Krishna as seen by Trinity and Pre-Trinity composers

A summary of my presentation at 'Yuva Chetana'.

Krishna as seen by the Trinity and pre-trinity composers
-Manasi Prasad

The association of Krishna with the performing arts is as old as the history of music and dance in India itself. As Govinda, Gopala, Jagannatha, Vaasudeva, Vithala etc., he is the subject of a large portion of material available to performers to this day. Before examining the music compositions on Krishna, it is interesting to briefly explore what makes Krishna such a fascinating subject for artistic creators. Some reasons among them are:
- The availability of rich sources of details on his mythology from the Mahabharata, Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana, Bhagavatham etc.
- The richness of episodes in each stage of Krishna’s life, from his pranks as Balakrishna, to his Leelas as Gopikrishna to his greatness as Sri Krishna – the Supreme being
- The ability to explore each of the navarasas (Sringara as the lover of Radha and Rukmini, Veera as the vanquisher of Kamsa, Adbhuta as the lifter of Govardhana etc.) through incidents on his life

It is this ability to describe and relate to Krishna at many levels that makes him a favourite of composers across time and space. It would be appropriate to start this discussion with the Trinity of Carnatic music, their approach to Krishna and then move backward in time. It is interesting that for none of the Trinity (Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastry, Muthuswami Dixitar) was Krishna the prime deity (aradhya daiva). While Thyagaraja’s compositions are overwhelmingly on Rama, Shyama Shastri has focused exclusively on Devi, while Dixitar’s compositions on Devi and Guruguha are the most noticed.

Shyama Shastri (1762 – 1827)
Despite his ankitanama being 'Shyama Krishna', there are no available compositions on Krishna to the knowledge of the author

Thyagaraja (1759 – 1847)
Thyagaraja’s compositions on Krishna, though few in number, provide some scope for analysis from both a musical and a lyrical perspective. We will take a few select compositions and analyse them:
1. Krishna’s mesmerizing flute
Ganamurthe (Ganamurthi, adi)- It is disputed by some as not Thyagaraja’s, yet commonly sung, hence is considered here. The krithi describes Krishna as the embodiment of music and the enjoyer of music from the flute. The buildup of sangatis in the anupallavi from thara sa upto thara panchama mirrors the build up of emotion in the sahitya.

Venuganaloluni (Kedaragowla, adi)- The sahitya presents a snapshot of a scene where Krishna is playing the flute and the damsels are surrounding him, dancing and prostrating at his feet.

2. Krishna as the embodiment of Sringara
Sringarinchukoni vedaliri (Surutti, adi)– This beautiful opening composition from the Geyanataka – Nauka charitram is one of the best examples of Sringara sahitya in the Trinities’ compositions, almost in the style of a javali, this describes a scene of the gopis walking alongside Krishna, and the various methods they use to attract the attention of their beloved.

3. Krishna as the creator of Maya

Bagayanayya ni mayalento (Chandrajyoti, adi)– ‘Your acts of illusion are indeed strange’. This kriti describes the decisive role played by Krishna in the Mahabharata.

Sadhinchene (Arabhi, adi)– describes the irony of Krishna’s Maya, contrasted with the clarity of Rama’s life

Muthuswami Dixitar (1776 – 1827)
In Dixitar’s compositions, the emphasis is overwhelmingly on the raga structure, as compared to the lyrical qualities. However, there are several of his compositions on Krishna that are noteworthy. I choose here to deal with some of his Krishna krithis in Hindustani ragas.

Nandagopala (Yamuna Kalyani, adi) – The sahitya of the krithi is full of adjectives, as is typical of the Dixitar style. Apart from this, the use of the raga mudra ‘Yamuna teera vihara’ is both attractive and appropriate. The krithi presents a Carnatic version of this raga that is an import from the north (Yaman Kalyan). Liberal doses of shuddha madhyama appear in the krithi, especially in the ‘g m r s’ prayoga. There are uses of ‘g p’ and ‘g p n d’, showing traces of Behag. Truly, a masterpiece.

Another noteworthy kriti in this genre is ‘Chetasri Balakrishnam’ (Dwijavanti, adi). Although the krithi is on Balakrishna, there is nothing playful or light about the raga treatment. The use of the gamaka – laden rishabha, the introduction of sadharana gandhara, add color to the raga. It is considered a sankirna raga, having traces of Sahana, Yadukula Kamboji etc.

Overall, the Trinities’ compositions on Krishna project a note of seriousness. They do not treat Krishna with the same familiarity as the Haridasas did, rather they manifest him with superior godly qualities, and this is reflected in the weightiness of the music as well.

