Songs on Narasimha

The sentinels at Vishnu’s door, Jaya and Vijaya were cursed by Narada to be born thrice as Rakshasas for their discourtesy towards him. When they begged his pardon he mitigated the curse by stating that Lord Vishnu would vanquish them in each of their incarnations and after the third they would regain their status. They were thus born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, Ravana and Kumbhakarna and finally as Kamsa and Sishupala. Each time they met their end at the hands of Vishnu and finally attained salvation.

Hiranyaksha kidnapped Bhumidevi and hid her in the ocean and Vishnu took the form of a boar and searched for her. He brought her to safety by placing her on his snout and then fought and killed Hiranyaksha. Hiranyakashipu the younger brother then performed great penances and desired the boon of immortality from Brahma. When the Creator said that was not possible, Hiranyakashipu prayed for the boon that he could be killed neither by living tissue nor weapon, neither at night nor during the day, neither by man nor beast, neither on earth nor in the sky and neither indoors nor outdoors. Armed with this boon he became the master of the three worlds. Much to his sorrow, his son Prahlada was born as a die-hard devotee of Vishnu. This was owing to Lilavati or Kayadu, his wife having been looked after by Narada when she was pregnant. The angry Rakshasa tried to make his son see sense and when he proved obstinate tried his level best to have him killed only to fail in all his attempts. The final denouement took place in the throne room where Hiranyakashipu threatened to kill his son himself and mocked him by asking him if Vishnu would now come to the boy’s rescue. The Lord did and he came as a half-man half-beast. Having picked up Hiranyakashipu he took him to the portal of the palace (neither indoors nor outdoor), placed him on his lap (neither on earth nor in the sky) and tore him apart with his nails (neither living tissue nor weapon). It was the twilight hour (neither day nor night) and so the boon of Brahma was fulfilled. Prahlada was made king of the Rakshasas and Vishnu as Narasimha retired to perform penance and rid himself of the anger he had exhibited in killing Hiranyakashipu. He was pacified by Prahlada and Goddess Lakshmi.

Various manifestations of Narasimha exist in temples all over India. In the South, they are popular particularly in the Andhra region, though several temples exist in Tamil Nadu as well. Narasimha shrines are usually rock-cut cave temples perhaps in keeping with the deity’s leonine character. The deity is usually depicted in one of three forms – ugra or angry wherein he is either in the process of slaying Hiranyakashipu or has just completed the deed, yoga where he is in deep meditation and the third is where he is in the company of his consort Lakshmi.

The powerful imagery of Narasimha has exercised a fascination over seers, philosophers, hymnodists, composers and singers. Even Nammazhwar who never stirred out of the tamarind tree which he made his home and to whom the deities of 37 great temples manifested themselves so that he could sing on them, composed on Narasimha. In his unique style, he composes of a maiden pining for Narasimha in his Adi Adi Akam Karainthu. The romantic side of the lion-faced God as depicted by Nammazhwar was used once again many centuries later by Bangalore Nagarathnamma in her Matada Baradeno which depicts a maiden yearning for union with the Narasimha of Namakkal. Adi Sankara composed the Lakshmi Nrsimha Karavalambana Stuti. Legend has it that Padmapada, one of Sankara’s four chief disciples would often be a medium for the manifestation of Narasimha and on one occasion saved Sankara from being sacrificed by a Kapalika. Vedanta Desika, the great Vaishnavite scholar composed his Kamasikashtakam on Lord Narasimha enshrined at the temple of Velirukkai in Kanchi. This is a divya desam as it was sanctified by Azhwars and the Lord here is referred to as Kamasika Narasimhan as he is said to have settled (Asika) here to meditate of his own free will (Kama). The deity is in yogic posture and has three eyes, a feature that is also seen in the Narasimha at the Singaperumal Koil near Madras.

Dikshitar’s Naraharim Ashrayami (Jayashuddhamalavi) is traditionally believed to be a part of his suite of songs composed in the 72 raganga ragas as part of his teaching music to the Tanjavur quartet. It is therefore likely that it is composed on the Narasimha shrine (Tanjai Yali) in Tanjavur. Sholinghur is yet another holy shrine dedicated to Narasimha who is here seated in yogic posture atop a hill called the Ghatikachala. It takes its name from the legend that Narasimha at the end of his incarnation stopped here for a second (ghatika) to bless the seven sages. Opposite the hill is yet another with a shrine for a four-armed Anjaneya, also in yogic posture. Muttuswami Dikshitar composed twin kritis on the two shrines. His song Narasimha Agachcha is in Mohanam and has a fast-paced madhyamakala sahityam which almost evokes a picture of Narasimha bursting forth from the pillar. The song on Anjaneya which has many lyrical similarities to that on Narasimha is in Nata. Tyagaraja is also believed to have visited Sholinghur during his travels. His songs on Narasimha (Narasimha Nanu Brovave/ Sri Narasimha Mam Pahi) do not mention any kshetra by name. It is however significant to mention that among the two operas by Tyagaraja, the Prahlada Bhakta Vijaya extols the virtues of Narasimha’s greatest devotee.

The Ananthpadamanabhaswami Temple in Tiruvanantapuram houses a shrine for a powerful manifestation of Narasimha and it is therefore but natural that Swati Tirunal, the ruler and composer should dedicate songs to this deity. His Narasimha Mamava (Arabhi) is one such creation. Pallavi Sesha Iyer, a composer of the 18th century created Dalachi Dalachi in raga Kiravani on Narasimha. Mysore Sadasiva Rao, one among the great composers in the Wallajahpet lineage of Tyagaraja’s disciples, was a Narasimha upasaka. It is said that when he once sang his kriti Narasimhududayinche in Kamalamanohari, the picture frame of the deity was shattered indicating that the Lord was listening to the kriti with enjoyment. Bangalore Nagarathnamma has gone on record stating that when she first had a vision of Tyagaraja in her dreams, this was the song she sang in gratitude. Her illustrious contemporary Mysore Vasudevachar created Manasa Vachasa in raga Begada in praise of the deity.

A sleeve note on DK Jayaraman

DKJ was in many ways the first musician I knew. When I was two he began coming home to teach an uncle and several aunts and cousins music. I remember him more for his sense of humour and the easy way in which he moved with everyone in our family. The links were broken sometime in the mid 1970s when our Madras home was wound up and everyone went to different cities. But DKJ was always a common subject to talk on when some of us cousins met. The note below was written for Charsur.

DK Jayaraman (DKJ) was born on 22nd July 1928 to Damal Krishnaswami Dikshitar and Kanthimathi (Rajammal) at Kanchipuram. It was a traditional, orthodox family with an element of musicality. Mother Rajammal sang in the confines of the kitchen while father was a scholarly man who understood the musical nuances. The family was however to become deeply involved in music when DKJ’s elder sister Pattammal’s talents came to be recognised. In an era when girls from upper caste families rarely took to public performances, Pattammal’s becoming a Carnatic artiste was nothing short of revolutionary and DKJ and his other brothers were to play a role in it.

