NADASWARAM

   

   The year 2021 marking the centenary of Sri Karaikurichi Arunachalam, one of the greatest of Nadaswara vidwans, the spotlight has been lit all around on the instrument Nadaswaram itself, which is not only the monarch of wind instruments but also one that is authentically Indian and, in addition, authentically Carnatic. Since there are many articles that focus on Sri Arunachalam and other famous exponents of nadaswaram playing, I shall limit myself here to the instrument per se except to note that ‘Karaikurichi’ is one of my great favorites, and the continuity of the nada in his playing and virtuosity he exhibited remain unamatched even now. 

   Called mangalavadyam (the auspicious instrument), the nadaswaram is considered to be the instrument of the major god Ganesha of Hinduism, the remover of all obstacles. Thus, the nadaswaram has come to be used by South Indians in all auspicious events - not only in temples and religious institutions, but also in all social functions like weddings. It is routine to see in South India this instrument being featured particularly in many inaugural as well as valedictory functions of serial music and religious events as well as of totally secular ones unconnected with music or religion. It is often featured, along with the traditional drum ‘tavil’, in concerts on the music stage including in famous arenas like Chennai’s Music Academy and Narada Gana Sabha. 

   The nadaswaram is one of the ancient instruments of Indian music. It may predate the major Tamil epic, Silappathikaram dating back to 100-250 CE but considered to be but a written version of what was perhaps verbally transmitted over several centuries before that. Indeed, an instrument very similar in structure to nadaswaram in appearance and with seven holes by the name ‘vangiyam’ finds mention in Silappathikaram. It has also been referred to by the name ‘ezhil’ in ancient Tamil literature. The original version of the instrument had its main tube made from the wood of ebony trees (Indian Blackwood, called ‘aacha’ in Tamil) over seventy-five years in age and required much lung power that few could muster. 

   The modern version appears to be a redesign by one Mr. Ranganathan Achari of a village called Narasingapettai in Tamilnadu, where a set of four families still make nadaswarams. The first one to use the modified design by Ranganathan Achari was the legendary T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai under whose tutelage blossomed the maestro Karaikurichi Arunachalam, and whose encomium is still cherished by the original family that made the redesign. Since that redesign of the instrument in 1955, it is being made with a variety of materials including bamboo, sandalwood, ivory, and copper. Besides the long tube featuring seven holes to bring out the seven notes, an additional set of five holes is also present on the tube and stopped with wax for regulating the tone of the instrument. Above the long tube is a metal staple called in Tamil as ‘mel anaichu’ and into that is pushed in a small metallic cylinder called ‘kendai.’ A small ivory reed or horn is attached to it into which air is blown with one’s mouth to make sound while fingers play the holes to generate various notes. Half and quarter notes, as well as the glides (‘gamaka’) are brought out by controlling the air flow into the pipe. The emanating sound is amplified significantly by a bell shaped piece at the end called ‘keezh anaichu.’ 

   The instrument itself is very loud and usually played without the benefit of a microphone etc., in marriage halls, temples, and processions. However, it is.  common to see it used these days with improvised mufflers along with microphones and other modern electronic paraphernalia that mark a formal auditorium. This is particularly helpful when the instrument is played in concerts in accompaniment to or with other less loud instruments like the violin or mrdangam to provide enjoyable indoor treats within the genre of the Carnatic. 

   The version of the instrument played by professional nadaswaram players is typically four feet or more in length although some shorter versions are available. Despite the redesign, it still requires significant amount of lung power to play, a context in which I must recite an incident related to me directly by Sri Namagiripettai Krishnan, yet another stalwart on Nadaswaram, during his stay in our home in New Jersey. While in Boston, he got into a discussion with some American university students on a swim team about playing the instrument. Some of them tried their might on a spare instrument he had, with several unable even to bring any sound out of it, let alone play it. The discussion on the lung power needed led to a playful challenge to see how long one could hold one’s breath and was tried out with half a dozen or so of those near professional swimmers and Mr. Krishnan in a swimming pool, and to the total dismay of the former Mr. Krishnan was the last to rise up from under water! Just the size of his chest resembling those of high mountain dwellers should have dissuaded his interlocuters from offering a futile challenge, I guess.

   Bringing out melodious music out of such material and constructions requires enormous skill both on the part of their makers and the players. It is indeed a tribute to human determination and resolve that many have not only managed to bring out captivating music out of this difficult instrument but have risen to fame amidst great vocal and other instrumental musicians of Carnatic music. In the present day, that determination and resolve are equally being shown by some female musicians who have taken up the challenge of this instrument adding yet another proof that the term ‘weaker sex’ is but an absolute misnomer. Moreover, most players of this instrument who have risen to fame not only come from many different castes designated as ‘backward’ by the government (although the very term is becoming thankfully passé) but also include members of Islam too in what is predominantly a Hindu art form. 

