Chellamma Subramania Bharati

 

                                            Smt. D. K. Pattammal & Indumati Raman

                                         Mahakavi Subramania Bharati & Chellamma

#AuthorIndumatiRaman, My family had close connections with many musical greats and other celebrities, and I have seen them at home as guests for dinner or even overnight stays when they came for concerts in the city. But I was personally close to Chembai Vaidyanathana Iyer and D.K. Pattammal who have stayed with me in my humble home and shared several anecdotes with me. I remember ones such poignant story Pattammal told me that stays with me even today. And that today Tamil Poet Mahakavi Subramania Bharati’s Birth Anniversary is the day to share this. Those who do not know who this extraordinary patriot was, do check Wikipedia.

Pattammal has always included Bharati’s patriotic songs in her concerts. But even more interesting, she has sung them during the freedom struggle, at public rallies, forcing the British government to warn her against rousing public emotions.

After one concert dedicated to Mahakavi’s memory, the hall was empty, and Pattammal and her team packed up to leave. She noticed one lady in the audience remained sitting, head bowed down. Pattammal gently enquired why she was not returning home. The lady replied, “I am Chellamma”. Pattammal hugged her and both dissolved into tears for a long time. No words were spoken. No words were needed. Chellama was the wife of the maverick national poet Subramania Bharati whose memory was being celebrated that day. She passed away in 1955.

Chellamma was widowed at 30. She was unlettered and had lived as the wife of who society called a ‘madman’. Now she was known as the widow of a national poet. It is due to her perseverance and vision that we have published works of Subramania Bharati, and his biography.  Her daughters, granddaughter and great granddaughter have kept the family’s flag of honour and respect flying high.

#DKPattammal #ChellammaBharati #ThangammalBharati #ShakuntalaBharati #Mahakavi # SubramaniaBharati #BharatiCentenary #TamilPoet #Patrioticsongs

Acharya Parvati Kumar's Abhinaya Darpanam-

 

Acharya Parvati Kumar’ Abhinaya Darpanam- A Treatise In Audi-Visual Form

(This article by Indu Raman was first published in SRUTI 91- April 1992 with contribution by Ram Aslesha)

 

Nandikeswara’a Abhinaya Darpana, believed to have been written between the 10^th and 13 C is a slim volume of 324 shlokas in Sanskrit, which contains the essence of the scientific technique of gestures and movements of dance which underlies Bharat Natyam. In 1917, the Harvard University Press published an English translation of the work by Ananda Coomarswamy and Gopalkrishnayya Dusssirala called the Mirror of Gestures. The translation (later republished in India by Munishram Manoharlal Pvt Ltd) was based on a Devanagari transcript of the second Telugu edition of Abhinaya Darpana published under the editor ship of Madabushi Thiruvenkatachari of Needamangalam in 1887. The English translation made the legendary Nandikeswara’s work accessible to a larger universe of readers. So did the later translation of commentary of Manmohan Ghosh. But it is an old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. It is the truth of this saying that must have moved Acharya Parvati Kumar of Bombay to attempt a visualisation of Abhinaya Darpana on the stage once again on 27 February.

 

Acharya Parvati Kumar had the credentials to undertake the challenging task. He studied Kathak, Kathakali and Bharata Natyam and obtained a thorough grounding in these art forms. Between 1947 and 1965 he choreographed over 20 dance ballets including the very well received Rhythm of Culture, Dekh Teri Mumbai, Discovery of India and Krishna Leela. He had also choreographed compositions for children. In the event Bharata Natyam has becomes Parvati Kumar’s passion. In 1965 he founded the Thanjavur Nritya shala, an academy whose training programme reflected his interest in teaching theory as well. He devoted himself to a study of the Nirupanas composed by Serfoji II, the Maratha ruler of Thanjavur and this resulted in his book Thanjavur Nritya Prabhanda and the choreography of the dances based on the compositions which were performed on the stage by his disciples. It was this bent for research that led Parvati Kumar eventually to a study of various treatises. Like Natya Sastra, Sangeeta Ratnakara and Abhinaya Darpana. He was particularly keen to discover the textual basis of Bharata Natyam. He recalled, “I reached the conclusion that the key text for Bharata Natyam as it is practised today is Abhinaya Darpana. My findings are upheld by the fact that many of the hand foot or standing poses I had learned were to be found exactly in the same form in Abhinaya Darpana. It bolstered my belief that Abhinaya Darpana alone qualifies as the text for Bharat Natyam.”  Acharya Parvati Kumar faced many problems in putting into practice his idea that the contents of Abhinaya Darpana should be presented on the stage. He disclosed that since each of the 324 shlokas contained in the work has a wealth of meaning. The effort needed to capture the profundity of each shloka was like trying to gather the ocean in a tiny vessel.