Repertoire gathering for the sister was an important activity and accompanying her to performances was another. By the time he was seven, DKJ became Pattammal’s regular vocal accompanist. His talents were noticed by none other than the redoubtable TN Rajarathinam Pillai who once conferred on him the title of Isai Thambi.

By the late 1930s, the family had moved to Madras, mainly to further Pattammal’s career. It was here that DKJ came into contact with several stalwarts and learnt from them – some of these including Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Harikesanallur L Muthiah Bhagavatar. But it was his tutelage under Papanasam Sivan, where he and Pattammal learnt together, that was to leave a great impact on him. In time, he was to be the greatest repository of Sivan kritis and the composer was to consider DKJ as a son. Musically, DKJ was also deeply influenced by Pattammal, with whom he shared the stage for several years. He acquired a large repertoire of Muttuswami Dikshitar kritis from her.

Ironically, for a man of such great talents, establishing an identity as an individual performer proved a challenge. Ill health forced him to move to Kanchipuram for sometime where he tried his hand at business. It was left to mridangam maestro Palghat TS Mani Iyer to get DKJ back into the concert circuit. This was to be in the late 1960s. DKJ returned to Madras and encouraged by Mani Iyer, resumed his career. Success took its time in coming but when it did, there was no looking back. From the late 1970s, DKJ’s career graph rose. Sivan was sadly not around to witness it but Mani Iyer did and rejoiced. The 1980s were definitely his heydays.

DKJ’s music stood out for several aspects. The first was its devotional aspect, the emphasis being on bhakti in the song. His concerts witnessed a large number of kritis. Raga alapanas were usually brief but all encompassing. While he was a master in the popular ragas, he delighted in singing kritis in rare ragas. Songs such as vinata sutavAhana (jayantasena), sripatE (nAgasvarAvaLi), nEnaruncEra (simhavAhini), lAvaNya rAma (pUrNa ShaDjam) and shrI jAlandhara (gambhIra nATTai), owe their popularity to him. Tamil songs received great importance in his concerts. In swaraprastAra he was unparalleled, with the jIva svara of a raga always given importance. His rendition of the madhyama in particular was always unique.

A friendly personality, DKJ was to train numerous disciples. Of these Vijay Siva, RK Shriramkumar, and DKJ’s son J Vaidyanathan are perhaps most popular on the concert circuit. Another promising singer, who for unknown reasons chose to leave the field was Balaji Sankar. DKJ was also refreshingly free from the chauvinistic attitudes of male performers in the field and encouraged several lady accompanists in his concerts.

Honours were to come DKJ’s way towards the end of his career. By then, his voice, given that he had accompanied his sister for years, was to be somewhat a deterrent, affecting his ability to sing in the higher octaves. But he made up for all that by the deep emotion he brought to his music. Audiences continued thronging his concerts till the end.

What could have continued to be a great career was cut short at its very peak. In December 1990, DKJ received the Music Academy’s prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi. He was to pass away within a month, much to the shock of the entire music fraternity. He lives on, through his recordings and his long line of disciples.

O Manasa- addresses to the mind

What do you write when confronted with a topic like that? And yet that was Charsur’s latest command, for a CD by Sikkil Gurucharan. Here is what I wrote. I can’t say it has turned out great but I would rate it as adequate.

‘bhoomirApO analo vAyuh kham mano buddhirEva cha;ahamkAra ithIyam mEbhinnA prakrthirashTa DhA; aparEyam ithasthvanyAm prakrthim viddhi mE parAm’

Earth, water fire, wind, AkAsa and the mind, intellect and the ego- form my eightfold prakrti which is the lower and other than this is My higher prakrthi. Thus spake the Lord in the Bhagwad Gita.

Of the eightfold lower prakrti, the mind is the first of the human manifestations and it is the seat of all emotions. The catharsis of the mind is considered the first step to self-realization in Hindu philosophy. Addressing it continuously and making it see the right path is therefore a popular mode used in prayer and in song. Carnatic music makes full use of it.

And among the various composers, it is perhaps Tyagaraja who uses addresses to the mind in various contexts. In his bhajana parula (suraTi, rUpakam) he asks the mind as to where is the necessity to fear death when there is true devotion to Rama. In manasA shrI rAmacandruni (IshamanOhari, Adi) he exhorts the mind to recollect that in the third and sixth cantos of Valmiki’s Ramayana, Rama is referred to as the supreme and so He ought to never be forgotten. A very beautiful song is nAda sudhArasambilanu (Arabhi, rUpakam) where he tells his mind that Rama is music manifested and goes on to describe the Lord in musical terms. A similar song is gitArthamu (suraTi, dEshAdi) where Rama is described to the mind as the full significance of the Gita and the bliss of music. sAdhincEnE (Arabhi, Adi) has Tyagaraja recollecting to himself the various sports of the Lord and the way He has always achieved what He set out to do. In a similar vein is manasA! manasAmarthyamEmi (vardhani, rUpakam) where Tyagaraja reconciles himself to the fact that the mind can never comprehend the ways of the Lord who made people like Kaikeyi and Sugriva fall victims to Maya. In uNDedi rAmuDu (harikAmbOji, rUpakam), Tyagaraja assures the mind that Rama is the only one. His adi kAdu bhajana (yadukula kAmbOji, Adi) is a lecture to the mind that it is not bhajana when the thoughts are permanently fixed on objects of sensual enjoyment. His kshINamai (mukhAri, Adi) is into a much higher realm of philosophy. In it he tells his mind that even yogic achievements pale into insignificance when compared to the worship of Rama. His manasA ETulOrtunE (malayamArutam, rUpakam) and manasA shrIrAmuni (mAraranjani, Adi) attribute the lack of God’s grace to the wavering ways of the mind.

Muttuswami Dikshitar uses the mind in a simpler context. He exhorts it to prayer in a number of songs. This is a format that has been used by several other composers. Sadasiva Brahmendra, the mystic composer also uses the mind as the target for his songs. In songs such as mAnasa sancararE (sAma, Adi) he advises the mind on the route it ought to take to achieve bliss. His khElati mama hrdayE (aThANa, Adi) has the entire Ramayana in précis, all with a philosophical double entendre.

With such a tradition of addressing the mind, it is no wonder that it continues to be a popular mode. Patnam Subramanya Iyer based his composing format on the lines of Tyagaraja and his maravakavE (sAma, rUpakam) instructs the mind never to forget Rama. His ninnujEppa kAraNamEmi (mandAri, Adi) he despairs of the mind failing to correct itself. In similar vein is Nilakanta Sivan’s tEruvadu EppO (khamAs, Adi). Koteeswara Iyer’s gAnAmudapAnam (jyOtisvarUpiNi, mishra cApu) asks the mind as to why it hankers after other objects when it has the nectarine songs on Subrahmanya. Bharati’s uNmai arindavar (set to music in sumanEsharanjani, tishra naDai by Tanjore S Kalyanaraman) questions as to what Maya or illusion can do when faced with those who are ever established in the one Truth.

