India’s musical trajectory has evolved over the centuries, transformed through temple recitations, court performances, bhajan sampraday, adaptations on the silver screen and commercial patronage in our time.
A book by Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna on the Dalit Christian makers of the mrdangam, a percussion instrument launched yesterday at Chennai amidst Political fanfare is yet another painful infliction on the traditional practitioners who have kept this tradition alive against all odds.
Dr. BR Ambedkar had recorded that Ramanuja’s philosophy is the solution to change the mindset of the Society.
Sangita Gyanamu Bhakthi vina…Sanmargamu ledu…is the great verse of Saint Thyagayya. Which means, Knowledge of Music without devotion is waste, he says emphatically.
We feel at Chilkur that TM Krishna has been hijacked by certain elements to whip anti-Brahmin sentiments again and this time by using the Mrudangam.
This debate is necessary…very much necessary because the Dalit Tiruppanalwar who was carried by a Brahmin Archaka into Srirangam Temple is worshipped in all Temples for over 27 centuries now….
The lower Caste Shudra is the Religious saint Nammalwar for Srivaishnavas. This is why Dr BR Ambedkar had recorded that Ramanuja’s philosophy is the solution to change the mindset of the Society.
Chilkur Priest reenacted the same Munivahana Utsavam in Telangana and Andhra Temples in 2018. We will be doing another Munivahana Utsavam on Feb 11 at Bhadrachalam SriRanganatha temple…
Mrudangam is here to stay and beef eaters are all over the world and to use both to denigrate a small harmless community to satisfy certain invisible masters is again devotionally disturbing though musically correct.
A living cultural heritage, their timeless music is marked by an improvisational style of singing, accent on individual differentiation and aesthetic refinement.
These qualities, in turn, are rooted in the radical sense of freedom engendered by the centuries-old Bhakti movement that held sway over every aspect of life. Of direct relevance to the controversies of our times is how religious worship was revolutionised, by an emphasis on establishing direct communication between devotees and their deity.
One among umpteen instances of how the Bhakti saints leveled the field comes from Nammalvar, foremost among the 12 Vaishnavite minstrels of the 6th century. “What though a person be of lowly birth — even a Chandala of the lowly Chandalas — if he is a devotee of my discus-bearing gem-Lord, his servant’s servant shall be my master, just see,” he says in the Tiruvai mozhi.
TM Krishna has our family name Madabhushi but seems to have been abducted by elements detrimental to Bhakthi. We welcome TMK to chilkur to come here and personally sing before Chilkur Balaji Nammalwar Pasurams and Tiruppanalwar’s Amalanadipiran here. We may not be able to guarantee any Awards for him but Our Lord will give him the right direction to use music for devotion but not for Politics.
Mrudangam is here to stay and beef eaters are all over the world and to use both to denigrate a small harmless community to satisfy certain invisible masters is again devotionally disturbing though musically correct. Even Ravana a Brahmin was a great scholar and a Veena player but was brought down by his uncontrollable lust.
Indeed, India’s musical trajectory has evolved over the centuries, transformed through temple recitations, court performances, bhajan sampraday, adaptations on the silver screen and commercial patronage in our time.
But an undercurrent through these innumerable transmutations is the stamp of individuality and authority that artistes bestow on their performances; challenging convention for its own sake and repudiation of dogma. Qualities that made Ravi Shankar, Bhimsen Joshi and Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna who they were. But whom will you emulate TM Krishna????
Note:
1. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.
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This is not the Reform/’Reform’ to be in tune with the times; there is a certain hurry to his methods, getting children to sing the English Notes in a palpably T M Krishna-stamp; roving music enjoyment collectively in the bus/es, oh, he does a great ‘service’ to annul the blatant disservice of the ‘paarpaans’, in such manners he can idealise, let him! And, he is not the only person to speak against the belittlement of ‘Isai Vellalars’ in the previous centuries attaching stigma which has been effectively curbed legally. Without receiving money, probably he has, I’ve heard, done kutcheris, fine, he need or need not show it (like blood-donors need not wax about the donation service — ‘kuridhi-k-kodai’); on matters of dignity attached to the fine arts, gifts/donations of the noble kind, the act and activity themselves speak, not the ‘Prachar’ Service Mr. T M Krishna seems to propose, normally and ‘vengefully’! Suyamariyaadhai (self-respect) vaendum dhaan, for all, needless to mention the socially deprived communities who need to be taken care of, acknowledged well. The easiest manner in criticising non-revolting and unrevengeful southern Indian brahmins, vis-a-vis the northern ones has already been vigorously practised for decades by kazhagams in their manner, time and again ‘tested’ to fetch popular support and as avenues lending political gains, being ‘young’ he may not understand the depths of such propaganda. At the end of any activity, publicity and speech would he ‘paambaiyum paarppaanaiyum kandaal paarpaanai mudhalil koll’; ‘paarpaniya’ and ‘paarpanar edhirppu’, ‘kadavull edhirppu’ (is he, is there god, the unique and directly effective ‘sensible’ atheism of the rationalist movement type, as the followers believe in to socially engineer with their own sincerity, in the steps of late E V Ramasamy Naicker), to what end, to hate, not reform, but as means to hit, to speak vigorously and attach themselves to a great ‘race’, for rehabilitation? Would T M Krishna do all these? And, more, probably, can’t he?!
Hmm… Brahmins who leave their faith for a few worldly things like money, name n fame , awards, recognitions, status will be punished accordingly … We will live to see these…
Note to Brahmins…
Kindly start Hindu schools… But never admit your kids in convents… They are slowly turned into poisonous elements who have no sense to see real beautiful things…
They become robots reciting what is taught to them with a smile-in-lips n poison-in-heart by Christian missionaries…
This writer has very impressive bio data..Hope TMK gets some sense