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Academy, but not Akademi
SRIRAM VENKATKRISHNAN
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INSTITUTION The story behind the setting up of Sangeet Natak Akademi is an interesting one. And The Music Academy too had a role to play.
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SLICE OF HISTORY: The Music Academy.
Researching the history of the Music Academy is an ever fascinating exercise and The Hindu perhaps holds more snippets on the subject in its archives than the institution itself. Here is one example.
In March 1948, the Minister of Education, Government of India, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, made a policy statement in Parliament which among other things mentioned the formation of a National Cultural Trust comprising three Academies, one each for music, dance and drama. The Minister hoped that these Academies “would serve to focus the artistic and cultural life of the nation in one common centre.” It was also announced that the National Academy for Music would be located in Madras.
By then, the Music Academy had functioned in Madras for 20 years, purely supported by public donations and the enthusiasm of music-loving patrons. In 1948, however, the Academy was hoping for some assistance from the Government. It had already invested in acquiring at considerable cost, for which it had to borrow from Indian Bank, the property on which its auditorium now stands, and repayment of the loan was proving difficult.
Much jubilation
There was consequently much jubilation following the announcement by the Government. Perhaps the Music Academy would become the National Academy for Music?
But within months, the Government changed its mind. It now aimed to set up a Central College of Carnatic Music in Madras. As for the National Cultural Trust, it would be headquartered in Delhi.
The formation of the College is a separate story but as for the National Cultural Trust, it took its time in metamorphosing into the Sangeet Natak Akademi.
If the Music Academy was disappointed, it did not show it, for when the secretary of the National Cultural Trust, Nirmala Joshi, visited Madras in July 1953, the red carpet was rolled out by the institution for her. The Hindu dated July 5 reported the events at the Music Academy on July 3 when Ms Joshi came calling and sat in one of Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer’s classes at the
Academy’s Teachers College of Music. T.V. Subba Rao explained the working of the institution to her and after tea “C.K. Venkatanarasimhan and K. Soundararajan, secretaries of the Music Academy, pointed out the activities of the Academy and how it had been working for the preservation of Carnatic Music for the past 26 years.” Ms. Joshi explained the functioning of the proposed Akademi which had by then changed track and would be dedicated to the collection of ‘manuscripts, gramophone records of past and present musicians and dance costumes.’ She however stressed on the necessity for regional Academies.
The Music Academy was once again filled with hope. Could it not be the Regional Akademi? On July 5, Ms. Joshi came to the Academy once more. The Hindu reported on July 6 that she witnessed a special recital of Bharatanatyam by Balasaraswathi and T. Jayammal, who sang padams. At the conclusion, a memorandum was presented to her which stated that while the Music Academy welcomed the plan for regional academies, ‘it might be economical to treat any well-established institution in a particular region as the recognised Regional Academy and give it the aid it might require.’ The lady did not commit herself beyond a few platitudes on music and the arts. Back in Delhi, the Government once again did not heed the Academy’s recommendations and within a year, the Sangeet Natak Akademi was formed with regional units. A sum of Rs. 70 lakhs was sanctioned for the building of an auditorium in the capital city and Dr. P.V. Rajamannar, Chief Justice of Madras, became chairman of the Akademi.
Musicians’ support
The Music Academy was left to fend for itself. But what is interesting is the way the musicians came to its support. For years, GNB and Semmangudi waived their concert fees for performing there. M.S. Subbulakshmi accepted only the printed souvenir as her remuneration and from her first concert till her last performance there, D.K. Pattammal refused to accept any payment. The community of artists perceived it to be their institution and worked hard to make it a reality. That enthusiasm, no doubt, encouraged patrons to donate munificently too. And finally the Sangeet Natak Akademi too became a donor. It contributed to the building fund by way of a grant, sanctioned Rs. 5,000 year after year for the Academy to hold Hindustani concerts during the Season and also gave money for research activities. Perhaps the best known example of the Akademi-Academy collaboration is the Tamil edition of Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini which came out in five volumes from 1961 onwards.
What would have been the fate of the Music Academy had it become the Regional Sangeet Natak Akademi is anybody’s guess. That the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram is an extension of this concept is a different issue.
(The author can be contacted at srirambts@gmail.com)
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