Tradition is the thread of his life, for Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti revels in the richness of silks and swaras. He transformed the small retail store of Nalli Silks, set up in 1928, into a multi-crore enterprise, and as head of several cultural institutions and sabhas patronises the classical arts. As the city awaits the Margazhi musical shower, Kuppuswamy Chetti’s incredibly-modest office inside the expansive and crowded Nalli Silks showroom in Panagal Park is buzzing with phone calls and visitors.
In fact, it was from the porch of this shop that a young Kuppuswamy Chetti learnt to appreciate Carnatic music. “Since my father wouldn’t like me to leave the business and sit in a kutcheri, I would often stand at the shop’s entrance to listen to greats such as G.N. Balasubramanian and M.S. Subbulakshmi. Krishna Gana Sabha’s performances were held on the vacant land where Kumaran Silks stands now,” recalls the affable entrepreneur.
He couldn’t understand the nuances, but enjoyed the musical strains, nonetheless. It was only after he came in touch with A. Natarajan (their association has lasted over 30 years), former director of Doordarshan, Chennai Kendra, that he was drawn closer to classical music. Natarajan, incidentally, is the son-in-law of nagaswaram vidwan Namagiripettai Krishnan, whom Kuppuswamy Chetti had invited to perform at his daughter’s wedding. He advised him to listen to these compositions repeatedly to appreciate their distinctive features and identify them.
Once Kuppuswamy Chetti established himself well in his business, he took time out to attend kutcheris at sabhas. During the 1990s when corporate sponsorships entered the cultural scene, the support of successful entrepreneurs such as Kuppuswamy Chetti became the norm.
Kuppuswamy Chetti did not stop with occasional funding, but became a part of the organisational committee of several institutions. He is the president of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Nungambakkam Cultural Academy, Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Brahma Gana Sabha, Sri Bhairavi Gana Sabha and Mudhra. He is the vice-president of the Mylapore Fine Arts Club, patron of Sri Lalith Kala Akademi Foundation, Mysore, trustee of Sri Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidwath Samajam and executive committee member of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Chennai).
Kuppuswamy Chetti is credited with reviving the Navarathri music festival at Ramakrishna Mission Students’ Home in Mylapore. The festival, which started as a benefit performance for the Home in 1921, turned into an annual feature, but was discontinued after 35 years. In 2005, after participating in the Home’s Centenary celebrations, Kuppuswamy Chetti decided to resurrect the festival. It now features prominent artistes and draws a good number of rasikas.
He also aided in the setting up of the Meenakshi Sundararajan Fine Arts Society that conducts an annual music festival in Meenakshi College. This provides a platform to talented youngsters from the college, and also features performances by established artists.
“It is extremely important to motivate and nurture young talent. We need to give them the confidence to pursue the arts. In fact, in most sabhas I am part of, we conduct a fest especially for the up-and-coming artists. There could another U. Shrinivas or T.N. Seshagopalan somewhere out there,” says the textile magnate.
And, he’s moved with the times, and change. “It’s unfair to draw comparisons between maestros of the past and present-day artists. Times have changed. The milieu is different. So, the approach and expectations will be different. There is immense talent, which has to be channelised.
Cross-regional cultural exchange is another area that Kuppuswamy Chetti is focussing. “Many a time, I am invited by institutions outside Tamil Nadu for their cultural festivals. During such occasions, I have increasingly felt the need to bring talented artists from different regions to perform across India so that people get to experience different aspects of our rich arts. It is creatively challenging and fulfilling for the artistes too,” he says, reminding you of how MS’s voice cut across geographical boundaries and made its presence felt globally.
“MS amma,” he muses and then goes on narrate how once, when he went to meet her before a concert, she appeared visibly nervous. Surprised, he wondered how an ace performer like her could be tense, and she replied: “The fear of holding on to the respect your performances have earned is sometimes overwhelming.”
“It still echoes in my ears, and helps me stay tuned to life’s realities in whatever I do,” smiles the connoisseur of classical arts.