He added, “Since my intention was to bring to the lay person not merely the essence of each shloka but sometimes also to suggest the depth and shades of its meaning. I found the traditional musical setting restrictive.” With the help of Sumathi Parvati Kumar, his wife, disciple and teaching partner, he therefore composed music most appropriate to enhance the meaning of the shlokas. His objective was to present the highlights of the treatise in a way that the impact of the audio-visual presentation will be pleasing as well as instructive.

“In presenting the entire text,” Parvati Kumar explained further, “Our attempt has been to attain perfection.” Yet he is humble enough to volunteer that there could be other interpretations also. The programme book produced in connection with the latest stage presentation which took place in Bombay in February, had this concluding statement:

This dance composition of the Abhinaya Darpana by Acharya Parvati Kumar is his personal interpretation according to his understanding of the text.

There could be other treatments also. The same text could be worked upon and interpreted differently by others according to their needs and techniques their area or province. This dance creation of Acharya Parvati Kumar is only a beginning.

 

Acharyaji’s Abhinaya Darpanam was first performed on the stage in 1986 in Delhi under the aegis of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations and in Madras under the auspices of Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. The recent staging in Bombay coming after a gap of six years, was the third. It coincided with the Guru’s 72^nd birthday. The dancer presenting Acharya Parvati Kumar’s visualisation of the work on the stage on all three occasions, was Sandhya Purecha (seen in all the accompanying photographs). A student of folk dance at first, she later learnt Bharata Natyam under Acharya Parvati Kumar while simultaneously studying Sanskrit and earning an M. A. degree from the University of Bombay. She participated in the research work carried out by her Guru. That actually led to the creation of the stage presentation of the Abhinaya Darpana. Today, besides pursuing a career as Bharata Natyam Artiste, she also teaches young children. The credit for the success of the stage version of belongs as much to the disciple as to the Guru.

 

P. S. Bombay is now Mumbai and Madras is Chennai.

 

History of Thanjavur Maratha Royal Family-Part II

 

History of Thanjavur Maratha Royal Family-Part II

 

Tulja ji’s compositions in Marāthi and Sanskrit are evident in the texts authored by him:-Sangīta Sārāmritam, Nātya Vedhagama, Mantra Jyothisa, Dhanvantri Vilasa, Vyāakhyanive are texts of a high standard of scholarship. The Punnainallur Māriamman temple was built by him and consecrated by his spiritual guru Sadaśiva Brahmendra.

Tulaja I’s works consists of 13 padas in praise of Chandramouliswara, the family deity. He moved to Mahādevapattinam. Here he built a temple to Varahāswami. He authored Śivakāma Sundari Parinaya nātakam which recounts the story of Parameswara’s marriage with Parvati.

      Ekoji II was the fifth king to ascend the throne. He was the eldest son of Tukkoji I Mahārājā and Hamsāmbā. Ekoji II was named after his grandfather.  Also known as Bavasaheb, he wrote the Marathi yakshaganam ‘Sakuntalnatak’. This yakshaganam was revived when the Sangam staged my production in 2001 with collaboration of a Mumbai ensemble. Ekoji also composed Ramayana in Dwipadas or couplets. He ruled only for one year and despite ill health bravely fought and won a battle with Chanda Sahib. His wife Sujan Bai ruled for two years after him before falling victim to political enemies.

