall as me and very thin. He had vibudhi and performances, to develop his and grating limitations? For that matter, on his forehead. He seemed to adore the potential. Thirdly, living as he seems to in the case of the violin, how many of our mandolin and said he practised 4 or 5 do out of a travel suitcase-, Srinivas has performers, including top-rated wielders hours a day. He said he'd like to go to little time for other interests or activities of the bow, produce a sound that is free school but cannot because of his concerts. which would balance the frenetic pursuit of screeches, scratches and other technical He has immense faith in God and his of his musical gifts. Although he has shown flaws? favourite God is ANJANEYA. an aptitude for painting and has done a few sketches, he has no time for general AKHILA, age nine Meteors are transient; they describe a fiery education. even of the kind that might be streak in the sky and then burn themselves obtained out of school. His guru admits out. Stars stay with us, adding sparkle to the need to correct these shortcomings our life. It is the hope of almost everyone of his current mode of life. who has been exposed to the luminosity of Perhaps some relief will come when the Srinivas' music that he will turn out to be a novelty of South Indian classical music star on the firmament of South Indian being played on yet another foreign classical music. instrument wears off, or when the young N. PATTABHI RAMAN Musings On A Marvel K.S. Mahadevan

he advent of a musical prodigy as silence. They are the kind of persons to Tyoung Srinivas undoubtedly is, recalls whom, in the words of Dr. Wendell to my mind something I read about Holmes, Unpretending mediocrity is another prodigy who belonged to another good. ...A weak flavour of genius in an time: W. A. Mozart. Prior to one of essentially common person is detestable. Mozart's performances, a German They are the same people among whom newspaper—this was in 1763 — there is a tacit understanding that they carried the following advertisement: will not disturb the popular fallacy Positively the last concert!... The boy, not respecting this or that electro-gilded yet seven, will perform on the harpsichord, celebrity long past his or her best. play a concerto for violin, and accompany symphonies on the clavicord, the key- Srinivas seems to be under the impulse of board being covered with a cloth, as easily a vital originality: his consummate skill as if he could see the keys. He will name apart, he has his own musical idiom, depth all notes sounded at a distance, singly or and cadences. All these apparently stem in chords and improvise on harpsichord from certain ultimata of musical beliefs and organ, as long as desired, Tickets Vi and an audacious self-esteem and utter taler. In the case of our own Ravikiran, self-confidence: The seedling tulip is we had news reports that sounded similar breaking into high caste flowers enchanting but mercifully there were no advertise- us all. ments as such. Luck is still with us and we But we will be less than human if we are have been spared such horrendous content with just drinking deep from this announcements in the case of Srinivas as great fount of music. Some murky well, although many undoubtedly have thoughts do arise: Will not this boy's thronged to his perfrmances as if he were inspiration dry up? Will he also go the a sideshow freak. Way of other wayward talents? How does In a similar vein, we should be grateful he mature in the art? Such doubts are that none has seen a "devil" behind the legitimate, though premature. Yehudi mandolin marvel; in India, we more often Menuhin tells us in his autobiography, see a divine hand behind such The Unfinished Journey, that as he grew phenomena. But when violinist Nicolo up in name and fame, he tormented Paganini played those notes about which himself by thinking how, without any none other than Goethe said I can find expert tutelage, he was able to play so no base for this column oj'flame and cloud, marvellously in his teenage days; and the Italian public was inclined to suspect wondering what it was that really guided the devil as being behind his incredible his mind and fingers when he played virtuosity! Beethoven's compositions so brilliantly Srinivas has dazzled many musicians, hard- and without blemish. Master Srinivas, boiled sceptics and inveterate traditio- when his career's Current galloping stage nalists: his is an inexlicably complete gift. slows down to a canter, will also reflect But there are those who denigrate the on his own virtuousity and come up with boy in downright manner or show a sullen the right answers.

Balamurali Balachander Gayatri Ravikiran a child prodigy. Much praise came his in 1943 at the ripe old age of sixteen. Ravi's special musical talent actually way and according to Balamurali himself, Baby Gayatri— now Mrs. E. Gayatri, manifested itself in the twentieth month of much love too. Savouring this love and wife of a marine engineer — gave her his wordly existence when he identified free of commercial pressures of the kind first veena recital at the age of nine at the raga Saranga during a radio concert of his which exist today, he says he faced no Sri Parthasarathi Swami Sabha in Madras. father; he had been taught the name of the problems wearing the mantle of a wonder And so successful was she that her 500th raga the day before. Similarly he identified kid. He talks aboyt those early days with concert came in March 1975, hardly six Bhairavi a few days later when a flute nostalgia, and remembers the thrill and years later. A child who had become the recital by Mali was being broadcast. It joyof being a child prodigy and per- talk of the town and of the country south became clear that he had an extraordinary forming at the Tyagaraja Aradhana of the Vindhyas, she was performing at grasp of raga knowledge and at first he was festival in Tiruvayyaru at the age of ten, the rate of nearly seven recitals a month yes ten. for six years. Early influences on Gayatri Veena S. Balachander first caught the were her parents, her father public eye in 1933 when, at age six, he G. Aswathama being a successful music played the Kanjira accompaniment for a director in Telugu films and mother certain vocalist called G. Subramanyam Kamala a veena teacher and a staff artiste Devar. The recital was at Gokhale Hall, with AIR. It was on her mother's veena then a popular venue for music perfor- that Gayatri gave initial evidence of her mances in Madras. Soon the boy was also gift when she was a mere five-year old, playing the tabla, touring all over India strumming the tunes composed by her and the then Ceylon, accompanying his father for films. Soon, however, her brother S. Rajam, a vocalist, and other mother started coaching her systematically. musicians on both these percussion instruments. By 1938, he had given solo All Gayatri can recall for SRUTI of those Carnatic music recitals on the sitar. His heady days is the sheer joy of playing the versatility found a further outlet in the veena in concerts. Then, she says, "my Madras station of All India Radio where, music was pure and divine, if immature." as a staff artiste, he played a number of The praise and adulation did not affect instruments. Strange as it may seem, her; she did not "quite comprehend what Balachander did not take to the veena it was all about." She had a fairly normal until he was thirteen and he gave his first childhood except for being unable to public recital on that instrument which participate in fun and games and instead he confesses he learnt on his own, only having to perform