As long as there is an attempt by mankind to realise the Supreme, there will be songs addressed to the mind.

Some Muttuswami Dikshitar kritis on Shiva

Muttuswami Dikshitar (1776-1835) was unique among the Carnatic Trinity for it was he alone who adopted an eternally peripatetic lifestyle, visiting pilgrimage centre after centre. In each of these places, he not only studied the iconography, the temple lore and modes of worship in detail, he also wove them all into his compositions, making them musical documentations of our temple traditions. Perhaps it is this unique amalgam that has made his songs the subject of endless study and debate by scholars. Shiva as a deity would perhaps rank after Devi and Subrahmanya in terms of the number of compositions left behind by Muttuswami Dikshitar. But there are several great pieces on Him. Here we take a look at a few of the manifestations of Shiva that have been worshipped by Dikshitar in song.

The most common iconographic representation of Shiva would be the linga. In Vedaranyam apart from the linga, Shiva is represented as a bridegroom in resplendent attire and in the company of His bride, in the same sanctum. This was to enable Agastya have a vision of the divine wedding that took place in Kailasa. Dikshitar describes Shiva and Parvati together in his kriti attributed to this shrine – shrI pArvati paramEshvarau vandE (raga bhauLi). He says, as befitting a newly-wed couple, they are bedecked with jewels and rich raiment (ApAdamastakAlankArau) and that they are worshipped by Agastya, the husband of Lopamudra (lOpAmudrEshArcita caraNau). Rama is said to have been rid of the sin of killing Ravana here and hence the divine couple are also described as pApApaha. The raga mudra is skillfully woven into the lines chitbimbau lIlAvigrahau

Tiruchirapalli (trishiragiri) has the unique rock-fort at its centre. Halfway up this rock is the shrine to Matrubhuteshvara and His consort Sugandhikuntalamba (sugandhikuntalAmbA samEtam). The Lord here is so called because He manifested himself as a mother to a young Chetti woman who was in the throes of labour. Dikshitar composed his shrI mAtrubhUtam in raga kannaDa in praise of this deity. The raga mudra is in the line nata shuka sanakam naLa kAmAdi vijaya. The legend behind the temple is mentioned in the line vaishyajAtI strI vESha dharaNam. Rather uniquely, Shiva here sports the sun instead of the moon in his locks and is called sUryashEkara. The song states this in the line shirOdhrta sUrya gangam. Shiva is worshipped here with javanti flowers and is also called Javantinathar. This also finds a mention in the last lines of the song.

The song rudrakOpa jAta (raga rudrapriya) depicts Shiva as Veerabhadra, who along with Bhadrakali manifested when Shiva, angered over the death of his wife Sati, tore at his locks and split a hair into two. Having manifested Himself thus, Veerabhadra proceeded to destroy the sacrifice of Daksha, the father of Sati who having insulted Shiva caused her death. Veerabhadra cut off Daksha’s head but the latter, being a prajapati (one of the divine creators) needed to remain alive and so had his head replaced with that of a goat. The song describes the Lord as the beloved of Bhadrakali (bhadrakAli ramaNam). It also states that he chastised the goat-faced Daksha (ajavadana daksha shikSham). In keeping with the martial nature of the deity, this song has a brisk gait.

shrI dakshiNAmUrtE is one of Dikshitar’s greatest creations. Set in the majestic shankarAbharaNam, it portrays Shiva as the divine preceptor, ever immersed in meditation at the foot of the sacred banyan tree. Sages such as Sanaka flock to Him for realisation and in silence He conveys His message. As in keeping with a deeply contemplative deity, the song is mostly set in the lower octave and the lower set of notes in the middle octave. It follows a sedate gait and is set in the large cycle of jhampa tALa so that even the rhythm is slow.

Muttuswami Dikshitar’s favourite shrine was Tiruvarur. Here he composed some of his greatest songs including the Kamalamba Navavarana kritis. Shiva here is manifest as several lingas and central to the shrine is the sanctum of Valmikinatha who metamorphosed from an ant-hill. Dikshitar composed his shrI valmIkalingam (kAmbOji). The song describes the legend behind the temple. Vishnu’s arrogance had to be quelled and this was symbolically done by Brahma causing a divine bow to appear at the end of a sacrifice. The Gods, led by Shiva became ants and wore away the string of the bow which immediately released the arrow in it. This in turn took away Vishnu’s pride and He lapsed into yOga nidra with Shiva on His chest. The rise and fall of Vishnu’s chest as He breathed caused Shiva to dance in joy and this is termed AjapA naTanam. The caraNam of the song has this legend in full. Each of the Shiva lingas at Tiruvaru have their own consorts and Valmikalinga’s consort is Somakulambika. The song says the Lord is the bee that hovers around the lotus of Somakulambika (sOmakulAmbikAmbOja madhukaram). It also houses the raga mudra.

At Tiruvarur, the processional deity is known as Tyagaraja and He is also known as Veethi Vitanka. On Tyagaraja, Dikshitar composed eleven songs in all, of which eight are in the eight forms of address in Sanskrit and are known as the vibhakti kritis. Outside of this set are four other songs, of which one is tyAgarAja yOga vaibhavam in raga Ananda bhairavi. It is well-known for its yatis or cadences in the pallavi and the caraNam. In the pallavi the line tyAgarAja yOga vaibhavam is sequentially repeated each time with one syllable less. It is pregnant with meaning even when just the last syllable is sung. Similar is the case with the caraNam where the last line builds up from the one syllable “sham” to the full line shivashaktAdi sakala tatva svarUpa prakAsham.

Perhaps the most famous iconographic representation of Shiva is Nataraja. While Dikshitar’s Ananda naTana prakAsham in raga kEdAra is perhaps the best known kriti on this form, his cidambara natarAja mUrtim in raga tanukIrti is a rare piece. Composed at Chidambaram, it states Dikshitar’s creed of monism in the opening line itself where he meditates on Shiva who is formless (atanukIrtim). The word also incorporates the raga mudra in it.

A not so well-known depiction of Shiva is as bhikShATana or the divine mendicant who set out to seduce the wives of the arrogant sages of Darukavana. This incident is commemorated at a place called Vazhuvur, also known for another iconographic representation of Shiva – as gajasamhAramUrti. The song mAra kOTi kOTi describes Shiva as bhikShATana and is set in raga Arabhi.

This was written as a sleeve note for a CD released by Charsur. There are of course plenty more song on Shiva by Dikshitar

Dr S Ramanathan

This life sketch was written as sleeve notes for a CD released by Charsur Digital Workstation.

In the world of Carnatic music it is very difficult to come across a person who is a performer and a listener, a scholar and practitioner, a teacher and a student. Dr S Ramanathan was a personality who was all these and much more.