 

After Sujan Bai’s death, the kingdom was in chaos. The next heir Pratapasimha Raje devoted his life to restoring stability in the kingdom and was involved in major conflicts with the British and the French.  A scholar of Sanskrit and Marāthi he wrote on Puranās, Bhāgavatam, theatre, and Kāmaśāstra.  He has eleven nātakas in Marāthi to his credit. Melattur Vīrabhadrayya, the prime composer of Swarajati and Thillana, and Mātrubhuta Kavi were his cherished proteges. Muddu Palni, a famous dancer, poet and scholar wrote the erotic work Rādhika Santavanam and Saptapādalu, a translation of Āndal’s Thiruppāvai also attracted great honours and lavish gifts. His son Tulaja II ascended the throne after him.

A warrior and scholar like his ancestors, Tulajā II patronised scholars of Sanskrit, Telugu, Marāthi and Tamil literature and poetry. He was an accomplished Veena player. Considered the golden period of Carnātic music and dance, the court was shining with composers like Arunāchala Kavi Rāyar, Veenā Kālahasti Iyer, Rāmabrahmam, Rāmaswāmi Dikshitar, Sonti Venkataramanayya, Mahādeva Annāvi and Subbarāya Oduvar (father of the Tanjore Quartet) enjoyed patronage and honours in the Marātha court. His adopted son Serfoji II aka Sarabhoji II was declared his heir. The musical Trinity Syama Sastri, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Tyagabrahmam lived during this time.

The most accomplished and versatile Raja of the Thanjavur Marātha line, Serfoji II ascended the throne when the British had reduced Indian kingdoms to tribute-paying servants of the East India Company. Apart from his varied interests like medicine, allopathy, āyurveda and alternative systems like Unāni and Siddhā, he patronised all the fine arts. His most valued contribution to our country was the expansion of the Saraswati Mahāl Library established by Sevappa Nayak, which now became stocked with texts, manuscripts, and printed books from all over the world. He enrolled for western music and his lessons used to arrive from London. He included western musical instruments and commissioned a band which played his own compositions. He encouraged Vadivelu to learn the violin which came back to our country in its westernised form. He made extensive expansion and renovation in the Brihadīswara temple, including building the Vināyagar shrine. He also built a printing press in 1805 witthe fonts made in stone. He composed many pieces for dance and had notations written for each. Serfoji Maharaja ‘s accomplishments need an entire volume. He ruled for 34 years and died at the age of 54 years.

Serfoji II’s son Shivaji II ascended the throne. At this time the British had closed in completely leaving the Rajas as mere vassals. Shivaji II was a lover of music and dance. He encouraged Tamil literature. His court honoured many dancers despite the stringent rules regarding performance by temple dancers. He was the hero of many dance compositions. He was fond of Marathi folk music like #Lavanis and was bestowed the title of #Shahir. He had no heir, so the British slapped the #Doctrine of Lapse, meaning he had to surrender the throne to them. His wife Kamakshi had adopted a boy, but the British refused to accept him. As soon as he was dismissed, The British began to loot the Saraswathi Mahal Library. Kamakshi fought them bravely and forced them to return the treasures. The royal Thanjavur Maratha’s active rule came to an end in 1855 CE.

We must remember the brave Ranis, women behind the kings who commanded respect and were good administrators. The patriarch Shahaji Bhosle I, father of Sambhaji and Shivajiraje married Jijabai who was their mother. Circumstances forced Shahaji to engage in battles and finally he settled in Bengaluru. Jijabai remained in Pune to groom her son Shivaji who was showing potential to become a great warrior. Sambhaji spent his growing years in Bengaluru with his father and stepbrother Vyankoji. Shahaji married second wife Tuka Bai, mother of Vyankoji. Vyankoji married Dipamba who became an able guide and administrator in the Thanjavur court. She was diplomatic, intelligent, and eased the relationship between Shivajiraje and Vyankoji. Sujan bai, wife of Bavasaheb Ekoji II stepped into her husband’s shoes and ruled for two years facing threats and machinations against her. The internal politics and enemy forces finally eliminated her. Kamakshi the last royal wife of Shivaji II fiercely protected the Saraswati Mahal library from the British who looted the treasures after her husband’s death.

