“The greatest quality of our music is that it is not only intended to simply please the ears but also to touch the innermost soul. In just one moment, there is the possibility of one coming into communion with God,” said Mr. C.V. Narasimhan, Chef de Cabinet, United Nations, inaugurating the 28th annual music festival of the Tamil Isai Sangam at the Rajah Annamalai Hall this evening [Madras, Dec. 23]. Great composers had in mind that music was in praise of God and that it had the capacity to move people, he added. Srimati M.S. Subbulakshmi, who presided, said songs in languages other than Tamil, of great composers, born, bred up and nurtured in the traditions of the Carnatic system were entitled to receive the established recognition on the music platforms of Tamil Nadu. The Sangam should pave the way as a pioneer for developing this broad outlook, she said. She suggested that the Sangam should tape-record the nearly 700 and more of Thyagaraja’s songs, with the help of musicians who could render them faithfully, as it would be a source of permanent sustenance to generations to come.
