An old compound wall bearing the name “Dwaram House” on one side and “Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu” on another side alone remains today. The house, which stood there for many decades and echoed with the music of violinist Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu and his daughter Dwaram Mangthayarau is gone forever.
The house at the Bandala Venugopala Street in Triplicane has been demolished and may pave the way for new construction.
“A treasure house of Dwaram memorabilia, Mangathayaru still continues to reside here. Portraits of their ancestors line the walls and the strains of the violin can be heard even now. In the middle of busy Triplicane, the house is an oasis of calm and peaceful music, perhaps the greatest memorial to the life and times of Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu,” writes V. Sriram in his book Carnatic Summer published in 2004.
Carnatic enthusiasist S.L. Narasimhan, who lives in Triplicane, said he saw the house even two months ago. “I assumed that Mangathayaru should be there. When I went there recently, it had been demolished. But I do not know where she has shifted her base,” he said.
The house has an interesting story behind it since it ensured that Venkataswamy Naidu relocated to Chennai in 1949. It was late legislator R.B. Ramakrishna Raju, who raised money by organising “Sammana Mahotsavam” for him in Madras.
“It was Raju’s ardent desire that Dwaram relocated to Madras so that he would be spared the rigours of travelling to and from Andhra for fulfilling his concert engagements in Tamizh territory. About ₹35,000 was collected and presented to him at a glittering ceremony.....,” according to the book of Mr. Sriram.
Dwaram had agreed to accept the amount only on two conditions. He insisted that ₹2,000 should be given to his elder brother and guru Venkatakrishnayya. Another ₹2,000 was to be given to the violinist, who had written damagingly about him in 1920, as the man had fallen on bad days. He received the balance amount and used the money to buy the property where a house was constructed. He lived there till 1964 and died in Hyderabad, where he had gone to receive the Andhra Pradesh’s Sangita Nataka Academy award.
“It is inevitable. We do not know the circumstances that forced the family to demolish or sell the house. There are different types of heritage buildings and in the case of Dwaram House, we can erect a plaque reminding the future generations about its occupants,” Mr. Sriram said.
