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SYNOPSIS FOR THE BOOK ‘108 Divya Ragams’ By S.Parthasarathy
Carnatic music and Hindustani music of India are two of the oldest forms of music. Like many things Indian, classical music of India has a colourful history and has evolved greatly over the years. By reading this book, you will gain new insights on how to appreciate Carnatic music. We believe that the author has successfully combined anecdotes, jokes , cryptic crosswords, puzzles and questions/answers to bring out the beauty of Carnatic music. 108 Divya Ragams clearly articulates reasons why we should appreciate Carnatic music and tells you how you can go about the task. Once you know the principles, you can generate your own methods for music appreciation that are uniquely suited for your specific needs.
You may well ask ‘What does Carnatic music offer to me, a new listener?’ Primarily, it is an additional and a beautiful option to enjoy life! The author says he enjoys his life 100% with Carnatic music, Cryptic crosswords , Computers and visiting temples with another 100% coming from his family, relatives, friends and reading and the third 100% from his work, exercise, cricket, other sports, TV etc. In case you wonder about his arithmetic, he says he enjoys his life 300%. This book is a sincere attempt by him to make you also enjoy your life better and improve the quality of your life.
The book comprises of 9 chapters, which connect together with the main theme. The titles for each chapter are the names of compositions sung in a typical Carnatic music concert. The author has chosen present tense and first person to move the topics along as he feels that the readers will identify with the narrator. Formatted for easy reading, the book comes to approximately 325 pages between covers.
1. The first chapter is called VARNAM, which is usually the first piece in a Carnatic music recital. It is a brisk piece and sets the stage for the concert to follow. You are introduced to the various aspects of Carnatic music through a number of interesting questions. Some of the questions answered in this chapter are - What does Carnatic music offer to a new listener?, What is the origin of Carnatic music?, Is there anything common between Indian (Carnatic/Hindustani) and Western classical music? , What can I expect to get and hear in a typical Carnatic music concert? What is Ragam in Carnatic music?, What is Talam in Carnatic music? , Is Carnatic music Hindu music? Do you think persons of any age can appreciate Carnatic music? And so on…
2. The first few pages of the second chapter called KRITHI give you the rationale for the title and a brief introduction to 108 Divya Desams, which are sacred to Vaishnavites. The importance of the number 108 and the author’s concept of Divya Ragam are then explained. You get to know about Ragam in Carnatic music through answers to a number of questions. Finally you are taken on an exciting voyage into the world of 108 Ragams selected by the author. There are a lot of anecdotes and interesting material about the Ragams. To cite one – ‘Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, famous Hindustani musician has rendered Tyagaraja's Kharaharapriya krithi, Rama nee samanamevaru..., which is an attestation of how Tyagaraja's music captivated even musicians not trained in Carnatic music.’
3. The third chapter called KIRTHANA tells you the importance of lyrics in Carnatic music and takes you to meet a large number of composers. Over 400 composers have composed lyrics in Carnatic music and you get to know 72 important composers. This chapter, as all others, has Questions-Answers and a lot of anecdotes. To cite one –‘ Harikeshanallur Muttaiyya Bhagavatar was so captivated by Gottuvadyam (now called Chitrveena) that he learnt it from Narayana Iyengar for a few years when they were colleagues in the Royal Court of Mysore.’ Pride of place is given to Saint Tyagaraja (1767-1847), a composer par excellence and considered the greatest personality in the world of Carnatic music by devoting some pages of this chapter to him as well as the Tyagaraja Aradhana that is performed every year..
4. The fourth chapter called RAGAM TANAM PALLAVI contains an alphabetical list of about 10000 compositions giving the Ragam and the name of the composer in the 108 selected ragams by selected 72 composers. This will assist you initially to identify a Ragam before you learn the nuances by constant listening.
