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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Magsaysay award for TM Krishna
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation list of awardees announced on Wednesday included the name of Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna, who will receive the award for “social inclusiveness in culture.”
His citation says: "He saw that his was a caste-dominated art that fostered an unjust, hierarchic order by effectively excluding the lower classes from sharing in a vital part of India’s cultural legacy. He questioned the politics of art; widened his knowledge about the arts of the dalits (“untouchables”) and non-Brahmin communities; and declared he would no longer sing in ticketed events at a famous, annual music festival in Chennai to protest the lack of inclusiveness. Recognizing that dismantling artistic hierarchies can be a way of changing India’s divisive society, Krishna devoted himself to democratizing the arts as an independent artist, writer, speaker, and activist.”
Hearty congratulations to Krishna.
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Sri Krishna Gana Sabha announces Choodamani Awards 2016
Mridanga vidwan Tiruvarur Bakthavathsalam will receive the 'Sangeetha Choodamani' award, and veteran musician and teacher vidwan B. Krishnamoorthy will be honoured with the 'Aacharya Choodamani' award on the inaugural day of the 61st Gokulashtami Sangeetha Utsavam on 6th August 2016.
R. Seshasayee, Chairman, Infosys and Indusind Bank will inaugurate and preside over the function. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman will confer the award on the artists. Cleveland V.V. Sundaram and Nandini Ramani will felicitate the artistes.
This will be followed by a unique percussion presentation on the khanjira, mridangam and konnakol by B.S. Purushotham, B. Shreesundarkumar and K.V. Gopalakrishnan. <>
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Delightful shadow play with puppets
By Sukanya Sankar
They were moving to the beat of the music and lip-syncing the song. No they were not dancers, but puppeteers at play. It was a delight to watch Kalaimamani S. Seetha Lakshmi and her group (all family members) narrating a segment from the Kamba Ramayanam, through the traditional Thol Bommalattam (Shadow Puppetry). The show was a joint effort of the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram and Sri Krishna Gana Sabha as part of the Yagnaraman Fest 2016.The advent of television and Ipads has usurped a majority of the audience from this art. But, it was a pleasure to see a packed hall brimming with 7 to 14 year-old children, constantly cheering and applauding scenes when Rama attacked Soorpanakha, and Jatayu fought with Ravana, to name a few.
Seetha Lakshmi evinced keen interest in dance and puppetry even as a child. Born in 1946, in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, she started her career when she was eight. She accompanied her mentor and maternal uncle, Acharya M.V. Ramamurthy and his troupe to Chennai and performed at the Island Grounds. Among the audience, were Mrs. Y.G. Parthasarathy and Sanskrit scholar Dr. V. Raghavan. They were so impressed by the performance that they requested us to stay back in Chennai. “I am eternally grateful to Mrs.YGP for arranging many shows for us in majority of the schools and colleges in Chennai”, says Seetha Lakshmi.
Her next break came through Dr. Y. Nayuduamma, a well known leather technologist from CLRI, Chennai. He created a special division in CLRI, where Seetha Lakshmi could train students and other technicians in making leather puppets. “This was a big break for us. We also received an invitation to participate in the International Puppet Festival, one of the major festivals in the 1960s. Nayuduamma made sure that we participated in all these festivals as official representatives of the Indian Government through CLRI. Then on, there was no looking back for us, we have visited more than 60 countries till now. France is our favourite destination, and audiences there love the Ramayana and the Mahabharata”, says Seetha Lakshmi.
Although she started performing with a live orchestra, Seetha Lakshmi says that it is easier to travel to international destinations with recorded music. “This is something we learnt by watching puppet shows from other countries. Adherence to time, script and English narration, were some of the other changes we have adapted to.” Talking about some of the transformations this art has undergone, she says, “Initially we used to customise the leather according to the characters. A demon in the story would be made of buffalo skin, while a sacred character would be made with deer skin. But now because of the regulations, we only use goat skin. We buy the leather and as a family we sit together, punch, colour and get the puppets ready in a matter of a few days”.
