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CHAT CORNER

Anayampatti Ganesan

My venture into this exacting world of Jalatharangam was at the behest and insistence of Kanchi Maha Swami, a kind of unforeseen lateral entry. Prior to this I was only assisting my father Aanayaampatti Subbaiyer, performing the acts of setting up and cleaning up the stage and then being with him on stage with the conventional sruti box and maintaining the talam. (Ellam Avarudaya Aknjai).

There is no other technical name for it, except Kutchi and it is actually a bamboo stick and sometimes made of wood from the jadhikka tree. The criteria should always be that it should be light and hence easy to handle. Sticks would be of varying thickness to produce sounds of varying kinds and naturally the thinner ones would aid in producing sharper notes.

True, the holding and even twisting of the kutchi requires deft-handling – a matter of practise and judgment. My father used to fasten a sathangai at the end - not as an act of gimmick, it was chosen with a purpose. The sathangai would be chosen to be in perfect sruti alignment and this would be used only for the javalis and possibly for folk numbers like, ‘Valli Kanavan Perai.’ The choice of the sruti-range has been 4.25 to 4.75 and the determining factor has been the size of the cups and the quantity of water it can hold.

Any performance has a pre-commencement routine where eighteen cups have to be calculatively complemented with water till the swarasthanams are attained when struck gently with the bamboo stick. And then this instrument has to be tuned for the raga you wish to bring forth. You will realise that the Durbar gandharam is distinct from the Kharaharapriya gandharam and futhermore the same anthara gandharam may be a shade thinner (or thicker) and may align or stand distinctly away from the next swara. While playing this instrument I may have to tap two bowls simultaneously.

The 72 melakarta ragas are mere skeletons and it is the duty of the artiste to discover the contour of the respective ragas in them. I mean the raga swaroopam. Let me make it plain. You should never get on the stage with a single track mind obsessed only about your performance. In fact there should be a healthy interaction with the accompanists while on stage and you can even draw your imagination from your brethren. The other day at TTD, when I had come with some ideas, Karthik (he is now Dr.Karthik) suggested ‘Ganamoorthe’ and my plan had to change to fit that song. Only songs are stable in a concert and the rest demands you to express your gnanam.

True! Unlike the Nagaswaram vidwan we do not have a person to maintain the beats. I cannot do it myself as my hands too are tied to the instrument (vadhyam). But do you know that as I play I can even remember the number of avarthanams for which the kalpanaswaras have run. Remember, the song, being sung, itself has layam in it (Odum Pattileye Lyam Irukke). My father never used to even look at me as I sat behind him, to ascertain the thalam and still played kalai pallavais perfectly. It is only the arithmetic in the mind (manakanakku) that really matters. It has to percolate to the subconscious mind. (Layam Utkarndhu Vittadhu, Manasiliye)

Do you know that during those days AIR was the main source of concerts and people used to assemble at a single place to listen. The cutcheri had a scheduled duration - 7.45 p.m. to 9 p.m. and at the stroke of nine the English news will be broadcast. But actually the concert would continue without any interruption and rasikas would continue to dwell in the heaven of music. What I mean is art was honoured to such an extent, can we say during those golden days, and there was hardly the gesture of signalling to indicate the time limit as it is done now. But please remember that AIR as an organisation (sthabanam) had and has immense stature and it was that sthabanam that shaped and moulded me and gave me the experience that has made me the man I am now. I would always value my years at AIR.

My experiences in France and other countries have made me conclude that there should be discretion in the choice of ragas for those audiences. Only the major notes would reach them and I would therefore by default hover around the ragas Hamsadhwani, Sankarabharanam, Kadhanakuthoohalam, Garudadhwani and Nagaswaravali. It does not mean that my repertoire is limited - (he quips). And I still remember the occasion when a foreigner who was in tears wanted to drink the water that was contained in the cups hoping that he would become a musician at least in his next life. Wherever I play there is not a single occasion where the rasika would go dissatisfied after the concert. (Naan Vaasichu Yarum Athrupthiya Ponadhu Illai).

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