Sanctity of patantharam underscored here

Guru with a towering image, P.S. Narayanaswami recalls the days of healthy exchange and unity, in a chat with Lalithaa Krishnan

December 01, 2016 05:03 pm | Updated November 17, 2021 06:02 am IST

A t age 82, vidwan P.S. Narayanaswami, torchbearer of the Semmangudi bani, looks back on a life well-lived and revisits the milestones of a musical career spanning six decades.

Walking down memory lane with him, you get fascinating glimpses of the 1960s music scene in Madras. “Returning to Madras from Trivandrum after years of intensive training from my guru, Semmangudi, I settled in with my family at Mylapore, near the Thiagaraja Vidwat Samajam. All the maestros used to perform there. Vidwans such as Mannargudi Sambasiva Iyer, Kumbakonam Sankara Iyer and P.N. Raghava Rao lived close by and were Samajam members. Every Saturday, a kutcheri was held. There was just a small kottagai. No mikes, not even a mat. We sat on the bare floor. And listened to the most inspiring music.

“There were 24-hour akhandams during which kirtanas were sung without repetition. This exposed me to a wide repertoire. I learnt rare compositions from Pathamadai Sundaram, Rajagopala Iyer and Dindigul Ratnam. Thus, the Samajam provided a gateway to interact with other vidwans.

“After one year, I purchased a plot of land in Narasimhapuram and built this house, which has been my home from 1959 till date. I had just begun giving kutcheris. Additional income came from a few tuitions. Saha vidwans, particularly A. Sundaresan, Chingleput Ranganathan, D.K. Jayaraman, Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan and I would meet for informal music sessions which would begin in the afternoon and sometimes last until 11 p.m. Ranganathan would compose small pallavis that we would elaborate on the spot. ‘Why didn’t you call me? If I’d known, I would have joined you earlier’.

“As our patantharas were different, we would each sing a part of the kriti and handle niraval and swaram in turns. Umayalpuram Sivaraman, then a law student, would accompany us, playing the mridangam tirelessly for hours on end. Ramnad Krishnan and Guruvayur Dorai would often join us, leaving their mridangams upstairs, for easy access the next day. We would listen to and review each other’s kutcheris. A healthy musical exchange and much unity prevailed.

“Once or twice a month, we’d attend major concerts at the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Triplicane. We’d cycle to the Perambur Sangeeta Sabha, sometimes riding double. The traffic rules were strict – lights on, no doubles. So, the pillion rider would hastily get off whenever a policeman was sighted! Once, I was caught and fined Rs. 2! When Palghat Mani Iyer came to know about our bicycling expeditions, he urged us to return home early on account of the long distance. But we were loath to leave as we did not want to miss the RTP. So, the next time, he arranged to have us picked up and dropped by car.

“Initially, the Music Academy held kutcheris in kottagais erected within the P.S. High School grounds. Later, when the actual Academy auditorium was under construction, the concerts and lec-dems were held in a kottagai nearby. Excellent atmosphere, free entry. Eager audiences, about 500-600 strong, would gather for Semmangudi’s and MSS concerts. Many vidwans such as S. Kalyanaraman, Sathur Subramania Iyer and T.K. Rangachari who had performed at the venue for seven to eight years got promoted to the ‘big’ kutcheri held in the by-now-completed main auditorium. But they politely declined the offer. Reason being, the ‘big’ evening concerts, being ticketed programmes, drew few listeners. So, when the concerts ended at 11 p.m, hardly ten people, performers included, would remain in the hall! However, the ‘kottagai’ concerts offered immense creative freedom, with no time restrictions. Vidwans were not interrupted when in full flow. Even an AIR live relay, scheduled to end at midnight, was extended till 12.45 a.m. Subsequently, the lec-dems were scheduled as morning sessions, attended by maha vidwans such as Tiger, Mudikondan, Budalur, Ariyakudi and Semmangudi. Free concerts were held in the afternoon and ticketed kutcheris in the evening. This way, everyone was happy.

