The Path of Light by Renuka Narayanan

Author:Renuka Narayanan [Narayanan, Renuka]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789385990878
Publisher: Random House Publishers India Pvt. Ltd.
Published: 2015-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

17

The promissory note

The national anthem of India, Jana Gana Mana, has unsuspected layers of story and myth attached almost incidentally to it. For instance, it is set to a tune that is but a note away from the hoary musical scale, Raga Shankarabharanam, which is its name in south India. In the north, this scale goes by the name Raag Bilawal. Great twentieth-century musicians of the northern tradition have sung this noble scale with relish, especially Kumar Gandharva and Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur of Dharwar. Ustad Nissar Ahmed Khan of the Rampur-Seheswan gharana or style of music is said to have moved the public to tears when he sang ‘Sumiran kar man Ram naam’ in Bilawal (‘O my heart, remember Lord Ram’s name with devoted love’).

In the 1820s, at the royal court of Thanjavur, Shankarabharanam produced such ecstasy that Raja Sarfoji, the Maratha king, declared that the singer, Narasaiyer, would be called ‘Shankarabharanam Narasaiyer’ from that day, and so he became known throughout south India.

Once, when Narasaiyer badly needed a loan, he went to Rambhadra Moopanar, the zamindar of a place called Kapisthalam. Moopanar had proved a generous and hospitable patron to many musicians in the Kaveri Delta and Narasaiyer felt he could approach him. But, puffed up with pride, Narasaiyer spoke pompously to the zamindar. For eighty English gold guineas, he grandly offered Raga Shankarabharanam as collateral with a promissory note not to sing it until he had redeemed his debt. Hurt by Narasaiyer’s attitude, the zamindar was equally businesslike and accepted the promissory note the singer gave him.

Soon after this unholy bargain, a powerful employee of the East India Company called ‘Wallis’ Appuraya, after his English boss, invited Narasaiyer to a concert in the neighbouring town of Kumbakonam. There was a wedding in Appuraya’s family and many singers of note were invited to perform for the guests. This was the custom at weddings in well-off homes across south India, to have a concert of classical music both as a treat and as a benediction, for music was considered the gift of the gods. The singer arrived with his accompanists at Appuraya’s large mansion, where he was very hospitably accommodated. After lunch, the host discussed the concert with Narasaiyer and said how much he looked forward to hearing Shankarabharanam sung that evening. In fact, he wanted the concert to open with it.

‘But I can’t,’ said the singer, greatly embarrassed. ‘I’ve pledged not to sing it until I can redeem my debt to the zamindar of Kapisthalam.’

‘Bah, is that all?’ said Appuraya and sent eighty gold guineas by a swift rider to the landlord.

The messenger came back to Appuraya with Moopanar hot on his heels. He had rushed over from Kapisthalam not only to return Appuraya’s money but also to chide the singer for not demanding the money as a right. These generous and diplomatic gestures by the two big men saved face all around and brought home to Narasaiyer how very silly and vain he had been to think that he owned the great raga.

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