even on festival days. Then followed a frustrating period from taught four or five rangas a day by his age fourteen to sixteen when the critics father and later on seven or eight ragas. began to take her for granted and her Instruction in vocal music and own music had reached a plateau, perhaps gottuvadyam began when he was about due to overexposure. Happily for her, three years old. this phase is well and truly behind her. Ravikiran is now in the eleventh class, a Ravikiran's is a phenomenal family. This fairly good student and a keen cricketer to gottuvadyam maestro of just fifteen boot, kept out of the school eleven only by summers is regarded by his father to be a his involvement in music. (Like all reincarnation of his father Gottuvadyam prodigies, he too has never felt stage fright K.S. Narayana Iyengar. Even in his third and experiences a thrill when performing year, Ravikiran astounded the pundits at in public. Like Gayatri, he seems the Madras Music Academy by identifying unaffected by all the publicity and public ragas and composers of kritis effortlessly. acclaim he has received.) His father He was barely five years old when, in watches over him very carefully, picking April 1973, he gave his first public recital and choosing his concert engagements, at the Sree Ramaseva Mandali in avoiding overexposure, ensuring regular Bangalore; it was a vocal recital; his first practice and development along gottuvadyam recital came off much later, traditional, classicallines. when he was eleven years old, at the Tirumatai temple in 1979. V. RAMNARAYAN ance Festival 1983 was a unique Devent in more ways than one. Spon- sored by the Kala Mandir Trust and organised by Sankarabharanam — each a trust with the primary aim of promoting excellence in music, dance and other fine arts — the festival drew the kind of spectator response normally reserved for the December music and dance 'mela' season. For two weeks in August, a large number of dance enthusiasts thronged the audi- torium of the Mylapore Fine Arts Club. Madras, where a series of dance per- formances was held. While admission was free for all those who took the trouble of collecting invitation cards from the organisers, the artistes themselves were paid adequately regardless of their seniority or otherwise, a refreshing contrast to the existing practice whereby young or unknown dancers often have to pay rather than get paid to perform. A truly festive atmosphere pervaded the whole series which was attended by several dancers and gurus quite apart from the participants themselves. According to one observer, all of them treated the festival as their own and participated in conducting it. By doing so they would seem to have accomplished one of the objectives of Sri S. Viswanathan, Chairman, Kala Mandir Trust, who told SRUTI: "Today unlike a tew years ago. there are a number of young and enthusiastic dancers. Their talents and gifts tend to languish and remain dormant for lack of opportunities and encouragement. From my associa- tion with many such artistes, I am aware of their frustration in such a situation. On the other hand, there have always been a number of persons interested in Bharatanatyam and its adipose develop- ment. They are really inclined to patronise both the art and the artiste, if only a cordial and uninhibited atmosphere is provided"

Kala Mandir has always observed the principle of presenting both the up-coming and the expert in the field of dancing to invited audiences, but it had hitherto adopted the conventional practice of sponsoring one performance at a time. Recently, however, its chairman hit upon the idea of organizing a continuous and long drawn festival featuring both the seasoned and the sprouting artistes in each day's programme to enable the latter asserted confidently at the end of the treated, thanks to the judicious selection fortnight that they would in future be of dancers, to the various styles in able to enjoy Bharatanatyam with a Bharatnatyam — the Pandanallur, discerning eye, so varied was the fare. Vazhuvoor, Kalakshetra and so on. Venkatakrishnan specially commended the good atmosphere of camaraderie that Three of the youthful aspirants to dancing prevailed among the nattuvanars and eminence were awarded scholarships by dancers who attended the festival. Kala Mandir Trust to enable them to In addition to training the spotlight on pursue their training further. Rajshree newcomers, the festival also brought out Guruswamy, a disciple of Sri T.S. of their supposed retirement dancers not Kunjithapadam Pillai, is 22 and had her seen on the stage for a long time, for early training and arangetram (1979) in example, Radha and Chamundeswari, Madras. She is employed in the Tourism much to the delight of their admirers. Department and has won a number of Fifteen gurus, mostly belonging to the prizes for dance. Nirupama Nityanandan new generation of teachers representing is a product of 'Bharata Kalanjali'.a school the various schools of Bharatnatyam,were run by V.P. and Shanta Dhananjayan at invited to present their gifted pupils. In Adyar, Madras and has performed along all sixteen budding artistes and seventeen with the couple, as well as in dance dramas 'seniors' were seen. Each youngster was presented by their troups both here and followed immediately by one more abroad. The other recipient of the Kala experienced. Thus, the audience could Mandir scholarship is eighteen-year old enjoy each day a sample of youthful Sujatha Srinivasan, who has trained under exuberance and fresh skills, as well as a Sri S.K. Rajarathnam and had her display of seasoned maturity and arangetram in Madras in 1977. In 1979, composure. The audience was also she was awarded a merit scholarship by to put in their best efforts in the presence of their experienced colleagues. Says Viswanathan: "All in all, we orga- nised the Festival in the firm belief that an atmosphere conducive to adherence to high traditions and classicism, a sense of devotion to art and sincerity in presen tation and performance are interrelated and mutually infectious." By all accounts, Kala Mandir Trust spared no expense and Viswanathan's generosity came in for much praise as did the organising ability of Sri M. Venkata- krishnan, Managing Trustee of Sankara- bharanam. Venkatakrishnan, a long time patron of the arts and formerly president of the Sri Parthasarathi Swami Sabha, Triplicane, Madras, had been watching closely, for over a year, the progress of the young talent featured in this festival. The selection of the dancers was largely done by him. The identity of their views on the promotion of the arts brought him and Viswanathan together in this parti- cular venture. Venkatakrishnan describes the festival enthusiastically as "a renaissance of Bharatanatyam". Contrary to the popular assumption of public apathy to such causes, the response to the announcement of the festival was unpre- cedented, according to Venkatakrishnan. Requests for invitations came from people living in distant parts of the city and even outside Madras. By his estimate some 700 persons attended every day and even people unfamiliar with this art form Chamundeswari.. a comeback the Government of India under its Talent consisting of a dull, blue cloth with holes Search Scheme. and tears in it. While granting that the Amidst all these good points, one aspect infrastructure was that of the MFAC. a of the festival stood out like a sore thumb much better impact might have been — the poor attention to the stage created had the organisers tried to remedy backdrop and the inadequate lighting. this aspect, even though it was not of The latter was inadequate in the sense their creation. Otherwise, Kala Mandir that the number of lights used and their and Sankarabharanam have set a splendid positioning failed to prevent the casting example for others to follow, a fine of shadows on the faces of the dancers illustration of 'trust begets trust'. when they held their hands out in front. V. RAMNARAYAN The backdrop was very disappointing. WITH SRUTI CORRESPONDENTS Interview: Sonal Mansingh