Born on 8th April 1917 at Tirukoilur to Subramania Sastri and Pattammal, Ramanathan had his initial training in music, from the age of seven, under Tirukoilur Ramudu Bhagavatar and Manalurpettai Subramania Dikshitar. He then joined the Music College in the Annamalai University in Chidambaram where he trained under a galaxy of stalwarts comprising Tanjavur Ponniah Pillai, TS Sabhesa Iyer, Sattur Krishna Iyengar, Madurai Subramania Ayya and ‘Tiger’ Varadachariar. He graduated from the college with the Sangita Bhushanam diploma. Post this, he also trained under Valadi Krishna Iyer for vocal music and Devakottai Narayana Iyengar for the veena and acquired proficiency in both fields.

From the very beginning it was clear that research held as much importance to Ramanathan as did a performing artiste’s career. He therefore pursued both passions. Initially he held a researcher’s position at the Tamil Nadu Sangeet Natak Akademi and later moved on to several Universities of India. He became Dean of the Music Department, University of Kerala. Throughout this period he also found time to perform concerts, mostly of the vocal variety.

Ramanathan then moved to the United States of America where he became visiting professor at several universities. At the Wesleyan he decided to pursue a doctoral thesis and along with Prof Jagannathachari did research on music in the Silappadikkaram, the classic work of the Sangam age. He was awarded a doctorate for this work, a rare example of a diploma holder qualifying for a PhD. His research on the use of 22 srutis in Karnatic music, as well as the Kudumiyamalai inscription, won him much praise. He gave many chamber concerts while in the US and was also given the unique opportunity to perform on World Human Rights Day at the United Nations in New York. Dr Ramanathan returned to India via teaching assignments in Malaysia and Taiwan and became Professor at the Music College in Madras. In the 1970s he moved to Madurai to serve at the Satguru Sangeetha Samajam. Later he also served as Director of the Tamil Isai Sangam.

Dr Ramanathan was well known for his lectures on a variety of subjects connected with music. Some of the subjects he offered lec-dems on were Allied Ragas, Syama Sastri, Muthiah Bhagavatar, Tyagaraja Ramayana, Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam, Pre-trinity Composers, Subramania Bharati, Framing of Pallavis and so on. But the one he was best known for was A Day with Tyagaraja. With such a wonderful choice of topic, he performed many times without it becoming stale. Once it would be a day where Tyagaraja had just composed Rama Ni Samanamevaru in Kharaharapriya; on another occasion it would be a day when a musician from North India had come to meet Tyagaraja who then burst into Dasarathi ni runamu in Todi. He even performed this lecture once in Telugu at the urging of an audience in Andhra.
Research being a life long abiding interest, Dr Ramanathan worked on the Divyanama Kritis of Tyagaraja, the Kavadi Chindu and also the songs of Subramania Bharati. In addition he also worked on folk songs of Tamil Nadu. He, along with B Rajam Iyer, worked on the Tamil version of Subbarama Dikshitar’s Telugu magnum opus, the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini. He also authored several books, papers and monographs on music.

Dr Ramanathan’s music was unique in many ways. He avoided the use of excessive gamakas and ornamentation and emphasised the use of straight notes. He preferred to present music as per the authentic patantharam of his Gurus. His voice was deep and had tremendous appeal. His veena playing was marked by purity of style. It would be no exaggeration to say that Dr Ramanathan sang or performed most for his own enjoyment and therefore there was no fixed or particular time for his music. In fact music dominated his thoughts to the exclusion of anything else.

Dr Ramanathan was generosity personified when it came to teaching. He never refused anyone and gave generously of his truly enormous repertoire. Among his students are P.Unnikrishnan, S. Sowmya, Savithri Sathyamurthy, Seetha Narayanan, Vasumathi Nagarajan, Sukanya Raghunathan (veena), Banumathy Raghuraman (veena/vocal), Vidya Hariharan (veena/vocal), Vanathy Raghuraman, Latha Radhakrishnan (violin/vocal) and Padma Gadiyar (veena). He also believed in encouraging youngsters and was seen on many evenings at Mylapore’s famed Sastry Hall, appreciating the music of newcomers and spurring them to greater heights. He was also one of the musicians who kept alive the tradition of the Margazhi Bhajans around the Mylapore temple after the passing of Papanasam Sivan. He was also one of the moving spirits behind the Sangita Samajam, Purasawalkam, Madras which used to organise 24 hr ‘Akhandam’ sessions where Tyagaraja’s songs would be sung without any repetition of pieces. His large repertoire was immensely useful in this.

Many awards came to Dr Ramanathan. The Tamil Isai Sangam gave him the title of Isai Perarignar in 1981. The Music Academy, Madras conferred on him the title of Sangita Kalanidhi in 1985. His conduct of the Annual Conference of the Academy that year has remained a reference point for presidents of annual conferences in all subsequent years. Dr Ramanathan was a composer and his song Bhavapriye Bhavani in raga Bhavani is often sung in concerts.

Dr Ramanathan passed away on 19th March 1988 after a battle against cancer. His last request was for his daughter Geetha Bennett to sing Dikshitar’s Abhayambayam (Sahana) and a creation of his own in Surati. He lives on in the memories of countless admirers not only of his music but also of his golden and generous nature.

Arutpas of Ramalinga Swamigal

Ramalinga Swamigal or Vallalar as he is popularly known, was one of the great mystics of the 19th century. He was born on 5th October 1823 to Ramaiah Pillai and Chinnammaiar at Marudur village in South Arcot District of the Madras Presidency. Ramaiah Pillai had had the misfortune to lose five wives in succession and Chinnammiar was the sixth. The union was blessed and the couple had five children of whom Ramalingam was the youngest. Within a few months of his birth, Ramalingam was taken to the Chidambaram shrine where when the deeparadhana took place the infant burst into laughter. In later life, this was interpreted to be his first spiritual experience.

Within a year Ramaiah Pillai passed away and his wife took her children to Madras city where her eldest son Sabhapati had made his home with his wife, Parvati. The elder brother was a discourser and desired that his younger brother received a formal education. However Ramalingam’s heart was not in it and greatly disappointed Sabhapati. He preferred to spend time at the Kandaswami Temple on Rasappa Chetty Street, George Town. By way of punishment his elder brother forbade food being served to him and it was the kind-hearted Parvati who not only ensured that he received nourishment but also convinced him of the necessity for education. He began to pursue his studies at home.

Ramalingam spent a considerable time in meditation, in a room all by himself where he placed a lamp in front of a mirror and focused his attention on it. He later became so absorbed in it that he eschewed even food and sleep. He came to define God as the divine light (arutperumjothi). The city of Madras took notice of him when one day, in the absence of his elder brother, he took his place and delivered a discourse on the 63 Nayanmars. The family, worried about his spiritual inclinations forced him to marry his niece but he shown no interest in the life of a householder. It was said that he spent the nuptial night reading the Tiruvachakam.

