The autobiography of Arumuga Nayakar Sattanathan, chairman of the first Tamil Nadu Backward Classes Commission, besides offering rare insights into the dynamics of casteism in Tamil Nadu, also reveals the communities pursuing music as profession, apart from Brahmins and Isai Vellalas.
Plain Speaking, A Sudra's Story , gives a detailed description of his father as a nagaswaram player, performing at Brahmin marriages extending up to five days and temple festivals. The crowd in South Indian villages, especially Brahmins, was always appreciative of good music, and heads would nod and hands clap in rhythm, with occasional exclamations of Balae and Sabash .
Apart from Padayachi, the community of Sattanathan’s father, Kambar, Sunnanbu Paravar, Maruthuvar and Dalits in southern Tamil Nadu are also traditionally into music.
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While some of them confined themselves to offering classical music concerts like Sattanathan’s father, others forayed into Naiyandi Melam, a tough job, which offered a lot of opportunities in temple festivals.
Old-timers in southern districts vividly remember the music of Tenkasi Kittappa. A Padayachi himself, he was a trend setter in Naiyandi Melam. Another notable artist was Ambasamudram M.A. Durairaj.
“The difference between the Naiyandi Melam played in Southern district and elsewhere is the classical touch a rasika finds in the music of the artists in the Southern region,” says N. Subramaninan, son of Nalayutha Kambar, a nagaswaram player.
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Kambars, as a community, perform poojas at Kali temples and are adept at using all kinds of classical instruments, including nagaswaram and thavil.
Noted thavail player Valayapatti A.R. Subramanimam was part of the nagwaswaram troupe of Sudalayandi Kambar of Kanyakumari. Patthamadi Raja, Chinna Subbaiah, Tiruchendur Rajagopala Kambar, thavil Nainarsamy were some of the names to reckon with in the field of classical music in Southern region. Kambars mostly perform classical concerts, but of late they have also formed Naiyandi Melam troupes to ensure a permanent livelihood.
Best Naiyandi Melam artists emerged from Sunnambu Paravar, a community that collects sea-shells used in white washing. Kadayanallur Shanmugasundaram and Singikula Ganesan, both from that caste, were the two artists who dominated the Naiyandi Melam world for over four decades, and dates for temples festivals were fixed only after confirming with them.
“Probably a close proximity between Kambars and our community [Sunnambu Paravars] could be the reason for their presence in the music world,” says A. Mathusoothanan, whose grandfathers were well-known pampai artists Madakannu and Muthiayan of Parakkai. Both of them could play flute and mridhangam.
Boothapandi Arunachala Annavi, the teacher of music director, K.V. Mahadevan, and father of noted Malyalam music director Chidambaranathan was a Sunnnambu Paravar. He even ran a music school in Nagercoil, teaching mridhangam and vocal music.
Tamil scholar Nellai Kannan says it was a pleasure listening to Singikulam Ganesan, who performed along with his younger brothers. He also performed classical music concerts in marriages and temple festivals. “He clearly told us not to learn music as it is a tedious task and anyway could not guarantee a steady income,” G.Balasubramanian, son of Ganesan.
Kadaiyanallur Shanmugasundaram was known as “Gnanapazham pugal O.S. Shanmugasundaram” as he would render the virutham perfectly. He also cut a disc at the zenith of his career.
Maruthuvar of Kanyakumari districts and Dalits in the southern district also play nagaswaram and thavil.
Now more and more Dalits are it taking up it as a profession.
“All of them are talented artists, but do not get the opportunity to showcase or explore their talents as they are far away from Chennai, the capital of Carnatic music. They have to be content with a career of full time Naiyandi Melam artists,” laments N. Subramanian.