Memoirs of a fearless critic
Sulochana Pattabhi Raman
BEYOND DESTINY — The Life and Times of Subbudu: Lada Guruden Singh; Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Kulapati Munshi Marg, Mumbai-400007. Rs. 275.
This book is a biography of the art critic Subbudu by young Lada Guruden Singh. It traces Subbudu's early education and childhood in Rangoon, Burma. His proficiency in mimicry was outstanding and his talent as an actor was well recognised. Without any formal learning and using the method of trial and error, he became an accomplished artiste on the harmonium.
At the age of 12 he composed his first drama `Prahlada' and his second was `Sita Kalyanam' at 15. His dexterity at playing the harmonium and the mridangam helped him to accompany some of the great artistes of that period. At 20, he started writing short reports on the Rangoon cultural scene for the Rangoon Times, and later on moved to greener pastures such as Vasan's Ananda Vikatan and Kalki. In 1942 the British ordered all Indians to vacate Rangoon.
His cultural activities gained momentum after he moved to Shimla and sabhas started functioning there. Subbudu sent his first full- fledged review to Kalki that was started by `Kalki' Krishnamoorthy and T. Sadasivam. It is mentioned that M.S. Subbulakshmi played the role of a side heroine to Marathi actress Shanta Apte in the movie `Savitri' that was produced to raise money for the Kalki magazine. Actually, M.S. was featured as Narada, the celestial singer, in the film and not as observed in the book.
Dispassionate critic
His appointment as the music critic for the Statesman spelt a new era for dance and music criticism. His critiques undoubtedly made for very interesting reading, appreciated by many, yet leaving others cold. "Dogs and Subbudu not allowed," read the hoarding outside the Music Academy in 1980s. He was utterly convinced that reviews cannot be written on the basis of compassion, and that they should be written without fear or favour. Perhaps, at times, his acerbic remarks did ruffle quite a few feathers, but by and large he was fair and unprejudiced.
His tiffs with the great Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer were legendary, and he was his sharpest critic. When he wrote "Even the dreaded Emergency has come to an end, but there seems to be no end of Semmangudi," it created such a hue and cry, that an emergency meeting was called at the Academy, and a resolution denouncing Subbudu and reaffirming the greatness of Semmangudi was passed. However, the olive branch was extended when Semmangudi presided over a function at Madras to honour Subbudu for his contribution to the performing arts. Many young artistes such as Mandolin Srinivas, Bombay Jayashree, Sudha Raghunathan and especially violinist A. Kanyakumari received accolades from Subbudu's pen. Rukmini Arundale, Yamini Krishnamurthi, Chandralekha and a few others were at the receiving end. Subbudu, now 88, has lived a full life. His greatest loss was the passing away of his wife Chandra, a couple of years ago, "When I am alone, I cry," says Subbudu on his life without his better half of so many decades.
If more excerpts of his critiques had been included, it would have given a clearer picture of his style, and perception of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam. One has to congratulate the author for an in-depth account of the life and times of Subbudu.
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