social calamities and response by CM classical music world

[RSR]

Sri.V.SRIRAM has written a moving piece about the GREAT FAMINE of 1876.
https://sriramv.wordpress.com/2020/05/1 ... from-1877/
and given a translation of a song by Vedanayagam pillai. -
"As is well known, Madras Presidency suffered a grievous famine between 1875 and 1877. This has been well documented and there are also some very heart rending photographs of the starving people. In Madras, work began on the Adyar Junction (now Buckingham) Canal as a famine relief measure.
Elsewhere in Mayiladuthurai, the District Munsiff Vedanayagam Pillai organised relief measures with such munificence that the composer Gopalakrishna Bharathi created a song on him, now lost, which described him as Purusha Meru. "
During the time of Thyagaraja Swami also, there was a famine in Tanjore delta, more due to the war between Hyder Ali and the East India Company. Some writers suggest that Thyagaraja Swami rejected the patronage of Serfoji as the actual power was wielded by East India Company. as a protest against alien domination.
Just south of the Thiruvaaroor, in the Zamin districts of Sivagangai, Ramanathapuram, Palayamkottai and also in Dindukkal, a fierce and heroic war was being waged against East India Company by Velu Nachiyaar who defeated the Company forces and regained her zamin with the help of Hyder Ali. and the heroic Marudhu brothers . Subsequently, she appointed the Marudhu brothers as actual administrators. Great irrigation works, temple constructions, support to all religious communities without discrimination( including Christian) were carried out. But the East India Company managed to win the inglorious POLYGOR WAR and the Marudhu brothers were hanged in 1800. for their All-India perspective . Their proclamation in Trichy fort is famous. for its message of communal harmony and anti-imperialist revolt. The Trinity were all living then and their view is not known. MD family had the best of relations with the Company officials.
I was greatly relieved to learn that none of the Trinity were alive during those terrible famine years. of 1876 however. The senior-most among them Shyama Sastry had passed away in 1827. Thyagaraja Swamy in 1847, and MD in 1835 itself.
But Vedanayagam Pillai, (1826-1889),and Gopalakrushna Barathy( 1810-1896) had the misfortune to live in those terrible years. So also, Patnam Subramanya Iyer( 1845-1902), Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan(1844-1893) , and Subbarama Dikshitar. (1839-1906).
Was there any attempt by these illustrious composer/singers to help the starving millions in some way or other?

https://www.sify.com/news/55-million-de ... gehhd.html
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Likewise, the plight of migrant workers ( nearly one crore!) leaving to their native states ( UP, Bihar) from mostly Mumbai , due to COVID lockdown , is heart-rending. It would have been great if the CM community , local and diaspora had organized fund collection to help such migrant workers in Chennai. All the leading musicians could have devised some method for COVID RELIEF CONCERTS in Youtube , as paid channel. and donated the amount for relief work.
Tamilnad , especially, Chennai , is very much in the grip of the pandemic and even now it is not too late for an organized effort. by famous and leading musicians. If Smt.MS and Sri.TS were living today, they certainly would have taken the initiative.

[Nick H]

West Bengal cyclone.

[shankarank]

To his credit T.M Krishna has raised voices in his twitter and spread information on fund collection and the affiliated NGOs have done something to help migrant workers. But he positioned himself to do such things. That is his choice.

We have kept the rest of CM community almost in the status of migrant workers only, except for few celebrities. Even the celebrities don't have enough volume.

I have seen fund raisers by the most famous among CM musicians even recently, every year on various causes. Nothing impact-ful. We are a very very small group!

It is better if we focus on our own cause. Take care of people who set mic.(s) in Sabhas - for example. Earn their loyalty first. As I see the recordings, we don' even offer the best sound settings to musicians many times.

[SrinathK]

Parivadini has contributed to the cause of many artistes, especially the nagaswaram and taviL artistes who were impact by the cancellation of many temple and wedding programs.

Lalgudi family has also been doing a lot of relief work through Sevalaya, especially in their native village and before that in North Chennai also

There are organizations doing their bit to support the families of many folk artists.

Every day in my FB feed, concert after concert for fund raising and social welfare efforts, as well as supporting the economically weaker sections of the music community by many musicians, many of them of my generation too, are coming in.

T M Krishna through Sumanasa Foundation and Bhuvana foundation has a COVID-19 Artists Fund set up to help artists from various fields and platforms. Apart from that he's on a campaign to aid the cause of the migrant workers.

It is heartening that the CM community has been so proactive during this phase where the economy has truly taken a massive body blow from the Coronavirus threat.

[hnbhagavan]

The Carnatic Musicians Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi did raise funds using MILAP and contributed to poor Women folk in Chennai and Tiruchi.The Musicians themselves are in terrivble plight and Some have come together to raise funds for Persons in their community like Thavil artists,nagaswaram Vidwans and so on.
In fact the Rasika community which is larger in number should have done some work in this regard.
I am surprised that the work of Some musicians who did charity has gone unnoticed.