In 1865 he came out openly against the caste system, blaming it for all the ills of Indian society. He founded the Samarasa Suddha Sanmarga Satya Sangam which declared its motto to be universal brotherhood. Later in Vadalur he founded a free eating house where people would be fed irrespective of caste considerations. Titled the Satya Dharma Salai it came up on land donated by well-wishers and Ramalinga Swamigal lit the stove himself with a prayer that it should remain burning forever and feed people at all times. This has remained so till date. He came to be called Vallalar (the generous one) thereafter.

Ramalinga Swamigal believed in Jeeva Karunyam, kindness to all living beings and abhorred the practice of killing animals for meat. When he constructed the Satya Gnana Sabhai in Vadalur in 1872, he declared that it was open to all for worship except those who ate meat. The latter group was however, free to offer worship from outside. It was an unusual temple for it had no deity and the sanctum was marked by seven cotton fabric screens, indicative of the seven veils of ignorance that needed to be removed to realise Godhead. No fruit or flowers could be offered in worship and an oil lamp lit by Ramalinga Swamigal is kept burning in perpetuity
Ramalinga Swamigal moved to Mettukuppam and there he raised the flag of universal brotherhood from a one room building. He delivered his last discourse there and entreated his disciples to meditate on a lamp that he placed outside. On 30th January 1874 he announced that he was going into the room and requested them not to open it for they would find nothing. The doors remained locked till May when at the instance of the Government they were broken open. The room was empty and it is believed that Ramalinga Swamigal had dematerialised. The Government gazettes of the period duly made mention of this.

Ramalinga Swamigal composed 5818 poems on the theme of universal love and these are collectively called the Tiruarutpa. The lyrics had a powerful impact on Papanasam Sivan of whom it was said that when young his only worldly possession was a compilation of the verses. The lyrics have been set to music by several people and form an integral part of the Carnatic music world today.

This write-up is the sleeve note for Charsur’s CD of the same name – Arutpa, sung by Sanjay Subrahmanyan

tODi

tODi is one of the most powerful rAgAs of Carnatic music. The ability to render tODi is often considered to be the best measure of an artiste’s calibre. We do find mention of tODi in few ancient works like sangIta samaya sAra of Parsvadeva (circa 11th century) and sangIta ratnAkara of Sarngadeva (circa 13th century), and also in some of the later day works like Somanatha’s rAga vibOdha(17th century), sangIta sArAmrita(1735) of Tulaja, and Govindacharya’s sangraha cUDAmaNi (18-19th century). One also comes across names like chAyA tODi and turuShka tODi in sangIta samaya sAra and sangIta ratnAkara. In the anubandham to the monumental caturdaNDiprakAsika (of Venkatamahin), believed to have been authored by Muddu Venkatamakhin, we have janatODi classified as the 8th mELa. And then we of course have the sampUrNa mELa system of sangraha cUDAmaNi, wherein Govindacharya replaced the kaTapayAdi prefix ‘jana’ by ‘hanuma’, and thus we have hanumatODi or just tODi. All said and done, the tODi that we know of today has come down to us through the Trinity, Kshetrajna and other great vAggEyakAras. The thAT tODi of Hindustani sangIta has nothing in common with the Carnatic tODi, except the name. The latter’s equivalent in Hindustani system, is bhairavi thAT.

In the hands of the great composers, tODi has received special treatment that has further enhanced its status among rAgAs. Earlier to the Trinity there may have been songs set to tODi, but as the works of the composers of that period have since then been tuned many times again, one is not able to say with any degree of accuracy. One such song of Purandara Dasa, yEnu dhanyaLO lakumi is now sung in tODi. The song expresses wonder at the good fortune of Goddess Lakshmi that she is the chosen one of the Lord. kOdaNDa rAma of Bhadrachala Ramadasa is another early piece. The song is said to have been composed when Ramadasa’s son fell into a vat of gruel and was killed. The song it is said moved Lord Rama to restore the boy to life. Among the Trinity, it was Tyagaraja who left behind the largest corpus of songs in tODi. Amongst these, such songs as kaddanu vAriki, kOluvamarEgada, endudAginADO and AragimpavE are very popular on stage. The last is a moving work depicting the waking up of Lord Rama in the morning and proceeding in stages to his breakfast and mid day meal, with his wife and brothers. Yet another kriti of Tyagaraja, rAjUvEDala is one of the Sriranga Pancaratnam and is on Lord Ranganatha. Emi jEsitEnEmi is a very moving piece on the futility of being worldly. Of particular interest to etymologists is the word lAndaru (adapted from the English lantern) which appears in the song. It must have come into contemporary Telugu from the English conquerors.

Muttuswami Dikshitar composed a pada varna, rUpamu jUci on Lord Tyagaraja of Tiruvarur. This varnam was used by Dikshitar’s disciple Tiruvarur Kamalam in her dance arangETram. The dhyAna kriti of the kamalAmba navAvaraNam, is in tODi. Yet another kriti is dAkshAyani which is one of the abhayAmba vibhakti kritis of Dikshitar. shrI subrahmaNyO is a moving piece. It is composed on the deity at Tiruchendur. The song mentions the line patra vibhUti pradhAna (he who gives the sacred ash on a leaf). This practice is continued till date at this temple. Interestingly Adi Sankara’s subrahmaNya bhujangam composed almost 1200 years earlier mentions the same fact. Another song attributed to Muttuswami Dikshitar is shrI krShNam bhaja which is on the deity at Guruvayur.

Syama Sastry too has composed in tODi (thereby making tODi one of the few rAgAs in which each of the Trinity has composed). His ninnE nammi nAnu is an absolute gem. So is his svarajati rAvE himagirikumAri. His son Subburaya Sastry has given us nannu brOcuTaku and shrI kamalAmbikE in the rAga.

Among those who composed varnams in the rAga, Patnam Subramanya Iyer and Pallavi Gopalayyar stand out. Subramanya Iyer’s ErAnApai is a brisk beginner in concerts. Patnam has also composed a varnam in shuddha tODi (leaving out the pancama). There is a school of thought that ErAnApai was also originally in shuddha tODi for it abounds in svarAs without the pancama in many places. Gopalayyar’s aTa tALa varnam kanakAngi is in praise of King Sarabhoji of Tanjore. Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer and his brother Ramaswami Sivan, composed Ananda naTEsha in the rAga. Patnam’s disciple Poochi Iyengar composed many kritis in tODi of which shrI vENkaTEsham is the most famous. His kriti satatamu brOvumayya in tODi, composed for the coronation durbar of King George V in Delhi in 1912, is an interesting piece historically. The Muthialpet sabha of George Town, Madras, presented him with a gold medal for it. Ghanam Krishna Iyer’s yAr pOi sOlluvAr and many padams of Kshetragna further embellish this rAga. Several of Gopalakrishna Bharati’s pieces have now been tuned in this rAga. Muttutandavar’s EnnEramum, a humorous piece on Lord Nataraja is a very beautiful kriti.

