Sri Balakrishna Sastrigal was born on August 19, 1919. It was Gokulashtami and Tiruvidaimarudur Sambamurti Ghanapadigal and Meenakshi Ammal named their son appropriately. Ghanapadigal was a disciple of Sri Mannargudi Raju Sastrigal and was trained by Mudicondan Sabapathy Iyer, Soolamangalam Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Mahadeva Sastrigal in music and Sanskrit and learnt the Vedas, Itihasam. He married Nagalakshmi, daughter of vidwan Somadeva Sarma and started Pravachanam in 1942.
Srimad Ramayanam, Bhagavatam, Mahabharatam, Devi Bhagavatam, Skandam, Narayaneeyam, Nayanmar and Kambaramayanam were some of the subjects he presented discourses on. He toured many countries on invitation and was honoured by both Sringeri Sarada and Kanchi Kamakoti Pitams, Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Music Academi. When due to failing health Balakrishna Sastrigal withdrew from public appearance, he had performed for 66 years. Son Khanthan recalls how even then Sastrigal did not stop, delivering discourses to those at home.
Jayanti celebration
An event to mark Sri Balakrishna Sastrigal’s centenary has been organised by the family of Sastrigal on September 15, 4 p.m., at Ayodhya Mantapam, West Mambalam. Sri Sankara Vijayendra Saraswati, 70th head of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam, will grace the occasion and offer Anugraha Bhashanam. Swami Omkarananda of Swami Chidbhavananda Ashram, Theni, will be present. Kalyanapuram Sri Aravamudachariar will be conferred the TSB Award for Excellence.
Mouli reminisces
“As the eldest child, I have deeper memories of my father,” says Mouli, ace theatre and cinema writer and director. “Since our house was too small for the joint family, I was left in the care of my grandfather, Somadeva Sarma, who lived in Mambalam. “He was already a busy orator and I would watch his upanyasam from the wings. All of four, I didn’t understand what was going on but looked forward to the treat of colour soda and candy. I would get to meet him after the programme after which the journey back to my grandfather’s house would start. We lived together once we shifted to Ambattur,” recalls Mouli. He mentions Rajaji and Prakasam among the VIPs in the audience.
Ambattur was a village in the process of becoming a town and the family loved the rustic atmosphere although commuting was a time-consuming affair. More so for Balakrishna Sastrigal, who was with Imperial Bank (later SBI) and had to leave home at 6.30 a.m. “Again we would quietly watch him get ready to leave. Almost all the days, he would return home at 10 p.m. after the upanyasam. But having lunch together on Sunday was a must,” continues Mouli, who was taught to recite the Vedas. “He never forced us into anything but was keen that I learn Rudram and Chamakam. Eventually I became an engineer only to take a detour into drama and cinema. Brother Khanthan is a qualified chartered accountant but busy with visual media,” says Mouli.
How was it that neither inherited the Harikatha legacy?
“It is not that simple,” replies Mouli. “The mantle should fall, but naturally. My father was trained in classical music from a young age. He imbibed discourse skills by observing his grandfather. He knew several languages from which he drew material. And more important he had that bent of mind. We never saw him prepare for any lecture. He had internalised the subjects — puranas and upanishads, etc., — so much so that he could pour out stories, slokas and interpretations impromptu. However, to my uncle, his younger brother Valleesan, he would give a possible list of songs. One can cultivate, yes, but it will lack depth and dimension,” he states. As an example, he cites Sastrigal’s description of the Kurukshetra battle. “I’ve heard people say that they could visualise the battle field and the respective positions of the Pandavas and Kauravas. To me that is the best feedback anyone could get for his art and dedication. Leading musicians would visit our house for discussion. Kothamangalam Subbu and S.V. Subbaiah had a high regard for my father,” points out Mouli.
Sastrigal indeed cherished the delivery and the impact it had on the audience as the best gift. “He never did it for money. He distributed whatever sambavanai he was given among the orchestra. ‘I have enough thanks to my bank career. Whereas they depend on it for livelihood,’ was his philosophy. He was extremely happy when through his discourse, Parthasarathy Swami Sabha could build an auditorium and another raised a compound wall.
How did Sastrigal react to his sons forays into entertainment media? “He had no regrets,” says Mouli. Reaching a point where he could not juggle theatre and regular work, Mouli decided to take a call. He told his father that drama was occupying all his time and that he would rather quit his job. Says Mouli, “Was I informing him or seeking permission... I didn’t know. But Appa did not bat an eyelid. ‘Go ahead. We can manage.’ He said that because I was married and had a child.”
