Music of Muthuswami Dikshitar - Lecture by Gayathri Girish

[sureshvv]

https://youtu.be/VHiw9groNPM

Great talk.

Somewhat controversial Q&A

[SrinathK]

This could go in reviews.

[thanjavooran]

Thanks for sharing the link. IMO absolutely no controversy I notice. I have been attending Lectures and Lec Dem for quite some time. The one that made me unhappy was SK Dr R V 's few years back at NG Mini hall.
Thanjavooran
27 06 2019










the

[sureshvv]

The "controversy" was about the usage of Carnatic Music to facilitate religious conversion.

Which is a joke if you think about it.

[shankarank]

You don't have to think about it. You will only have to take note of the background of the people involved in recent controversies to see that for what it is.

That said, Smt Gayathri Girish, unless she herself did the ground work, should have deferred it to other experts or other presentations regarding the same in earlier such conferences.

I don't agree that English is a foreign language ( talk about the mega appropriation now ). It is to us, the language born out of the sacrifices of Indian freedom fighters and it is our own sacred treasure!

As regards the example of santatam pAhimAm and the tune in it, it is all plain notes, but then those were the ones that were initially documented in our "books" for those who need writings as evidence, before oscillations showed up. So we had it already! For the specific arrangement or sequence in that particular tune, "HEY", as Sashi Tharoor says, "YOU CAME HERE" and "YOU CAME HERE FIRST!".

We are willing to ignore even the kingdoms appropriated, the crafts and production that were killed to take all of it to the industrial England. But the freaking band played in "OUR" land! So can we call it "OUR" land and who are we??

As regards a question from Sri Lalitharam, so many systems and people have been inspired by Carnatic music. It was already part of mass media like films and when mass media evolved to take from nATTupura isai ( crudely translated as music of the farming community!) and western music, it then freshly took Carnatic music ( by which time Carnatic music was alien to it almost!). The traditional Carnatic music community by this time viewed film music as something outside of theirs, but still never complained. Many times that was taken as a symbol of some pride, to the extent that new age lecdems propped up that started explaining rAga lakshanas in terms of film music usage !

Hindustani music , again viewed as separate , has taken so many rAgAms. Nobody complained. There are members of other "religions" in there too!

As regards fusion, the musicians and instruments went there, neither the layam or rAgAm as both were diluted. It was only a half hearted attempt.

SrI Lalitharam himself has to do his own listening and reading on why there is a controversy now!

And lastly if Dikshitar had indeed composed "God Save the King" - no issues - that is perfectly without any controversy in India. SrimAn Poochi SrinivAsa Iyengar did something like that!