The Music Academy Madras are all set to organise their first exclusive Nadaswaram festival Nadotsavam, a three day event starting on Wednesday in Chennai.
With its Sangita Kalanidhi Award fueling the voices demanding a change in the Carnatic music world, the management of the Music Academy is hoping all that social media traction would result in more people dropping in for ‘Nadotsavam’, which is scheduled from March 27-29.
“We decided to hold Nadotsavam 2024, even though Nadaswaram does not really draw people in, because it is essential that we support the Nadaswaram — and Thavil — artists. During the Covid time, they were the worst affected musicians. Hopefully, all those people who were suggesting that Carnatic music change its approach, will come to support this effort,” said N Murali, president of the Music Academy.
Nadaswaram, a wind instrument, is an integral part of ‘mangala isai’ — a form of invocatory music that is integral to Tamil culture. Along with its percussion accompaniment ‘Thavil’, Nadaswaram leads the auspicious start of festivals in temples and auspicious events like marriages. The instrument is among the world’s loudest non-brass acoustic instruments.
But despite its deep spiritual and musical heritage, the instrument is often restricted to inaugural concerts of the sabhas during the famed ‘Margazhi’ festival in December-January in Chennai. This is mainly because the instrument doesn’t get a proper platform, as temples no longer conduct elaborate Nadaswaram concerts.
“In fact, I would say, commercially, the 1980s was the golden era for Nadaswaram artists. Although its music is considered sacred among the believers, we needed the sabhas to take it to more people. The week-long Pongal Nadaswara Isai Vizha did a lot in sustaining us,” said Kasim, who comes from a family of musicians that have fostered the art of the wind instrument for 300 years.
Bengaluru-based third generation Nadaswaram player SP Palanivel, who will be performing with his wife Prabhavathi on March 29, said despite many challenges, many youngsters are keen on learning the instrument.
“For them specially, such exclusive Nadaswaram festivals are a godsend,” he added.
But like Ayyappan, he too opined that the real learning for these youngsters would come when they are given opportunities to improvise at length like yesteryear Nadaswaram players.
“For instance, the Music Academy has given us hour-and-a-half slots. It is generous, yes, but people expect us to play short and snappy versions of many ragas. This is not how a Nadaswaram vidwan explored ragas traditionally. But we must survive too. At least it is not a marriage function where we are expected to play ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ songs (a Tamil film starring Sivaji Ganesan as Nadaswaram Vidwan) for instance,” said Palanivel.
Nadaswaram is a double reed wind instrument from South India. It is used as a traditional classical instrument in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.
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