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Only Melody,Nothing Else for the Dwarams
Highlights
Is it possible to reinvent the magic of Tyagaraja or Tansen today?- “This is a question my grandfather had already answered long way back, in 60s.Tyagaraja or Tansen were saint poets and had practiced music as a yoga or a tapa and their purpose was different.
Is it possible to reinvent the magic of Tyagaraja or Tansen today?- “This is a question my grandfather had already answered long way back, in 60s.Tyagaraja or Tansen were saint poets and had practiced music as a yoga or a tapa and their purpose was different.
They were more or less legends and we do not know for sure their authenticity. The phenomena may perhaps require a symbolic poetic interpretation rather,” says Dwaram Durga Prasada Rao, who is heir to a great musical tradition. He has recently been chosen for the coveted central Music, Drama and Dance Academy award for violin by the Union Government.
What is in a name? Name is quite finite. A simple mention of the surname Dwaram is enough to initiate a sojourn into the world of music. His is an act of the infinite. A few people learn music to know it. For a fortunate few it is the other way round. Music opts to be intimate with them. Chooses them to be its dear children. A violinist that he is, Durga Prasada Rao, long back has come his own. He was seventeen when he stood first in the AIR Carnatic music competitions and received the first prize from the then President of India Babu Rajendra Prasad.
Violin is strength, and a relief as instrumental help in concerts. Fills up rest periods and sustains the mood of the audience. A scion of the famed Dwarams and a skilful exponent of the nuances of pure music he does not need the support of a singer for a wholesome treat to the ears.
Music is a great tradition. Tyagaraja, Syama Sastry, Muthuswami Deekshithar of southern Musical Tradition or those of any other had only heirs of music or scholarship. Minds of scholars are treasures of scholarship. Of politics, of commerce, or of medicine, heirs are heirs of blood also. But the heirs of the tradition of music are enriching for the reason that they are spread like the pollen of a flower and make all pockets melodius haunts of music. The rare epaulet the Dwarams share is that they have made music by violin their address. Life entails a love and hate relationship and so one is turned from one door to the other. Whatever the case, pride or pain, past is a burden one either have to keep balancing or rid off. It is a big struggle toeing the line of fame.
The proposition that the Dwarams are the dwaram (door-way) and the address of music invites quite a shrug off from Dwaram Durga Prasada Rao hence. Music is a cauldron of clueless depth and width. Of it considering the world music and Indian music with its different traditions, music of the Dwarams is only a miniscule of the whole. Many have drawn loads of music up since ages and music is into the house-hold of the Dwarams only since four generations.
“My ancestors belonged to Kasimkota, perhaps had some cultivable land and served the Jamindars there before they moved to Bangalore where they served in the British regime as army under officers. That was the time the caterpillar had begun to take the wings of the butterfly” Prasada Rao says. Military bands of two types were functional then, for entertainment and of course control. ‘Brass band’ comprised clarinets, trumpets and large drums and the other ‘string band’ was with musical instruments like violin, viola (larger than violin), chello (shoulder- tall) and double-bass (man-tall). Our fore-fathers fell for the tonal semblances that violin has with human voice. Yet for consummation, it still required a waiting of two generations. They were then restricted to musical assistance for Bhajans in Ram temples.
When past proves to be a burden, one takes the exit route for the experience of another door. They were by then disgusted with what they had been doing. The Indian independence movement had already assumed a tone of discord and the alarming pitch of the vibrations had them on a rethink, that they would cut a sorry rune if they continued to play spoil percussion in the British service. And left the gun for pen. Dwaram Venkata Krishnaiah Naidu and his younger brother Suryanarayana Naidu, also a musician got educated upto 3 form or 8std. That was good enough to secure a job and Krishnaiah Naidu joined the Railways as a Telegraphist. Krishnaiah Naidu by then was sure that what he had learnt was not the only music. He therefore prodded a British station master to teach him western music on violin and the notations. For a better grounding in Indian music, he approached Nandigana Venkanna Pantulu who was a court musician in the Bobbili sansthan. Venkata Swami Naidu who was later to become an icon of violin music had learnt music from Krishnaiah Naidu, his brother. But this is only a smack of the whole thing.
Vadivelu was the first violinist and a disciple of Balu Swami Deekshitulu, brother of Muthuswami Deekshitulu who formed the triumvirate of music along with Syama Sastry and Tyagaraja. He was sent as an emissary to the saintly composer Tyagaraja and impressed him with his skills in violin, a new instrument then though his request to visit Kerala had been turned down by Tyagaraja.
With the great Dwaram Venkata Swami Naidu, the ‘halo’ has been added around the surname ‘Dwaram’. With a certificate in hand he arrived in Vizianagaram. In the Korukonda palace, a stage had been arranged for him in the evening to showcase his skills to the King Vijaya Rama Gajapati. Those among others who attended the show were Adibhatla Narayana Das, the royal secretary Srirangam Venkata Swamy and his illustrious son Srirangam Narayana Babu.With him, as a unique case in the history of music, an enviable number from the Dwaram family had turned the bow and the string tools for the service of goddess of learning. Dwaram Narasinga Rao Naidu, Bhava Narayana Rao, Durga Prasada Rao, Manorama, Lakshmi, Mangatayaru all form a luminous line of arc.
