NARADA GANA SABHA

Sabhanayaka Shri. Krishnaswamy

Could you tell us a bit about how Narada Gana Sabha evolved to its present prime status?

We used to conduct our programmes at the Music Academy in the early years as it was not as busy an institution as it is now and the auditorium was available to us. We found the hall too big for music programmes as audiences were not as large as they are now. Narada Gana Sabha was started in 1958 by some residents of Mylapore. It was at this time that several institutions with the main object of promoting performing arts were established. Narada Gana Sabha is registered under the Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act. At the start it had 200 members from all walks of life who are from the lower income groups, middle class and patrons. Now the strength of the membership is 1055.

The sabha has been presenting all artistes of repute like M. S. Subbulakshmi, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, GNB  and dancers like Balasaraswathi, Vyjayanthimala and Padma Subramaniam. Hindustani music is also on our menu and Pandit Ravishankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, to name a few, have performed here. The other forms of dance like Jhaveri sisters [Manipuri], Kanak Rele [Mohini Attam] give you an idea of the diversity of our programmes so that there is a reach to all kinds of tastes. Our encouragement to younger artistes has been well appreciated by the public and it has served as a springboard to many budding artistes to make it to the big league.

Enthusiastic members formed a trust and land was acquired in Alwarpet to construct an auditorium with all the best in comforts and acoustics right in the heart of the city. The State Government even gave us exemption from certain rules of town-planning in order to make our dream of this auditorium a reality. Built at a cost of Rs. One Crore, we had the honour of having Swami Haridhoss Giri open the Sadguru Gnanananda Hall in 1988.

You have a good mix of Dance, Music and Drama. Any special reason?

In dance, it is a mime show with lyrics in different languages which we do not understand sometimes unless we develop a taste for it. Similarly for music, unless you acquire a taste for it you are not so passionate about it. With drama there is direct communication and with humour, satire and topicality it is a big draw even with TV being competition for viewership. I believe that if you have good programmes you will get people to come. Quality counts. In addition, we cater to temperaments that are keen on Lec-Dems, Thematic Dance, religious discourses, Geeta lectures and Bhajan sessions. Does that explain the popularity of our programmes? We have a total of 180 programmes a year, of which 120 are ours.

Does Western Music find a place in the schedule?

Yes, we do have Western Classical music programmes, but they have to be strictly classical. We do not encourage Jazz and Rock programmes.

You have not left out rural areas. Tell us about those activities.

Urban areas have always been the focus of cultural activities and rural folk are not exposed to it. The co-operation of Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust, an institution devoted to Carnatic music has helped Narda Gana Sabha to conduct Sri Shyama Sastri Sangeethanjali at his birthplace in Thanjavur. Last year Sri Trinity Sangeethanjali was celebrated at Coimbatore and Anjali to Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar at Ettayapuram was also celebrated.

Nama Sankeerthanam is a well known event of your sabha. Some details, please. 

Sankeerthanam is as old as our Sanatana Dharma. We feel and believe that without a divine and spiritual base there is no Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam. The saints of yore had sung out of their spiritual ecstasy in adoring the Lord and these songs are sung by musicians at concerts or made a part of Bharatanatyam. We are fortunate to have had the blessings of Swami Haridhoss Giri, a saint who has been touring all over the world propagating the ideal of Nama Sankeertanam. He had been conducting this Namasankeertanam every second Sunday at our sabha. It drew huge crowds from places like Bangalore, Trivandrum and Coimbatore. We had to face a great misfortune when His Holiness Swami Haridhoss Giri took "Jal Samadhi” on 4th September, 1994 at Prayag. The Namasankeertanam is being continued on the second Sunday of the month by Bhagavatha Sammelana Samajam led by Swami Namananda Giri who is the chief disciple of Swami Haridhoss Giri. You have to see the crowds to believe it, even in the hottest months of the year. The chanting of Namams has instilled a vibration in the auditorium which gives spiritual strength to the artistes. And they have expressed the joy and satisfaction they feel after the programme.

It is pathetic to read about musicians in financial distress. Are you doing anything in this respect?

Last year we had endowments like Narada Gana Sabha Endowment for old-age pension for indigent musicians and the amount was Rs. 95,000. This was started for the first time in 1997 when the sabha decided to give monetary help to indigent musicians and to begin with, Palani Sri. C. Lakshminarasimha Iyer, Nadaswaram Vidwan was given a monthly pension and this is being continued. We have also helped Sri Ramamurthy Iyer, aged 82 who had a stroke and has been unable to perform since 1999. Another beneficiary is Smt. Saraswathi Panchapakesan, wife of Mridanga Vidwan late E. M. Panchapakesan. I am happy to tell you that last year the sabha placed another sum of Rs. 1 lakh for the same purpose.

What is the encouragement you give to young talented artistes?

Narada Gana Sabha Trust conducts a project called Natyarangam which is exclusively to promote Bharatanatyam and it was inaugurated in 1995. It showcases young talented artistes on the third Saturday of each month followed by a lecture demonstration on the following Sunday in association with Fine Arts Foundation of India. A group of experts in the field support the programme. Here young dancers not only learn about things theoretical in the art, but also dance in the temple precincts during rituals specially designed for them. For many youngsters to participate in the life of the temple, during daily puja and during Garudasevai, Dolotsavam, and Kalyana Utsavam is an education in itself.

Do you think the size of the audience is dwindling and what can be done to step it up?

As I said earlier I don’t think the audience is small if you give quality. As for dance programmes, if junior artistes make it a point to attend other artistes' programmes it will have a positive impact. In fact, we had a seminar on attendance and Revathi Ramachandran conducted it in order to find out if and why there is audience apathy. An awareness about dance and music needs to be created so that participation is more.

Could you share your thoughts on music?

From the cradle to the grave music finds a place in our life. Isn’t the first act of a baby at birth to cry? At the time of death we cry too. The difference is that one is crying for joy and the other out of pent up distress. If you fine tune it, then it becomes music. My favourite quote is what our Swami Haridhoss Giri said about music, “Music is a minute understanding of sound in creation”. That is why perhaps I spent so many years nurturing music through Narada Gana Sabha and we do believe we have made a statement over these 45 years.

Geetha Iyengar.

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