Seetha Lakshmi has worked with glow puppets, string puppets and rod puppets, but at the end of the day, shadow puppetry is closest to her heart. Her face lights up as she talks about her favourite puppet – the dancer. "My favorite puppet is the lady dancer in all my productions. I can make her swirl and dance to my tunes”, smiles Seetha Lakshmi. Among her memorable performances are the Molla Ramayanamu which combined live Kuchipudi dancers and puppets. Another is the famous One-Man puppet show in Prague, where she single-handedly staged excerpts from the Ramayana.
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| Behind the shadow play.... |
“It is a true labour of love,” says Seetha Lakshmi. “Although, we do get some recognition from the Government, they often come with restrictions. Art forms cannot really thrive with too many restrictions”. The State Government had set up a scheme, through which Seetha Lakshmi has trained many youngsters and school children. She has won many accolades both in India and abroad. The Kalaimamani and the Poompuhar award from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Kala Saraswathi from the Government of Andhra Pradesh are some of them.
“We are doing our best to keep this art alive. It has become extremely unaffordable to come up with new productions without grants or sponsorship, but I will continue to give my best," concludes Seetha Lakshmi. <>
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Krishna and the Magsaysay award
Winning awards and winning hearts could be two different things
By Bala Shankar
TM Krishna has won many new friends and lost many old ones in the past couple of years. His recent Magsaysay (Emergent) award has stirred a hornet’s nest for more than one reason. The accolade has been drowned in questions. What kind of an award is this? What is the body of work that has led to TMK getting it? What are the underlying messages one gets from this award? Does Krishna deem it a significant step in his ‘crusade’ (which is also a part of the debate)? Where does he go from here?
The wide acknowledgement and appreciation of his musical prowess is now inextricably woven with the ‘caste in Carnatic music’ drumbeat that has echoed stridently in the last few years. We owe it to him and to the award givers to judge the situation impartially.
The award says, ”for social inclusiveness in culture”.
The topic therefore is social. Krishna’s tirade is about unjust exclusion of non-Brahmin stakeholders from Carnatic music and his pungent writings are seen as a sufficient endeavour towards obtaining justice. We analyse two things: Is there injustice of any kind and have Krishna’s efforts reached any milestone?
Carnatic music has always been a ‘niche’ art. Neyveli Santhanagopalan used the term ‘cottage industry’ during a conversation. All niche sectors are the exclusive territory of a few and leave out large sections of people. Car racing, rangoli, molecular genetics and Renaissance painting are all in the same league. There are passionate insiders and completely uninterested outsiders. Even in Carnatic music, this is the case (the caste angle notwithstanding). There should however be no discrimination of any kind for or against people who want to take to it. And I think there is none. Do teachers turn away students if they are not Brahmins? Do sabhas look unkindly to a non-brahmin contender? And has anyone from the ‘aggrieved’ communities made a case, even informally in public discourses?
So, is Krishna making a mountain out of a molehill? His sponsors and sympathisers in the media and otherwise may have ignited a wrong flame. And even if empirical evidence points to the dominance of the Brahmin community, would you rather pursue grassroots initiatives of teaching and concert exposure than wield the pen to ad nauseam? It is not even a multi-billion dollar industry in the preserve of a few. There is a clear misplaced sense of what can be achieved by writing in cosmopolitan upper class media asking for social change. The irony is that the reader community is in fact, the very same accused lot!
Social movements like those of Subrahmanya Bharati and Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy had a certain compelling context, a widespread unease with the status quo and a selfless pursuit along multiple modes of attack. They succeeded because of unjust exclusion from mainstream life, not from a niche pursuit, even as we confuse lack of enablers with wilful exclusion.