usic and dance, like other sublime there a vestige of cultural parochialism ~" outsider in Orissa too, despite being a M forms of expression, have trans- and a patronising attitude towards 'bahu'. To talk of my earlier days, no cended the barriers of language and "foreigners" from within the country as such feeling was implied consciously or religion. We are in an age where a Zubin well as without? otherwise. As you know, I had my earlier Mehta conducting a Philharmonic Sonal Mansingh dwells on this subject as training in Bharatanatyam from U.S. Orchestra or a Higgins earning for himself well as on a few others in an interview with Krishna Rao in Bangalore. With him and the nickname of 'Bhagavatar' are factual SRUTI correspondent PUSHKALA his wife there wasn't even the problem of pointers to this. Closer home, we have GO PAL. Born in a family which hailed verbal communication. By the time I went artistes like N. Rajam, a South Indian from Gujarat but later settled in Bombay, to Gowri Amma, I knew a modicum of who is the ace violinist of the Hindustani Sonal trained in Bharatanatyam under Tamil (Sonal articulates this as 'Tamizh', music scene. On yet another front, that of U. S. Krishna Rao in Bangalore and in a manner that would make Tamilians films, we have always had popular South subsequently under the legendary Mylapore proud). Besides, I think verbal Indian or Bengali actors and actresses Gowri Amma. Her Odissi she learnt communication at this level is quite dominating the Hindi cinema. Among under the guidance of Guru Kelucharan superfluous when the guru and disciple dancers too there are quite a number hailing Mohapatra. Significantly, Odissi and Sonal are communicating through the medium from a particular region of our country grew popular together. She is one of our and language of dance. . performing in a form that is essentially a most popular dancers - a dancer in two product of a different one. idioms, a woman of multifaceted PG: How receptive were you to the So far so good. But do we detect withal a personality. atmosphere in Madras which must have new-oldstreak of stubborn chauvinism, a certainly been different from what you PUSHKALA GOPAL: Amidst all the were used to? certain reservation in the acceptance of a hustle and bustle of the dance scene, one musician or a dancer from another region does every once in a while hear: "Sonal SM: My memories of my earlier years when he or she takes up the art form of Mansingh oh, a North Indian. Her are of the time 1 spent with my grandfather our own region? Is it possible that Madrasis Bharatanatyam cannot be all that Pakvasa who was a Governor. At his hesitate to accept a Bharatanatyam recital authentic." I am sure you have strong house in Nagpur, artistes and great by Sonal Mansingh as pucca, or that the reactions to this. Before asking for them, musicians like D.K. Pattammal, Bade cognoscenti ofCuttack cavil at putting the however, I should like to find out about Ghulam Ali Khan and numerous others seal of approval on the same Sonal's Odissi your earlier training in dance and whether would come to stay and perform. I was dancing? Is it possible, in reverse "logic", your being an 'outsider' to-the 'insider' nurtured in an atmosphere where the love South Indians believe that, in Hindustani posed any problem. of art was simply an indivisible part of classical music, Parween Sultana, for life. When I went to Madras with the example, is truer than the talented Lakshmi SONAL MANSINGH: 1 guess this would intention of pursuing my training. I was \ \ Shankar who is a native of Madras? Is apply twice over in my case as I was an able to lose myself in the hours that I spent dancing. It there were any domestic only Rs. 250/- which I was told was a problems, they were so obviously trivial, princely sum then - many dancers were I can't say I remember them at all. willing to fund themselves even in those PG: Could you tell us about your actual days! The highest remuneration I got was training under Gowri Anuna? Of our about Rs. 1000/- The reviews were leading dancers today, I am sure very few encouraging; they were complimentary, have learnt from her directly. as far as my technique and impact went. SM: Amma used to spend hours at a PG: You do not seem to perform that time with me. In between performing frequently in the South these days. Is it sessions she would take time off for a because you are seldom invited or is it on coffee or idli, or even a pan, and resume account of monetary considerations? the item. You see, she never ate much. SM: It is really the latter. I do not get There was no question of her teaching invitations which are supported by Abhinaya gesture by gesture. She would payments at a level where a visit for a repeat her performance over and over single engagement becomes economical. again, possibly with different movements I need to club together at least three or a and sancharis each time. It was up to me whole chain of recitals. As you know, to observe, imbibe and extrapolate. Her I've been more than busy this side and toothless smile would come out in a rare abroad and therefore I have not been my style of performing Odissi with a moment of appreciation if my dance able to find the time to follow up all the perceptive assessment of the nuances that happened to meet with her approval or invitations. I do go once or twice a year at are typically mine. Such observations even if one of her nuances occasionally the least. Apart from Tamilnadu, I've matter more to me than prejudiced eluded me. I did, of course, feel bad performed in Kerala and Karnataka quite acceptance or disapproval. about the number of teaching hours I a few times. forced on her. In retrospect, however, I PG: You do feel, then, that there is some am happy. What I have learned from her PG: I think it is some time since you were discrimination in the allocation of is priceless and could have only been featured in the festivals in the December opportunities and recognition in the form acquired from a direct guru-sishya season in Madras. of awards? encounter. I was probably one of her last SM: Yes, my last performance for the SM: Yes, I suppose so. You've set me students on whom she expended so much Music Academy was in December 1969. thinking, really. As one who never heard time. It was generally well-received—I comments on Damayanti Joshi's Kathak, PG: Have you learnt from anybody else, remember Balasaraswati complimented or the Jhaveri Sisters' Manipuri, I think since then? me warmly on it—but subsequently I have this issue is something that has been not been invited. I am told that the mooted quite recently, in the last few SM: As far as Bharatanatyam is Sabhas each has its own clique, that even years. The reasons are too petty to be concerned, not really. The people with amongst Madras dancers only someone taken cognisance of. It is a pity, though, whom I have subsequently worked have with a specific equation with a Sabha is that such undercurrents of envy, insecurity been colleagues rather than instructors. specially promoted. I have neither the and warp have to cloud the scene. My earlier gurus in the true sense, the time nor the