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[Editor's Note: The author is a regular columnist and contributor on music
to The Hindu and other publications. As the wife of Vidwan Sri. V.
Subrahmaniam (senior disciple of Semmangudi Srinivasier), she has had the
privilege of closely interacting with Semmangudi mAma for several years]
 October
31st, 2003 saw the end of an era in Carnatic Music, in which many
giants strode the arena. The tallest icon among them, the legendary Semmangudi
Sri. R. Srinivasier went to rest eternally that day in the lap of “Mother
Sangitam”. Semmangudi was born in a musical family, grew up in the midst of
music, took music as an avocation and that same music became his very breath (prANa),
his very dhyAna and ultimately made him a nAdOpAsaka. His whole life span of
95+ years was one long journey in pursuit of excellence in the field of music
and excel he did!
Semmangudi, not endowed with
a sweet voice, had to struggle in his early years to overcome this handicap.
In fact, this was a challenge thrown to the young lad, so much so that once a
senior vidwan even remarked about the rough voice and advised him to eschew
vocal music. But that spurred him to overcome the handicap by indulging in
rigorous sAdhakam and achieving felicity of voice, ultimately leading him to
the pinnacle of musical glory.
Here was a vidwan who had a
perfect blend of lakSaNa and lakSya to make his music memorable. Nowadays, as
vINa Dhanammal used to say, “Music is being talked”. One may know, study,
ruminate, discuss, argue or teach about lakSyas or the theory in books such as
rAga lakSaNa, sampradAya pradaRshini, sangIta sArAm.Rta, sangIta makaranda.
One may also talk for hours on end about shuddha madhyama or antara gAndhAra,
all of which would lead you nowhere in actual singing. It is enough to simply
listen to and assimilate the music of Semmangudi, to understand the essence
and import of rAga lakSaNa!
The musical journey of
Semmangudi’s life is a noteworthy example to be followed by serious students
of music. Music can be cultivated to a certain extent, but for one to excel,
one must be endowed with an innate gnAnam, a burning desire to learn under a
competent guru for an extended period to understand the intricacies of our
musical system. One must tirelessly work at it to gain proficiency and
meticulously tread the path of the musical greats and thus make it a
nAdOpAsana as Semmangudi did. He lived in an age when the gurukula system was
in vogue and he rigorously underwent the punishing training schedule to
perfect his music.
Music then was not taught in
set hours, the ward had to slog in the guru’s household and the guru taught as
and when it pleased him, thus the ward had to literally wait on the sidelines,
biding his time to make an impression. Luckily, Semmangudi got his break at
the right time and arrived on the music scene with a bang. Every music lover
found his music compelling and many turned out to be ardent lifelong fans. His
music encompassed all facets in its pristine glory. His manOdhaRma was
unbridled and dynamic. At all times the rAgas, swarAs and neravals gushed
forth like the mighty river Ganga.
He sang mainly time-tested
rAgas such as kalyANi, kAmbhOji, shankarAbharaNam, mOhanam, kharaharapriya and
so on. He rarely handled vivAdi rAgas, (which he referred to as “non-veg”
rAgas!) not because he couldn’t do justice to them, but due to his belief that
the vivAdis did not produce the harmonious, soothing sancAras inherent in the
samvAdis that invoke peace and tranquility in one’s innermost recesses. One
may dispute this, saying he often sang vivAdis such as varALi, nATTai and
vAgadhIshvari. In such instances he made sure that his renditions were devoid
of harsh notes and vivAdi dOshas. In singing every rAgam, his manOdharmam
scaled new heights, always exploring new frontiers even while sticking to
time-tested original sancAras.
His bhAva-filled saRvalaghu
svara combinations filled the ear such that one could visualize the rAga
dEvata herself dancing to his tunes! He had, to his credit, the compositions
of svAti tirunAL, sadAshiva brahmEndra, nArAyaNa tIRthar’s k.RSNa lIla
tarangiNi and tiruvempAvai set to tune. Even today his notated brahmEndra book
is a sell-out. His renditions of songs like mArubalka, kSiNamai, kAmAkSi, O
rangashAyi, navasiddhi petRAlum and bhAvayAmi raghurAmam, with the stamp of
perfect classicism, innate elegance and beauty have been raved about for
decades in the music field. The audience’s joy knew no bounds even when he
sang these pieces repeatedly in his concerts, each rendition in a class by
itself. This scribe has witnessed in many concerts, people literally sitting
up and some happily singing along with him. Such was the magical quality of
his music.
If he was a musical genius,
he was an equally savvy administrator. He served the AIR as a producer for six
years with distinction. His association with the Swati Tirunal Music College
was a milestone in his career. His stint as the Principal of the music college
gave an enormous fillip to the young learners. He regularly used to take
classes for advanced students and many of the present senior vidwans of Kerala
have had the privilege of learning under him. Being aware of the fact that all
students cannot reach the concert platform and take it as a full-time
profession, he approached the Government of Travancore and initiated a system
of introducing music as a compulsory subject in the state’s schools, thereby
generating job opportunities for the music diploma holders. Here was a
visionary, who himself had a minimal academic education!
He was a very genial,
easy-to-approach person, with no airs whatsoever. He could mingle with
everyone with ease and aplomb and was equally comfortable in the presence of
Royals and laymen. He was close to the Royal Family of Travancore and the late
maharani sEtu pArvati bAyi always had a special place for “Semban”! In spite
of his immense knowledge of music, he had the innate “vinayam” to accept all
kinds of music and assimilate new information. He always said “nowadays all
are singing well” and was optimistic that Carnatic music would thrive for
generations to come. He knew and understood that this fine art would flow
along with the times and endure even while undergoing changes in form and
structure. Change, he said, was bound to happen and was willing to embrace the
music in its entirety as it is today. Here was a man who was catholic in his
attitude, that he accommodated and appreciated change in the contours of our
music.
He had a sharp and incisive
intellect and his sharp repartees are legendary. He was a sought-after speaker
and chief guest. And his name regularly found a place in the daily engagement
columns, either for singing or for inauguration of some event or the other.
All prestigious awards that a musician can dream of came naturally to him. A
disciplined man, Spartan in his lifestyle, he was a true Gandhian who wore
only khAdi. He used to spin his own yarn on the chaRkha and was passionate
about this national sentiment.
He was a
teacher-par-excellence, having innumerable shiSyas. Some underwent
gurukulavAsam with him, others had regular classes and others learnt a few
pieces. Many had healthy discussions with him, had their doubts cleared and
the music fraternity as a whole looked up to him for guidelines. He had
several brilliant students but he never differentiated among his students. He
taught everyone with the same passion, making sure that they grasped the
nuances of the composition. He was never an intimidating teacher and was
willing to teach a sangati any number of times. All good performers cannot be
good teachers and good teachers are not good performers. Here was a man in
whom the amalgam of teaching and performing was a perfect blend.
At the ripe old age of 95, he
shed his mortal coils and the last of the giants faded into oblivion. When he
died, many came to pay their last respects and everyone had a personal
anecdote to remember and this sums up the doyen’s endearing, enduring traits.
“Men may come and men may go”, but Semmangudi’s music will remain with us
forever!
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