The magnificent seven
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How we chose the stalwarts who changed the course of Carnatic music.
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PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
Salute to the masters: T.M. Krishna and Bombay Jayashri.
Voices Within is not so much a book as a tribute ... a prayer, a dedication. Not so much about music as about seven great musicians. A salute to seven gifted, colourful, inspiring people who responded to the call of the voice within ... and made the world a better place.
They were musicians who were entrepreneurs. They dared to dream, to try, to take the road less travelled and in so doing, they revolutionised the system, shaped its growth, raised performing standards and left their indelible mark on the musical firmament. Most importantly, they ensured that they reached out to the masses.
Seven is a magical number in Carnatic music. Voices Within is about seven stalwarts who laid the foundation and charted the course of Carnatic music, giving it the form it has today.
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, the margadarshi. For introducing the modern day kutcheri format and forever changing it.
T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai, the one and only Nagaswara Chakravarthi, The Last Emperor. For fighting to give his instrument its rightful place and whose influence went way beyond his instrument.
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, The Grand Old Man of Carnatic music, with the longest presence on stage. For influencing not only the music, but also its organisation and administration.
G.N. Balasubramaniam, the revolutionary. For a style and bani that opened unknown vistas and generated a new kind of audience fervour.
Palghat Mani Iyer, the first and last word in South Indian percussion, timekeeper to the entire system.
M.S. Subbulakshmi, The First Lady. For giving Carnatic music a place not only in the national fabric but also in the international arena.
T.R. Mahalingam, maverick, genius. For going where few before him had dared to tread. And for unequivocally giving a completely new dimension to a piece of bamboo called the flute.
Voices Within is to be read not for information but for perspectives. It is not a collage of biographies but an offering and a sharing, and a passing on of an inheritance.
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