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Photo: V.Sreenivasa Murthy

SKY IS THE LIMIT Breath control is crucial to playing the nadaswaram

We asked M. Lakshman, well-known nadaswaram artiste, a veteran of radio, TV, and onstage performances in India and abroad; and former asthana vidwan of Kuala Lumpur Ramalingeswhara temple, about this and other current trends in the field.

Lakshman rues that the art isn’t attracting many students nowadays. He says one reason is that nadaswaram-playing has been a caste-based, family profession. And like many other traditional professions, it’s also losing out to the lure of modern education and office-jobs.

Also, its physical demands can be daunting. In the early stages, the nadaswaram hurts the mouth, with the lips even bleeding from the pressure. It takes months of enduring callouses and physical pain before one can play with ease. Moreover, breath-control, a fundamental requirement, comes only after two to three years of unremitting practice. And nadaswaram players have to endure irregular timings since many auspicious ceremonies have odd timings.

Though nadaswaram artistes do get to play with groups (Lakshman himself is part of Nandi), these opportunities are few as thalavadaya groups typically include veenas, violins, mridangams and ghatams, but not nadaswaram. Even dholu players, part of nadaswaram troupes, easily enter percussion groups by learning to play the similar mridangam or ghatam. However, a nadaswaram performer can’t diversify into another instruments easily given its unique style of playing.

Lakshman is emphatic that nadaswaram artises must master a lyric’s sahitya along with swaras, however painstaking and time consuming this is. “In a good nadaswaram performance, one hears the sahitya and feels the bhaava. However, learning swaras alone, ignoring sahitya has become a convenient shortcut for many resulting in soulless performances filled with dry notes.”

Lakshman also holds that before launching on independent public performances, a student should undergo apprenticeship with a good guru for three to four years, followed by another four to five years of accompanying a senior artiste onstage. Besides, he must read good theory books, such as B.M. Sundaram’s works. “Yet, today, many ascend temple-platforms after a mere six months or one year of practice, and with little theoretical knowledge.”

Importantly, to be able to play at sabhas (compared to marriages or temples) nadaswaram artistes need a wider repertoire of compositions and a capability for impressive manodharma in ragam, thanam, pallavi and swarakalpana; and all this with a high degree of shuddhatha and sampradayatha.

“This demands long years of dedication to the art, which few students are inclined to, especially since the profession isn’t lucrative,” says Lakshman.

One must know Auchithyam (‘that which is appropriate’). Each of the three platforms — temple, sabha-stage, and marriages/auspicious occasions — has a different requirement and calls for a customised approach, explains Lakshman. This means knowledge of ragas and compositions of two kinds; those approved by tradition for that occasion, and those with popular appeal.

At temples, though all ragas are generally permitted, certain ragas and compositions are deemed ideal for certain occasions and times of the day.

So, early mornings are for Bhoopalam and compositions therein like Annamcharya’s “Srimannarayana”, Dikshitar’s “Sadachaleswaram”, Thyagaraja’s “Melukovayya”. Afternoons demand Madhyamavathi. Deity processions need mastery of Mallari (Gambhiranata raga). Kalyanamahotsavams call for Thyagaraja’s “Seethakalyana” (Kuranji). Late evenings need Laali Unjal songs, requiring knowledge of raga elaboration and a range of compositions in Neelamabari. By mastering Thyagaraja’s Utsava Sampradaya Keerthanas, the artiste has a treasure-house of suitable compositions for temples and auspicious occasions. As for weddings, tradition-sanctioned ragas are Kalyani, Kharahapriya, Shanakarabharanam, etc., and Devisthuthi krithis of Dikshithar and Shyama Shastri. Compositions popular with the public at marriages include Mysore Vasudevacharya’s “Bhajare Manasa” and “Brochevarevarura”, Purandaradasa’s “Venkatachalanilayam”.

Finally, the artiste must use his discretion while playing, says Lakshman. On auspicious occasions, one must avoid deemed shoka-rasam ragas like Mukhari, Saveri, Revathi, Shivaranjani, Kalyanavasantham, etc. “Yet, we are frequently asked by marriage parties for these. So first, we play the raga in a way that it doesn’t evoke shoka-bhaava and secondly, choose a composition in that raga which is lively and auspicious.”

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