Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
The padam puzzle
ARUNA CHANDARAJU
|
The languorous and often erotic padam is largely missing from repertoires at concerts and from music lessons. One wonders why
|
Photo: (left) Vipin Chandran, The Hindu Photo Library
STALWARTS OF THE FORM M. Balamuralikrishna and M.S. Subbulakshmi’s (below) padam renditions were full of raaganubhava and rasaanubhava for both performer and listener
When was the last time you heard mellifluous padams at a kutcheri? Even the most regular concert goer will take time to recall the occasion. For, these beautiful, delicate lyrics are fast disappearing from concert repertoires of both maestros and you
nger performers. In music stores across southern metros padam records are hard to come by.
The Music Academy (Chennai)’s 2006 music competitions had many aspirants in different categories but none in the padam-javali category!
Why is the padam in decline? Is it student apathy, teacher indifference, organiser insensitivity, audience disinterest, or music company neglect? I gather it’s the combined effect of all factors, with each contributing to, and reinforcing the effect of the other.
Experts cite specific reasons. First, the nature of the padam itself. Padams are difficult to master and render. The gentle, delicately slow rendition with subtle oscillations and variegated sancharas demand strenuous practice with total concentration and tremendous breath control. Padams also require immersion in emotion, so the varying moods/manobhavas of nayika/nayakis need to be projected perfectly.
All this calls for infinite patience during sadhana. Chitravina Ravikiran holds: “Most artistes are daunted by its demands — a super-slow tempo which calls for great breath control, a platinum-like voice which doesn’t lose intensity even when modulated to the thinnest, and a mind capable of grasping its microscopic details.”
The padams of Kshetrayya, king of this genre, are hardest to learn in this regard, says musician and musicologist Sakuntala Narasimhan. She learnt them from the high-priestess of padams T. Brinda, and Sripada Pinakapani, winning the prestigious Kshetragna Padam gold medal from Madras Music Academy when barely 16. “Brinda took nearly one year to teach us the famous Sahana padam because it was so difficult.”
Time and trends too have changed. Says Pinakapani, known for his own melodious padam renditions: “Vilambalaya rendition keeping tautness intact is the vital requirement in padams. And in this age when unnecessarily speedy renditions by performers are common and accepted, where pyrotechnic displays draw applause, and where many students are in a hurry to ascend concert-platforms without acquiring perfect breath-control, where is the atmosphere for padams to flourish?”
Thus, padams belonged to a time and lifestyle when concerts were more about ‘Rakthi’ — depth of knowledge and pure aesthetics and less about showmanship and dazzle. The hauntingly beautiful padam-renditions by Brinda and Mukta in the 1950s and 70s, are legendary. Connoisseurs also reminisce about M.S. Subbalakshmi and M. Balamuralikrishna’s padam renditions where raaganubhava and rasaanubhava were enjoyed in totality by performer and listener. Ravikiran relates the padam’s decline directly to the demise of legends who were beacons of this form — Mukta, Brinda, T. Vishwanathan. This left a huge void with few left who can do justice to this music-form.”
Another commonly cited reason is the padam’s often openly-erotic content which musicians feel embarrasses them and audiences. There has been been a longstanding debate: it’s widely held that though padams spoke of physical aspects of human love (some compositions are very explicit) these were allegorical expressions of bhakti, with the lovers representing jeevatma/human soul and Paramatma/God.
Others argue that padams are actually only about human love and there’s no need to clothe them in religious/spiritual garb, and whoever is willing to accept this can enjoy the padam as such. Whatever the facts, the overt sexuality in most padams has left musicians hesitant — whether about singing them or teaching students.
The shortening of concert-durations has also meant little time for leisurely presentations like padams. Also, there are few padam-teachers today. Moreover, padams require specialist-teachers say Sudha Raghunathan and Bombay Jayashri.
As Ravikiran puts it: “Padams can’t be taught or learnt as pure grammar. They need an innate musical sensitivity which few artistes/teachers possess.”
In turn, the younger generation, with even less exposure, largely lacks appreciation of the padam’s grace and beauty. Lastly, there’s little rasika-demand. Padams require an evolved aesthete’s appreciation and there seem few connoisseurs today with the ability to appreciate its sophistication.
Surely all is not lost, and something can be done to revive padams to their earlier glory? Experts agree. Sakuntala says music syllabi should include padams as compulsory learning, especially at PG level. Jayashri and Sudha suggest organising more lecture-demonstrations and workshops by experts to foster appreciation of padams in all languages. Ravikiran recommends thematic concerts and seminars, adding: “These will also help dispel misconceptions about their eroticism, revealing padams as compositions with multidimensional approach to romance.”
Music companies should unearth and re-issue old padam records and also make new records and market both widely. Finally, listeners and sabha-organisers should request performers to include at least one or two padams in each concert.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