    It is a matter of recorded history that some leading Carnatic musicians not only provided training to nadaswara vidwans, but also put them on a high pedestal and even learned from and emulated them in their own performances. A significant example is the famous G.N. Balasubramanian, whose brigha laden music even went by the moniker ‘nadaswara bani.’ To him, nadaswaram players like T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai were more than heroes, and he acknowledged Rajaratnam Pillai as one from whom he learned much. Indeed, as stated many times by Sri G.S. Mani, a noted Carnatic vocalist with cinematic fame as well, in his remarks on how ragas like Todi should be sung, their vocal renderings should be so laden with brigha (vibrato) as to resemble the playing of nadaswaram by the great stalwarts; they should create, in the way a good nadaswaram player would, the imagery of a tank making marks on earth with its treads. Indeed, many ragas like todi, kalyani, kharaharapriya, and navarasakanada are extremely beautiful when played thus on nadaswaram or sung with inflections resembling that of nadaswaram. This is an interesting facet of this instrument from the aesthetic and sociological aspects of the Carnatic milieu. 

   In the recent couple of decades since the introduction and acceptance of saxophone into Carnatic music, the saxophone had begun to replace nadaswaram in many functions. This is due not only to the softer baritone sound of the instrument but also to the genius of Sri Kadi Gopalnath who coaxed such beautiful Carnatic music out of it as to make that happen. Nevertheless, one must, however reluctantly, agree that the saxophone with its fixed key positions is, in general, not a match for nadaswaram that is more attuned to the Carnatic genre. 

   Even a brief article on nadaswaram will be unpardonably incomplete without mentioning the fact that despite its glorious sound and long history, the instrument and its players and makers are becoming an endangered species threatened with extinction primarily for declining patronage and economic reasons. While a small few top players may be lucky to earn a good amount of fame and wealth, the typical nadaswaram player and his entourage languish in poverty. The situation is much worse for the instrument makers who are not even visible to the public. It is our duty as lovers of Carnatic music and proud inheritors of great traditions that have lasted centuries (despite all kinds of invasions and onslaughts) to do our bit to preserve the great art of nadaswaram. In addition to urging the local and national government to provide greater support, we need to take active steps to see that the artists and skilled instrument makers associated with nadaswaram are afforded greater respect and monetary support so that the future generations will not flock to greener pastures forsaking a profession that requires long years of dedication in accumulating and refining some rare and delectable skills. The Indian diaspora needs to find innovative ways of becoming active participants in this noble endeavor as well by including nadaswaram more in its own temples, festivities and functions, as well as in concert schedules and by finding ways of supporting the instrument makers through appropriate endowments and formal training and marketing schemes. A well done documentary on this instrument, its makers and players could also go a long way in increasing public awareness. 

 References: 

[1] https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/the-unsung-makers-of-music/ article7872965.ece

 [2] https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/narasingapettais- nadaswaram-makers/article7088894.ece 

[3] Silappathiikaram – Wikipedia article and references therein. 

[4] https://pocketcultures.com/2013/06/26/why-its-a-big-deal-to-see-a-female-nadaswaram-player/ 

  This article was written for the 2022 souvenir of the Indian Fine Arts Association of San Diego. Dr. V. Ramaswami is a past President of the Carnatic Music Association of North America (CMANA) and the author of the book, “Innovation by India for India, the Need and the Challenge.” A set of ten compositions of his in Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil, rendered as a collection called “Swaraabharanam” by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan, Sri V. Sanjeev, and Sri J. Vaidyanathan, was released a few years back. Two more albums are to appear soon, one by Sri Sikkil Gurucharan and another by Dr. R. Suryaprakash.

THE FILTH IN THE "S*** HOLES"

     The President of the United States did it once again!  The man who called some countries S**t holes earlier has now called out some countries, including India, for their filth.  While the filth is indeed a reality, the tone and the insensitivity of the comment show a high level of ingratitude for the red carpet treatment given him as also his own lack of empathy and the absence of an intellect able to understand and appreciate the why behind the what.  Unfortunately, when it comes to the 'dirt and filth' of the developing world, his sentiments and disdain are shared by many in the general population in the US including the so-called the NRIs, the Non-resident Indians, and their American born and groomed children - the latter's ingratitude being for the almost free education the first generation here got in India and helped them move here, and the insensitivity for, and most likely due, the privilege they and their families enjoyed back home for reasons like caste and position.  These make it necessary to examine this topic of filth in some detail and with some honesty.

    No human being likes to live in filth.  The aspirations of peoples for a good life, and a good environment to live in, are the same irrespective of their nationality, color, or whatever.  The main differentiators are education, natural resources, wealth, and history - not necessarily in that order of importance.  Without basic natural resources, particularly clean water, it is plainly impossible to maintain a high level of cleanliness and good health.   You also need a good amount of wealth to pay for even essential things like garbage pick up, street cleaning, and even more for expensive infrastructure like sewer systems and waste disposal and recycling plants.   