Some awards are more motivated than motivating. Even the Nobel prize committee shocked the world by giving the peace prize to Barack Obama as he woke up from bed in the first weeks of his office one morning. He was stunned as was the world. Krishna’s wellwishers, sponsors and recommenders may have been overenthusiastic, as there is no palpable change in the caste dynamics of Carnatic music – never mind if it is a burning issue at all or if it is maliciously engineered.
We would normally celebrate any international recognition for a fellow Indian and a member of the Carnatic music fraternity, but something is holding us back this time. A dramatically different strategy is required to unearth talents like Naina Pillai, Malaikottai Govindasamy Pillai, Rajamanickam Pillai, Palani Subramanya Pillai, Chittoor Subramanya Pillai and TM Thiagarajan among the new generation. AR Rahman, in a parallel world, is quietly doing this through his KM Conservatory, where geniuses are groomed independent of their social and financial backgrounds.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
Sripada Pinakapani - Buy Now
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Chandrasekhara Sharma
Young voices
(Conversations with emerging artists)
By Sushma Somasekharan
With his illustrious lineage, it was inevitable that Chandrasekara Sharma would take to the ghatam as his calling with passion. His career choice will not surprise anyone who knows that he grew up with his uncles, the legendary ghatam maestros T.H. 'Vikku' Vinayakram and T.H. Subash Chandran.
Speaking of his earliest memories, he fondly recalls sitting on stage at the tender age of four and listening to his eldest uncle Vinayakram live. Chandru may be just 25 now, but his musical aesthetics and depth of knowledge speak of years of experience.
Excerpts from a recent conversation with him:
When did you start learning the ghatam?
I was very young. My uncle Sri T.H. Subash Chandran. has been my first and only guru, As I was always surrounded by music from the time I was born, it is hard for me to recall when my learning truly started. I do not know if there has ever been a time when the ghatam was not part of my life.
With such an early introduction to the ghatam, your first stage performance must have been when you were still a child.
My first stage performance was curated by Srimati Sulochana Pattabiraman for the Pancharatnam group. It was an unforgettable learning experience not just for me, but also for many other young musicians including vocalists Rithvik Raja and Dharini Kalyanaraman, violinist Parur M S Ananthakrishnan and many more.
What do you consider unique about the ghatam?
The uniqueness of the ghatam lies in its original and earthy sound. The value that a perfectly tuned ghatam adds to music cannot be explained in words; you have to experience that bliss. The subtle intricacies behind playing the ghatam are often not known to the audience. I believe the ghatam can enhance the quality of a concert severalfold. I hope for the audience to understand that the ghatam is not just an instrument on the side, but adds equal value to a concert just as much as the other instruments on stage do.
We hear that concerts are not always serious affairs and that there are many funny incidents.
I absolutely enjoy travelling and performing with my fellow musicians, because, like you mentioned, concerts need not always be serious affairs. We enjoy lighthearted moments during our travels, recordings and even on stage.
The first time I played for the TV channel, Doordarshan, my friends and I were recording for Sulochana Pattabiraman’s Pinchurathnangalin Pancharatnam. The shooting went on till late at night and as we had expected the shooting to end earlier, we had not packed proper food with us. We were given biscuits to eat during the breaks. I was really hungry and started eating them without realizing that the break was over. The recording had resumed, but it was not until the telecast of the programme that I realised that it looked like I was eating the biscuits from my ghatam pot! Everyone who noticed it had a good laugh. Much to my embarrassment, there were several repeat telecasts of that programme!
How have your co-artists helped your pursuit in music?
When all of us were younger, we would often get together and practise. The practice sessions would be in one of our houses and this would strictly be followed by breakfast at Saravana Bhavan. The frequency of our practice sessions has reduced due to our busy schedules, but fret not, we still meet for breakfast! Jokes aside, many of us are now busy with various music projects, tours and concerts, all of which are a result of our long practice sessions during our younger days. We still make it a point to meet and practise whenever our schedules coincide now.
