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This photograph in Matrubhumi Daily evokes the experiences related to caste and music gurus narrated by renowned vocalist siblings Jayan and Vijayan, in the memoirs about their guru Chembai Vaidyanatha Bagavathar. (JayaVijaya, Chembai:Sangeethavum Jeevitavum, Kottayam, D C Books, 1981, pp 80-85)
JayaVijaya(as they are popularly known;Vijayan has passed away) were introduced to Chembai by the mridangam maestro T V Goplalakrishnan. Chembai enquired about their caste and TVG immediately said “nairs”. Though the brothers understood why he did that they told Chembai that they were not nairs but ezhavas. Chembai said he was happy that they told the truth and music has nothing to do with caste and all. JayaVijaya became his disciples.
They recount that Chembai was always hesitant to accept food from them. Chembai used to have a fruit juice every evening but wouldn’t let them make it. Once they were staying at the retiring room in Nagpur railway station and Chembai asked them to fetch a Brahmin from the railway canteen to bring food. And Chembai resolves this caste problem once and for all by taking these lower caste disciples to Haridwar and ‘purifying’ them in Ganga so that they could carry out his daily chores!
(4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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August 19th, 2009 at 1:36 PM
Look up close at the photo you can see a news photogropaher bowing down to get an accurately low-angled to get a snap of Bala muralikrishna. BTW, hardcore fans of carntic music are de-preciative of BMK beacuse in their view he is a “comprador” spoiling the pristine purity of a traditon. He should one of the pioneers who industrialzied carnatic music and he was also very careful in using the feudal resiudals for industrial betterment of his art and self….
August 19th, 2009 at 1:52 PM
Chembai himself had to fight with Mylapore establishment to get himself recogonized a classical Karnatik singer because the Mylapore “pin kudumas” did not consider thier Kerala couner-parts on par with them. This could be one reason why he was able to “tolerate” Jaya-Vijayan even being hesitant in taking food prepared by them.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Chembai was the only guy who even taught Yesudas whereas Semmangudi refused. Chembai, I’ve heard, was a ‘lower-order’ brahmin belonging to a subcaste that performed rituals for the dead… but then, what’s the point, really, in an ezhava or a nair or a dalit seeking to sing music whose content is deprecates your own self? Much of the content (lyrics) in carnatic is abusive of women, oppressed castes and upholds varna dharma. Most of so-called trinity music does. Problem is the carnatic idiom as it exists cannot be secularised. Balmurli merely mimicked the thyagaraja with some wordplay… if BMK wrote/sang more earnestly about he did most of his life–drinking and whoring around–his lyrics/music could have been more authentic and touched on secular subjects…
August 20th, 2009 at 3:58 AM
I don’t know about caste issues. Probably there is something there. I am not a fan of nor do I recognize the bizarre social breakups of Indian society. I will be surprised if young people(of nonBrahmin communities) of today would actually value any of the above said rubbish.
But Chithra, as a person, is very much a traditionalist in how she handles her communication with elders. So it’s not a surprise, for she considers it as being respectful to her elders. I have seen pictures of her taking blessings even from elders, even when those younger to her maintain a more ‘todays’ composure.
On the other hand, it’s uniquely strange that as I see most people belonging to stronger or wealthier(would that be the description) communities hold their community high, they rant about the one, supposedly higher:-) Hmmm…
Regarding BMK… I am always surprised at his popularity, with all the criticism folks have against him.
August 25th, 2009 at 6:01 PM
ksk claims to know nothing about caste. but from the garbage he has dropped here one can fairly assume that ksk understands nothing but CASTE…