inclination to pursue this (Laughingly) There was a time, candidly, Krishna Raos, had instilled in me a strong kind of patronage. I have achieved what- when I shed tears over it. Despite many sense of aesthetics. With that I started ever I have on merit; it is my own satisfying years of training — I put in ten working on my own items, taking performances which have earned me my hours a day of training under Guru guidance on some points from whichever popularity and my hard work which has Kelucharan — and performing in Odissi, Natruvanar I happened to be collaborating brought about my success. To me, now it I found that after my divorce from my with. doesn't matter if my audiences happen to first husband, an Oriya, all this talk about PG: How were your performances of be in the North, Indore, Madras or even my being a non-Oriya Odissi dancer Bharatanatyam received? outside India. In fact, I find that people started. It is reaching out to the hearts of SM: My first performance was at the outside India judge a performance or an the people that is important to the self- Children's Theatre. I remember perform- artiste on merit and are more objective satisfaction of the dancer. That is some- ing there and a number of other places and discerning. My trip to Germany last thing I have which all this talk cannot between 1962 and 1969. Sometimes I got year elicited some valuable reactions to touch. . Trailblazing Traditionalist

now renders it in a complicated rhythm structure. The development of the pafla Navasakti swarupini, nada ontkam rupa follows the dictates of classical traditk and niraval leads to kalpanasvaras. Nowhere is there the slightest infracrk of artistic decorum. Nor is the inteHech handling of rhythm allowed to become mere display of vocal gymnastics or soU without soul. The emotional content ru through the whole like a luminescent sita thread. Perspicuity and poignancy, hel to be the two aspects of all great art, full realised on the razor's-edge balance of intellect and emotion. This finesse and depth coupled with original creativity amazes the listeners. One man sitting tig! in front exclaims aloud: "Wonderful! Incomparable!!" Another, seated next to him declares forcefully: "I would noi have believed that any woman coukj hand! this tala so adroitly. Certainly, no othei woman can repeat this feat." Rejoins th former: "You say that no woman is capable of this achievement? Ha! Can, you name a single man who is equal to it?" The venue of this performance and the scene of this exchange is the hafl of the Madras Music Academy and the inimi- table singer Srimati D.K. Pattammal. PattammaJ'smasteryovertheartofpallayj singing is justly famous. The lucidity aw . purity of her traditional style are equaih, well-known. The younger generation df lis^nierehaveneardtl^cbnsliinmatewtia onlj afler she reacbedacertamstaOtre i$ ttewbrW6fmtefc.Thekievi^bie':-, qwiKtioiis$m What pa«nJid4*e traverse neauditoriliBi is fall; a young woman in her music. She tuts sung VaehaspatL. before shedctfeteped andpofishe4 her Thascast a speB over the listeners. . raga elaborately, with subtle and spedatsk^&?How°di(lshereach thfe ': Clad in a deep-ioned maroon silk saree inragmativs touches, Nowshe is singing fcvel of eJtceteace? Wnat preeWqui^i, with mustard and gold border, the pallav the ttmam in the same raga, weaving of fate or deliberate step as the cas&Jrtay covsenng her shoulder, she presents a rhythmical patterns skit&uhr info melodic be, led her to discover her strength* awl picture of modesty and feminine grace. phases. Themis palpable excttranent abilities which she later fosed to deyefcp The coruscating diamonds on her ears and as the tanam draws to a close; the her own particuhttsrvte?. What are the and nose enhance the old world elegance audience visibly hokbits breath in avid mfluenceslhat contributed to her ripening of the occasion. There are no sudden or expectation of the main attraction oithe process? jerky movements either in her person or evening. This isthepotoi. The-singer Music, of course, has always been a part

it is very difficult for those or you who belong to this age of radio and television, when music is learnt across continents through records, tapes and video, to comprehend and appreciate the problems faced by us in our young days in attempting to learn the art. Radio was not so common; records were very few in number while access to them was limited indeed". Here Sri D.K. Jayaraman, her brother, who was present during the first interview session, interposes to remark with justifiable fraternal pride: "Therefore Pattammal's success in learning and acquiring fame is all the greater. Do you know that my sister has completed fifty years of singing on the radio? She started from the time of the Corporation Radio. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Pattammal and K.B. Sundarambal, three of them accomplished this feat and were awarded trophies, to commemorate this meaningless prejudices of our society. Your achievement." Blushing like a school girl, father was a prey to these fears, as he Pattammal continues; "I was required to naturally would be, being a Dikshitar. learn a varnam for the government concert'. She had seen the advertisements Alas that he could not live to see your technical examination that I took. It was in the papers and sent word that I should triumph! Never fear, I am sure he is aware a struggle to find the notation for one of visit her for old time's sake. Of course, I of it, wherever he may be at this moment. the varnams that I had heard in a concert was only too willing to see her. I went to So saying she threw her hands around me and which I wanted to prepare for the her home. Her appearance had undergone once again and remained silent for a long examination. My brother Ranganathan, a great transformation — she was time, engaged in thoughts too deep for searching high and low and with great enfeebled and infirm— but her regard expression. It was one of the most poignant difficulty, succeeded in procuring a copy for me was undiminished. She embraced moments of my life." for me. How was I able to make progress me and began to weep unabashedly. I Pattammal is in a trance-like mood, despite such handicaps? I can only was also intensely moved. Tears unbroken for a few minutes. When she attribute this to all the great music that I streaming, she exclaimed, My very dear resumes talking in response to our had heard as a young child at child, my great ambition for you has been questions, she tells us more about her Kanchipuram. How can I describe the fulfilled. I can now die happy, knowing childhood at Kanchipuram and her 'study' impact of Sri Naina Pillai's incomparable that your genius has not been wasted. of music. There is radiance in her smile music! Words are inadequate tools indeed. Thousands find joy and solace in your and a sparkle in her eye as she begins to As I talk, I see him in my mind's eye, art. You are appreciated, admired, loved. speak of the man whom she worshipped seated majestically amidst the large group I knew this would happen. I foresaw your as a child and whom she continues to of accompanists. You will be amazed to destiny exactly as it has come to pass today. revere as one of the greatest musicians of , hear that he used to sing with a whole But my great fear was that you might not ■ our times and her manasika guru, range of accompaniments, a full bench as reach this goal due to the obstacles placed Kanchipuram Subramania Pillai, better this was known in those days, consisting by the rigorous orthodoxy and the known as Naina Pillai. of violin, mridangam, ghatam.