As we move back in time, probably the most prolific Vaggeyakara on Krishna was Oothukkadu Venkata Subbiyer (1700 – 1765), whose compositions form a vital link between the age of the Haridasas and the Trinity. His compositions display a felicity and flow of words, complete with rhyme, rhythm and prasa (prosody), and make them a singer’s and listener’s delight. Apart from songs such as Alaipayudhe, Taaye Yashoda and Aadada asangaada vaa kanna, which describe Krishna in earthly and endearing terms, his scholarship truly stands out in the Saptaratna kritis, which are considered to be the precursor to Thyagaraja’s Pancharatna, and show a similar structure (swara, sahitya combinations). Of these Bhajanamrita (Nattai), Aganita mahimadbhuta (Gowla) and Balasarasamurali (Keeravani) describe several leelas of Krishna, while laying out the nuances of each raga.

Jayadeva’s (12th century) Gita Govinda and Ksetrayya’s (17th century) padas are both classic examples of romantic literature, while providing ample scope for musical tapestries to be interwoven with the Sahitya.

Narayana Tirtha (1580 – 1660) composed the Krishna Leela Tarangini that deals with the life story of Krishna starting with his birth and ending with his marriage to Rukmini. . The work is very interesting because of the various literary and musical forms he uses in it like songs, prose passages, Slokas (praises in verse),Dwipadis (couplets), etc. The lyrics are simple yet beautiful and effective. The Ashtapadis of Jayadeva were said to be his inspiration. His Tarangams are popularly used in Kuchipudi because of their rhythmic structure (eg: Neela megha shareera- Mohana – Adi)

Apart from the composers dealt with above, India’s history is dotted with offerings of saint- composers in various languages such as bhajans of Mirabai and Surdas, abhangs of Tukaram, and pasurams of Andal. Their contribution to the development of our performing arts traditions is as important as that of the vaggeyakaras described above. The Haridasas’ compositions on Krishna are a separate and vast subject and have not been included in this scope.

In conclusion, if one were to paint certain broad brush strokes over the variety of Krishna – centric compositions, following would be the summary:
- The lyrics in these compositions display a felicity in words and adjectives, and there is a lilting,
rhyming and rhythmic quality to the words
- The rasas emoted in compositions on Krishna are generally positive (Sringara, Veera, Adbhuta)
with fewer compositions expressing Karuna or milder rasas
- Hence the corresponding ragas used express similar emotions (Kalyani, Mohana, Yaman etc. are popular choices for compositions on Krishna)
- These qualities make compositions on Krishna both a musician and dancer’s delight

Cleveland report

A report on Cleveland Aradhana for Kutcheribuzz:

http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/20100602/Kanjeevarams-and-Kharaharapriya-at-Cleveland.asp

Almost home....

Around the world....

.....in 15 days!

Bangalore - New York - Washington DC - Seattle - LA - Sydney - Bangalore

Passepartout, pack my portmanteau!

The Indian Music Experience

It has been a while since I wrote something here. Thought I should chronicle the beginnings of the exciting project that I have been working on.

I am heading an exciting project to set up the Indian Music Experience (IME)- India's first experiential music museum.

You may be wondering what an experiential museum is. While a traditional ‘collection based’ museum encapsulates the idea that the soul of a museum is its collection and therein lies its identity, an experiential museum represents the idea that the visitor is central, and the museum’s function is that of a catalyst in an intensely personal and transformational experience. Some examples of experiential (interactive) museums for music in the west are this and this.

The IME will be dedicated to showcasing India’s rich music culture. It will feature multimedia galleries, performance and learning spaces, and interactive exhibits. This unique museum intends to encourage a rediscovery of various genres of Indian music, from the traditional to the contemporary.

We are still conceptualizing the project, aiming at 2012 for the opening. The building will look something like this:

It has been terribly exciting so far, and I really feel this has the potential to bring music closer to people.

More soon!

Music Chit Chat slide show

Finally figured it out. Here goes. It is pretty basic information, may be useful to some music students.

Managing My Music Career

View more presentations from raagamanasi.

Am a little disappointed with the poor response to the 2nd and 3rd Music Chit Chat. Maybe there wasn't enough publicity- no newspapers etc., only through Abhivyakti. Or this is probably not something that people want, or maybe needs to be packaged better. Whatever it may be , I shall have to suspend this for now, and rethink and return in a different avatar. Well, its only when you experiment that you will know what works and doesn't....

Alternative careers

A talk on alternative careers that I did for the Melton Foundation in BMS College, and then a talk by Prasanna on his journey to IAS.

Career Talks - Alternate Careers by Manasi Prasad from Karthik Krishnamurthy on Vimeo.

Career Talks - IAS by Prasanna Pattanshetti from Karthik Krishnamurthy on Vimeo.

Voices at the crossroads

An interview with 3 young musicians and me, by Gowri Ramnarayan

http://www.hindu.com/ms/2010/01/06/stories/2010010650020100.htm

Whatever.....

