Clad in just a dhoti and angavastram, with Vibhuti marks prominently displayed over his forehead and arms, Shri P.S.Narayanaswamy looks every inch the proverbial Mylapore Bhagavathar.

When he starts speaking, however, you realize that his appearance belies his outlook— he is traditional but in with a progressiveness that catches you unawares. He is much like his music—traditional and unassuming, with that flash of inspiration that leaves you waiting for more! At 70 something, Puliyur Subramania Narayanaswamy is spending most of his energies teaching music to talented students and playing with his great grand children.

Sangeeta Choodamani 2002 designate of the Krishna Gana Sabha, laurels have been coming in, albeit a little late for this talented musician. PSN, as he is invariably known as, is a wonderful bridge between the then and now of Carnatic music.

He is candid in his views and spoke freely in this chat with Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam, with the then and now perspective.

His first impressions of carnatic music……………………

‘I was about 7 or 8 when we used to go to Kumbakonam to the Vani Vilas Sabha to listen to eminent musicians performing. Because of my interest in music, I could sit through 4-5 hour concerts even at that young age. My father was very interested in Carnatic music and took all efforts to encourage us.

What stays fresh in my memory is the wonderful bonhomie between the artists on stage. It was so good to see and the spirit stretched out to the audience too. It was a totally collaborative effort, with no one upmanship. I listened to all the great masters of my time but things changed when I listened to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. That it was possible to sing like this became a revelation. There was no second thought after that. I joined him when I was about 20 and stayed on with him, doing Gurukula vaasam for a number of years.

The teaching system then……………

Under the gurukula system, we thought, ate, slept and dreamt music. There were, of course no other diversions and we were happy doing just that. The greatest advantage of this system is that you learn directly from your guru, you learn when he’s teaching other day scholars and you learn when he practices. You imbibe everything nuance into your system. Often, Vadyar(Semmangudi) would break into Niraval and swaras impromptu while teaching. These sessions were most inspiring and revealing as he would be totally uninhibited and sing with abandon. The stage consciousness of a Kutcheri would not be there. Those were really incredible sessions! Only, the students had to be capable of repeating or picking up the thought process instantly for Vadyar had little patience for others…..!

The teaching system now…………

Today also  I find the students very capable. They are able to learn very quickly and correctly. They are well educated and pay attention to the Sahityas. Many thematic programmes are held and they learn new compositions for these concerts and the repertoire today is very vast. Today a lot more people are taking to music and many of them are very good  musicians. This is equally true of both men and women.

Can manodharma be taught……………………….

I firmly believe this is not something you can teach. Any student should learn at least 7-8 good kritis in ragas like Todi and Sankarabharanam and figure out for himself the prayogas. He can listen to seniors and understand the sancharas. The note of a raga are there for everyone but the soul of a raga is in the progression from one note to another, in the anuswaras. This is what makes the difference between classical music and not so classical music!

Concert Music then………….

Music was the major, perhaps only source of entertainment then. So both listeners and performers had the time and patience to listen to elaborate 4-5 hour concerts. Many ragas were sung at length, viruthams often were sung so wonderfully well that they are still fresh in my mind. Some musicians had the capacity to get so totally involved in this kind of singing that time and place seemed to have no relevance at that point.

It was incredible. Of, this was true of certain musicians only, a gift that was not to be had by all.

Musicians had a definite bani and favourite songs. So, the listeners knew what they was in store for them when they went to a concert and hence, there was no disappointment. Also, since the concert was for a minimum of 4 hrs, even if the first 2 hrs were dull, often the musicians have made up in the remaining time to leave a very positive impression. If the voice was in poor form on a particular day, the audience would make the excuse for their favourites, saying’ paavam, bad voice today, otherwise you know how well the concert would have been…………….’!

Concert Music now………….

There are many artists today who  sing very well. Relatively speaking, it is more difficult today for a performer to make a name for himself and sustain it. The reduced duration of concerts is very demanding on an artist as he has to prove himself within that short time. Also, as patience is at a low ebb, the concert has to be uniformly interesting otherwise the audience gets bored and moves away. Singing for one’s own self has become very rare.

The only handicap that I perceive these days is that the artistes do not put in the hours of practice needed. This is something really that should not be compromised on. It is this that hones talent to perfection and puts a sheen on the performance. Very often, they learn a song today to sing tomorrow. Sometimes they need to refer to the script while singing, which is very distracting.

