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 Thavil maestro Valayapatti A R Subramaniam has made an impassioned plea to the Tamil Nadu government and temple authorities to prohibit light music performances at functions of temples in the state, which he said promoted obscenity and vulgarity.
Speaking at the inauguration of the ninth music and dance festival of the Valayapatti Naadhalaya Trust at the AVM Rajeswari Kalyana Mandap in Chennai on December 25, Subramaniam deplored the recent culture of film music programmes during temple functions in the State. Temples should be the last place where such songs are rendered. Obscene songs were sung, sometimes accompanied by dance (record dance culture), he pointed out in disgust. He wondered how temple authorities were allowing vulgarity on auspicious occasions and pointed out that such obscenity and vulgarity would never be allowed in functions at mosques and churches. Similar discipline should be shown in temples (which played an important role in the evolution of Tamil culture) also, he felt.
Subramaniam said he was expressing his anguish on behalf of lakhs of devotees who were upset at this turn of events, which commenced several years back but had now taken strong roots in the State.
He urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to intervene ("no one has brought this sorry of state of affairs to her notice" and restore the practice of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam performances at temple functions. He requested the President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Coimmittee, G K Vasan, to take up this matter with the Government and also advise authorities of temples in the Thanjavur district (to which he belongs) to desist from the practice of having film music programmes at temple functions and instead arrange for Carnatic music
programmes.
Valayapatti said it was a wrong notion to defend the practice of having film music programmes on auspicious occasions on the ground that they attract large crowds. Carnatic music programmes also used to draw crowds in the past and enjoyed good patronage. Such programmes would inculcate in the old and young alike a sense of Bhakti, discipline and good character, he said adding that in the process, poor musicians in the districts would also get recognition and patronage. All the musicians of the previous two or three generations had developed only through performances in temples for years together, he said adding this link should be snapped.
The thavil maestro also urged sabha secretaries in the city to give due importance to the nadaswaram instrument. Nadaswaram players were not invited to perform during the music festival in Chennai, he pointed out.
When the secretary of Narada Gana Sabha R Krishnaswamy wondered if Valayapatti would help bring the crowds to Nadaswaram performances, assuming opportunity was provided to the artistes, Valayapatti said rasikas did enjoy Nadaswaram music. 'Why do you worry about crowds? Except the performances of a few top artistes, most of the programmes of Carnatic vocalists drew a crowd of only 20 to 30 people", Valayapatti pointed out.
Turning to Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty, Valayapatti wondered why he did not provide for Nadaswaram concerts though he was the president of almost all the sabhas in the city. Kuppuswami Chetty said he would try and make amends next year if Valayapatti provided him a list of seven leading Nadaswaram players. Valayapatti promised to do the needful immediately.
Valayapatti said he was not making this demand with a view to promote thavil players. The latter could survive by playing in jugalbandhis and for other musicians who performed on the saxophone, violin or the clarinet, he said pointing out that Nadaswaram deserved encouragement as it was an integral part of marriages and inaugurations of various functions (mangala isai) and also had a vital role in temple functions. Practitioners of this difficult but vital instrument should be fostered, he felt.
 Inaugurating the festival, G K Vasan, recalled the association of his father, G K Moopanar, with the development of fine arts, particularly the nurturing the of the Tyagabrahma Sabha at Tiruvaiyaru and the holding of the Tyagaraja Aradhana there for decades. He assured help to the sabha at Tiruvaiyaru as its Trustee and also the Valayapatti Trust in its programmes to encourage young artistes.
He presented an award, Patron of Arts, to Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty and Sabha Secretary award to Mangalore P Nithyananda Rao on behalf of the Valayapatti Trust.
Vasan also presented the Kaashyap Promising Child Artiste award to R Swathi (vocal), V Anirudh Athreya (ganjira) and Kaashyap scholarships to L Thangarasu (nadaswaram) and M Uthraj (Thavil). AVM Rajeswari Ammal, who has provided the hall for the festival free of cost year after year, felicitated the awardees.
Valayapatti S Malarvannan and A Venkatramani outlined the activities of the Trust.
Nalli Kuppuswami Chetty, R Krishnaswamy and industrialist L Sabaretnam assured their support to the festivals of the Valayapatti Trust.
RR
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