 

This is just an introduction to the #GoldenEra which our history books do not feature. The wealth of literary and cultural works left behind by these magnificent rulers is not seen in mainstream Indian history. WHY? The descendants of the Bhosle royal family continue to live in #SadarMahalPalace. The #ThanjavurMarathacommunity continue to preserve the ancient language. You will find some of them on social media quietly and modestly upholding the dignity of their ancestors. Bharata Natyam dancers and Carnatic musicians from the last three centuries till today have always paid homage by performing their compositions.

The #BhagavataMela is a tradition that has been honoured and supported by the Maratha royals. The yakshaganams composed by the rajas are fascinating pieces and specially written for dancer/actors. I realised that when I produced and staged the Marathi #Sakuntalanatak’ by #EkojiII in 2002.  My current research project (2021-2022) is translation of two Marathi yakshaganams into English with analysis and annotation. This may help those who do not understand the Sanskrit-Marathi of the beautiful Darus. I am looking forward to presenting an introductory lecture with dance and music later this year.

Key words

#TulajaI,# SarabhojiI #Pratapsinh # SerfojiII #ShivajiII

#PratapsinhSerfojiRajeBhosle #ShivajirajeBhosle #thanjavurMarathaPalace #SumitraRajeBhosle #RamachandraBKeskar #MarathiPandit

History of Thanjavur Maratha Royal Family-Part I

 

 

 

History of Thanjavur Maratha Royal Family-Part I

 

Shahaji Bhosle I, father of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj moved to Bengaluru where he was awarded a large jagir. He had another son named Vyankoji who grew up in Bengaluru, fought many wars with his father. Sent to help the Thanjavur Nayak in a battle, he captured the throne of Thanjavur.

 

During Vyankoji Raje’s time Samartha Ramdas Swami visited Thanjavur. Swami Ramdas established the first Math Thanjavur Sri Bheemaswami Shahapurkar Math. This Math is today run by Shri Ramachandra Keskar Maharaj who is currently Marathi Pandit at Saraswathi Mahal Library. The Nine days preceding Sri RamaNavami is celebrated with dedication and Devotion. Today is Sri Rama Navami.

 

Samartha Swami Ramdas was on his way to Rameswaram. Halting at Thanjavur as a royal guest, he established Maths. In Thanjavur Katha Kalkshepam was popular at all festivals. Swamiji introduced abhangs and simple bhajans and abhangs. Musical instruments were added and this parampara is popular to this day. This came to be known as Harikatha. The rich contribution of Marathi kirtans in Carnatic ragas is an important feature of this time.

Vyankoji Maharaja inherited a famine-ridden region where the citizens were in distress and battles were raging all the time. Now people were afraid that a ruler who speaks a different language is going to cause more trouble. But Vyankoji (or Ekoji I) spoke Telegu and Tamil. He did not change the official language, which was Telugu, nor did he make any changes in the administration. Instead, he rebuilt canals, repaired faulty irrigation and restored peace. Very soon Thanjavur began to prosper, and the people appreciated his efforts. Soon he shifted his family to Thanjavur.

Vyankoji Raje gave up his throne to his 12-year-old son Shahji II. Shahji was born in Bengaluru. He had two younger brothers Sarabhoji I and Tuljaji I who were born in Thanjavur. This branch of the Maratha Bhosle family grew up in the south, speaking Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Kannada. They inherited love for poetry and interest in Shastras and spiritual literature. They were well-versed in Carnatic music. Though foreign invasions and petty politics continued to interrupt their lives, they remained focussed on their intellectual pursuits.