Also, today there are no distinct banis—I have heard renditions where the pallavi is of one school, the anupallavi is reminiscent of another school and so on……….! It confuses a knowledgable listener. While I don’t think it is wrong to take the good points of various schools, it must be done with discretion.

Audience then………………

People would come and willingly sit for hours and listen.
Audience today………………
It’s a totally different scenario today. The  listeners are better informed, they are aware of raga, tala, composers and so on. They are more demanding. They will not compromise on poor voice quality as in earlier days.” He should have cancelled his  programme if his voice is not alright’ is today’s reaction!
But today’s audience is a motley crowd—they are willing to listen to film, light and classical music, so its hard to judge an artist going by audience reaction. An artist  has to truly be his own judge!

How important is voice culture?

An artist is judged primarily on the strength of his music. If he possesses a good Shariram, well and good. One cannot run a career on the strength of voice alone. If you have a sore throat on a day then your concert will be a flop. But, if you are a truly good musician, you can still do a decent job. Ironically, for many vidwans, their concerts with a poor voice have often worked out very well, as they are more conservative and less adventurous on such days!
Role of Critics…………………..
I don’t think this is very important because people any way form their own opinions. Often, the critics are too biased to give an objective account of a concert. I don’t think organizers or artists set much importance to reviews.

Accompanists then………………

They were totally dedicated to the art. While going out of station, a Palghat Mani Iyer or Palani Subramania Pillai would first take out his instrument, check the Sruti, tune it and only then even go for a bath. There was a great understanding between the artists. They would willingly ask the main artist what he was planning to sing in the concert. The vocalist also would share his concert plan with the accompanists, sometimes even take the initiative to tell them in advance if it were a new piece or a pallavi. This ensured good success of every concert, no failure. They realized it was all a team effort.

Accompanists now………………

They are very talented and capable but a sense of indifference seems to have set in today. They feel they can always ‘adjust ‘ the sruti and this ends up in a mess. Adequate time and care is not spent on this. The artists don’t always interact with each other and this proves detrimental to a concert. Often they are technically good, but the finer aspects like accompanying for songs needs a lot more experience. There are senior artists with a long record of accompanying for stalwarts. The youngsters can always improve themselves by listening to such artists.

Innovations in Carnatic music……………..

There is always scope for more within the classical framework. Today, people are very intelligent and the standard of music is definitely higher and still improving.

New Composers………………

I think it is an exhibition of one’s creativity, talent and intelligence to be able to make new compositions. But, for myself, I am content to sing the compositions of the old masters. Their songs are comprehensive and enough for me.

A veteran performer and perhaps, the most sought after teacher today, this vibrant Sangita Vidvan today exudes warmth and optimism for Carnatic Music while others are crying themselves hoarse proclaiming its death sentence!
May his tribe increase, may his disciples carry forth his vidwat, his optimism and live up to all that he envisages for a brighter future for Carnatic music!

The Notorious PSN!!

A hot afternoon at the Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam in Chennai. After the exhausting Tani Avartam, Guruvayur Dorai was looking for a nice cool drink. PSN was nearby and offered immediately to get it for him. A few minutes later he came back  with a Cola bottle in hand and offered it courteously to Dorai who was by now  really hot and impatient to have the drink. As is wont with many south Indians, Dorai quickly gulped down half the bottle without pausing for a breath. When he did, he nearly had smoke coming out of his ears and his eyes were popping out! The irrepressible PSN and filled the Cola bottle with tamarind extract and chilli powder that had been kept ready to make Sambar for all the participants!!!!

Exemplary Disciple!

It was customary for the disciple to assist his guru on stage by giving him milk/ hot water from the flask during  a concert. PSN used to give Semmangudi  Horlicks from the flask every now and then. Suddenly, Iyerval found the drink to be rather rough on his throat and different, and decided not to have any more of it. The impish disciple had had the drink and mixed mridangam ‘ravai’ with hot water for a refreshing new drink!

Right person/wrong place!

 PSN had a concert in Andhra some time in the 60s. As agreed some one came to the station to receive him. Since the accompanists were to be local people, he was traveling alone. His hosts could speak only Telugu, so there wasn’t much conversation except the man kept asking PSN about the Harmonium. PSN was obviously at a loss, not knowing why a harmonium was required for classical concert. After a while there a doctor there who could talk to him. He asked PSN why the harmonium for his Harikatha was missing!!! Only then did all concerned realize that they had picked up the wrong person from the station while PSN’s organizers were wondering why he hadn’t come! Perils of wearing a Jibba and Veshti?!