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=No+Part-timing+This&artid=qQsJ6B2YUoU=

My best friend

Also happens to be my husband

Book Review

Here's an old assignment from IIM that I just refound somewhere on my comp. It's a real interesting book.

Book Review

Narcissus and Goldmund

Herman Hesse

“We thinkers try to come closer to God by pulling the mask of the world away from His face. You (artists) come closer to Him by loving His creations and re-creating it. Both are human endeavours and necessarily imperfect, but art is more innocent”. A magnificent idea is developed and explored in this classic novel by Herman Hesse. The author, through the contrasting characters of his two protagonists, propounds his philosophy that there are two ways of reaching the goal of realization. One is the path of the philosopher, who discovers the truth by cutting himself off from the world, and realizing through intellectual reasoning. The other is the path of the artist, who lives and breathes the world, and his experiences with joy, love, sorrow and suffering teach him the truth, albeit in a completely different way. This is the essence of this endearing and thought-provoking novel.

It is important to realize that the two protagonists of the novel are not so much ‘real people’ as they are abstract characterizations of two ‘kinds’ of people.

Narcissus is an ascetic monk, a rigorous intellectual, who remains in the monastery to become an abbot; the epitome of the masculine, analytical mind. Narcissus is a man in complete control of his emotions, not given to bursts of anger or anguish easily. He is looked upon as arrogant and supercilious. And yet, he has many admirers, who respect him for his command over Greek, his charming persona and his intellectual capabilities. Abbot Daniel, the head of the monastery remarks that Narcissus had “admirers, but no friends”. Narcissus also has a gift for understanding people- what motivates them, their character and their destiny, and studying people is an intense fascination for him. This inquisitiveness is also probably what fuels the curious friendship that springs up between the two seemingly opposite people.

Goldmund is diametrically opposed to Narcissus. He is a romantic, dreamy, flaxen-haired boy, with the soul of a child. He is lyrical, searches for beauty in everything, is enraptured by women and lives every experience with an intensity that often leaves him drained. He leaves the monastery in order to experience the world and find his true nature. According to Hesse, he epitomizes the feminine side of the mind. Goldmund is blessed with a quick intelligence, but is not intrigued by the problems of logic or mathematics. He had a heightened sensitivity to his environment, and lived through imagery and imagination. The author says that for Goldmund, “a Latin initial changed to his mother’s perfumed face; a long note in the Ave became the gate to Paradise”.

Narcissus and Goldmund share a unique relationship throughout the book. The relationship initially begins as a teacher-student (probably indicative of how the intellectual always seems to hold a superior position as compared to an artiste). Goldmund looks up to Narcissus and admires his many fine qualities. In fact the relationship is based on mutual admiration and wonder. Each knows that he can never be like the other, and probably, each finally realizes that the other’s way is equally right as his own. As the years progress, Goldmund comes into his own, and during their second tryst, they become more of equals. Towards the end, one feels that Narcissus even starts to acknowledge the superiority of Goldmund’s way, and that is why he brings him back to his monastery. There is a subtle power struggle between these two opposing schools of thought that runs throughout the book, and again this is probably Hesse’s way of trying to personify his two points of view.

The idea is superb, no doubt, but Hesse is more a philosopher than an artiste. He uses language plainly and simply to elucidate his idea, but not as a powerful creative tool. The narrative is quite dry in parts and misses the pretty turns of phrase that would mark the works of his contemporaries such as Hemmingway, Faulkner or Fitzgerald. Undoubtedly, some of the finesse is lost in translation from its original German, but the fact remains that Hesse will be remembered not so much for his literary stylistics, but for his sheer wealth of ideas, and his capability to articulate them with conviction.

Finally, one begins to feel that it is neither Narcissus, nor Goldmund who make the book beautiful, but rather their relationship. Similarly, in life too, intellectualism and creativity are most beautiful when they complement each other. What is the point of understanding the geometry of a snowflake without appreciating the beauty of its form? It is similarly meaningless to ponder the stars without knowing what they are. Great are those who can see both the mind and the soul in everything around them, and their journey will be all the richer for it.

Interview et al

6bridges.com is an internet global community of Indian professionals from IIMs, IITs, Harvard, Yale, XLRI, NITs etc. They have an interesting website.

They did an interview with me recently. Here's the link.

http://www.6bridges.com/Content.asp?chk=1&DataID=2282&ShowAll=1

BTW Music Chit Chat 2 was a bit sad - there were 10 people that showed up - including me and my uncle and aunt who live next door to the venue :) Guess the pouring rain and no publicity did not help matters....But Chandana did a great job talking about singing to win in competitions, and I spoke about practice techniques.