‘Master musicians are volumes of kritis. And their minds are treasure troves. They explain the principles, give the whole perspective behind the kritis and open an unexplored window. Their company itself affords great learning. I learnt many things in the company of Dr. Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna, Annavarapu Rama Swami (now 95years), Nedunuri Krishna Murthi, Kolanka Venkata Raju, Nookala China Satyaarayana, Sistla Satyanarayna, Dwaram Bhava Narayana Rao, and Dokka Srirama Murty giving them musical assistance. Even students pushed me to greater heights of learning experience, and also we had on our back great many number of books, audio records of Indian and Western musicians, including the records of the 16 century composer Bok and the techniques our fore-fathers had integrated, of western and Indian systems of music to our help” Prasada Rao says.
He says that listener and performer being one is the highest level of experience for a musician. That is the utmost pleasure and results from a perfect technique. And a condition where one forgets oneself, technique and everything. The Dwaram scion proceeds to explain it further. Music or any art is universal. If it is not in us, we cannot find it. Art is only a response to a part of us, so much so the technique. It should be good not only in the instrument, but also in us.
If our judgement, technique and knowledge of the swara are in tandem, and an aesthetic attitude too is is added to them there initializes ‘soul’. That becomes a soulful and effortless music and you are not aware of the swara you are playing then. It is the highest plane of experience. And the musician plays with the confidence that I shall show you the world. It is playing the instrument for its sake, which is also called ‘solo technique’. Here one feels alone and contented. One is happy to be alone. That comes when we hold the violin and begin to play it, not before. It is a condition where ‘self’ vanishes, where one is into ones true spiritual self.
Then what practice it takes? ““It takes ‘tristayi sadhana’, without gamakam. No raga either. As to my experience, I sat in the corner of a room. Mayamalavagouda’ for instance is taken and it is practiced in the ‘tristayis’. It is practiced 1000-2000 times in fifteen minutes. This is called ‘scales practice’ by western musicians. It is a practice without feeling, with a conscious of only the finger, beauty of the sound and purity of note. It brings music ultimately into the fingers. Entire purity of sound, notes is learnt by fingers without ones knowledge. It is yoga, a music yoga and a condition where one forgets oneself. It is mastering emotions, structures, meaning, technique without the involvement of attitude.”
What is the best music then? Best music is that when we play not for others and play music to our heart’s content, a rhythmic structure or a latha’s song. Getting familiar with what people want to hear, and entertaining people with they are familiar with is also a trick. Music is a game played with the heart-strings of the audience. No beautiful sound is anathema to a musician. A conversant musician that he was, Venkata Swami Naidu was well aware of this and so he picked a folk song like ‘ororibandivada’ and rounded off his concerts. His art never allowed any narrow limitations and integrate all feeling.
“No easy ways or short cuts’ Prasada Rao is categorical, when he is drawn his attention to certain practical difficulties in the learning of classical music. He elaborates- ‘birds have creativity, for their progeny. To us progeny means our mental capacities. One has to learn everything including music, secrets of sounds with a great intent, conscious and with deliberate effort. One has only to help himself to learn.”
There is another side to Durga Prasada Rao that many people do not know. He is a jack of many trades. He was for sometime an apprentice to Antyakula Pydiraju, a reknowned painter. Wood, Thermo coal sheets or whatever, he endows them shapes of tell-tale stories and turn them to life. Moreover he is heir to many books and records of Indian and western music. He is a book enthusiast too and is able to talk at any length on W.B.Yeats and E.E.Cummings whom he adores without end, beat poetry, George Harrison, Beatles, pop, rock, hard-rock and all other varieties. He does not share the idea that light music be called ‘vernacular music’ like ‘vernacular literature’. He attaches respectability to all varieties of music and says that they are culture specific. Music of the instrument, what he calls as ‘pure music’, is as good as music played as accompaniment when it facilitates comfort of ‘sruthi’ and affords cushion pleasure.
He puts into perspective the alleged magical powers of certain renditions of saintly singers, he says that we have to understand them symbolically, that they were able to melt a rock-heart or kindle ‘light’ into trough of ignorance. Venkata Swami Naidu was able to create a magic of the sorts in his typical way when he mimicked the sounds of birds, ass, cart, its bells etc to create the mood to a folk song. Vocal, instrument or for that matter any other art can be stated successful when it yields the highest pleasure.
When that pleasure is shared by all, the world too becomes a seat of happiness and melody and no wonder that the Dwarams are infected by sea of melody. Their whole house-hold is turned a seat of melody. That their dwarams too vibrate with the tune of melody. Upanishad does not say anything in vain. True. Durga Prasada Rao had toured England, Ireland to sow the seeds of love and understanding when they were suffering from seething racism. Prasada Rao is now retired after serving for 22 years as lecturer and 18 years as principal.
Durga Prasada Rao was in Ethiopia when the government had called for information. It is always a moment of rejuvenation for an artist whenever he receives an award. Even while expressing his happiness over the award, he feels that his father and his family tradition owe the credit. True. Dwarams are touched only by melody. Nothing else.
Written by:Dr. B.Venugopalarao
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