     Ask the people of Flint, Michigan (which is in USA, by the way) if you are in doubt.  My friends in America who speak loudly about filth in the so-called Third World have never seen Flint or have gone across the proverbial 'railway track or creek' in many states in the US, nor have they ventured into the poor areas of the large cities of America.  They probably have not read about the 'superfund sites' and have probably turned a blind eye to all the pollution and cancer and other diseases-causing filth created by mindless industrial filth here.  And, of course, we are blind to how we export filth by moving polluting industries out to other nations.  Ever heard of Bhopal, India?  But then we are affluent and can do that ignoring the glass house we live in and the bigger tragedy that this happens here too despite the incredible wealth of this nation.

    What matters equally is education - not just in school, but as it applies to that elusive thing we learn from the cultural milieu we live in.  The state of Kerala in India is a great example.  Much of Kerala is very clean - at least the Hindu and educated Christian parts, and that has nothing to do with the wealth of the family.  Even the poor keep their homes and their surroundings very clean.  Walk across to the muslim sections of Malabar, and you will see a very different thing.  (Wow! What a politically incorrect thing to say!  But that is a fact that no one can unfortunately ignore.  I say this because I believe that the Indian society has to do everything to uplift the muslim population there if the nation is to really progress.)

    Filth breeds on itself.  It is well-known that depression and filth form a vicious cycle.  People who are depressed pay little attention to how clean they and their environment are, and the lack of that cleanliness adds even more to their depression.

    Finally, history is an important factor.  Many of the developing nations have been plundered for generations by the West, and the filth you see there is the other side of the coin whose better side of cleanliness, better health, greater longevity, etc., we enjoy due to that plunder.  In fact, you do not have to go even that far to understand this.  Just look at the situation of the African Americans or Native Indians in this country.  Much of the filth they have to endure is the result of the history of their exploitation.

    So, the next time you or some prep boy or girl complains about filth in the developing nations, please remember the above facts.  Understand, think, and speak with empathy and concentrate more on what you can do to improve things even in a small way.  This is perhaps the best lesson we can teach our children too.  THANK YOU! 

Kashmir can't be the Victim of American Prostitutes, Tricks, and Naifs.

An election year in America brings Kashmir naturally to the forefront in many ways, and there is considerable concern both among Indians and Indian Americans that a government of the Democratic Party may lean the wrong way as it has for decades - wrong not only for India, but also for the USA.

That Kashmir has been an integral part of India for eons and part of its Hindu ethos from the distant undetermined start of that religion is undeniable.  The destruction of many sacred shrines or the driving away of Hindus cannot change history.  Many a Hindu saint and scholar as also many Hindu religious Sanskrit works and Indian classical literature grew out of Kashmir, and it finds mention in the very ancient and revered texts of Hindus as not anything foreign but an integral part of the land of their authors.   And that history goes back at least 5000 years.   Its Islamic history came much later beginning about 710 CE with the violent invasions of the barbarians in the name of a religion for whom anyone who did not subscribe to it, and only it, was a 'kafir' to be killed unless forcibly converted.

From a more modern geo-political point of view, Pakistan is strategically important to the so-called free world, because its falling in the hands of the communists and authoritarian regimes endangers international trade and prosperity of many nations through easy access by undesirables to the Arabian sea.  In fact, it is an even more important domino than the dominos for which thousands of Americans have given their lives.  Indeed, today one of the supporters of Pakistan in the Kashmir issue is China which has cleverly acquired from Pakistan, in exchange for WMDs and delivery mechanisms, a path through Pakistan-occupied Indian land to the Arabian sea.  Wait until its implications fully roll out for our nation USA that fought tooth and nail in Afghanistan and lost many just to stop the Russian communists gain similar access.  If you think the Chinese menace has become too much, wait for this to roll out!

It would be too naive and criminal to assume that otherwise intelligent US politicians and their so-called expert foreign policy advisers would be unaware of the above facts.  Then why are many of them blinded to support Pakistan in its quest to permanently acquire Kashmir and to turn a blind eye to recent history of many an act of aggression, deceit, instigation, and terrorism by Pakistan?  Why do they make blanket statements that superficially sound rooted in high democratic and humanitarian principles, but are in fact opportunist, corrupt, hypocritical, and above all suicidal?

Ask yourself how US would react if Puerto Rico, an Indian Reservation, or even a distant small possession of the US were to want to break away under similar instigations of a foreign nation or even on its own?  Would these US politicians let the same "principles" they  propound in the context of Kashmir apply to these situations and let them become independent?  And would they even look at it kindly if the instigating power is a known failed state, a harborer of terrorists against the US, and aiding a totalitarian communist state that has become the nemesis of the USA through the Kissinger-Nixon exercise of stupid expediency and subsequent nurture for the cause of crony capitalism by successive governments of both parties?  [Read the book 'Massacre' by the award winning US correspondent Robert Payne to understand how these two even ignored, just to make the US-China partnership happen through the "good" offices of Pakistan, the massacre of about three million Bangladeshis and the rape of over a million Bangladeshi women by the Pakistani army.]