With arrival of Papanasam Sivan, the rAga received yet another bountiful harvest. The composer’s imagination gave vent to a large number of songs in this rAga. taNigai vaLar and tAmadam En are but two examples. Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar made kArtikEya gAngEya of Sivan very famous. Sivan, forced by his extreme poverty, asked Ariyakkudi for copyright. The singer neatly sidestepped the issue by singing the song of Kotiswara Iyer, kali tIra vandaruL in the same rAga in all subsequent concerts, till friends brought about reconciliation between Ariyakkudi and Sivan. So fond was Ariyakkudi of this rAga that it was said that he sang it in all his concerts.

Among the other great singers, GN Balasubramaniam was known for his rendition of tAmadam En (Sivan) and Ananda naTEsha (Ramaswamy Sivan). The Alathoor Brothers rendered ninnE nammi nAnu(Syama Sastry) beautifully and so did KV Narayanaswami. For extensive renditions of the rAga both Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and ML Vasanthakumari were well known. MD Ramanathan made brindAvana lOla his own. T Brinda and T Mukta were famed for their renditions of Emi jEsitE nEmi and nE mOrabETTitE (both Tyagaraja). Many believe that the latter song was originally set in rAga rUpavati by the composer and later changed by singers to tODi. MS Subbulakshmi sang kArtikEya gAngEya (Sivan) often and DK Pattammal and DK Jayaraman rendered songs such as dAcukOvalEna (Tyagaraja) most evocatively. Madurai Mani Iyer made his concerts lively with his rendition of tAyE yashOda (Oothukkadu Venkatasubbayyar). Musiri Subramanya Iyer moved audiences to tears with his endu dAginADO (Tyagaraja).

Among the entire music fraternity, it was TN Rajarathinam Pillai, the nAgaswara wizard, who was considered the emperor of tODi. It is said he practiced tODi all the time and set the highest standards in its rendition. The few recordings that survive of him testify to his wizardry. His short gamaka laden phrases, kArvais, long swooping jArus, lightning fast brighas seemed tailor made for expanding tODi.

Predating Rajarathinam by many years was one tODi Sitaramayya who earned the prefix for his expertise in the rAga. Once, due to penury he borrowed money on the pledge of the rAga, promising not to sing it till he could repay the loan. King Sarabhoji it is said cleared off the debt, for he could not bear the thought of Sitaramayya not rendering tODi.

The name tODi itself is a mystery. Many believe that it means that which is tough and that its full name (hanumatODi) means that which breaks the singers’ jaws, such being a measure of the difficulty involved in mastering it. Whatever be the meaning, it is considered the acme of musical excellence. It arouses varied emotions in its listeners. It is deep, alluring and mysterious in its captivating charm. In many ways it is the quintessence of Carnatic Music.

Remembering Musiri

For some reason, he is stuck in my head from this morning. Perhaps because I listened yesterday to his singing Dikshitar’s pAhi mAm ratnAchala (mukhAri)

I have therefore fished out this sleeve note I wrote long ago for Charsur:

Musiri Subramania Iyer

- The human face of bhava

It is not often the fortune of an artiste to draw tears from listeners’ eyes, even as he or she performs. But to endow even replays and recordings with such an ability, is almost an impossibility. Musiri Subramanya Iyer, or simply Musiri as he was called, had perfected this art to such an extent that till date his feats in bhava, especially in neraval, (an imaginative exposition of lyrics, within the limits set by Raga and Tala) have never been matched.

The voice was high for a man. In his youth, it was even higher (F Sharp) and as he aged, it did drop to D Sharp, but the high voice, in complete unison with the drone of the tanpura, created a mesmeric effect, often likened to a bee flitting about in garden of music in springtime. The body was often frail, but it scaled Himalayan heights when it came to musical tourneys. The combination spelt dignity, a dignity of art, of accomplishment and achievement, from which he never lowered himself. Ayyarval (respected one), he was called and he remained true to that name till the very end.

Subramanya Iyer was born on 9th April, 1899 to Sankara Sastry, a Sanskrit Pandit and his wife Seethalakshmi, at Bommalapalayam Village, Trichy District. Whether he had formal schooling in the three R’s is a matter of debate, but the fact remains that he was an erudite and scholarly speaker and writer in the English language, one of the earliest Carnatic Musicians to have that capability. An ardent admiration for Charles Dickens was his hallmark, amidst a variety of reading interests.

In music, he came under the spell of SG Kittappa, the singing stage star, like many of his generation. In fact his usage of a high pitch is attributed by many to this. This admiration, added to a musical disposition, led him to begin learning music at the age of 17 from S Narayanaswamy Iyer, a music teacher in the princely state of Pudukottah. Three years later he apprenticed himself with Sangita Kalanidhi Karur Chinnaswami Iyah, the ace violinist, of the Garbhapuri family and Guru to many stars in the Carnatic firmament. At Chinnaswami Iyah’s own suggestion, he moved to Madras and sought the tutelage of Sangita Kalanidhi TS Sabhesa Iyer, a vocalist par excellence and a disciple of Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer himself. For nine years, Subramanya Iyer was to learn from Sabhesa Iyer, a period which saw him absorb his Guru’s greatest asset – an incomparable style of rendering neraval.

In 1920, Subramanya Iyer made his debut at a Sabha in Triplicane, Madras. It was then the practice for most artistes to prefix their village names to their own and the Sabha organizers, perhaps thinking that Bommalapalayam did not sound impressive, announced his name as Musiri Subramanya Iyer. And that was how he came to be known for the rest of his life. This is one of many similar versions, but the name stuck. His career took off in the right direction and he was soon famous. Crowds flocked to hear his emotion packed renditions of such songs as “Tiruvadi Charanam”, “ Nagumomu”, “Entavetukondu”, “Viritta senjadai” and “Pahi Ramachandra”. He left an indelible stamp on them, causing audiences to judge any other artistes rendition of these as inferior. His fame further grew with the introduction of 78 rpm gramophone records, for which industry he was a money spinner.

In 1932, he undertook a visit to the Federated Malay States (then including Singapore), Burma and Ceylon, for raising funds for the Sri Ramakrishna Mission. It was a brave decision in times when it was taboo to “cross the waters” and his impressions of that visit, as written by him are a touching memoir. In 1937, Musiri was invited to act as Tukaram in the film of the same name, produced by business magnates of Coimbatore. Though the film was not a commercial success, its songs were very well received and Musiri added some more emotion packed pieces to his repertoire. His health however received a setback at around this time and he was to remain a victim of lung trouble till his very end.

Till the mid forties, he was a busy concert artiste. The great concert Halls of Carnatic Music, such as the 100 pillared hall, Rockfort, Trichy, the Gokhale Hall, Armenian Street, Madras and the Nellai Sangeetha Sabha, echoed to his voice as thousands gathered to hear. It is said that when he rendered Taye Yashoda or Teyilai Tottatile , there would not be a dry eye in the audience. Packed with bhava, he alone amongst his peers had the magic of portraying multiple emotions in a single line of a song, while still remaining within the contours of a raga. Who could forget the way he interpreted the line beginning “gagana” in Nagumomu?

