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T.BALASARASWATI - ABHINAYA MAESTROR.....................................(May 13, 1918-Feb.9, 1984) -
Yamini Krishnamurti
T.Balasaraswati
had the immense wealth of legacy of musical and artistic talents being
the grand daughter of the legendary Veena Dhanammal and daughter of Jayammal
and Govindarajulu. Had her training under Kandappa Pillai, Chinnayya
Naidu and Vedantam Lakshminarasimha Sastri. Graceful in personality,
endowed with a musical voice and blessed with a body that was specially
moulded for abhinaya to bring out the eloquent bhavas and rasas of diverse
emotions and compositions. Balasaraswati was on the stage in her
teens and was the cynosure of the cognoscenti. At the All India Congress
Exhibition held at Royapettah in 1935 or so, S.Satyamurti gave glowing
tributes to her talents and she was then just seventeen. She was
very cultured. She would sing well while dancing. 'The bhava
or the attitude of Sringara was for Bala the soul of bharata natya.'
Musician - Artist S.Rajam said that Bala should be included in this book
as she was a good musician too.
Here are some excerpts of some of her learned dissertations: 'Sringara stands supreme in the range of emotions. No other emotion is capable of reflecting the mystic union of the human with the divine.' 'The feet keeping
to time, hands expressing gesture, the eye following the hands with expression,
the ear listening to the dance master's music and the dancer's own singing
- by harmonising these five elements, the mind achieves concentration and
attains clarity in the richness of participation. The inner feeling
of the dancer is the sixth sense which harnesses these five mental and
physical elements to create the experience and enjoyment of Beauty.
It is the spark which gives the dancer her sense of spiritual freedom.
The spectator, who is absorbed in intently watching this, has his mind
freed of distractions and feels a great sense of clarity. In their
shared involvement, the dancer and the spectator are both released from
the burden of worldly life ad experience the divine joy of the Art with
a sense of total freedom'.
Baluswami Dikshitar was a multi-faceted personlaity who could play on the family asset of vina besides Swarabat, Sitar and Mridangam. He was at Manali near Madras with his father and Chinnaswami Dikshitar when Muthu Venkata Vaidyanatha visited. At the instance of their father, the brothers sang 'Nannu Parikshinchunela' to the satisfaction of the visitor to qualify for his father receiving two great works called 'Chaturdandi Prakasia' and 'Raghalakshanam'. Muthukrishna Mudaliar and Venkatakrishna Mudaliar of Manali extended much patronage and it was at their instance, an European violinist taught Baluswami Dikshitar to play on violin (1806-1814) and he adapted his play to suit the genius of Carnatic music. His brother Muthuswami Dikshitar composed 'nottuswarams' in Sankarabharanam raga to practise with. Thus Baluswami Dikshitar is credited to be the pioneer to introduce violin in the South and Tanjore Vadivelu popularised it. This is, however, disputed on the basis of a painting of 1794 A.D. on the walls of Darya Daulat, Srirangapattinam and the wooden panel on the car of Lord Ranganatha. Sangita Kalanidhi T.Chowdiah has claimed that violin is only the 'dhanur veena' of old and that a representation of the violin is found on the walls of Sri Agasteeswara temple at Trimakuta on the Cauvery. The contention is that violin was no stranger to India. Baluswami Dikshitar started his career on his return to Tiruvarur from Manali giving concerts with Chinnaswami Dikshitar. The brothers are stated to be the first among duos of prominence known to history. He had been honoured by Samasthanams and from 1825 was Aasthana Vidwan at Ettayapuram, at which place, Muthuswami Dikshitar during his visit breathed his last. Baluswami Dikshitar has composed varnams in Natta- Ata and Rudrapriya, Vasanta and Durbar. He had set to music compositions of his patron, Ettayapuram Rajah. Once Sonti
Venkatasubbiah claimed 'Takka' raga as a family credit and asked Baluswami
Dikshitar at Manali to sing it. It is said that Dikshitar sang 'Aramajja
Apavada' / 'Nanu Parikshinchu Nela' in that raga repudiating the claim
of Venkatasubbiah. In fact, Muthuswami Dikshitar had composed 'Sundaramurtim
asrayami' in the same raga in praise of Sundaramurti Nayanar .
Songs &
kritis - Balu Pillai and Narayanaswami Ayyar
She learnt Kannada adn Sanskrit also. She learnt kalakshepam art from Vijaya Bhagavathar and Kalyana Sastrigal. Banni Bai, gratefully remembers her guide and mentor, Bangalore Nagarathinamma, a respected lady who first constructed the Samadhi of Tyagaraja at Tiruvaiyaru. In recognition of the versatility, singing capability and scholarship of Nagarathinammal, she wrote her biography. Banni Bai follows the Tanjore method of rendering harikathas. She has had her programmes in the whole of India in hundreds. Recognition
came in the shape of
Has acted in
the fil 'Sakku Bai. The 'Hindu', Madras stated that her clearly enunciated
speech educates and regales the listeners with axioms and anecdotes ' and
records that she is one of the most versatile practitioners of the
art .
Post-graduate
in Music and Teacher's Training from the University of Madras, she has
more than 30 memorable years of service teaching students of Shri R.E.M.
Sarada Vidyalaya Girls Higher Secondary School, T.Nagar, Chennai. Her contribution
to music has helped receive accolades for her school by winning the award
in-group singing at the national level hosted by All India Radio.
BHUSHANY KALYANARAMAN - CARNATIC MUSICIAN  The
Kulasegaran family of Sri Lanka was captivated by the beauty of Carnatic
music. It cast its spell especially on the eldest of his six children.