smile, taking out the sting but not the vigour, and then continues in amellower tone. "I am lucky to have earned praise for singing pallavis from all. The year I was awarded the title Isai Perarignar by the Tamil Isai Sangham, T. Sankaran wrote in Tamil Isai Malar that when I came upon the scene, women used to sing largely kritis, padams, and javalis and that I was the first woman to have included the pallavi as a main item in my music concerts, acquiring fame as a specialist in pallavi rendering. I even sang pallavis for two hours in those days. One of the early pallavis I sang was Nenje ninai anbe tudi neri nee guruparane in Jaganmohini which had been popularised by Sri Naina Pillai. I learnt many new and difficult pallavis from Sri Narasimhalu Naidu of Tirupati, but this was ten years after I began giving public recitals. Even now there is so much more to learn. Our music is like a vast ocean. After years of operose endeavour a man draws out a cupful of water from it, another gets only a spoonful, still another gets a barrelful. But however hard we try to acquire all its wealth, music itself remains an illimitable and inexhaus- tible treasury. And so I go on learning still." This disarming modesty should not make us forget that the public has prefixed pallavi to her name so that she is often admiringly described as Pallavi Pattammal. While Pattammal pauses to take a sip of tea, Palghat Mani Iyer's daughter Lalitha (who is married to PattammaFs son Sivakumar) fills in: "I have heard many stories in my father's house about Amma's (Pattammal's) genius sparkling with special brightness in her pallavi rendition. You know that Tanjavur and lassHoJ Mayavaram are areas where the specialists cause a mistake by destroying the intense evil days, has not diminished in power or in pallavi live. But when Amma concentration required for this feat. For "appeal. Music is an eternal cornucopian (Pattammal) performed in any of these instance, if you see a familiar face in the treasure. But some say that the standard places, the vidwans who were also audience smiling at you and if you register has fallen. If this is true, the musicians scholars, used to do research on the recognition, that is enough to cause havoc should be held partly responsible. If we pallavis sung by her. She used to astound with the tala\ Thought I did not reply but lower our standards in order to reach them by her superior technical excellence merely smiled, I though to myself: If I people, because we feel mistakenly that in what may be considered their preserve lost myself wholeheartedly in the music, people cannot rise to our heights, surely and they would say: She is after all a how could I get distracted? When laya is decay will set in. We must always be young girl of eighteen or nineteen. We are inherent as an intuitive and natural part grateful to the rasika due to whose old and grey and men in the bargain but of me, not a mere cultivated addition to patronage we continue to sing and develop she gives us so much research material to my music, how could I err? Today I note our art. But then we must show our work on each time she comes.-" with deep regret that people do not sing gratitude in the proper way by giving Pattammal rejoins the conversation and pallavis as much as before. It is not for something exalting and elevating, not adds candidly: "I feel extremely happy to nothing we call pallavi the main item in a something that titillates the senses alone, know that people spoke so highly of me concert. Without it a tradition will be lost and we should not indulge in sensa- in Mani Iyer's home, the home of the which is invaluable, incomparable and tionalism of any sort to capture attention. unrivalled genius of rhythm. And I recall irreplaceable. It is not right to say that it I really don't know all the reasons for the one more incident with great pride, one is the audience which is losing interest in recent developments in the Carnatic music in which GNB was involved. I sang a pallavi. I personally feel and feel strongly world which seem to signal a moving away Dhruva tala pallavi in sankeerna jati and that the people are capable of enjoying from tradition. I am getting older, but "^ two kalais. You know, it is a complicated music of a high class. Every concert must my firm faith remains essentially the same. rhythmic combination: 9 + 2 + 9 + 9 or include a pallavi for at least forty-five Musicians must not stoop to lower 29 beats in all, with the second count minutes. Perhaps artistes avoid this item standards merely to please audiences, thus starting on the little finger. GNB was due to the difficulty in learning it and the corrupting their art. They must make no present on that occasion. After the concert constant practice that it needs. But this compromises, but actively develop their he congratulated me on my successfrul item is undoubtedly the real test of worth, skill and creativity to raise the public to a handling of the pallavi but added: Why because it provides both for the performer higher level. This is how we find fulfil- do you choose such a difficult tala and the listener alike a great challenge. I ment, this is how we shall repay the public. structure? The smallest distraction can had mentioned in my speech at the Music Individual talent must find an outlet for Academy when I received the coveted creative originality within the framework Sangita Kalanidhi title — and I repeat of tradition. For this rather unbending with the same conviction and force even view too, I have the example of Naina now — that our music has not fallen on Pillai before me. He was a true artist who was unafraid of the consequences of confidence, preparing me to organize and trepidation I took my place on the stage. steadfastly adhering to his own principles." present my first concert." Fortunately for me the crowd in the front There is fervour in Pattammal's "My father began to receive letters of part of the hall consisted largely of women. categorical statement of deeply-rooted appreciation about my singing ability. Men were at the back. This lessened my conviction, her explanation of her These letters from true lovers of music, fears considerably and I began to sing Weltanschauung. Then she relaxes again as well as the counsel of close friends well. My courage rose with every song and picks up the thread of the account of helped persuade my father to drop his and my maiden performance turned out her career's development. "I joined the objections to my making a career of my to be a great success." Admittedly the Summer School of Music in 1930 at Singing. He began to feel that it was not audience had come not only to enjoy the Madras. This school was run by Professor really an ignoble act if his daughter sang musical fare but also to view the spectacle Sambamoorthy. Only kritis were taught. before others for the love of art. My first of a young girl from a traditional Brahmin Here at the end of every week, in the recital was in 1933 itself, at the Mahila family singing on the stage to the public presence of an audience, all the students Samajam (The Egmore Ladies Club) in for the very first time. But even those would assemble and sing in groups. Some Madras. Though I had sung at the two who were drawn by curiosity stayed to of us