He was a pioneer in bringing dignity to music as a profession. He broke the superior patron – beseeching musician scheme of things and moved among his admirers as their social equal and not someone to be called and made to perform at will. Senior advocates, lawyers, judges, business magnates and ICS and IAS officers were all his friends, who sought his company for his art and also for the person he was. The former Under Secretary General of the United Nations, CV Narasimhan was his disciple. He was all for dignity as a performing musician. His social graces, his clean lifestyle, the high standard of his English all added to his image.

Many were the honours that came his way. In 1939, he became Sangita Kalanidhi, one of the youngest in terms of age, ever to have got the Music Academy’s prestigious title. In 1963, the Tamil Isai Sangam awarded him the title Isai Perarignar. In 1957, he was given the Sangeeta Nataka Akademi award and in 1968, its fellowship. From 1939, he involved himself in the Tyaga Brahma Mahotsava Sabha, one of the three bodies that govern the worship at Tyagaraja’s Samadhi in Tiruvayyaru. He was also Asthana Vidwan of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.

In 1949, the Central College of Music, now located at Brodie’s Castle, Madras, was inaugurated and Musiri was appointed its first principal. He came into his own as a tutor and administrator and given his popularity in the field, used his good offices in recruiting some of the very best talent as part of the teaching faculty. With his felicity with language and his experience as a teacher, he was able to bring out the best in his students. Some of the lecture demonstrations that he has given, when heard on tape now, show that he had a sense of humour, that like him was dignified and yet pointed. His simple and lucid explanations on tricky aspects of Raga and Tala, are valuable treatises in today’s environment. Musiri retired from this assignment in 1965.

Musiri was married to Nagalakshmi at the age of 14. They were childless, but lavished their love on an extended family, that comprised near and distant relatives, fellow musicians, aspirants and sishyas. He led a contented and happy life, in the then sylvan surroundings of Oliver Road, Mylapore. He had bought a house there in the 1930s and this is where some of his students such as KS Venkataraman, Sangita Kalanidhis TK Govinda Rao and Mani Krishnaswamy, Smt Suguna Purushottaman and Smt Suguna Varadachari, came to be tutored by him till his demise. He passed away, after a lifetime of achievement, on 24th March, 1975. As a singular token of respect, the road where his house is located is now named after him. A fitting honour for a musician of superlative talent and rare class.

Palani as a shrine for music

Palani is a hallowed kshetra, being one of the Arupadaiveedu- the six sacred shrines associated with Muruga/Karthikeya/Subrahmanya. This is a hill temple, located on the eponymous hillock, which stands 1500 feet over sea level. Palani is also known as Tiruavinankudi because of the town of the same name located at the foot of the hill. Here there is a vast and ancient temple dedicated to Murugan where he is seen as a child seated on a peacock.

Murugan on the hill is in the form of Andi – one who has renounced the entire world. The principal deity is two armed, clad in just a loin cloth, shaven headed and carrying a staff in one hand. Because of the last attribute, the Lord here is also known as Dhandayudhapani. Legend has it that a divine fruit was offered by Lord Shiva to whichever of his two sons went around the world in the shortest possible time. Muruga embarked on his peacock, quite confident that Ganesha with his portly form and the rat for a mount would never be able to achieve it. Even as Muruga flew around the earth, Ganesha simply circumambulated his parents, stating that they were the world to him. He consequently got the fruit. When Muruga returned, he was enraged at what he felt was Ganesha’s trickery. He promptly renounced the world and decided to meditate on a hilltop. At the same time, the sage Agastya was moving South for his meditation and asked his giant of a disciple Idumban to carry two hillocks from the North, to be placed at whichever spot the sage chose for his hermitage. Idumban slung the two hillocks from a bamboo frame suspended across his shoulder and began marching south. At a particular spot he felt tired and having set the two hillocks down he rested. Muruga appeared at that moment and settled on one of the two. When Idumban rose to leave he could not lift the hillocks. A fierce battle ensued between Muruga and Idumban in which the latter was killed and later restored to life. He requested Muruga of two boons – the first was that the Lord would be propitiated by anyone who would carry the kavadi – a symbolic representation of his act of carrying the two hillocks. The second was that he, Idumban would stay guard over the entrance to the Lord’s shrine. These were granted and even today the kavadi is a frequently adopted practice, with devotees bringing votive offerings slung on their shoulders or simple bearing a palanquin like structure. The kAvaDi chindu is a folk-music form that is therefore associated with Murugan shrines. The temple for Idumban stands halfway up the hill. Shiva and Parvati came in search of their son and appeased him by saying that to them he (ni in the second person) was the fruit (Pazham). The shrine became Palani.

The main idol of Muruga in the temple is believed to have been fashioned out of nine poisons (navapashanam) by Bhoga Siddhar. The idol is therefore said to have remarkable curative properties and great is the demand for the panchamritams and other unguents with which it is anointed. Today the idol is said to be in a fragile state consequent to repeated ritual bathing. The processional idol is that of an endearing child. Palani town and shrine are bustling centres today, ever thronged by pilgrims. Though most people prefer to climb the hill, there is also a winch service. There are festivals galore at this pilgrim town. In March/April, Panguni Uthiram is celebrated for ten days at the Tiruavinankudi shrine, when the processional deity of that temple, Muthukumaraswami, is brought out on a series of mounts in the company of his consorts. In October/November is celebrated Kanda Shashti. This is a six-day festival and the processional deity from Palani Hill, known as Chinna Kumarar is taken out in processions. Thai Poosam is observed in January/February. Kavadis are taken out on nearly all days of the year and during the festivals, the numbers go up.

Palani has been a centre for the arts from time immemorial. As a shrine to Muruga it has fostered Tamil as a classical language. In his Tirumurgatruppadai, Nakkeerar sings of Palani as being the third of the six Arupadai Veedu. Arunagirinatha, in the 15th century has sung around 95 verses on the Palani temple. This group begins with the popular nAdavindukalAdi namO nama. The verses mention either Avinankudi or Palani. shivanArmanam kuLira is a popular stanza from this set as also is apakAra nindai.

Among the Carnatic Trinity, it was Muttuswami Dikshitar who travelled to Palani. He dedicated his daNDAyudhapANim in Ananda bhairavi to the deity. This is a grand composition and in the caraNam Dikshitar performs worship using the five elements as his ingredients. His composition is in chaste Sanskrit but Murugan being essentially a Tamil deity, it is in that classical language that the bulk of songs on Palani are composed.

Perhaps the most prolific composer on Palani after Arunagirinatha is the little-known Doraiswami Kavirayar who lived in Madras in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He composed 59 kirtanais on the deity and these are known as Palani Andavar kirtanais. He also composed verses in formats such as vENba, kaliturai, pAmAlai, antAdi and padigam. These compositions came to the fore in the 1940s when the Tamil Isai Movement gained ground. The faculty of the Annamalai University had much to with compiling compositions in Tamil. A prominent contributor to this effort was the vainika VS Gomathisankara Iyer who collected all the songs of Doraiswami Kavirayar with notation. Iyer also composed songs and two of his varnams are on Palani. The one in asAvEri/Adi is featured here.

