Reviving Carnatic music the popular way

A group of Carnatic musicians are seeking the 'popular music' route to rekindle a new awareness and affection for South India's age-old genre in the hope of bringing more listeners into this stream.

"Remembering the 'seven pillars' in a glamourous coffee table book featuring legends Bharat Ratna M S Subbalakshmi, Palghat Mani and T N Rajarathnam and T R Mahalingam among others is not enough," said well-known singer Bombay Jayshree. "You have to listen, listen, and listen."

In Mumbai to promote the legends in a first-time compilation of all seven, Jayshree said, "We are now trying to get children to understand that if they can listen to Michael Jackson and enjoy him, they will be able to enjoy Carnatic music too."

Jayshree and about 15 others based in Chennai are touring southern states targeting schools and business houses to popularise the genre.

"If in an audience of about 300, even 10 respond and say we want to here more, we will feel we have won a battle", T M Krishna, winner of a young achievers award and co-author of the book, said.

The group has conducted workshops is corporation schools, free of charge and believe 'we don't formalise anything, listeners should not be made to feel understanding Carnatic music is a burden'.

The slim hardback book, is a felicitation of the life and times of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, T N Rajarathnam Pillai, Semanagudi Srinivas Iyer, G N Balasubramanium, Palghat Mani Iyer, M S Subbalakshmi and T R Mahalingam.

Brought out pictorially in black-and-white only, the book titled Voices Within includes anecdotes, photographs, letters and copies of memorabilia in an attractive compilation that gives a feel of a bygone era.

To A R Iyengar the authors attribute the introduction of the kachheri format, to T N Pillai they credit 'giving a rightful place' to the nadaswaram.

For the authors and Carnatic music academics, Palghat ManiIyer is 'the first and last word in percussion' and G N Balasubramanium 'generated a new kind of audience'.

M S Subbalakshmi 'gained Carnatic music a place in India and the international arena'.

T R Mahalingam was 'the maveric genius who gave a new dimension to the flute' and along with Semanagudi Iyer made up the seven pillars.

Voices Within was discussed by advertising personnel and avid Carnatic music fans at an interactive session at the Crossword bookstore recently.

While parents in the group tried to plead that the young should be taught the classical stream through traditional and time-tested methods, the book authors stressed 'there should not be exams or theories at least for the first three years'.

"First time listeners should be allowed to breathe the music first before reading it...let them feel it, enjoy it and live it, just as they do in pop music where there is no evaluation," they said.

"If I can enjoy Michael Jackson and pop singers why shouldn't fans of pop music simply enjoy Carnatic music," Jayshree said. "We often begin our workshops with the music of today and then take participants back to ragas and the roots of classical music."