What is at play are two highly troubling facts.  One is money from Saudi Arabia and some other Islamic nations, none of which has any semblance of democracy or human rights themselves.  In the quest to amass campaign contributions and possibly other payoffs, the US politicians and their advisers have chosen to prostitute themselves and the high principles on which our own nation is founded to take sides with totally non-democratic and totalitarian players.  They even forget that the distant history that we conveniently quote when it comes to Israel is not applied to India whose history with Kashmir pre-dates even the very birth of Judaism or Islam.  The second is the expediency of trying to get some favors and short-term economic gains for the US (and possibly personal ones like huge donations to one's 'charity' foundation) and looking good while running the US government, even if it be at the expense of the long term welfare and good of the US itself.  Both China and Pakistan are true nemeses of this latter sin as far as the US is concerned.  And in this, these politicians behave exactly as tricks who go for the immediate fun from undesirables at the expense of many a disease to come later.  And, of course, you have the lobbyists too who are the equivalent of pimps in this game.

What is at stake is the long term prosperity and security of the USA.  Young Americans and Indian Americans need to educate themselves on the history of Kashmir, the brutal invasions and subjugation of its people by tyrants and rogues in the name of the Islamic religion, and the more recent driving away of hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindu Brahmins) from their land.  It is unfortunate that at least a pair of American generations has been (mis)educated by those who themselves lacked that lesson in history and a proper perspective, due mostly to the texts and writings of dishonest propaganda of the British to perpetuate their empire and satiate their own racism and bias.  Herein lies the third cause of why America acts in total antithesis to its own asserted values and practices when it comes to Kashmir.    Wherever do we park our commitment to human rights or democracy if we continue USA's blind and misguided support to Pakistan and the essentially terrorist movements in Kashmir?  The argument that a terrorist is someone else's freedom fighter is not an argument we would accept if any group in the US were to resort to even a fraction of the violence and terror acts perpetrated in Kashmir through the instigation of Pakistan and the covert support of China.

Enough is enough.  For our own long term security and respect among democratic nations of the world and for the right evaluation by history, it is high time that we - the USA - as a nation shed our hypocrisy in the matter of Kashmir and re-examine everything.  May be, it is high time to send some of the old advisers and 'experts' to their real paymaster nations and get in place those who will serve the US honestly and with its long term good and only that in mind.

ON DEATH AND DYING

   Why am I writing this blog at this time when most of the world is facing a pandemic and many are worried about becoming a victim?  Certainly, it is not because of any personal fear, or any perverse desire to make you more worried.  So read on setting your worries aside. It is mainly to let you know that if you feel scared, depressed and down, it is a natural reaction.  There are things you can do to subdue those feelings.

   My first encounter with death was early in my fourth year in Kerala, India.  Hearing some loud crying, I came out of the main hall into the side room of our house to see my favorite 'Shantha teacher' bawling a good four feet or away from the side exit door to our house narrating to my mother and grandmother how her younger brother contracted small pox on a train and died just three days later.  There was no official manifesto for 'social distancing' in those days, but what contained epidemics to some extent was probably all the social and religious taboos surrounding death and concerning diseases like small pox and chicken pox. Those forbade visits from and to houses infected and required that their members may not touch anyone for several weeks.  Not that I knew what death really was, but I could figure that something really bad had happened.  I kept asking my mother and grandmother for many days as they tried to put me to bed, but was told not to think about it, and that all my teacher was crying about was that her brother had left to God's place and she could not see him any more.  That, of course, brought from me many questions about God and why people go to his place etc., but no answer came that was anywhere near the truth or what I could understand.

    In another six months or so, my great grandfather who was living with us passed away.  He had become very old (93) and had suffered a head injury from a fall, but he recovered surprisingly.  But he developed a diarrhea which got worse by the day.  None of the medications was working, and my grandfather, who was a doctor, had pronounced that his father was sinking, and all we could do was to make his days as nice as possible.  Those were days when old people were allowed to die without more pain induced on them through heroic attempts to keep them going even if it were only to a life with highly diminished quality.  One morning when I woke up, I saw the old man laid in the main hall like a stick.  He seemed to be sleeping.  The odd thing was his two big toes were tied together, and there was also a yellow ribbon tied from under his chin to the top of his head.  We lived in a small town, and our custom does not permit moving the body to a mortuary or morgue.    I saw lots of crying, some religious ceremonies being performed, and later my great grandfather, who used to make me breakfast every day, carried out on a bamboo stretcher sort of a thing and driven off in our large family car.  The mood of the house had changed drastically, and it stayed that way for many days.  Again, I could get no satisfactory answers from my elders.

     When I was about eight, we moved to Madras (now called Chennai) where it is common sight to see dead bodies being carried in full view in a procession to the burial or cremation grounds.  I was initially scared to see these, and even more scared to ask anyone at home since I knew by then that this was not a topic for discussion.  But then I had classmates who could give almost an entire lecture on death, and from them I 'learned' quite a bit.  Yet, the statements by some contradicted those of some others and left me with some knowledge buttered with a lot of confusion.

