The neglected nagaswaram

[RSR]

While searching for T.N.Rajarathnam Pillai records, came across this touching and thought provoking article by V.SRIRAM.
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 587972.ece
"The Academy took the initiative by asking TN Rajarathinam Pillai to perform. The first such concert was at the Academy’s venue at General Patters Road. The crowd was so thick that vehicles could not pass through. A rickshaw gave up the attempt midway and its passenger, a blind old woman, was asked to alight. She then felt her way through the crowd and made it to the venue. Once there, everyone recognized her and helped her to sit near the dais. As the performance ended, she clambered on to stage and enveloped TNR in an embrace. The curtains came down on the two legends holding on to each other, for the old woman was none other than Veena Dhanam. Can such magic return?"
The article was written 4 years back. Is there any change?

[SrinathK]

City culture is not favourable for the loud instrument. Maybe if the temples were thrown open for musicians to practice it, (and they are probably one place where they could practice in peace -- it might result in considerably fewer apaswarams). However, when temples began to neglect it, that's when it really came down. Some even blame TNR as the bari was a difficult instrument and others tried to copy him with much less pleasant results.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city ... 249503.cms

I remember when we had one such concert at IITM - no mikes. For the first time, I saw the sound engineer sitting and enjoying the concert for once.

But I don't think the fate of the nagaswaram has been as bad as the veena.

[RSR]

SrinathK-> Even today, Chennai is having any number of temple festivals in almost all the months. And ancient temples still exist. I hope. ( Madhava Perumal koil and Kapaleeswarar koil, less ancient Saibaba mandhir in Mylapore, Parthasarathy temple in Triplicane, temples in Kodampaakkam, and Siva-Vishnu temple in TNagar, and many more in the nearby suburbs. Religious centers like Kanchipuram, Thiruvannaamali, Kumbakonam, Tanjore, Thiruvaiyaaru, Vaittheeswaeran koil, Srirangam, Madhurai, Aazhvaar Thirunagari, Suchindram, Mayooram, ...the list is very long and they are thriving even now. and Nagaswaram ( 'Nadhaswaram?) and Thavil, being closely associated with the Temples, in such places, vidwans are in duty in the temples. So, it is not necessary that such artistes reside in Chennai. Almost as a rule, they will be residing in temple towns, by option. It is for the music sabha organizers to invite them and give them due respect , by giving them prime slots.
If the acoustics of sabha venues are unsuitable for Nagaswaram concerts, they can be arranged on behalf of the sabha , in open-air venues. When the sabah culture began, most of them did not have their own building. Many concerts were arranged in schools like P.S.High school, Mylapore. The schools having big playground can be used for the purpose.
Though, very unorthodox, we can even interweave vocal concert and nagawaram concert , song by song, like jugalbandhi. The same pattern can be tried in Veena also.
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Happy to note from the link given by you, that music sabhas are revising their policy gradually.
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Here is an anecdote which cannot be traced..' Once, in a concert by Ariyakkudi, he faltered for a very brief second. of which he himself was aware. but most people in the audience did not notice it. However, ARI noticed someone in the audience wincing at that moment. After the concert, he called that person and asked him, if he was a Nagaswaram player to which the person nodded 'yes' in a surprised reaction. ARI said' I thought so.! Only a Nagaswaram player would have noticed the lapse! '.
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Nagaswaram (and Thavil) are almost the soul of Carnatic music in the real Tamilnad of non-Chennai towns.
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[SrinathK]

I don't know if sabha acoustics are really to blame, unless in the case of very small halls that sometimes don't know where not to use the mic. Concerts without mikes are perfect for the instrument.

My gripe however comes from all those apaswarams that I hear from a lot of players (I've heard the best too, but I have also heard this). I feel these problems come because the musicians are not able to practice as much as they would want to.

Vocal and nadaswaram IMHO will not go together, the nadaswaram is way too powerful, it would need a Chembai to match it. Ditto for the veena.

[RSR]

Srinath-ji-> I did not mean. 'jugalbandhi' in the usual sense. (playing together). Normally, pure instrument music , except for raga alaapanai, is associated in the listeners' mind with some kruthi that they have heard in vocal rendition. If a good vocalist sings a kruthi and then the nagaswaram player plays the same kruthi, the latter may be easy to appreciate for the listeners. The same for any instrument. be it veena, flute, violin etc. Pure instrumental concerts are for advanced audience. .. and open-air concerts even for vocalists may be good for the issues that you are debating in the thread 'losing voice'. You know better , of course. It can be experimented. but requires music-sans-ego in the players and listeners too. As for discordant notes, it is not uncommon among vocal performance by new comers. Nervousness, anxiety, and such factors. It is psychology. ..stage fright,, That is another reason, that the artiste should perform as in AIR environment. where he/she does not see the audience. !

[Sivaramakrishnan]

We must own responsibility for the situation. We can strive to develop TNRs among present day artists by constant listening and encouragement of promising youngsters. Comparing present day Vidwans with TNRs and ruminating over the 'golden past' may not help.

Well, how many of us listen to Nagaswaram over Radio? Or in marriages and other functions? I have seen the melam playing film songs after the muhurtham to impress the guests. The latest trend is to pair a saxophone with the Nagaswaram with a novice piping the shiny instrument.
While working in Tanjore/Nagapttinam, I used to listen to Vidwans during temple visits and many of them have been really inspiring. At Tiruvaiyaru, during Aradhana I have listened to many Nagaswaram/Tavil vidwans of immense merit but are not popular in the main circuit. However Injikudi Subramaniam, Chinnamanur Kartikeyan and several others still having their Headquarters in their native villages have made a mark in this art. A melam enthusiast told me that Nagaswaram is most patronised in SE Asian countries and several vidwans are benefited.

Pongal Nagaswara Isai vizha of Krishna Gana Sabha and another series organised by Brahma Gana Sabha are laudable institutional support in Chennai.

We can revive Nagaswaram and hope to have TNRs in future too.