What I love the most about our sessions is that we are not vocalists, violinists, mridangam artists, ghatam artists, or khanjira artists when we meet. We are just friends who are passionate about the same pursuit and dream – music. We love sharing our views, our opinions, our music and I think this understanding continues to inspire us. We do not compete against each other; our only desire is to help each other move forward.
You grew up in a musical family – was that something that inspired you or did it scare you that you had such a huge responsibility to bear?
Growing up amongst such eminent artists was definitely inspiring and motivating. My grandfather was Sri T.R. Harihara Sharma, a renowned moharsing artist. My father is Sri T.H. Gurumurthy, a really well-accomplished violinist. My brother is Sri G Harihara Shama, a khanjira artiste. I had something to learn from every one of them and my uncles, the ghatam maestros Sri Vinayakram and Sri Subash Chandran, and I am indebted to them for all the love and knowledge they have so generously showered on me. Their faith in me instilled the confidence to shape me into the artist that I am today. I understand that I have a huge responsibility of passing this great musical legacy on to the next generation and I will definitely give it my best to achieve it.
If you could switch to playing any other instrument for a day, what would be your pick?
Well, I enjoy singing – I derive great satisfaction and happiness from it. However, I am completely enamoured by my instrument, the ghatam, and I would not want to switch that for anything. I find music, joy, solace and my identity in my instrument. It is my musical voice.
(Sushma Somasekharan is a young Carnatic vocalist)
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
Vellore Ramabhadran - Buy Now
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DKP's special RTP for my dance
The detailed essay by Poorna Vaidyanathan on one of the most outstanding Carnatic vidushis, D.K. Pattammmal – her rare manodharma and also how she successfully broke the barriers of the male dominated rendering of ragam-tanam-pallavi – was indeed praiseworthy.
I had the wonderful opportunity to discuss and learn a ragam-tanam-pallavi from her, to be able to adapt the same format to my Bharatanatyam dance form for the first time. (I was an ardent devotee and a humble sishya of D.K. Pattammal who was more than a mother to me (I used to call her Amma). She got interested when I told her that it was a thematic concept based on Srimad Bhagavatam. I requested her to compose the music for Sri Krishna Jananam – the title of the theme.
The raga alapana was to be sung in the pattern of a sloka with sahitya in ragamalika, explaining the advent of Krishna. Amma smiled with approval. For the tanam in which I wanted to express Vasudeva’s astonishment on seeing the Lord’s Visvaroopam, she suggested that I set it in raga Nata and also encouraged me to work on the talamalika segment.
Only Amma could guide me in faithfully following the pallavi format with no element of ambiguity. She was patience personified; she listened to all that I said, smiled and asked me what particular raga and tala would I prefer? Promptly I replied “Kharaharapriya and Khanda Triputa tala”. She nodded approvingly and wanted the verses from Srimad Bhagavatam to set the music for the raga. Amma liked the pallavi verse “Go dhooli dhusarita komala kuntalaagram? Govardhanodharana keli krita prayaasam”, and said she would happily compose the music for my ambitious project.
Within a couple of days, she called me home to listen to what she had composed. She had set five different verses in five different ragas, I was dumbfounded. They merged so well with the sahitya and mood. “Now do you want to hear the pallavi?” she asked. I could have shouted in joy as I was waiting for just that.
Amma began to sing the first verse “Go dhooli....” in Kharaharapriya raga, khanda Triputa tala. It was mesmerising listening to “Pallavi Pattammal”! She sang the pallavi niraval to accommodate my sanchari bhava – then pallavi trikalam (in three speeds), followed by pallavi swaras (in vilamba and madhyama speeds). Amma asked me naughtily, “Did you like it or would you like me to change anything?” I was too awestruck for words, it was just perfect.
Amma told me that I should now set the adavu korvais – movements, wherever required. Once I was ready, she wanted to see the progress. It was an emotional moment. With tears in my eyes, I was thankful and fell at her feet. She blessed me profusely. I reached home and started working on it right away, getting my musicians prepared. My first presentation of Sri Krishna Jananam based on the ragam-tanam-pallavi had DKP Amma and Mama to applaud me. What more could I have asked for!
