Chitraveena strings in protest to Music Academy

 

Rudraveena (lit. 'Strings of fury'; referring to the instrument of the same name) was a film starring Chiranjeevi, Shobhana, Gemini Ganesan, released in 1988 - directed and co-written by K. Balachander.  It reportedly was on the  ideological conflicts between 'Bilahari' Ganapathi Sastry, a reputed carnatic musician and his younger son Suryanarayana "Suryam" Sastry. 

The Chitravina (referred as Gottu Vadhyam) is one of the most exquisite of Indian musical instruments. It  is a 21-stringed, fretless lute, quite similar in its playing technique to the Vichitra veena of North India. The chitravīṇā (‘the wondrous lute’) is played with a slide, something like a long-necked lap steel guitar or a fretless slide sitar/vīṇā.  With a smooth, mellifluous, and rich sound akin to that of the human voice, the chitravīṇā is at once both simple and challenging to play: six main strings are plucked with the right hand while the left manipulates a smooth rod across them. The chitravīṇā also features a unique dual-octave tone - the main strings are grouped such that one can play the same melody in multiple octaves at the same time, resulting in a sound that is at once bright and deep.  It is learnt that Chitravīṇā is  mentioned in classical Indian literature, notably Bharata's "Nāṭyashāstra" (c. 200 BC – AD 200). In the Hindu tradition, it is associated with the great devotee Hanumān and is the instrument of his expression of complete devotion to the Lord through sublime music.

 

Narasimhan Ravikiran is an Indian slide instrumentalist, vocalist, composer, and orator, who created the concept of melharmony. He is the son of gottuvadhyam player Chitravina Narasimhan and the grandson of Narayan Iyengar, who was also a Carnatic musician.  He is in news now !!  Renowned Carnatic musician and Chitravina maestro N Ravikiran  has  returned the M S Subbulakshmi (MSS) award bestowed by the Madras music academy in 2017. He also gave back the cash reward of Rs 1 lakh – that was part of the MSS award – with an extra Rs 10,000. 

Ravikiran’s act follows recent  Madras High Court (HC) order restraining  the music academy from presenting the prestigious MSS' 'Sangita Kalanidhi' award instituted by The Hindu to Carnatic musician T M Krishna. Ravikiran had seven months ago returned the music academy’s 'Sangita Kalanidhi' title when the music academy announced T M Krishna as the designate for the award this year. 

The decision by the Chennai Music Academy to bestow the Sangeet Kalanidhi award to T. M. Krishna, was met with sharp opposition from the Carnatic music community. Many, including acclaimed  Carnatic musicians, expressed their displeasure over the fact that the award was being given to someone who had made derogatory remarks about MS Subbulakshmi, raising questions about the propriety of honoring him with an award bearing her name.  Late Mridangam Vidwan Iyer’s family too announced the return of 'Sangita Kalanidhi' conferred on him following the announcement of the title to Krishna. His grandson Palghat Ramprasad, Trichur Brothers, Ranjani-Gayathri, harikatha artistes Vishaka Hari and Dushyant Sridhar had also announced their withdrawal from  December conference at the music academy. The controversy continues to stir debates on the values upheld by the Chennai Music Academy and its role in preserving the legacy of classical music icons.

 

Writing a letter to the Chairman of the Music Academy, Murali, Ravikiran explained that he was not returning the award for reasons of disrespect or publicity but for three specific reasons. The first reason,  the Music Academy’s Chairman, Murali, had made efforts to tarnish the reputation of MS Subbulakshmi after her death, which Ravikiran found deeply troubling. The second reason,  was the Academy’s reversal of the recognition for the Sangeet Kalanidhi award initially planned to honor the late Mridangam exponent Palakkad Ramachandran. Ravikiran had set up the trust to honor Ramachandran’s legacy, but the Academy had reversed the plan, leading Ravikiran to return the award. The third reason,   was the Academy’s criticism of his action of returning the award and focusing on the monetary aspect of the decision. This, he stated, caused him personal distress, prompting him to return the prize with an additional ₹10,000.      

The academy’s act has outraged the Carnatic music fans and also polarized the fraternity.
 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
25.11.2024