The colourful ‘Tiger’

[venkatakailasam]

An article by Shri Kollpan on ‘Tiger’, ‘Puliodarai’ and ‘Poochi’ – "in any other field these prefixes may sound strange. In the world of Carnatic music, they evoke awe and inspiration"

View at http://www.thehindu.com/arts/music/article981420.ece

venkatakailasam

[vasanthakokilam]

Interesting. Sriram always digs up something new. I did not know Krishnamachariar was called Puliodarai Krishnamachariar!!!

[Nick H]

You know how limited my vocabulary is, but... surely that can't be poochi as in insect?

[srkris]

Nick,

Poochi = Insect. You got that right.

[Nick H]

Thanks, skris: my Tamil vocabulary is mostly birds and animals! Little that is useful to either conversation or music history :$

But, unless I kept missing it (it happens) I couldn't see an explanation of why this man was called poochi?

[vasanthakokilam]

This link http://www.karnatik.com/co1043.shtml says "...but the name Poochi (meaning insect) was given to him for reasons not clear today..." Sriram may have some theories!

[Nick H]

Thank you VK. I like the name!

I think that Dr John Marr, from UK, studied under Tiger Varadachariar, and I think it was him that told a story that, one day, some visitors came to the house and were shocked to hear a great growling and roaring from an inside room. On being told that Tiger was in there, they ran away, thinking that it was a tiger --- but it was Tiger Varadachariar snoring!

[venkatakailasam]

Please read an article on Sri Puci Srivinasa Iyengar by MYSORE VASUDEVACHARYA at

http://www.carnaticmusic.esmartmusic.co ... ivasae.htm to know more about him.

venkatakailasam

[pattamaa]

I heard that his saareeram will fly like an insect, and hence the name poochi.....

[msk2]

Here is another version of the origin Poochi ( Ref: A Garland ( Bibilographical Dictionary of Carnatic Composers and Musicians) by N. Rajagopalan Retired IAS Officer (Board of Revenue Secretariat), Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay 400 007 1990 -pages 310-312)

Quote from that book:

The appellation 'Poochi' meaning 'insect' is rather strange. That his raga elaboration resembled the humming of the beetle, that he used to apply liberally sandal paste on his body and the Tamil word 'Poochu' பூச்சூ has become 'Poochi' பூச்சி and that he is known for his tireless activity like the bee are some of the surmises but the real reason is not known. He had helped many artistes(sp?) and shaped the future of his students in a great way. He is one of the all time great vocalist-composers.

[vgovindan]

In one article, it is given as 'pUci'. In Tamilnadu, it is a tradition to abbreviate one's name this way. Therefore could it be 'பூசீ', where 'pU' stands for, probably father's name and 'cI' stands for one's own name 'sInivAsan'? This could have morphed as 'pUcci' later on.

[vasanthakokilam]

His father's name was Narayana Iyengar according to http://www.karnatik.com/co1043.shtml

[vgovindan]

vk,
'pU' could stand for a family/village name. Or else, I am totally off-mark.

[Pratyaksham Bala]

.
Poochi is the name of a village. 'Poochi' Iyengar's family might have hailed from this place.

Like many musicians who are called by the name of their place (Semmangudi, Mannargudi, Umayalpuram, etc.), Srinivasa Iyengar was also known by a village named 'Poochi'. As it is known that he was born in Ramanathauram Zamin, I searched to find out about Poochi village in Ramanathapuram District. Wow! The POOCHI VALASAI village is in Pathiratharavai Panchayat Union in Tiruppullani Block of Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu !

(Incidentally, I have a distant relative named 'Poochi Choodamani'!)

[srkris]

Finally the poochi mystery appears to have a satisfactory explanation. Thanks Sri Bala.

No one expects to find a village named Poochi, though it makes sense since most musicians used to add their village before their proper names.

I earlier thought maybe the poo & chi were his syllabic initials.

One cannot literally take these names as common nouns. So poochi in the name does not stand for insect. Otherwise Chembai as written in Tamil would mean "red bag"

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks PB for that. So Sri. Govindan was hypothesizing along the right lines..

BTW, do you know why your distant relative is called Poochi?

[Pratyaksham Bala]

I don't know; have to enquire.

[Nick H]

Glad to see the mystery solved