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WOMAN OF THE WEEK

She tells stories... and how!

A classical singer and academician, she performs Harikatha, garnishing her commentary with everyday wisdom. Meet Premeela Gurumurthy

EPIC TALES Premeela Gurumurthy

It might have started as entertainment to beat exhaustion on the long pilgrimage trails to Pandharpur. Over time, it settled into a stationary art form. Castanets in hand, a man would stand narrating a story from the epics. He would break into song to make a point, alter his tone to convey characters, all accompanied by a couple of instrumentalists. Performed indoors and in open areas, Kathakalakshepa (`katha'- story, `kalakshepa' - spending time) became a widespread pastime. It took a number of evolutionary avatars as did the subjects of its stories, the latest being a digital presentation with a laptop projecting illustrative pictures.

Dr. Premeela Gurumurthy, HOD, Music, Madras University, has been tracking the history of Kalakshepa. A classical singer and academician, she performs "Harikatha", traditional Marathi style, garnishing her commentary with everyday wisdom.

Like a whole generation of girls with a good voice and a musical leaning, Premeela did her BA in Music. No college offered a music Masters in 1971 and she opted for one in Indian Philosophy. When Dr. Seetha started it at Madras University in 1976, she enrolled in the first batch. Premeela had been performing on stage since she was in pavaadai-thaavani as a fifteen-year-old. She had learnt Carnatic music from several well-known musicians, Hindustani music from Krishnanand and Bhajans from Prof. Srinivasa Rao. Her interest in the academic side of music drew her to the university's music department for a second MA.

The next step was to get a doctorate. "Find a subject that would match your study of Indian philosophy," said Dr. Seetha. Premeela hit on Kalakshepa as her topic, struck by its multi-media aspects of music, dance and speech.

She would trace its development in five States over three centuries. There were few books she could refer to, but that wouldn't stop her. She would travel, dig out the material and attend every Harikatha concert in town. And there were stalwarts like Embar, TSB and Kripananda Variar she could learn from.

Moment to cherish

Among the people she befriended were Vyjayanthimala's mom and the legendary Banni Bai. Detecting her talent at once, Banni Bai asked Premeela to sing at her discourses. Premeela submitted her thesis in 1984, a definitive treatise on this popular art. In 1990, as Banni Bai watched, she presented her first solo Kalakshepa. It was "a great moment." She was also lecturing at Madras University. On a 28-day tour of Malaysia with students and co-teachers, she wrote scripts on the greatest composers of India, sang their songs and narrated their saga. She performed in Singapore with an English narration for a mixed audience.

Dr. Premeela's four years as HOD have been good too. She has initiated a Masters programme in dance with flexi-time components for regular performers, a five-year integrated course in Theatre and Dance at MGR-Janaki College and will offer Rhythmology as a subject for MA from this year.

To her delight, UICIC has begun six-month courses in music and Harikatha. "The Music Department is 75 years old," she said. "I would like to begin a Masters in folk music with inputs from the Tamil Department. The Christian Studies Department has helped us collate the contribution of Christian scholars to Carnatic music. We want to introduce technology to document student/teacher studies. We must not lose the Tamil tradition of music." She thanked the Vice Chancellor for his support.

Future of Harikatha

She worries about the future of Harikatha. It is a difficult art to master, she admitted. One needs to memorise songs, sing powerfully, know theatrical nuances and narrate with emotion. But our musicians, dancers and theatre artistes can keep it alive.

"For 100 years (1860-1960) we followed Krishna Bhagavathar's Marathi tradition. We are at the crossroads now. We need elements like short, simple songs and a livelier narration to make it entertaining. We have to pitch the story telling in a language that is colloquial and easily understood. In Tamil Nadu we sing in four languages. Where else do you have this facility?"

Katha singers still draw large audiences in Maharashtra, she said. "Harikatha is not all Sanskrit, you know. We have full-fledged Tamil song-story sequences on Nandanar and Kannappan. Kalakshepa exponents have been scholars interpreting poetry for lay audiences. It is always an enlightening experience. Why don't we have performances during weddings? Or at temples during festivals? We have to support this art form. Making it more interactive and visually rich could be one answer."

GEETA PADMANABHAN

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