A journey in to Musicscape -1

கல்வி கரையில! கற்பவர் நாள்சில;மெல்ல நினைக்கின் பிணிபல; - தெள்ளிதின்ஆராய்ந் தமைவுடைய கற்பவே நீரொழியப்பாலுண் குருகின் தெரிந்து.
(Learning is shoreless; Learners life is short.Lots of diseases, if we ponder, come amidst.Wise men, choose, to learn right and the bestAs a swan, does separate only milk for thirst )

As the NALADIYAR poem alludes, truly the learning is endless, shoreless. I truly believe that “katRadu kaDukaLavu, kallAdady gaganamaLavu, (கற்றது கடுகளவு; கல்லாதது ககனமளவு) . That’s why when I hear people say “Sangeetha Sagaram”, I feel they should compare the music not to ocean but to space. The musical space is really vast and unfathomable, even if one has to take many lives.

Well the intent of this longwinded introduction is to stand at the edge of the shore and let our feet soak in the waves that come and touch us and go..

I have read this book “Isaiyulagil Mahavaidhyanatha Sivan”, a few years ago, when I bought the only copy available in a well known music book store in Chennai. It was lying in my shelf. Recently, out of curiosity, I picked it up again to read. I have not come across a more detailed “foreward” in any other book, like what the Veena Virtuoso S.Balachander has written for this book.

While the book itself is a wealth of information about the illustrious musical life of a great genius Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer, this foreward was brilliant in both content and writing style. Being equally conversant in English and Tamil, his foreward (மதிப்புரை) not only boldly vocal, criticizing the existing practices and the state of music (this was written in 70s) as he saw it, but truly very appreciative of the “Mahas” creative genius and the music of his times. Can you imagine it approximately 22 pages long. His language and wit are generously sprinkled throughout his forward. Even more wonderful is reading his translation of the same in Tamil.. WOW is an understatement.

I am really tempted to retype the whole foreward for the readers to understand what is about to come :)

- More to come...