This thread is dedicated to not just addressing the concert paddhati! We are here to firstly debate what constitutes tradition and what does not. We are also here to analyse upto what extent can we say that adhering to tradition precludes new creative musical thoughts. The ARI paddhati is just one of many such 'traditions' that we assiduously follow without a honest impartial analysis.
The points made by Dr. Aravindh Ranganathan assume great relevance to our discussion. The misinterpretation of the lyrical content of certain Padams and Javalis and other musical pieces as being erotic, lewd and unsuitable, the misinterpretation of Bhakti itself as being uni-dimensional, the manner in which historical facts too have been twisted just to make the Sangita trimuthis fit into our own narrow ideas and concepts of Bhakti, these are points we must note.
I was frankly very surprised, when the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini was being discarded as an important source of authentic information, just because it missed out on mentioning Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan!! The SSP was a treatise dedicated to the Dikshitar school of music, and thus Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, while a towering musical stalwart, was very much irrelevant to the context of the SSP. Also, let's stop arguing that Roopamu Juchi is not a creation of Mudduswami Dikshitar. It certainly is, and this is a historical fact.
Carnatic music might be based on Bhakti, but you are neglecting some very important factors.
1. Bhakti is not unidimensional. There are many ways of expressing one's bhakti to the Lord. Some may seem to be incompatible with the society of today, but that does not mean we denounce those other forms of bhakti as being lewd and improper. Kshetrayya was as pious and "bhakti bhava poorna" as Tyagaraja was. Also, the same intensity of bhakti that inspired MD to compose Sri Nathadi Guruguho, moved him to compose Roopamu Joochi. Shyama Sastri, in his compositions clearly showed us that for him, Devi was not just a mother figure. She was his everything! He addresses her as his mother, as well as his sister. He sometimes loved her like a father, some other times as a friend, He has also addressed her as his lover, and has given us vivid portrayals of her beauty, both physical and divine. Sringaram is also a way of expressing one's bhakti, and by excluding the sringaram genre, we are doing a great disservice to Carnatic Music as well as Bhakti itself!
2. There is a difference between Carnatic music and Bhakti music. Carnatic music didn't base itself only on Bhakti. I evolved in courts also, under the patronage of rulers and zamindars. Just a few posts back, a passionate argument supporting why a varnam must be sung first in a kutcheri was made. Now, the varnam didn't evolve out of any Bhakti tradition. It was born in the courts, and was meant for Sadir dancers. Also, didn't Shyama Sastri learn from a court musician Pacchimiri Adi Appayya? Weren't his famed swarajathis inspired, at least in part by the swarajathis of Pacchimiri like E Mandayana ra?
3. Carnatic music has evolved and grown in many ways. Bhakti is integral, but that does not mean it is the sole driving force behind Carnatic Music. Respect for the ragam, the melody and the layam are equally important. Manodharmam is just as essential to CM. Same goes for Padams and Javalis also. I wish to quote Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr. Sripada Pinakapanigaru-
"We bring the same musical treatment to each type of composition within the scope allowed by it. A composition in slow tempo permits embellishment with much more musical material than a fast moving one. A composition is like a vessel that can be filled with the rasa or quintessence of a raga to its capacity. The Padam is a big vessel, like a tanker. The Krithi is a relatively small ship or boat. The Javali is like a glass, or you may describe it as a pocket edition of the Padam. They all contain the same Ganga water or nectar."
He has emphasised how each krithi is a vessel for the elaboration and presentation of the ragam and the pure music. Bhakti and Ragabhavam go hand in hand, and to focus on Raga bhavam itself can also a means of expressing Bhakti!
In conclusion, while there's much left to be said, for now I'll say that narrow interpretations of Bhakti and the role of Music and its evolution cause much harm to the growth and development of the art form. An open, unbiased and accepting mind is very important if we are to analyse music and learn!!