Bhushany migrated to India and achieved name and fame here as Bhushany
Kalyanaraman. Born and brought up in Colombo, Sri Lanka, it was a typical
Tamil household where her father used to ensure that everyone was awake
at 5 a.m., reciting the Tiruvempavai. At an every early age she could
recite Sivapuranam and Thevaram. She enrolled in Tamilnadu Music college
and after graduating, she worked as a professor of music at the Jaffna
University and also presented a few papers at music conferences in Sri
Lanka and India. She also serves as a visiting professor of vocal and veena
at the Kalakshetra foundation.
The riots in 1982 brought her back to India, drawn by her deep admiration for her subsequent guru and husband, Tanjore S.Kalyanaraman, senior disciple of the legendary G.N.B, who molded her into a worthy musician. Along the way she gathered several awards and accolades. The big sabhas of Chennai appreciated and encouraged her. AIR, Doordarshan and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation recognized her as an 'A' grade artiste. In the music
festival of 2000, she was nominated by the Music Academy for the award
'Best Vocalist for rendering kalpanaswaras'. In 1998, the AVM recording
company released a double album of her music. The Tamil Nadu Government
gave her the Kalaimamani award & the Sri Lankan Government honored
her with "GANA RATNA".
This contemporary of Sri Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval of Tiruvisanallur and Sri Sadasiva Brahemndral was born at Kanchipuram, of Kesava Panduranga Yogi and Suguna and was called, while young, Purushotaman. He had his education in the midst of scholars and set out to Benaras with a friend. Losing his friend en route, he desired to end his life. Destiny took him to Sri Viswadikendra Saraswathi, the 58th Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt sojourning there. Finding the fittest person and scholar in Purushottaman to succeed him, the learned Pontiff ordained him a sanyas and gave him the name of Bodendra Saraswathi. The young sanyasi was intructed to return to Kanchipuram via Jagannath to secure the great work 'Nama Kaumudi' of Lakshmidhara Kavi. Accordingly, Bodendra reached Jagannath and got the book from the author's son, Lakshmikantha Kavi and his mother. The unique character of this trip lay in Lakshmidhara Kavi leaving instructions with his son to deliver the book to 'the sanyasi from the South who comes seeking it' and the Sankaracharya instructing his ward to trek all the way to Jagannath and obtain the book. This was about 360 years back. Further, on the day of his visit, Bodendra witnessed an incident extolling the spiritual glory of 'Ram Nam' and the enormity of the gifts of Devotion. Bodendra accompanied his guru in his pilgrimage to Rameswaram on the Southern tip of the country on his return from Benares. The Sankaracharya attained eternity on the way and Sadguru Bodendra Swamigal became the 59th Sankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in the year 1638. Bodendra later stayed at Tiruvidaimarudur and this helped in another Great Bhagavatha, Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval of Thiruvisainallur (just north of Tiruvidaimarudur) joining him in spiritual anmd devotional pursuits. It may be mentioned that they together with Sadguru Swamgal of Marudhanallur form the Bhagavatha Trinity and with Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral and Swami Narayana Tirtha constitute the Founders of the Bhakthi Renaissance and Bhajan in the South. Singing in chorus according to procedure in praise of God at festivals and on auspicious days became common and widespread. Sri Sadguru
Bodendra, on the basis of the Nama Kaumudi, wrote the 'Nama Siddanta
Granthas' comprising -
Sri Bodendra's guru was delighted to see these scholarly works of his ward on his return from Benares and these works have since been published. 'Nama Kaumidi' was reported to be available at the Marudhanallur Mutt of Sridhara Swamigal till 1966 though in poor condition. Now it is not there. Sri Sadguru
Bodendra Swamigal is remembered not only at the annual celebrations at
Govindapuram but at each and every bhajan wherever it is done. The
learned and respected scholar, Ki.Vaa. Jagannathan made the profound statement
that Bharath had undergone political, economic and social upheavals with
its hours of glory and shame but at no time it had lacked in the presence
of eminent men of devotion and sacrifice.
The sisters were born at Trichur, Kerala of N.Chidambara Ayyar and Muktambal. They graduated from the Wardha University. Had their initial training in music under H.A.S. Mani of Bombay and then got the 'Sangita Vidwan' diploma from the Central College of Carnatic Music, Madras. Had further training under Sangita Kalanidhi Musiri Subramanya Ayyar during 1958-60 and 1961-63 with the Government of India Cultural Scholarship separately. T.K.Govinda Rao is their guru since 1963. Bombay sisters have given performances throughout India and on the All India Radio. They made their debut in 1960 at Ambattur in the presence of Sri Mounananda Swamigal who blessed them with the name 'Bombay Sisters'. Honours :
Brinda made her debut with Mukta as support at the Tyagaraja Festival, Kanchipuram which was celebrated annually by Naina Pillai. Though Mukta did not undergo the rigorous training, she had assimilated enough by constantly hearing the master and his ward (Brinda) and the Brinda-Mukta combine was a prominent duo for four decades, till Brinda's daughter and vocalist Vegavauhini joined to sing with Brinda. Thus Brinda has over seventy years solid credit as a performing artiste of merit. She enjoys a vast repertoire of kritis, padas and javalis and several claim to have studied under her though some of the claims might not conform to fact, it is said. For exquisite
rendition of padams, Brinda has a name and for the Music Academy, Madras,
she brought out a publication of javalis in 1965 but she feels that several
performing artistes do not adhere to the proper paddhati. Semmangudi
Dr. Srinivasa Ayyar states that when Ariyakudi Ramanuja Ayyangar and he
heard Brnda once, the former said,
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BHAGYALAKSHMI - VIOLINIST