 

Shahji II named after his valiant grandfather, grew up to be the most revered of this dynasty. He fought wars, expanded his territory, and sheltered Shivajiraje’s son Rajaram who had to escape the clutches of the Mughals. He was a precocious child and displayed tremendous interest and talent in music and poetry. The musical dance theatre plays named yakshaganams, made popular by Vijayaraghava Nayak, impressed him. He studied Alankara Shastra, Natya Shastra, and Sanskrit literature. His book on ragas “Ragalakshanamu” compiles notes on ragas prevalent at the time.

Shahji Raje composed 20 Telugu yakshaganams, 20 in Marathi, 6 in Tamil, Vishnu Pallaki Seva and Sankara Pallaki Seva Prabandhams. besides several Tyagesa padams for dance. The Marathi play ‘Sankara Kali Samvadham is replete with Jatis, and Jakkini darus. He was a polyglot who was fluent in Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Persian. He authored two texts Sabda Ratna Samanvayam and Sabdarathan Sangraham. The entire list of works is too long for this brief blog.

                                  

Shahji II encouraged other poets and scholars and honoured them in the court. Performances by musicians and dancers were a regular feature of the palace. His generosity to his peers was appreciated and he was given the title ‘Abhinavabhoja’. He donated an entire village named Shahjirajapuram (Tiruvisainallur) to 45 Brahmin Pandits so they could continue their philosophical works and ceremonial activities without disturbance. That Sridhara Ayyaval, the revered saint, has written Shahji’s biography in Sanskrit ‘Sahendra Vilasam’ shows us he was held in high esteem for his scholarship, talent, and religious faith.

Marathi theatre has a long-distinguished reputation for excellence and artistry. Do you know that Shahji II (1684-1711) was  the first Marathi playwright and is known as the Father of Marathi Theatre? When a troupe of Bhagavat Mela artists performed for the king of Sangli, he commanded his Minister Visnudas Bhave to produce similar natakams. Bhagavata mela was a composite performance with dance, music, and dialogue. The actors, all male, were trained dancers. Bhave quickly put together a drama ‘Sita Swayamvaram’ with the Brahmins in the palace kitchen. It was greatly appreciated but the songs and dialogue were impromptu and not written down. There was no dance as there were no trained dancers. Bhave’s play was staged in 1843.

Shahji II wrote all his works in Telugu script. The language is Marathi but written in Telugu script. While this was easy for local scholars to appreciate his work, later scholars needed to be fluent in three languages, Sanskrit, Telugu and Marathi. Telugu Pandit (late) N.Viswanathan (d 2006) learnt Devnagari script, and Marathi. He then spent 25 years of his career rewriting the Telugu script into Devanagari so Marathi scholars can now read them. Therefore, today the world has access to Shahji’s yakshaganams, padams and Prabandhams. My current project on Marathi yakshaganams is dedicated to this great Pandit. Any scholar who has done research on Thanjavur would have come across this modest Pandit who  shared his knowledge on the history of this vibrant city.

Shahaji II did not have any heirs to his throne. He is known to be dejected because of this. He prayed fervently at the #Tyagesa temple at #Thiruvarur and performed his religious duties diligently. He sat down for his midday meal only after the service at this temple was completed. Then a relay of bells will ring from the temple to the palace. When the last bell reaches his ears, he would sit down for his meal. He renounced the world and became an ascetic. His passing away at the young age of forty left the royal household and his followers in anguish.

Sarabhoji and his brother Tulaja were born in Thanjāvur. The three brothers grew up in this city. Sarabhoji sat on the throne and continued the good work left behind by his brother. Scholars like Giriraja Kavi and saints like Sadashiva Bodhendra were honoured in his court. He had no heir so the next in line was the younger brother Tulja ji I. He was the third son of Vyankoji I and was also known as Tukkoji.

