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Sabhanayaka: Shri. Yagnaraman Krishna Gana Sabha |
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Having practiced as a lawyer for 10 years,
Sri. Yagnaraman decided to call it quits when the call to be associated
with Krishna Gana Sabha came. No regrets, he says as his term as secretary
for 47 years has been so fulfilling. Music was the catalyst and one
wonders how this passion came to be. “Í am a born Tanjorean and have
drunk deep of the Cauvery water. Music is in my blood”, he explains to
Carnatica's Geetha Iyengar. Music is in both sides of the
family, he adds, His father used to go to Kumbhakonam just to attend a
concert. His in-laws were very knowledgeable and his mother-in-law knew
more kritis of Dikshitar than many of the present day artistes. Reasons
enough to be committed to music. A perfectionist by nature, he undertakes
the nitty-gritty of managing the sabha affairs. Proudly pointing to the
chairs, he says that many of them are 50 years old. With good maintenance
they have stood the test of time and stand beside their new counterparts
without being put to shame - an example to show how deep commitment can
extend to volunteering to do things that could be easily delegated to
others.
Tracing the history of the sabha, Sri. Yagnaraman tells us it was established in 1954. Its founder president was Sangeetha Kalanidhi Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer. His son, the renowned musician Maharajapuram Santhanam was the founder secretary. Sri. Yagnaraman took over as secretary in 1956 and has seen the sabha through these 47 years. The auditorium has been renovated and the acoustics are excellent now. We owe a lot to Sri. Nalli Kuppuswami for his support both financially and emotionally, he says. His involvement has been totally voluntary and if there is any talk of looking out for funds his offer is spontaneous and the cheque is given to us personally without our asking for it. In fact we started in a thatched shed next to Nalli’s before the move to these premises. Very appropriately, the new auditorium has been named Nalli Gana Vihar. A 100-seater mini hall was finished in just two months. The Upanyasam on Ramayanam is held here during the Gokulashtami series. There was no AC for two years and later it was done as one way of eliminating noise. Besides, it is a must for the dancer. Excerpts from the conversation with him: Our activities: The activities of the sabha are three-fold and are connected with music, dance and drama. The Gokulashtami Sangeetha Utsavam [Janmashtami] is on for 2 months and there are over 60 concerts involving about 250 popular artistes. This is the major event of the year. On the inaugural day of the Gokulashtami festival, a sangeetha vidwan or vidushi of merit and popularity is honoured with the Birudhu “Sangeetha Choodamani” and carries an award of Rs. 20,000, a gold medallion, a scroll and shawl. Thirty artistes have been honoured with this award. From August 2002, a special award, “Acharya Choodamani” is given to the senior-most teaching artiste. Talent Promotion is the forte of the sabha and many of the big names in music are products of our talent promotion and this scheme has been going on for over 35 years. The third part of our activities is connected with drama and in April we organise the "Chithirai Nataka Vizha". Outstanding Tamil dramas are staged and on some occasions we have included Sanskrit dramas staged by Samskrita Ranga and the whole programme lasts for 10 days. The response of the audience is very good and we are proud of it. As in the Sangeetha Utsavam, we present the Birudhu “Nadiga Choodamani” to an actress or actor of repute. “Our calendar is quite full”, says Sri. Yagnaraman and goes on to tell us about the Art and Pongal Dance Festival and the All India Natya Kala Conference which takes place from December 15th to January 17th every year. The daily programme begins with devotional music sessions followed by lecture demonstrations and concerts by talented youngsters in the afternoons and senior musicians in the evenings. It is not Bharatha Natyam alone that we present but classical dance of all systems and this gives the festival an All India stature. On the inaugural day we honour a dance artiste with the Birudhu “ Nritya Choodamani” which carries a cash award of Rs. 20,000, a gold medallion, a scroll and a shawl. From the 47th Art and Dance festival in 2002, we have instituted the “Acharya Choodamani” for the senior Bharathanatyam teacher. It is the prerogative of the Nritya Choodamani to convene the Natya Kala conference. We have honoured 28 dancers from Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kathakali and Mohini Attam styles of dance. The Natya Kala conference has been a unique event of our sabha for the past 25 years. Eminent scholars from within the country and abroad are invited to present papers. The quality of the papers presented has made this conference a huge success. Other festivals: We organise Jayantis and Aradhanas of divine and eminent composers and savants on appropriate occasions. Teaching: We have a Sangeetha Vidyalaya which is as old as the sabha itself and imparts instruction in Carnatic Vocal, Veena, Mridangam and Bharatanatyam. We have 150 students in all. Aid to deserving artistes: Monthly pensions are granted to indigent artistes and this has gone on for a number of years. For instance, we give a mridangam repairer who lost his arm, Rs.150 a month. A tambura player died and his wife is being given Rs. 150 a month . Our memorable programmes: When I leaf through the old photo albums I am amazed at the number of stalwarts in music that have honoured us with their performances. Take a look at the picture of Bade Gulam Khan during his concert. Here’s Parveen Sultana. In fact she established herself in Chennai after she sang at our sabha. Sri. Papanasan Sivan was also one of the luminaries here, Smt. M. S. Subbalakshmi, MLV, D. K. Pattammal... you name them, they have all been part of the list of artistes here. In fact. Smt. Rukmani Arundale was a frequent visitor to our sabha. It is awesome when you think we have rubbed shoulders with these Greats! On dwindling audiences: My view is that you should not overdo it. If you follow the law of demand and supply then people will come. If there is a concert day in and day out then no one wants to come and listen. You know, masters like GNB and Semmangudi used to want to know when they had last performed so they could space it out and have the audience want more. The role of sabhas: It is my firm conviction that sangeetha sabhas carry a great responsibility in attracting an audience and maintaining it. From the beginning the sabha should nurse the audience on clasical music even if the audience is thin to begin with. It is no service to music or the organization if the aim were to organize programmes with an eye on the box office only. The sabha has a responsibility to create a taste for classical music and to develop the right atmosphere for it. More than the institutions, our musicians have a responsibility to please and hold the listeners by bringing out their best. Repetition of the same kritis can make the regular visitor bet with almost certainty what the vidwan would sing at the concert. Every honest effort must be made to include one or two new compositions in each concert to keep the interest of the listeners. A word about the aspiring youngsters: They lack concentration and their equipment is inadequate. Singing the same pieces and frantically attempting to win applause at punctuated places from at least a section of the audience with the help of the accompanying artistes seems to be the order of the day. Again youngsters choose top ranking accompanists just to get a full house and to cover up their deficiencies with the help of the violinist and mridangam player rather than to put forth their best talents. Let me touch upon the time factor. The time factor is of prime importance in a concert. Any concert beyond three hours is a strain on the performer and the listener. Most Vidwans, junior and senior do not know how to balance the items and present it effectively. In my opinion the presentation of the best in the minimum time and to make the audience ask for more is the essential quality of a successful concert. Quite often performers take up a Pallavi at a time when people are ready to go home. Golden Jubilee : We are preparing to celebrate our 50th year. Swami Dayananda Saraswathi will inaugurate the programme We are proud of the fact that Tamil Nadu Government has selected our sabha as the best run cultural organization. I humbly accept the title of “Kalaimamani” that was conferred on me by the Tamil Nadu Government. If all these honours were given to us it is because of the staunch support of all my colleagues without whom all this would not have been possible Geetha Iyengar. |
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