learnt to play the veena and the variety entertainments with accompani- en joy the singing and to congratulate the violin as well. I was one of those who did ments, I had never practised with violin singer. "People came milling round and and used to play these instruments too and mridangam. My father was very fired innumerable questions at me after on such occasions. I was also given an apprehensive about this lack of training the event. I was speechless with emotion opportunity to sing solo and won much and practice. But I had heard so many and pointed to my father as the right person praise. I sang to the public on two concerts, and I guess I had absorbed the to answer them. After this maiden full occasions, the first time for an hour as methods and patterns of concert procedure length performance, the various sabhas part of a variety entertainment programme so well, that I experienced no difficulty. of Madras started asking me to give organised on Saraswati Puja day at the Nevertheless the Egmore performance recitals and it was thought advisable for Mylapore Rasika Ranjani Sabha. Then was my first full length recital. Imagine the entire family to move to Madras; my again at the Gana Mandiram in George the feelings of a young girl about to make brothers Nagarajan and later Jayaraman Town. I participated in a similar manner, her debut before the seasoned accompanied me in singing most of the also in a variety programme. Both connoisseurs of Madras, the undisputed time, you see. So we came to Madras in :hese programmes were given at the centre of Carnatic music! My father had 1933, just after my first full length recital insistence of others despite my father's anxiously prepared the programme fifteen in the same year. reservations about my giving public days in advance and had made me practise rerionnances. I had always been assiduously every day. I went to the (First part of a two-part article.) uninhibited about singing before others. recital hall with great excitement and a These two concerts removed any vestiges little anxiety. A reasonably large crowd had assembled to hear me. With some ?t shyness I had and helped build GOWRIRAMNARAYAN Endearing Musician, Enduring Music An Appreciation K.S. Muthuraman

angita Kalanidhi D.K. Pattammal started her career when voice a little, and by pouring her soul into the alapanas, she Sstalwarts like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Maharaja- could have made a greater emotional impact. It is not that her puram Viswanatha Iyer were at the peak of their excellence, intellect has not been equal to the task. Maybe, she has felt too with Semmangudi, GNB, Madurai Mani and others catching modest and set to make experiments, or she does not like to go up fast. To have started her career then and carved out a place out of the groove she has set for herself lest she get caught in the for herself, till recognition and honour came to her unsought, is quagmire of imperfections and inaccuracies. Whatever the no mean achievement and is itself a tribute to her gifts. reason, many share the view that in raga alapana she has tended to become often pedestrian and even dull sometimes. Good listening is a must for any one who wants to make good in But the grace and poise with which she carries on makes one the music profession. In this DKP was doubly fortunate: she forget these limitations— if limitations one can call them. had the opportunity not only to listen to great musicians like Veena Dhanammal and Naina Pillai representing.the raga and DKP is an adept in pallavi singing and can render the three rhythmic aspects of Carnatic music at its best, but also to learn speeds and other variations with great confidence. She can songs from disciples of Naina Pillai, Ariyakudi and others. negotiate kanakku or arithmetical permutations and With a pleasing voice, zest for learning and great application, combinations also with precision. Her swara exercises are always she learnt the great compositions of the trinity and was also short, but she can adroitly handle kuraippu in any tala with initiated into the mysteries of pallavi singing even when she was great ease and accuracy. In this aspect, when alternating with in her teens. Listening to Sri Ramanuja Iyengar, she became her brother D.K. Jayaraman, she produced a gTeat effect and his most ardent admirer and took him, perhaps unconsciously, was appreciated by students of music. as her model in presenting recitals. In this she was helped by Sri Pattammal's repertoire of songs is vast. Her preference is mostly Vaidyanatha Iyer, a disciple of Ramanuja Iyengar, who could for madhyama and chowka kala songs and rarely for dhurita reproduce his master's music with amazing fidelity. At this kala pieces. Her concerts are filled up with the songs of the time, T.L. Venkatarama Iyer took interest in her and taught trinity and she sings the compositions of Annaswamy Sastri, her over two hundred kritis of Muthuswami Dikshitar. It can be Subbaraya Sastri, Patnam Subramania Iyer and such other said without exaggeration that DKP, singing along with her great composers as well. She also renders Tirupugazh songs, brother Jayaraman, has done more to popularise Dikshitar's padams and javalis. She presents, too, modern composers like compositions than any other vidwan. Papanasam Sivan, Kotiswara Iyer, Sankara Iyer, and Subramania Pattammal gave her first performance in the Madras Music Bharatiar, although bhajans do not figure in her performances. Academy in 1936 and has sung there every year since. There She renders with virtuosity, grace and feeling and has put her has never been any series since then, conducted by any major own stamp on compositions like Meenalochani in Dhanyasi, music sabha, where she has not been featured. Ranidhi in Manirangu, Adiki Sugamu in Madhyamavati, Koniyadina in Kambhoji, Akshayalinga in Sankarabharanam. She matured over time into a singer of great distinction. With Kanjadalaya in Kamala Manohari, Sri Guru Guha in Devakriya, her deep-toned voice — not very fast in movement — her deep Kasi Visvesvara in Kambhoji, and Soundararajam in roots in classicism and a sound knowledge aigamaka, she £ould Brindavana Saranga. Those who have been privileged to hear render every song unhurriedly, with progressive and logical DKP sing these songs will forever retain them in their memory. sangatis, and the musical expression became enjoyable. She took pains to learn the meaning of the songs too and her Up and coming women vocalists — and why not men as well? pronunciation was very clear. Though in later years her voice — could do no better than take DKP as their guide and model. dropped in sruti, it gained in depth and moved close to a man's Her uncompromising adherence to traditions while putting her voice. own individual stamp on it, her willingness to blaze new trails Her raga alapanas are relatively brief but she is able to bring out her sense of moderation, her dedication and systematic approach the core of the ragas. But I would say that alapana has never to learning— and continuous learning at that — and her innate been the best part of any of her performances — she has been grace and sense of humility are virtues which are worthy of bright but has never dazzled. By stretching her imagination and emulation.