     The time I came to understand death in a proper way was while I was in high school browsing through some medical books of my grandfather.  This was something of a routine done clandestinely and started with the curiosity about certain body parts and related matters.  Surprisingly, I found the discussions in them very interesting, not in any prurient sense but in a really intellectual way.  I was getting wiser about life and death after all, along with information on lots of anatomy, diseases, and treatment.  Wiser may be, but not at ease, as I found out later in Vaishnav College right in front of which was a cremation ground from which at times came the smell of burning bodies into our class room.  Even today, the burning of flesh in a barbecue brings back in me those nauseating memories.

     I must say that those were days when my agnosticism was at its peak.  All the religious stuff appeared absolutely nonsensical to me.  But then, other than my agnostic grandfather, the rest of the household was too religious for me even to disclose my agnosticism, let alone to have my doubts cleared.  And, I kept reading and reading, trying to find answers to many an intriguing question while simultaneously going through many a religious ceremony mechanistically to please the elders, nay to avoid their ire.

     The time death really hit me hard was when I was in my early forties and when a young colleague at Bellcore died due to a recurrence of his sarcoma.  His cancer had spread to his brain, and details of his last days filled with unbearable headaches and his resisting to take morphine so that he could take in every waking moment in the company of his mother who had come from India broke my heart as of many of my colleagues.  Sitting in his memorial meeting, something really snapped inside me making me wonder whether I could go too just like that, and what would happen to my whole family.    The only thing I could do was to take out some insurance policies on myself and my wife; I did that. But that did not help with the other challenges imagined for those dependent on me I would leave behind.  All this, combined with a discovery of a cyst in my wife's brain that took two years and three divergent medical opinions about surgery to resolve into a diagnosis as an 'arachnoid cyst' that was not growing and didn't pose a risk, was driving me up a wall.   Retrospectively, I must say that what I went through as a consequence was really an utter depression, although at that time, I thought my doctor was jumping to conclusions and most likely wrong.  Prozac, Zoloft, and a series of medicines helped me to appear normal to the rest of the world, but there was a deep abyss in my own mind known mostly only to me and my wife.  Trust me, pretense is not a pleasant game.

     An American lady, who was a Ph.D. class mate of my wife and also a Counsellor, suggested that I read, "Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life" by Gail Sheehy, a book that I would highly recommend to all as one that details the ages 20-60 in very insightful ways.  Just to cite one example, explaining the so-called 'midlife crisis,' the author says that around 40, some young friend or relative dies and that changes one's personality much; men begin to become mellow shedding their previous aggressive quest to succeed at all cost, but women begin to become suddenly self centered complaining how they have spent their prime years serving others like a husband, children, et al.  That book was certainly an eye opener in many ways, but unfortunately not a solace.

     Then I hit the jackpot in the form of a small book titled, 'Teaching of the Bhagavad Gita' by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.  Written in captivating prose, it started expounding the lessons by pointing out how inconsequential the problems we worry about really are, and how there is a big macrocosm that makes our microcosm and its issues quite irrelevant.  It was as though I suddenly became an Arjuna being told by Krishna himself:  'asOchyAn anvasOchastvam (you are worrying about things not worth your worries).'  That set me off on a serious study of vEdantA which, as a system attempting to answer many fundamental questions, was the perfect antidote to my hitherto agnosticism.  It cleared many a doubt in my mind and gave a level of incredible peace.  More importantly, the mathematician in me was fascinated by its unquestionable logic and consistency of thought.

     Here I am at 70, immune compromised, and facing a virus that is causing enormous devastation all around and killing many.  Yet, I could not be more at peace with the notion of death than ever or anyone.  It is true that I have been fortunate to be blessed with many wonderful people and things around me and to have some accomplishments.  I could also look back at my life and claim that I have lived a good life in the sense of having been blessed to do some things of value and usefulness to others.  But they are not the real reasons for my peace.  Like everyone else, I too feel my life as incomplete and want more time to achieve a few more things.  But I know, to hope that some day we can claim our life to have become complete is a futile quest.  In any case, none of that matters.

     My peace comes from the Vedantic view of our world and our existence as a small part of an infinite continuum of repeated states of being manifest and unmanifest of the Supreme Consciousness that the true Self in me is.  Many may applaud, "Cowards die many deaths, the valiant but once," but to me the most appealing tenet is that of Vedanta that the real I does not die.   I accept that model and many of its explanations as the best I have seen based even on  many observables.  How else does one explain how even members of a twin often are different in diverse ways, even as babies exposed only to a common environment?  But the real reason of my acceptance may well be the underlying cogency and logical foundation on which the concepts of Vedanta stand.  Among the many privileges of my (this) life has been to have had my eyes opened to this great system of thought and the opportunity to delve into it seriously and to attain a level of peace that is indescribable.

