Complete confidence in tradition
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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He learnt the violin, harmonium and the mridangam but chose the flute as his vehicle of melody. Why?
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Music is a matter of internalising from a rich live ambience.
LEGACY CONTINUES: N. Ramani with son Thyagarajan (extreme right), grandsons Suresh (left) and Athul Kumar (second from right). Photo: R. Shivaji Rao.
``As a young man I once forgot a line in `Mohanarama.' You can cover up such slips on an instrument. But M.S. (Subbulakshmi) Amma was sitting in the front row. Her face registered dismay. An unforgettable lesson. After that I became even more meticulous about details,'' laughs flautist N. Ramani.
It is not easy to be the disciple of an electrifying genius like T. R. Mahalingam (Mali) and make a name for yourself as Sangita Kalanidhi N. Ramani has done. A man of few words, Ramani focussed all his energies in his art and distinguished himself without deviating from tradition.
Unassuming nature
Awards, acclaim and exchanges with eminent musicians east and west of the Atlantic have not changed his unassuming nature. Whether with Jean Pierre Ramphal, James Galway or Hariprasad Chaurasia, Ramani lets his skills reveal themselves without a fuss. ``Our music is so profound that we can adjust to any style,'' he says matter-of-factly.
Ramani does not talk about his own contributions. He explored tonal depths with the base flute, increased the range of the instrument, and fine-tuned his vocal style. But he does say, ``I know that my love of music will not die until I do. What great good fortune!''
Growing up in musician grandfather Azhiyur Narayana Iyer's village home, with a vainika for mother, the boy tried the violin, harmonium, mridangam and kanjira, learnt their nuances, but opted for the flute. Why? ``Call it craze, frenzy, madness... Mali sir gave a concert in nearby Nagapattinam. I wanted to play like that.''
Debut at the Sikkil temple at age eight was followed by radio recitals. ``I'll take this boy,'' Mali announced after hearing him in Tiruvarur. Holidays found Ramani in Chennai, and on the stage with Mali. The boy was oblivious to the guru's famous eccentricities. He only saw the brilliance.
``You can't expect Mali sir to sit down and teach you. You learnt by listening to him, playing with him. He even allowed me to stick around when he practised. What new, intricate techniques!'' He adds, ``In those days flute playing followed the harmonium style. Mali made it sing like the human voice. His mandara sthayi prayogas had such clarity, power!'' Kelvignanam remains as vital to Ramani as sadhakam. He observed flautists like Palladam Sanjivi Rao and Swaminatha Pillai. Mali would take him to hear Balasaraswati or Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer in their homes. ``I played at Kalakshetra when Mysore Vasudevachar composed music for the Ramayana dance dramas. Fascinating experience!'' Ramani's individual style was formed in the process of such vibrant absorption. ``What took us years to work out is easily available to students of today through cassettes and CDs.'' But he warns against superficiality. ``No recording is perfect, nor can students clarify doubts or be corrected by taped music." Music is a matter of internalising from a rich live ambience. Music should be raga-based, not swara-based. You can't play as if from notation. Alapana or kriti should have its own identity, life and aesthetics.''
Ramani is happy that he has trained several disciples who have taken up music as a profession. He planned to form a concert trio with his sons on the violin and mridangam. But one did his CA.
Chip off the block
The father realised that the other (Thiagarajan) was a chip off the old block when he heard him play the flute in a school programme. The boy earned a name for himself, besides coming off with honours when dueting with the veteran father. Now grandsons Athul Kumar, Suresh and Santhosh are making their own journeys with the flute.
``My son has heard the great masters live. My grandchildren don't have that advantage. They must strive hard, develop discrimination." Can they stay faithful to the purist tradition in the changing world? ``Yes.'' Ramani is absolutely confident.
What about audience demands for novelty, variety, fusion? ``Hybrids are more popular. But my grandfather used to say there will always be rasikas for good music. In those days they didn't worry about going here and there, increasing audiences. They thought about sangitam, not kutcheris. I don't expect today's artistes to be like that.
However, I'd definitely say that it is not wrong to be like that. I guess people will say it's very well for Ramani to talk about contentment, he has established himself. Once I too thought the same, wondered why M. D. Ramanathan never pushed himself forward. But now I have come round to the view that he knew what he was doing.''
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`I love world music'
``Carnatic music is the basis for all my experiments. But tradition is always evolving and changing. My grandfather [N. Ramani] brought the base flute into Carnatic music. I love world music — western classical, East Asian, folk, techno trance, rock, jazz. I try to give Carnatic music a greater reach, make it more inclusive. I aim to make a difference, with a style of my own in whatever I compose, use the new technologies to enrich listeners' experience, bring the mood down into the crowd.'' — Athul Kumar, Carnatic flautist, fusionist and composer.
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