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 It all began when I was 17 years old and studying in Delhi. My friend Sudhakar who was a day scholar at the college, was learning music and invited me to a Tyagaraja Aradhana at the Gandharva Maha Vidyalay near ITO. I went and sat and listened to many students sing Tyagaraja kritis. The one who stood out in memory was a Japanese girl who sang kOri
sEvimparArE.
Cut to 2003 when I finished giving a lec dem at the Academy on (what else?) Heritage Locations in Chennai that are connected to Carnatic Music. A Japanese lady was introduced to me by musicologist Manna Srinivasan. The lady was an associate professor at the Daito Bunka University, Saitama, Japan and was here for in connection with a thesis. I fixed up to meet her the next day at my residence and sure enough on the dot at 3.00 PM with her husband (also Japanese). Over tea she said she had studied at Delhi University and the first question I asked was whether she knew "kOri sEvimparArE". She did and had rendered it in the past she said, though she was a little out of touch now. At this time, my cell rang and there was Sudhakar at the other end. All excited I told him that I was now with possibly the same lady who had sung kOri so many years ago.
Now Sudhakar is not one to be excited easily. "Ask her if her name is Takaka Inoue," he said.
Yes it was and here she was back again after so many years. She had now been living at Tanjavur for over a year researching the performing tradition and in particular the movement to Chennai. Names such as Tandava Pandita Bharatam Nallur Narayanaswami Ayyar and Tiruvizhimizhalai Natarajasundaram Pillai all roll of her tongue like nobody’s business. She is concerned over the lack of documentation of the Achyutappa Naik period and is questioning the assumption that the Telugus moved in with him. She is doubtful about the existence of a Sangraha Chudamani and has reams of information on the mELakarta schemes used by Tyagaraja and Dikshitar. She wants to meet someone who would know more about the author of the Sangita Sarvartha Sara Sangrahamu. She plans to sing a couple of songs this year at the Tyagaraja Aradhana. She asked me questions on the migration to Madras and how it became a centre of music. Places such as George Town, T Nagar and Mylapore were no strangers to her and she noted down everything in her laptop (in Japanese of course). When she left after having presented me with a beautiful Sogo telephone index, I was amazed to find that the couple use a Maruti Suzuki (it has to be of Japanese collaboration) and drive all around South India by themselves.
She is back in Chennai by February and I look forward to knowing more from this extremely well informed research scholar from across the seas. She leaves Tanjavur and India for Japan by end March.
That was that you may have said. But no. This morning, at 8.45 am the office phone rang. Mr Tirada, curator at the Osaka Museum was on the line. He was leaving the same day and was asking if I had any information on clarinet Abboyee and the Nathamuni Band. Alas I had none, but we have promised to be in touch over email.
Sriram.V
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