Curiously, Sastrigal had taken a similar decision when he faced a dilemma. He resigned his lucrative bank job to focus more on Harikatha. He travelled into hamlets, often driving the car himself, and delivered discourses to the joy of the villagers.
The trigger was a conversation he had with Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati of Kanchi Kamakoti Pitam. When Sastrigal told him that he had an invitation to tour in the U.S., the sage responded after a long pause: “How often do you go to villages for discourse?”
That is not to take away his commitment to work, underlines Mouli. “He passed examinations to rise to the level of Manager and discharged his duty in an exemplary manner. As a tribute, the SBI office in First Line Beach has a huge portrait of Sastrigal.
Sastrigal never saw any of his son’s or even Khanthan’s productions — stage or celluloid. “But then I never specifically invited him for any show. However, he was very proud of my achievements and would speak highly of them. He was impressed that I could make a mark in the Telugu field, that I made an effort to learn the language,” says Mouli. As if to assuage his son’s feelings, if at all he had a regret, Sastrigal expressed his wish to see ‘Naladamayanti.’ “He was in hospital and I was engaged in the release of the film. Apparently, he told my mother, ‘Why don’t you check with the doctor? May be I can go from here to the preview theatre, watch the film and come back.’ He passed away later that day. But by expressing his intent I think he conveyed a message to me.”
Khanthan recalls
Echoing Mouli’s thoughts, brother Khanthan mentions Sri Balakrishna Sastrigal’s ‘Tyagaraja Ramayanam’ as his special. Well-versed in Carnatic music, Sastrigal had an affinity for Tyagaraja’s kritis and did extensive research into the subject. He realised that for every situation in Valmiki’s Ramayana, there was an equivalent in the saint bard’s repertoire. His presentation of ‘Tyagaraja Ramayanam’ was a roaring success with people thronging venues to listen to the moving narration embellished with kritis rendered in classic style. “Appa’s pioneering effort had the blessings of the Kanchi Acharya. Mother has told us about the incident when Periyava asked Appa to narrate ‘Vibhishana Saranagati,’” informs Khanthan. The place was the Kanchi Math. Considering it as a blessing, Sastrigal obliged without the usual accompaniments. A moved sage said, “Excellent Bala! Continue the good work.” “This blessing made sure that Appa’s title became immortal,” says Khanthan. According to Khanthan, young Balakrishnan was ready at 16, when he started Pravachanam. For the next 66 years he was performing, until 82. “His database was filled with all the inputs, thanks to the rigorous training his father put him through — multi-lingual skills, Carnatic music, scriptures and so on. The learning began when Appa was four,” he says.
Unusual interpretation
Lalitram, an ardent fan of Sastrigal, who is making a documentary on him says: “It was Balakrishna Sastri's genius that he was able to reconstruct the entire story through Tyagaraja kritis. Creativity of the highest order comes to fore as he interprets a line from a Tyagaraja kriti that has nothing to do with the Ramayana in a Ramayana context without sounding contrived. One example would be the first line of the song ‘Melukovayya.’ TSB creates a vivid picture of the scene where Vishwamitra after enjoying the beauty of Rama while the Lord is asleep, wakes him up in the morning singing the Suprabhatam. Many versions of Tyagaraja Ramayanam by TSB exists. Each version is significantly different. There is a particular version recorded in Bombay, where he has rendered Tyagaraja Ramayanam for over ten days. Every time I listen to it, I discover a nuance that I had missed earlier.
Fountainhead of knowledge
Balaji (Madhu), a close friend of the family, remembers Balakrishna Sastrigal’s spontaneous sense of humour. He attributes Mohan’s fertile imagination to the foundation laid by Sastirgal. “My grandmother would take him to Sastrigal’s Pravachanam and the child absorbed everything. Later, Sastrigal encouraged Mohan to read by suggesting authors and giving him books. He always evinced interest in what the troupe was up to and often offered tips. Mohan was writing ‘Kishkinta Kandam’ and was not sure about the end regarding Vaali’s killing by Rama, which is always debated. Balakrishna Sastrigal came to our rescue by suggesting the climax. Mohan loved Sastrigal’s music, which was his constant companion while at work. Balakrishna Sastrigal was a gem, the kind that comes once in a century.”