5. The fifth chapter called TANI AVARTHANAM tells you about the musicians- both vocalists and instrumentalists. The chapter starts with the importance of voice and vocalists in Carnatic music and moves on to tell you about all the instruments like Veena, Violin, Mridangam, Ghatam etc in use in Carnatic music. The last part of this chapter takes you to meet the instrumentalists . This chapter, as all others, has a lot of Questions-Answers and anecdotes. To cite one –‘Gandhiji wished M.S.Subbalakshmi to render his favourite bhajan, "Hari tum haro," and a response had gone from husband Sadasivam that she did not know how to sing this particular bhajan MS would sing another bhajan and somebody else could sing "Hari tum haro". A reply promptly came back from the Mahatma: "I should prefer to hear it SPOKEN by Subbulakshmi than SUNG by others’
6. The tempo of the book changes from the sixth chapter and touches the lighter side of Carnatic music. The eighth chapter called JAVALI talks about the use of Carnatic music in Tamil films. This chapter also has a list of over 500 songs in Tamil movies based on Carnatic ragams.
7 The seventh chapter called TILLANA is an introduction into the fascinating world of Cryptic crosswords. The author introduces you to the different types of clues in Crosswords such as Anagrams, Charades etc. and gives you clues on Carnatic music for you to solve. Solving these crossword clues will make you remember the terms and Ragams for a long time.
8. The eighth chapter called RAGA MALIKA is a medley of Jokes, Cryptograms, Puzzles, Trivia and Limericks about the various aspects and personalities of Carnatic music with the twin purpose of learning and enjoyment. The book contains 108 quotations on music out of which 18 are in the form of Cryptograms. One of the 27 riddles is - What Ragam does Mrs. Ravi sing when her husband goes away? The answer is Bhairavi (Bye-Ravi). One of the 36 Trivia questions is- What was the original name of Purandaradasa? The answer is Srinivasa Naik.
9. The last chapter is called MANGALAM as all Carnatic music concerts end with this invocation for universal peace and prosperity. Through answers to a few questions, the author provides the details of websites and books from which materials have been used in this book and discusses what you can do to learn to appreciate Carnatic music and promote it.
The book does not end here. There is a multimedia CD-ROM accompanying the book which contains Introduction to Carnatic music: Vocalists and instrumentalists: Technical details about and compositions in all the 108 Ragams: some excerpts from Tamil film music based on some of these 108 ragams and much more. This is what the author says about the purpose of his writing this book, ’Every lover of Carnatic music should undertake to introduce Carnatic music to a few persons. This work is missionary in character and this book and the CD-ROM are a part of my mission to get some of you interested in Carnatic music.’ We hope that you will constantly view and listen to the CD and later graduate to attending live concerts.
The book will be released on 20th August 2004, which is the first death anniversary of Shmt. Kamala Srinivasan, the author’s mother, to whose memory the book is being dedicated.
The cover for the book will be designed by Aarthi Parthasarathy, a budding professional designer now studying in Srishti School of Design, Bangalore.
Amritha Parthasarathy
20th May 2004
Publisher
APPEAL TO RASIKAS
I am enclosing a Synopsis of the book 108 Divya Ragams by Shri S.Parthasarathy, Financial Adviser and Chief Accounts Officer (FA & CAO) of Southern Railway. The book will be published by 20th August 2004 and will be priced at Rs. 300/- per copy inclusive of a CD-ROM. A project of this nature is possible only with the support of rasikas. We request you to place your advance orders at Rs. 300/- per copy. Everyone who places the order before 20th July 2004 will receive an additional CD containing Carnatic music songs. By paying Rs. 1000/- (Rupees One Thousand Only) before 20th July 2004, you will receive four copies of the book with an additional CD and your contribution will also be acknowledged in the book. Copies will be delivered postage-free within Chennai and will be sent by VPP to outstation addressees.Payment as due may be made only by draft or local cheque on Chennai in favour of Shmt. Amritha Parthasarathy and may be sent to the following address.
Shmt. Amritha Parthasarathy
PER-619, Pilkington Road,
Aynavaram
Chennai -- 600 023
Kindly indicate the address to which the books should be sent.Income from the book will be used for
· promotion of Carnatic music and
· helping the efforts of organizations engaged in renovating the Divya Desam temples
Amritha Parthasarathy
Publisher
20th May 2004
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