Dr. Vyjayantimala Bali
Chennai
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Listen to Krishna's voice
By Rajeshwari Ganesan
On Wednesday (July 27), I woke up to the news of 2016 Ramon Magsaysay awards being conferred on two Indians — anti-scavenging activist Bezwada Wilson and TM Krishna.
I was ecstatic like many other fans who have adored his music and his views (albeit a little critical of the latter). I mean, a Carnatic musician, for the first time since MS Subbulakshmi, is being conferred the prestigious award and it is Krishna! Who would not be ecstatic?
I was woefully wrong. Almost as soon as the news came in, the views on why he does not deserve the award started pouring.
I come from a family and have a circle of friends, mentors and well-wishers who have always resorted to jocularly chiding Krishna (for his music and his views) in my presence just to get me all riled up. My answer to them: The man has a view. He chooses to stand by it despite all the naysayers. The man has ploughed on and never chose to muffle his voice because it fell loud and harsh on the delicately sophisticated ears of the fraternity. His views appeal to the Magsaysay board of trustees. Are we going to oppose the award to him just because his views are different from many of ours? How, then, are we any different from Hitler or Mussolini or the right-winged fringes who find the most base reasons to attack those who do not conform to their views? Are we so vehemently opposing the man every time (with pointless and below-the-belt jibes starting with his ear-studs, his spectacles, his manodharma, and of late, even his voice) just because he opposes everything that we have built our secure fiefdom upon? Because he threatens to shake and question the very core on which we sit cosily, much like the ostrich that has buried its head in the sand? Because he stands to question the sampradayam and the systems that we follow like myrmidons? Or is it because the man chose to be all-inclusive in his approach of Carnatic music that we consider to be exclusive to us? I agree that Krishna is not the first musician who has taken the Carnatic notes to the slums, but he is definitely one of those who have had the strongest impact. And he deserves to be acknowledged and appreciated for that.
I recently read writer Jeyamohan’s blog in which he attacks Krishna thus: “He only yells louder than the others, so he received an award.” I am reminded of the famous dialogue from the film The King's Speech in which Geoffrey Rush playing the speech therapist Lionel Logue eggs his patient on saying, “Why should I waste my time listening to you?” and in a classic moment, Colin Firth, playing the patient, King George VI, retorts, “Because I have a right to be heard! I have a voice!”
Krishna has a voice, and a golden one at that. He chooses to assert his right to be heard. And for those of us who still are looking for reasons to oppose the award to him, I can only think of the crab-analogy elucidated beautifully by Rajinikanth in Kabali. Let us please not be crabs anymore.
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Second thoughts
By R Narasimhan
As soon as I heard the announcement of the award of Magsaysay for the young Karnatic musician I was elated and sent him a congratulatory message. On second thoughts, however, I began feeling that it was not so well deserved. He has not achieved nor contributed so much. He wrote a couple of good books and wrote in the media condemning Hindutva people while reverentially appealing to Muslim zealots. And took baby steps to make K-music inclusive by taking to the non-traditional audiences. There is resentment among these people that their settlements are not slums but fishing villages, with their own cultural traditions. It is just a recognition of an effort, rather than achievement, just like the awarding of Nobel Peace Prizes.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Sangeetha Choodamani award
By Samudri
Umayalpuram K.Sivaraman conferring the title 'Sangeetha Choodamani' on mridanga vidwan Thiruvaarur Bakthavathsalam during the inaugural function of the 61st Gokulashtami Sangeetha Utsavam on 6 August at Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. Venkatesh, grandson of B. Krishnamoorthi received on behalf of B. Krishnamoorthi, the 'Aacharya Choodamani' award as R. Seshasayee, Chairman, Infosys and Indusind Bank, Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, Cleveland V.V. Sundaram, Y. Prabhu, Nandini Ramani and R. Venkateswaran look on.
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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Birthdays & Anniversaries
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