         If one death can have profound impact similar to that of my colleague on me, it is no wonder that news of many deaths every day, day after day,  and worries for oneself and the near and dear could become quite onerous. The right way to uplift ourselves in such an environment is through taking on a quest to understand what this life is all about through the teachings of the wise across many generations that have preceded us, and to fill our minds with those thoughts and inquiries thereon rather than be consumed by what is being played out incessantly on television and the newspapers.  In the least, hear some nice lectures, or pick up the phone or connect through the Internet and talk to some who can give you the right perspectives.  Above all, stay safe, and be proactive.

Indian Diaspora, Carnatic Music, and Competitions

   There was a time when learning Carnatic music was an enjoyable activity for the US children of South Indian descent.  For the parents and elders,  programs where these children displayed their talent were a real treat where they wholeheartedly applauded every child along with utmost an understanding inward chuckle at their lapses like that of a lisping child uttering a phrase incorrectly would get.   As for the children, they came and participated happily - mind you, participated, and not competed -  and went away with some present - everyone a winner, which indeed they are for engaging themselves in an art form of a distant land despite the challenges of finding time to practice and (at least partial) lack of understanding of the attending language, mythology, and context.

  Then came the introduction of competitions.  Initially, we allowed also participation without competing, but - we don't know whom to blame - that also went away, and all we have now in many places are competitions.  To some extent, the competitions perhaps have increased the effort put in  by those who were really there to compete as well as others, and we got better and better quality of music even from the young.  Thus, an activity that was mainly one of encouraging children that were 'lisping' music  turned  slowly into hours of enjoyable music.

    Of course, to be able to judge competing performers with some uniformity, it becomes necessary to announce a set of kritis (songs) or ragas (melodies) or talas (beats) over which they all will be tested.  The net result immediately turns learning music into coaching for a competition, and a new kind of an industry.  Rumors abound that some teachers charge as much as $400 per song and polish them over an extended period of several months just to create winners in some competitions.  Some organizations make a killing in participation fee; a group of one hundred children simultaneously on stage singing as a group and each paying even $50 for the 'honor' is not small change!  Honestly, one is confused on who is really competing - the kids, the parents, or the teachers?  When I begged him to lend his stage in Chennai for some of "our" children (our in the sense of NJ children; mine never got to that level unfortunately), a great music organizer in India also highly informed on Carnatic music - whom I must leave unnamed -  once remarked to me, "These youngsters from your America are good, I would even say very good, for the two or three kritis they know, but their improvisations are not improvisations at all but regurgitations of learned phrases with no real spontaneity.  How can you expect me to put them up on my stage?"   [I hasten to add that we now do have some really talented Carnatic artists born and brought up in the USA who are standing shoulder to shoulder with their counterparts in India, although they are far too few compared to the thousands learning the art.]  For many children in the USA, it is no longer a matter of learning a new art for learning and enjoyment per se.  As my own daughter once remarked, "Appa, I felt like I was a show pony."    No wonder, many including those showing high promise leave the activity for good once they leave the nest of their parents. 

     Now, we have taken things to even a worse level, thanks to all the 'idol' programs and the like on television, now mimicked by many US based organizations.  We now have 'professional' judges,  not all of whom are a Sri Santhanagopalan beaming with encouragement and kindness; some of them appear more eager to show how clever and knowledgeable they are and grill the kids mercilessly in public, interrupting their performance repeatedly asking them to do, not music but acrobatics with music.  Honestly, I hate to even go to  such shows, since I cannot even listen to one segment, let alone an entire piece, sung or performed in its entirety by anyone without being interrupted by a judge.  The type of 'music' we get in these competitions as audience is not music that is 'the food of love' but of great heartache and indigestion.  We really need to think on this and ask ourselves what it is that we are trying to achieve here.

   To me, the motivations behind these children's events should always be to provide them an enjoyable day while connecting them to their great inheritance and to groom them to be able to appreciate the richness of that heritage as they grow into adulthood.  Simultaneously, we want to give the opportunity to those who want to go much beyond that and enter even the professional arena, but that should always be with our resounding applauses, personal words of praise and guidance, establishing contacts and finding opportunities for them to learn with stalwarts and to perform in bigger venues.  With all my experience as a teacher, I personally cannot understand how a public flagellation would encourage a student; honestly, there is no better way to kill talent altogether.

    I understand that we cannot groom real maestros here without the rigor of theory, tests, and testing, and I am one who keeps hammering that we cannot live for ever on borrowed feathers from India and need to groom our own stalwarts.  I have also expounded on the virtues of honest criticism elsewhere, after all. ( https://veeraam.blogspot.com/2017/10/a-critique-of-critics-and-criticisms.html ). Can we not reserve those tests etc., only for those who want to take that path and do those tests and testing in a more private setting allowing our public programs to be ones where children and youth can sing for their sheer enjoyment and let us enjoy music too without those totally irksome interruptions and questions?
    I can almost guess the answers that will come from organizers: Yes, we can, if we have more volunteers to help us organize and run additional events, and enough donors to foot the bill.  Yes we can do all that as a community, but shall we, or will we just let things drift whichever way?