On Pallavi Singing

t SRUTI's request, young vocalist you take up a raga which does not offer associate with pallavi rendition, today. ASITA RAJAN talked to D. K. great scope for elaboration, it is a challenge SR : Can you name some pallavi experts Pattammal on pallavi singing. She filed to the musician's intelligence. In such whom you have beard? this interview. cases, cerainly, there is novelty, but these DKP: Sri Naina Pillai and Sri Koneri- SR : What is the major difference in displays of artistic virtuousity cannot be totally satisfying. rajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer were maestros pallavi singing between the past and who made every pallavi they handled a present? SR : Does the raga elaboration before a marvel. Sri Mudikondan Venkatrama Iyer DKP: In the past, when the duration of pallavi differ from the one before a kriti? was another expert in this field. His was the kutcheri was seldom less than four DKP: Yes indeed. The development of the herculean mastery of the ten different hours, it was possible to allot one to one- the raga as part of pallavi singing demands varieties of tanam, such as gajatanam and and-a-half hours or even more for the an elaborate and systematic treatment chakratanam. And he used to employ delineation of the ragam, tanam and whereas it need not be so for a kriti. In three different tempos (vilamba, 'pallavi. But today, the entire concert has the concerts of a few decades ago, the madhyama-and durita) with perfect to be presented within two-and-a-half usual practice was to choose the varnam, control. The manner in which ragam- hours and so we are more time-bound with which the concert began and the taham-pallavi is presented today bears and time conscious. Therefore, at the pallavi, which was the concert's main item, the Ariyakudi stamp. most, 45 minutes can be set aside for in the same raga. SR : What are the important rules for pallavi exposition. A more detailed SR : Can you tell me something about sahitya rendering in the pallavi? elaboration of this item exceeding an tanam? hour can be done only at the cost of DKP: We must understand not only the DKP: Tanam is nothing but a rhythmical making the concert as a whole lose its syllables of the sahitya, but its rhythmical exposition of the raga without the tala balance. accentuation as well, what we term cycle but it should have a rhythmic gait or dattakara. There are clear rules for the SR : Can one scrap the pallavi pulse. It is not proper to introduce altogether? utterance of each syllable to coincide with pharases of raga alapana in tanam singing. the rhythm. Not only the arudi. but the DKP: Since the pallavi is the vital The tradition of singing the tanam within eduppu and the karvai too should follow backbone of a Carnatic music concert, it the framework of a regular rhythm (tala) the rules of falling into the right must on no account be omitted. At least is a special feature prevalent even today rhythmical slot as it were. The singer's a shortened version should be presented. in the Travancore Samasthanam concerts. creative intelligence and powerful In it, anuloma should be a definite feature. SR : What is the origin of pallavi rhythmical imagination are displayed in If possible, pratilomashould also be singing? the choice of different nadais in pallavi included. DKP: Well, it might have originated with singing— tisra, khanda, misra and SR : Can you throw light on the appro- the nagaswaram vidwans. Nagaswaram sankeerna in addition to the usual priate choice of ragas for pallavi singing? has to be played throughout the night chaturasra. These rules apply with equal DKP: Ragas with depth and profoundity during temple festivals. It is possible that force to kalpana svara as well as niraval. like Sankarabharanam, Kalyani, Todi and the vidwans indulged in a leisurely, The former should not strike the ear like Kambhoji along are cpable of being detailed presentation of raga and this a fusillade of mridanga korvais. but satisfy elaborately treated. But I have sung might have developed into the variations the desire for melodious sweetness. pallavis in Manirangu, Madhyamavati, of melody and rhythm with all the Melody must hot be sacrificed at the altar Mohanam and even Dvijavanthi. When hairsplitting technical details that we of rhythm. oughly, Pallavi consists in taking up Ra sentence or short piece of sanity a in SRUTI — A New Kind Of Magazine a particular raga and tala and rendering it in all possible variations and hanging on to it a copious variety of consistent swara Subscription Rates sanchara and niravals in many a rhythmic variation or nadaibheda within the tala. A long time measure is taken up first and then speeded up into madhyama kala and INDIA & SRI LANKA the whole feat is done in the two kalas. An Annual Rs 60/- exhaustive pallavi in the hands of experts Six mos. Rs 30/- may take up hours and an enjoyable pallavi in an ordinary conceit may occupy twenty minutes to half an hour after the USA, CANADA, WEST INDIES, FIJI alapana of the main raga. Annual Rs 300/- E. Krishna Iyer Six mos. Rs 160/-

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rom Umayalpuram Swaminatha Iyer to Maharajapuram good or even great music. But recent recitals of TMT have FViswanatha Iyer to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer to Tanjavur shown that tonal quality and musical — even lyrical — clarity M. Thiagarajan. it has been an unbroken line of guru-sishya have become unreliable and inconstant, perhaps an inevitable Sangita Kalanidhis. Yet what strikes us instantly about outcome of the weakening of qualities like power and virility Thiagara jan's music is its individualistic character. The musical which at one time camouflaged the recalcitrance of a rugged traits of his guru Semmangudi form only the bulwark of a style voice. When his voice fails him these days, he falls back on the that revels in originality. considerable cushioning afforded by his vidwat and virtuosity TMT possesses in good measure several of the attributes of a to a greater extent than usual. We have to look beyond the musical genius: intellectual inventiveness in exploring new vistas, erratic quality of his voice, and if we do. we are apt to find a imagination to colour and impress on the audience the power great deal of satisfaction. of his musical imagery, and judgement to separate the essence Recalling to aural memory TMT's recitals in the more recent from the chaff in selecting ideas. Binding all these together in years, we find certain features of his music are noteworthy. He nicely adjusted proportions to each other is his aesthetic is generally ruled by his innate sense of the purely aesthetic, sensibility. Finally, it is his artistic intrepidity that makes his while possessing complete command over rhythm. His emphasis is music stimulating and also unpredictable in the sense that he on bringing out the beauty of the ragas in