Papanasam Sivan is a name that needs no introduction. This vaggEyakAra of the 20th century has left us several wonderful compositions on Palani. Perhaps the most famous one is kA vA vA in varALi, a song that gained prominence thanks to the mellifluous rendition of Madurai Mani Iyer. The lyricist Periasami Tooran also created several songs on Palani as did the late 20th century composer D Pattammal. Another prolific composer on Palani was Kovai Subri.

Interestingly, Palani has also had a powerful performing tradition in percussion. Palani Rangappayyar was a name to contend with in percussion as were the father-son duo of Palani Muthiah Pillai and Subramania Pillai. Today, a nagaswaram college, perhaps the only one of its kind flourishes in this town.

No write-up on Palani can be complete without mention of KB Sundarambal, the theatre artiste, Carnatic singer and film personality. She was practically synonymous with her song –Pazham nI appA. She was deeply attached to this temple and was a frequent visitor.

This was written as a sleeve note for CDW’s album on Palani, sung by Prasanna Venkataraman

A brief intro to Harikatha

The art of imparting good values and spreading religious beliefs through the means of story telling has existed from time immemorial, in almost all ancient civilizations of the world. India is no exception. Valmiki’s Ramayana is structured as the narrative of the sons of Rama, Kusha and Lava, at their father’s court. Most importantly the twins are described as having sung the work.

Story telling has remained a great tradition in India and survives in various forms all over the country. At the micro level, it was perhaps best exemplified by the grandmother’s tale of one generation ago, when the old lady would hold a set of children spellbound by reciting a story from the puranas, to the accompaniment of some mono acting, some shlokas and plenty of singing.

Story telling evolved as Harikatha, a unique art form in 18th and 19th century South India. The Maratha kingdom of Thanjavur was where it came up as a result of several important influences. The art of Katha Kalakshepam or passing of time by listening to stories was already a powerful presence in the area, but it existed more as a form of religious discourse where learned scholars would take up a topic and embellishing it with some shlokas, speak on the subject for a few hours. Based on the type of subject matter, such discourses looked to different works for material. Thus if the subject matter was the Periya Puranam, the Kanda Puranam or Kamba Ramayanam, it was called prasangam and had quotes from the Tiruvachakam, the Tevaram and similar Tamil works. If the subject matter was from the Puranas, there were quotes from the Bhagavatam, the Maha Bharatham and the Ramayanam. Occasionally musicians also took to such discourses, one of the most prominent being Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan (1845-1893) who on days when he had no concerts, put his elder brother Ramaswami Sivan’s kritis to good effect by performing discourses at his own doorstep on various tales from the Periya Puranam. The content was generally high brow and the appeal was limited.

The Thanjavur kingdom was voluntarily signed off to the British by the last king, Sarabhoji II in 1799 in exchange for a pension. The ruler freed from all cares, devoted his life to supporting the arts. Musicians and other artistes thronged his court. Among them were kirtankars from Sarabhoji’s native land of Maharashtra. The kirtankars made for a colourful presence with their vivid dresses, their metrical songs, their ability to move on stage while performing and their use of the chipla (castanet) and the jalar (cymbal). They used a good deal of music while reciting a tale and maintained a fast and racy pace of narration. Soon a great rivalry sprang up between the North Indian and South Indian katha traditions with the North Indian style gaining the upper hand.

Meruswami (aka Ananthpadmanabhagoswami) was almost certainly the first kirtankar who made it big in Thanjavur. Referred to as Kokilakantha (cuckoo voiced), he was well versed in Hindustani music. In 1836 he moved to Travancore where he became preceptor to the ruler Swati Tirunal. Close on the heels of Meruswami came Ramachandra Morgamkar Buva (or Morkar Bawa). The last titular ruler of Thanjavur, Shivaji II (r 1832-1855) welcomed him and established a Math for him to stay in the city during the Chaturmasya period. Morkar Bawa performed kirtans at the Math everyday and began attracting huge crowds. Musicians vied with each other to accompany him and among them were leading percussionist of the time such as Narayanaswami Appa and ‘Dholak’ Nannu Miyan. Observing the success of this form, Tanjavur Krishna Bhagavatar (1841-1903), took careful notes of the two Katha traditions, namely the north and the south and decided to amalgamate the best in both styles. This amalgam had the rich musical tradition of the north along with the high levels of erudition of the south. Thus was born the Harikatha tradition.

Krishna Bhagavatar left very little for others to do. He planned the seating of musicians for his performances. Thus there was a violinist or a harmonist and a mridangist who sat behind the main artiste who performed standing right through the performance. There was in addition an artiste who maintained the pitch by strumming on the tambura, while yet another operated the jalar. The chipla was used by the main artiste who also wore the gajjai (bells) on his feet for added effect. For his stories, Krishna Bhagavatar wrote several of the nirupanams (or music pieces centring on a story) and many of the subjects such as Rukmini Kalyanam, Bhadrachala Ramadas Charittram, the Ramayanam etc became very popular.

Seeing his success, many other men came forward to try their hand at Harikatha. Some of the big names included Tiruppazhanam Panchapakesa Sastrigal (1868-1924), Soolamangalam Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar (1866-1943) and Mangudi Chidambara Bhagavatar (1880-1938). Musicians also took to Harikatha, the foremost among these being Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (1877-1945) and Kallidaikurichi Vedanta Bhagavatar (1878-1940). Many scholars who were not good musicians also became famous as Harikatha exponents. The musical element was taken care of by hiring good musicians to become part of the troupe. Pt. Lakshmanachar (1857-1921) of Tiruvayyaru became a great success this way. In later years Tiruvayyaru Annaswami Bhagavatar (1899-?)was a notable success. Women came late into the art with C Saraswathi Bai (1892-1974) showing the way. Following her came Padmasini Bai and C Banni Bai (1912-1999).

In modern times we have had giants such as Embar Vijaraghavachariar (1909-?), TS Balakrishna Sastrigal (1918-2003) and others. But most of them preferred to convert the Harikatha into an unpanyasam or discourse. Smt TR Kamala Murthy follows the old tradition of Harikatha. Born on 4th March 1932 at Pasupatikoil to S Ramachandra Iyer and Seethalakshmi, she was taught music till her eighth year. Later she underwent lessons in Harikatha from Chidambaram Raja Bhagavatar and Tiruvayyaru Annaswami Bhagavatar. Well versed in Sanskrit and music, she has remained a popular artiste. She was honoured with the title of Kalaimamani by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1978. She has since received many awards.

This was written by way of a sleeve note for a three CD pack released by Charsur, which contains TR Kamala Murthy performing Harikatha on the lives of three great Shaivite saints – Siruthondar, Tirunilakantar and Kannappar.