The DJ who is a Din Jockey

For a long while, I thought DJ stood for Deaf Jockey. Usually, people who talk way too loud almost like they are shouting, and play up the volume of the radio, TV etc way too high, are often deaf and can't hear well.

Could you blame me? With the level of volume at which these DJs play anything and at all times in a typical Indian wedding, what else would one think? If they are not deaf, are they leashed out by some on Wall Street who have some futures contract on hearing aids and the like, or are they some agents spawned by the ENT doctors' guild to drum up business for themselves?

My name is not Andy Rooney, and I am not against fun either. And, I do believe that functions like a wedding or a birthday should be nothing but fun. But ask yourself: is it fun to have your ear drums torn apart while you are having a dinner? Or how much social is that social event where you cannot even have a conversation above the unending din? BTW, the writer is also guilty of patronizing the DJ experience once, having been forced into doing so by "the kids" although we did manage to keep the volume level to reasonable limits by making a clear statement to the DJ that his tip depended on how tolerably high the volume was.

Why is it that we seem to need some professional help just to socialize and have fun and to even applaud the stars of the party and the hosts who have kindly invited us? Isn't that funny and weird? Well, I am glad in one way though that in these days when most jobs have been outsourced and off shored, there are some new occupations like DJ-ing that have opened up for some people. I only wish they add value with sensitivity and some aesthetic sense as part of what they do.

To me, the ideal DJ is one who understands sound and sound equipment well. He should know how to position his equipment and equalize sound depending on the needs of the environment avoiding echo, squeaks etc. He is one who should know how to provide professional audio in a way that speakers can be heard clearly (can they use wireless lapel or

headset microphones, given that most clients don't know how to hold a hand held in an optimal way?). He should be someone who knows when to play what type of music. For example, during dinner time, soft instrumental music that does not interfere with people's conversations

and enjoyment of food is what I guess most would prefer to loud music with undesirable vibrations. In short, the DJ should, in the least, understand the difference between noise and sound, period.

I agree there are times when the volume level has to be racked up to maintain a certain level of tempo, like for instance while announcing certain key events like the entry of the bride and groom in a wedding reception or during dance. But that does not mean that it has to be raised to a level exceeding all OSHA standards and provide an experience comparable to that of having a

few jack hammers going in full blast.   And, whoever thinks that a subwoofer set at such reverberating levels resembling a never ending passing of gas by a huge dinosaur and amplified manyfold is music?  After all, a large audience such as at an Indian wedding invariably includes some old people, babies, and some with ailments who cannot tolerate high levels of noise, and hosts do take offense if they don't show up.

Certainly, the DJ plays a useful role as an MC bringing some order in what would otherwise be a chaotic gathering. But he has to do it in a carefully careless way without appearing to be comical. Some DJs are so mechanical and so contrived in the way they make announcements that it all makes all too Bollywoody and takes away the spontaneity one would not like to lose.

Also, the DJ's overall tone should be one that displays a certain level of respect for the audience and not one treating them like a set of puppets. Sometimes, the whole process reminds one of an old Indian scene of the street gypsy with his monkey with the latter jumping over a stick to each command of the gypsy.

There are many things in which old is gold. There is a need to ask ourselves if this whole canned DJ experience is one that could be modified to bring some of the gold back for greater enjoyment of our social events by most if not all. No one is proposing that we replace the DJ with classical Hindustani music at a slow pace or whatever, but some of us do wish that we be spared of an experience that produces heartburn and headaches.

UMA ROY - SHE CAME, SHE SAW & SHE SERVED

   

   You have probably heard the saying, "She came, she saw, she conquered."   Dr. Uma Roy, a former President of CMANA, the Carnatic Music Association of North America, certainly conquered many hearts - of music lovers and artists - but even more, she served.  She served in such eminent ways that hers is a legacy that will far survive her in the form of CMANA that grew enormously strong during her Presidency and due to her tireless efforts.  

     Our introduction to Dr. Roy was through a critical letter she had written complaining about the poor public relations of CMANA that made even she, an ardent lover of Carnatic music, not even know of our existence.  Dr. Rajagopalan, our President, had brought her letter to our Board meeting, and I suggested to him that she should be invited to become a member and also join our Board, which we did, and she agreed.  We were expecting to see a Bengali woman appear at our next meeting, but were surprised to see that Dr. Roy was indeed a saree clad South Indian lady though she - as she herself averred in a later article - had no parochial identity, being born as she was in a Kannadiga family, raised in Chennai speaking Tamil, having moved to the US and married a Bengali, and being more comfortable in English than in any other language!

     Uma started earnestly right from the start contributing some articles to the sporadic issues of CMANA's magazine Sangeetham that Dr. Rajagopalan and I edited and doing various chores of the Association including transporting and hosting artists as needed.  In her usual self effacing way, she claims she is surprised her articles were published by us, although I recall they became instantly popular for their humor and human interest in addition to interesting observations related to music.