Key Words

#ThanjavurMaratha  #ThanjavurSaraswatiMahalLibrary#Marathinatak #VisnudasBhave #SitaSwayamvar

#BhagavataMela #ShahjiIIFatherofMarathiTheatre #BhagavataMelaMyTrystwithTradition #AuthorIndumatiRaman #SwamiSamarthRamdas #SaraswathiMahalLibrary

CS Lakshmi-AMBAI- Celebrity Fiction Writer

 

CS Lakshmi-AMBAI- Celebrity Fiction Writer

In 2011, my daughter Ruupa and her husband Bhuvnesh Shetty embarked on a YouTube channel named ‘voicesnviews’ to interview some of my friends who were quietly contributing to society, giving their ‘One Percent’ for the good of others. I was the anchor which meant I did all the research too. In my list was ‘Ambai’, a popular short story writer who was also a favourite of my mother and sisters. Tamil weekly magazines like Ananda Vikatan, Kalki and Kalaimagal would regularly feature short stories. When I heard our company had printed some booklets for SPARROW, I went to meet her and invited her for an interview. But unfortunately, that never happened.

 

I was thrilled when Dr C. S. Lakshmi aka ‘Ambai’ called me last month. She remembered our meeting and came across my name on social media. We set up a meeting and Ruupa and I had a wonderful, inspiring chat with her.

 

Born in 1944, Ambai has a distinguished academic career and is one of the top Tamil writers of the literary world. Her short stories highlight women and the challenges they face in their varied roles. The reader is often struck by the slice of life imagery and realism in these stories, that touches a chord somewhere.

A PhD from JNU, Delhi, Ambai is long involved in research in women’s studies. In 1988, Lakshmi founded SPARROW (Sound and Picture Archives for Research on Women) inviting women artists and writers to talk about their work for documentation.

As a teenager, she published her first short-fiction and a few years later a major novel Andhi Malai was published. She never looked back after that as she collected several awards and prizes for her prolific writing, including a Sahitya Akademi award for a collection of short stories ‘Sivappukkazuttu tan Oru Pachhai Paravai.’

Among her other works are research projects, and articles published in several journals and newspapers.

 

 

Married to Vishnu Mathur, a film maker, Lakshmi lives in Mumbai. Her NGO has received recognition for their work and is now housed in a spacious premises. Her celebrity status does not come in the way of chatting with her and brought out another hidden talent. She has trained under traditional Bharata Natyam Gurus and performed on the stage. There is more to her personality and this brief blog is not enough to contain them all. Looking forward to more meetings with Ambai and work.

 

 

 

Essence of the Fifth Veda- Book Review

 

 

What is the Fifth Veda?

Bharata Muni’s Natya Sastra is most known as the Fifth Veda. This Veda is compiled by extracting words from Rig Veda, music from Sama Veda, movement from Yajur Veda and sentiment from Atharva Veda.

It was intriguing therefore to hear of a new book titled the Essence of the Fifth Veda by Gaurang Damani. A little research revealed that there are other texts which are also called the Fifth Veda. Ramcharitamanas, Mahabharata, Tamil texts like Tevaram, Tiruvaymozhi and Ayur Veda have also been conferred the honorific of Fifth Veda.

Published by Divine Destination (Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi) the book is about the collective of Itihasas (Ramayana and Mahabharata) and Puranas which is known as the Fifth Veda.

Three major chapter headings are Tirupati Balaji and Ramayana, Miracles of God Krishna, and World War Called Mahabharata. The book recounts lesser-known anecdotes and amazing details of the battles fought and won in the Mahabharata and Ramayana. All events are connected to present day locations with maps for reference.

This compact paper-back details how Sri Rama’s name and fame spread through his sons, his brothers, and their sons to countries as far as Khyber, Peshawar, Thailand, Egypt and Laos.

Some of the kingdoms which fought on the Kaurava’s side were from Afghanistan, Nepal, Lanka, China, Turkestan, Iran, Kazhakstan, and North Africa making it a world war.

Such snippets of information scattered across the chapters makes for interesting reading. A helpful guide to the Sanskrit names and pronunciation adds value to the book. The book has an flowing readable style and will interest the new generation and impress the older.

[The author Gaurang Damani is a Mumbai-based Electronics Engineer, an entrepreneur, and well known for his active participation in civic matters. Do visit http://diehardindian.com/workdone]

#GaurangDamani #FifthVeda #Ramayana #Mahabharata #Puranas #TirupatiBalaji