TORCH-BEARERS OF TRADITION

By Our Special Correspondent

The musical ‘Mangala Vayidyam’ community holds on to their ancestral beliefs and customs.

Ranee Kumar

Yes, this ancestral musically-inclined community has been carrying on the mantle of our classical music tradition through the ages. Never to be swayed by the winds of change the ‘Mangala Vayidyam’ community is always in the forefront of all auspicious occasions in our life.

Originally attached to temples, these artistes herald all religious rituals on a day-to-day basis. With the blow and beat of the nadaswaram (sannai) and dolu (tavil). Their presence and performance is mandatory and precedes every ‘shubhakaryam’.

Since they are the ‘leaders’ of all auspicious events, they are considered ‘good omen’ (mangalakara). They commanded a reverence commensurate with that of temple priests (archakas) at one point of time, not that they are disrespected in the present day, but generally looked down upon in the social echelon as they have dual occupation: their profession and their vocation. Both are ancestral with the latter contributing to their artistic abilities. “In the past, I was told that the Mangala Vayidyam community had a right royal entrance into the presence of the presiding deity of a temple much before the priests set foot inside the sanctum sanctorum. The percussion and nadaswaram (now the clarinet and saxophone are also in vogue) would go into an alapana tuning the raga for the morning session of the temple, leading to a particular tanam meant for the day, another prior to the evening prayers. Every kriti had its place in the temple in this instrumental music. For instance, the mallari has to be in Nataragam while for marriages we usually play in kalyani, Khambhoji or Natakuranji. The Mangala Vayidyam musicians’ ensemble is usually seated on the centre stage (mandapam) facing the deity. The musicians also walk and play during festive occasions like the ‘binde seva’ (brass pot ritual), the ‘pallaki (palanquin) seva’, where they precede the deity being carried around the temple or street. Originally the long wind-instrument, now known as sannai in Telugu was referred to as mukhaveena Vayidyam which was said to possess a divine origin. Later it got modified into the three feet long sannai and since a naadam (musical sound) emanates from it through breath force and that transforms into a swaram, it came to be known as nadaswaram,” explains Tarigoppula Narayana, top grade dolu artist in AIR in the twin cities, whose dexterity with ‘Pancha gatula gamanam’ a laya vinyasam with 35 talams in a matter of 12 minutes and 24 seconds catapulted him to the Guinness Book. He says the dolu, unlike the mridangam has no set Sruti, it has only nadam and hence the percussion calls for artistic creativity.

The ensemble is usually two nadaswaram players, two percussionists, one Sruti and one talam which forms what is called a ‘melam’.

K Acchi Babu, clarinet vidwan who is with the AIR as ‘A’ grade staff artist admits that the process of learning petered down from fathers and forefathers. “It is more or less a family art though we would seek further tutelage under great vidwans to fine tune ourselves. I learnt under sheikh Madina (vocalist) after my initial training under my father Kota Tatalu of Baligattam in Visakhapatnam district who was a clarinet player himself. But, though my children know the basics they are not into this vocation,” he says. Why? Is it not viable? “More than viability, some youngsters who are exposed to urban ways of living are keen to study professional courses like others.” But for the most part, “Education is meager in this community which constantly performs and hence studies take a backseat,” says Saraswati, vocalist teaching at the music college in Kurnool.

Her father, Cindepalli Muniramaiah, was a great dolu (tavil) player and the asthana vidwan of TTD. He was also teaching at the then TTD Kalapeetam.

“Despite the odds, the Mangala Vayidyam community is dedicated to its vocation which is looked upon as a privileged, divine offering done with utter dedication.,” says Edukondalu of Vinukonda (Guntur district). “it is our kula vritthi. My brother is a clarinet player and my grandfather Cheemakurti Venkatasubbaiah was a great vidwan. Though I am into tailoring, the rest of the family is into it,” he admits disarmingly.

Nagamani and Ramavarapu Sahadevudu of Rajamundry are popular duo clarinet players in Rajamundry. “I learnt to play the clarinet at a very young age from my father Vadapalli Chinnabbai. Later, I learnt vocal music from M.S. Balasubramanya Sarma who was later teaching at Tirupati Music College. My husband hailed from Denduluru and was originally a percussionist. He later leant the clarinet from me. And today, with two of my sons who play dolu and nadasawaram respectively, we form a team and are employed as asthana vidwans of the local ISKCON temple,” sayas Nagamani, one of the first women clarinet players in the state.

The community as a whole does not lend itself to gender bias in propagating the art form among its progeny. And these proficient artistes are known for their humility despite their expertise. And what more, the practitioners are rooted in music unmindful of monetary gains in these days of market economy and consumerism.