      Saddled with many tasks to do, Dr. Rajagopalan and I asked Uma to take over Sangeetham as Editor, and she did after much coaxing and promises to support her, the latter being shown superfluous soon, as she had a natural flair for it.  I still remember her first editorial in which she said she is starting with an ending problem - raga or ragam, tala or talam, laya or layam, etc.?  Sangeetham became a regular quarterly periodical with each issue containing many interesting articles and tidbits and puzzles which included at least one humorous article by Uma and a highly erudite one by her father Mr. Visweswariah.  The countless hours put in by Uma, her parents, and Madhuri (her daughter) manually typing the pages, cutting and pasting, etc. in the era before desktop computers and word processing software were uncountable.  She was such a stickler for deadlines to publish that sometimes we were called in to help late into several nights doing those chores; but they were attenuated by great conversations of hers and her parents, and also good food from her mother Mrs. Chayamma.  (For their regular, continuous and notable contributions, Mrs. Chayamma was inducted later as an Honorary Patron of CMANA, and Mr. Visweswariah was honored through the institution of a Junior Membership award in the name The Visweswariah Prize for service.)

     Dr. Rajagopalan, the founder, had assumed the Presidency of CMANA for the second time in the face of a letter from many members claiming that CMANA was financially non-viable and should be closed.  With hard work by him and colleagues, he had put the association in sound financial footing although much more remained to be done.  Yet, he would not continue for fear that he would create the perception of hungering for power, and that forced us to look for a successor.  Noting her commitment and contributions, I chose to nominate Dr. Uma Roy.  Faced with skepticism from several Board members on how a woman, that too a widow with a young daughter, could take on such a daunting task - regardless of the fact that this lady had driven cross country with her parents  and had already contributed much - I had to appeal to a large number of members and get a set of proxy votes to get her elected.  In many ways, that election changed the course of CMANA.  Of all my contributions to CMANA,  I consider getting her elected as President to be one of the best deeds I have done.

    Uma served as President for several terms during which the association tripled its financial net worth, increased its membership five fold, and gained much greater national recognition - all this without compromising even by an iota its ideal to serve the cause of music as a non-profit organization run by volunteers.  Each year two tours were held without fail, of which one was always dedicated to a young and upcoming musician.  Uma herself identified several upcoming artists and pleaded on their behalf and brought them on tours - K.S. Gopalakrishnan, Kadri Gopalnath, The Rudrapatnam Brothers are some examples that come to my mind.  She instituted a new event called 'Teachers Day' to give opportunities for teachers and students to perform.  The Great Composers Day was made much bigger with attendance increasing many fold.  Junior Membership was introduced into CMANA and JMs were encouraged by Uma through many means, of which one was to be seated in the first row in concerts to compete on identifying the ragas sung.  The number of programs increased many fold and included many artists not even brought by CMANA to the US.

       Uma showed equal respect and kindness towards all, famous or just starting out.  That made people open up to her spontaneously.  Recently, she recounted Kadri Gopalnath recalling his young days when without food and only on water he would walk behind nadaswaram vidwans to learn more about how they play music.  Such tales of the bruises endured along the climb up the ladder of Carnatic music were as much behind her determination to help the young and upcoming as her own love for music and for its continued sustenance. 

     Uma is a self-appointed empirical anthropologist in many ways and can laugh at many human follies.  She would hide from many in Narada Gana Sabha to avoid being dragged to the front row.  She would rather be in the balcony watching people's reactions and later writing about them in Sangeetham in her commentary on the season.  Yet, one thing that irked her was how many parents would come to a CMANA program just to have their child sing and leave immediately without providing any support to others - an organizer's angst that continues to this day.

    Uma continues to enjoy Carnatic music and is an avid connoisseur of the art.  She names 'the "young girls" Ranjani-Gayathri as one of her favorites, the adjective being a result of how we freeze some in our minds from our first contact.  Ramakrishna Murthy she views as her manaseeka adopted son as everytime she hears him sing, she feels how nice it would have been if she had a son like him.  The music she likes is more lakshya (aesthetics) oriented and not lakshana (grammar) oriented.  She doesn't like too much acrobatics with 'kanakku' (mathematical permutations) etc, and for this reason Sikkil Gurucharan is another favorite of hers.  One can listen to her for hours on music without getting bored.

    Despite being a major support on which art and talent thrive and get publicized, the organizer is often the least applauded in the context of any art, and Uma is no exception.  I am forced to be brief here about her contributions and to stick mainly to the core.  Let me, however, state categorically that when someday the history of Carnatic music in the USA is written, it would be a travesty if this great lady is not given her due place at the top of the list.  May God grant that her days be filled with music and the best of memories.  Today, she is known to most around her as "Madhuri's mother" only, but that Madhuri's mother's greatness is something that must be told, and I am privileged to be the one to recount them for you.
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Postscript added on June 8:  Since writing the above on May 24, Uma left us on June 6 after a protracted, successful (?) battle with  cancer waged with a determination not to pre-decease her mother.  I am so glad I could write this while she was still around and could read it.  It is not often that one gets such an opportunity.