But I shall not lose heart. At least not yet :)

Profoundly sad

I'm profoundly sad at the amazing levels of achievement all around me. It's very inspiring on one hand, and on the other I feel like an impostor- someone who doesn't deserve.

Now's the time to convert those feelings of inadequacy into a fire to be worthy. As someone I know says - "if not now, when?"

Music Chit Chat review

Review from today's Indian Express (Expresso section) by Jyothi Raghuram:

http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Tradition+and+technology+come+together&artid=YWpZy3sPO|w=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=wIcBMLGbUJI=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO=

Music Chit Chat 1

Yesterday was the first in what I hope will be a series of Seminars entitled Music Chit Chat.

Basically my idea is that young aspirants should not have to reinvent the wheel every time. In my musical journey, I have made some mistakes and I have done some good things, and eitherways I think younger artists can benefit from my (and others') experience.

The topic chosen was "Managing my Music Career - steps to becoming a successful concert musician". Had not really done much publicity, except for putting the announcement in Abhivyakti, and a few pamphlets.

So I was pleasantly surprised to see an audience of about 75 people- mainly youngsters, for a change!

The session went on for about an hour and a half, and we covered a variety of topics. There were some interesting questions in the end. But almost everyone came up to me and said they found the session very useful, which makes me feel that I want to continue this...It is very fulfilling to help others, and if my journey can serve to inspire and educate another person, so be it!

Am trying to upload a soft copy of the presentation for those who could not make it. Still need to figure out how....???

Next session is on Nov. 18th (Wednesday) at Ananya, Malleswaram. Topic will be "how to use my practice time effectively", and maybe one other subject.

TED Fellowship

I've been selected for a TEDIndia fellowship. Along with about 100 other Fellows, I get to attend the TEDIndia conference that is being held in Mysore from Nov 3rd - 8th. The conferences feature talks by thinkers and innovators, and are supposed to be extremely stimulating.

Sify is profiling all the Fellows. Check out my profile:

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jkpq8khaiac&title=Despite_all_the_chaos_India_is_home_Manasi_Prasad

Concert review

Here's a review of my concert in the Hindu at Chandra Layout last Sunday!

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/10/09/stories/2009100950800300.htm

Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

Here's a photo of the ceremony!

And review of my concert:

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/09/18/stories/2009091850310200.htm

More later.

My battle with addiction

I have always believed that art becomes truly great when somewhere you can connect to it. When it stops being someone else's story and becomes your own. Which is why I would rather sing about human emotions than on the various attributes of one of the Navagrahas (of course Dixitar krithis are absolutely wonderful- dont get me wrong).

The Mahabharata is one such great piece of art where each one of us can find something to identify with. Recently, I worked with a dancer - Chitra Chandrashekar- in presenting the story of Kunti, at a dance festival in Chennai.

The character of Kunti itself is very powerful, with layers and layers beneath the surface. But, by and large, it is the story of a mother, of sacrifice, of being a pawn in the hands of fate. Nothing much there for me to really relate to....

However, in the very end, after the Kurukshetra war, right there on the battlefield, Kunti decides to renounce all material ties - her family, her beloved sons- and live in the forest for the rest of her days. The text was ' Sneha Paasham imam Chhindhi' (rid me of bonds of attachment). Chitra depicted this in a beautiful way - she removed her dancing anklets (bells) on stage and walked off.

I didnt think much of it at the moment, but a few days ago, the memory of this scene came back, and I felt a stirring deep inside. I suddenly realised that for most artists, their art is an addiction, just like drugs, alchohol or smoking. I am into music because I am addicted to the thrill of performing, of applause, of hearing my voice. Till then, I had always been of the opinion that my choice of staying with music and 'not giving in to corporate greed', was a sacrifice. Suddenly I realised it wasn't- in fact, the opposite. For me to be able to say 'Hah! I really dont care about singing' would be the biggest sacrifice. At that moment, I would be in control of the music, rather than music controlling me.

But can I? That calls for a lot of courage. To imagine a life where being a musician does not define me....that's scary! So the next morning, I re read the section in my website called 'My story', where I talk of choices. But maybe it was not a choice I made after all....maybe it was just my inability to break free of the addiction.

Do they have rehab for artists, anybody?

Tirtha Yatra

Looks like my new production may finally have a home! It has been more than a year since I did something new. The last was 'Olave Jeevana Saakshaatkaara', which was a huge success, but since then has not had many shows.....probably because of the radical theme?

This time, I have decided to go more 'mainstream' as it were. 'Tirtha Yatra' will be in my usual sing-walk-talk style, and will be a journey through the different pilgrimage centres in India and the devotional music associated with each. Still need to do lots of research and make sure each form sounds authentic. Each time I do a new production, be it Mira or OJS, it has been like giving birth to a child (how would I know?) - exhausting, emotional, exhilrating and draining. This one will be no different.

And the journey begins!