From the treasure trove of musical wisdom gained from his vast learning, teaching and performing experience, PSN shares nuggets about kalpita and kalpana sangitam. What is his perception of the kriti?

“The structuring and presentation of the kriti is the bedrock of the Semmangudi school. After much research and reference, my guru would set a kriti, with raga bhava and sahitya bhava-reflective sangatis. Once set, it is not advisable to keep changing the sangatis of the kriti, since patantharam lends a distinct identity to a bani, by virtue of being passed down largely intact, through the guru-sishya parampara. Semmangudi was known for the precision of his notations, which would enable even a student acquainted with only the basics of notation to render the composition. Learning from him, I notated hundreds of kritis during my tutelage.”

Highlighting manodharma aspects, PSN says, “Raga alapana should hold depth. How can one paint an emotive portrait of a raga using only scale-based sancharas? The arohanam-avarohanam (scale) merely indicates a raga’s framework. To flesh it out, one must use time-honoured pidis and rakthi prayogas that confer a distinct identity. Some ragas, especially vivadhi, offer limited scope for delineation, whereas rakthi ragas can be expansively essayed.

“My guru did not lay emphasis on kanakku-oriented kalpanaswara. His approach was rooted in raga bhava. Sarvalaghu sounds deceptively simple, but requires immense practice. Certain observations hold good — arohana-krama swarakalpana endings best suit arohana-krama landings. For niraval, the line selected should hold complete meaning. Sahitya syllables should not be closely packed and should have adequate interstices to project raga essence.”

What changes are evident in present-day kutcheris? “Times have changed. So has the kutcheri format. Now there are so many sabhas and artists. Yesteryear vidwans aired only about 100-150 kritis in their kutcheris, even if their patanthara encompassed many more. A section of the audience would gather solely to ‘catch’ signature kritis, such as Madurai Mani Iyer’s ‘Maanikyam Vairam’. But now, themed concerts and the need for variety necessitates that young musicians acquire an extensive repertoire spanning the works of numerous composers, in many languages. Though uncommon or new kritis are aired, their overall impact appears diluted. Earlier, even if an ‘O Rangasayee’ was sung without accompaniment, it would grip attention. Young musicians should strive for swanubhava. From self-immersion comes communication of emotion.

“With kutcheri durations shrinking to one-and-a-half hours, the RTP temporarily disappeared, but made a gradual comeback. One should not handle a pallavi on stage unless thorough with its structure. RTP is not mere entertainment but a test of vidwat. Tanam should be proportionate to raga duration. In pallavi elaboration, the sahitya syllables must fall accurately in place in the tala grid. The heartening artist and audience response to the ‘Pallavi Darbar’ programme is a reassuring sign.

“Today’s musicians are confident, intelligent, hard-working and determined to succeed. They learn compositions very quickly and render them neatly. To attract audiences, fusion events are held. The question is, will they stand the test of time?”

At the behest of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, PSN has been participating for the past 35 years in the Navaratri Festival, Kanchipuram and for the past 25 years in the aradhana of the saint Sadasiva Brahmendra at his adhistana in Manamadurai. Each year, on Tamil New Year’s Day, he journeys to the Kanchi math, where he sings the Pancharatna.

For the past 50 years, he has been participating in the Sivaratri akandam initiated by vidwan T.M. Thiagarajan at Saint Tyagaraja’s Samadhi, Tiruvaiyaru. He has set to music Ramalinga Swamigal’s Tiru Arutpa, which has been released as a CD. “In all these endeavours that are close to my heart, my students have been of great help,” shares PSN.

A karma yogi, PSN’s middle name could well be humility. Despite having nurtured a hundred plus students, many of whom are stars in the Carnatic firmament, he is completely unassuming when it comes to taking the credit for his achievement, instead attributing his role in their progress to the strength of their destiny and divine grace. PSN’s students are his pride and joy. Even today, despite age-related health issues, PSN makes it a point to attend his disciples’ concerts whenever possible, his very presence constituting a pillar of support. His constructive suggestions and analytical overview are an invaluable contribution to their musical growth.

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