a comprehensive offers no stereotype image on which to base our expectations. manner, on sahitya bhava and on presenting an abundance of The latter quality is one of the holds TMT unconsciously wields, varied sangati. His sharp inventiveness in the technical and with success, in his really good performances. The good embellishment of niraval and kalpana swaras impart to them a ones are those where his voice has co-operated with his vibrant delightful pungency and charm. His pursuit of the offbeat often imagination. Like his guru's, his is a cultivated singing voice. makes his recitals both profound and sparkling, offering surprise The akarti lilt, therefore, is to TMT the perfect medium in after surprise in raga and song selection and their execution. At tvhich to achieve tonal and musical mobility and this medium the same time, TMT can and often does offer music in the more he has harnessed successfully to the needs of his music. In his straighforward, traditionally sober manner. These qualities counger days, his voice was not so troublesome — and came to the fore in a performance three years ago when he sang independable — as it later became. Over the years, he had a Sankarabharanam superbly, complementing the conventional ndced disciplined and modulated a rather ordinary voice to beauty of the raga with his daring flights of fancy, and also express the aesthetic and emotional aspects of Carnatic music presented an interpretation of Dikshitar's Sankaracharyum effectively, thereby providing sustenance to those who argue which was poignantly expressive. In the same recital he also hat a good singing voice is not all that important to produce offered a novel musical attraction through his felicitous handling

repertoire. or plays the same raga or composition better in cine Revati. he exploits the full potential of his instrument to yield recital than in another. None, however, really falls to any- novel, interesting and sometimes beautiful expositions. standard or level which can be labelled mediocre or worse. His Srinivas' repertoire is not as limited as it often is said to be; music at its best fully sustains the notion that he is an authentic perhaps this misleading impression has been created because genius, though this does not mean he is already so completely he plays some ragas and compositions quite often at the request developed that there is no room for growth in his musical of listeners. He knows three ata tala varnams, in Bhairavi. faculty. Kambhoji and Sankarabharanam. as well as the navaragamalika Let us now sample his wares. His Viriboni for example is striking varnam. Major pieces that he plays include: Enduku in in its freshness. His Todi and Shanmukhapriya alapanas are Sankarabharanam, Kathanavariki in Todi, Nannupalimpa in both elaborate but quite different in scope and texture. Todi. Mohanam, Sakkaniraja in Karaharapriya, Etavunaru in Kalyani, as he played it in West Mambalam in Madras during the Sri Darini and Kalaharana in Suddha Saveri. Nagumomu in Abheri, Rama Navami celebrations and more recently at the Sringeri Brocheva in Kamas, MaJanaki in Kambhoji and Paridhana in Pravachana Mandapam in Mylapore, is majestic as it should Bilahari. Marivere in Shanmukhapriya is a popular favourite. be: it is deeply explored and not only at length, with the lower His repertoire of janyaraga kritis include: Vatapi'm Hamsadhvani. octave passages especially rolling off the wires like they used to Brovabarama in Bahudari, Bantureeti in Hamsanadam. from Rajarathnam's bari. The young lad has a small head but Samajavara gamana in Hindolam, Entanerchina in he has a great deal of lively imagination, musically sensitive Udayaravichandrika. Devadi deva in Sunadavinodini, imagination, as well as a lot of room upstairs wherein he seems Sudhcimayi in Amritavarshini and Nadopasana in Begada. to store away, for retrieval and use at will, sound reels of Srinivas is guided in the selection of ragas and compositions by melodic exploration which first came into being in the great their suitability for rendering on the mandolin. Rajarathnam's pipe dreams. Shanmukhapriya, as fashioned by Srinivas at his recital in Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in August, is The ragas that are very popular with the public in so far as the like a river stream with pearls compared with the oceanic mandolin music of Srinivas goes are: Todi, Mohanam, majesty of his Todi. Apparently springing from a different Karaharapriya, Hamsanadam, Bahudari. Hindolam, aspect of his imagination, it is marked by sweet and delicate Sunadavinodini, Suddha Saveri and Sindhubhairavi touches. His exposition of Hamsadhvani and Sri ragas are Srinivas does on occasion allow his rhythmic impulses to briefer, cameo-like, yet evocative of their essence. Whether it dominate and, with the percussionists joining to double the is one raga or another, his delineation of it is suffused with decibel, the melodic line seems to get rather thin and fragile. bhava. and this is true of his rendering of compositions as well. Sound becomes noise, especially when the amplification, partly This element is quite striking in the way he handles a difficult controlled by Srinivas himself, gets out of hand. But barring masterpiece like Tyagaraja's Endaro mahanubhavulu with its these lapses. Srinivas applies his extraordinary sense of rhythm plethora of charanam lines and the other pancharatna kirtanas, as to great effect, heightening the impact of his handling of melody also in kritis like Marubhari (Kamas), Bantureeti (Hamsanadham) and his creative swaraprastharas. His rhythmic virtuosity is and Nenendu vedakuthura (Karnataka Behag). His expansive particularly noteworthy when he is piling sangati on sangati. as imagination is reflected in his swaraprastharas also and in his in such zestful pieces as Sri Raghukula in Hamsadhvani. embellishments and ornamentations. While he borrows freely Ninnuvina in Navarasakannada and Raghuvamsasudha in from his heroes Rajarathnam Pillai and M.S. Gopalakrishnan to Kathanakuthoohalam. Stunning is perhaps the word, however, produce passages, phrases and artistic touches reminiscent of to describe the ease with which he performs difficult feats such these masters, his own originality and creativity come to the fore, as kuraippu (where the duration of the tala cycle is progressively yielding a lovely phrase or a deep curve, an embellishment that shortened) and odhukkal (syncopation). charms, a kalpana swara that sparkles like a necklace of nine A final point: Srinivas not only contributes immensely to our jewels or seduces like the rustle of soft silk on softer skin, or a coda pleasure but by attracting to the music hall many who have — tailpiece of a passage — which is so unexpected and new in stayed away for one reason or another, he may be helping to conception that it gives us goose-pimples. In Mohanam and bring about a resurgence in concert-going.