Music I admire 06: Residing in Mylapore reverberating with the sound of music (“san-gItamE muzhangum tirumayilApuri uraiyum”)

Mylapore, Marghazhi, music … a trifecta that for Carnatic music aficionados embodies the adage carved in the Divan-e-khas of the Red Fort .... “agar firdaus bar roo-e-zameen ast, hameen ast, hameen ast, O hameen ast!” (“If there is a heaven on the face of the earth, it is here, it is here, it is here!”). The three are so intertwined that Papanasam Sivan refers to the presiding deity of Mylapore - Siva as Kapalisvara - as he who resides in Mylapore, which reverberates with the sound of music. 

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQ6booj9dFTXqIlooYgBgRoKGzfcBPNAm  

Papanasam Sivan was synonymous with the morning Bhajana sampradaya during the month of Marghazhi in Mylapore, when he would lead a group of singers in circumambulation through the streets surrounding the grand temple. A tradition that was kept alive after his time by his students, among whom was the great D K Jayaraman. A man who came into his own quite late in life, happy as he was to sing with his sister and primary guru, the legendary D K Pattammal. (Folks who read my previous post on her may have noticed a second voice singing in the RTP, which was DKJ). As someone who learned most of Sivan’s compositions directly from the composer himself, DKJ is considered one of the gold standards for pathantara of Sivan’s compositions.

My first (and as it turned out only) live concert experience of DKJ was at the Russian Cultural Centre auditorium in Delhi, sometime in November 1990. DKJ was to be the recipient of the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi award that year, and he was in Delhi to conduct a series of workshops on Sivan’s compositions ahead of the Marghazhi music season of Chennai.

While I don’t remember everything of the concert, what has stayed with me is his rendition of Sivan’s pAdaME tuNai parama SivA in raga Valaji. The composition itself was mind-blowing, but his alapana prefacing the kriti was something else. And who but the great M S Gopalakrishnan to accompany him! As any Rasika familiar with him knows, MSG was equally adept at Hindustani music, and his rendering of Hindustani touch ragas is unparalleled. DKJ gave him the space, and MSG grabbed it with both hands (quite literally!) DKJ spontaneously exclaiming “omma rAgam, omma rAgam!” (“Your raga, your raga!”) at the end of his raga essay is something I can hear even today if I close my eyes.

DKJ’s other accompanists were equally stellar. On the mridangam was the youngest of the legendary percussion trinity of the golden age of Carnatic concert music - Ramanathapuram C S Murugabhoopathy, practically coming out of retirement. To support him was another legend Umayalapuram K Sivaraman on the kanjira.

At the end of the concert, DKJ requested the official photographer “periyavar kooDa ennoDa photo koncham eDungo” (“Please click a photo of me with the venerable old man”), referring to CSM. Given CSM’s age, DKJ must have assumed CSM did not have much longer on earth, and this would be the last time CSM was playing for him. It was indeed so. But not because CSM passed away anytime soon. DKJ was one with the stars less than 3 months from that day, soon after formally receiving the Sangita Kalanidhi award. How fickle life is...

In the Delhi concert, DKJ did not render kalpana svaras for pAdamE tuNai. He followed up Valaji with Abhogi (nekkurugi, also of Sivan) which is a tonic shift of Valaji (graha bheda), without alapana but with kalpana svaras. Unfortunately, I do not have a recording of that Valaji, but found an equally excellent rendition on Youtube. This has an equally good alapana by both DKJ and the violinist (I’m not sure who it is, but it seems to be Lalgudi Jayaraman). This rendition has kalpana svaras also, playing on the svarakshara portuttam of Pa-Da in the Pallavi.

pAdamE tuNai parama SivA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaWrlYvGvwM

Like many many musicians before, with and after him, DKJ made home in Mylapore. What Sivan implied of Kapalisvara could well be said of DKJ too - was HE there because of the music, or was music there because of HIM? The direction of causality is irrelevant.

Pic Courtesy: The Hindu (www.thehindu.com)