Carnatic lineages down the ages

Charumathi Ramachandran
CHENNAI: Gurukulavasam – staying and learning in the teacher’s home – has been an intrinsic part of the Carnatic music tradition.
The tradition survived well into the 20th century. The students would rise before dawn, bathe in the river nearby – often Cauvery – and start their sadhana or riyaaz while neck deep in water. Going to their teacher’s house, their sadhana would continue through the day.
The teachers — gurus — were hard taskmasters. They were temperamental, sensitive but very focused on their art. Their world was their enormous talent. Singing, composing, analyzing the secrets of raga and rhythm while watching out for new trends were all they did, besides their daily pujas. Quiet villages with their temples and emerald fields gave a perfect setting for the development of art.
The guru would teach very little. Students would learn simply by listening to the teacher from close quarters. When the teacher sang, the disciples would play the tanpura and listen quietly, imbibing the nuances. The teacher would sometimes quiz the student to see how much he or she has learned. The student would often be sent on errands or asked to do household chores. Inattention or overstepping limits would bring severe reprimand.
The students would bear all this as devotion towards the teacher was ingrained in them. Moreover, they would pay no fees to the teacher. Often they would live in the teacher’s house and be fed and clothed by the teacher. Many who were raised in the gurukulam and stuck on for the sheer joy of learning have become great musicians.
One is reminded of the harrowing time Pandit Ravi Shankar went through during his training under Ustad Allauddin Khan whom he affectionately called “baba” (father). Hard living went with “asura-sadhaka” — riyaaz bordering on the manic that would extend to 18 hours a day. But this riyaaz yielded one of the greatest sitarists of all time. Till his very end, Ravi Shankar would be up at 4am for his riyaaz.
Under the old method, music was imparted very slowly, in bits and pieces at the convenience of the teacher. Sometimes, the students were quite old by the time they were allowed to perform on stage. Many never emerged out of the guru’s shadows.
It took a long time for Maharajapuram Santhanam to move beyond his father and guru, Viswanatha Iyer. But when he did start performing, he soon established himself as a top-notch musician.
My apprenticeship consisted of spending many hours every evening at my guru M L Vasanthakumari’s house, singing along with her in many concerts, listening constantly to her music, traveling with her in India and abroad and helping her in small tasks. After concerts she would sometimes discuss and explain rare features. Her constant quest for variety and new compositions spurred me also to search. I would hand over notations of rare songs and she would scrutinize them before including them in her repertoire. When I gave vocal support to her in concerts, I merged my identity with hers.
Just as the gurukulam continued, changes started creeping in. In the cities, the “paattu vadhyar” (music teacher) became common. He would visit the homes of children to teach them. Fees was being paid and teaching became a commercial transaction. The students were no longer constantly under the guru.
Institutions emerged to impart musical and dance knowledge. In today’s world, skype lessons and knowledge exchange through WhatsApp have come to stay.
The form of teaching has changed. The old, formal distance between the teacher and the taught has given way to friendly camaraderie. Most students double check what they learn on the internet. As fees is collected and time is precious, teachers have to deliver. Parents’ expectations are also high as they want their children to perform before going to college. And students juggle music and studies. Their retentive powers have decreased. Lessons are forgotten soon. And teachers correct them time and again.
Yet, most students make up for this by being bright, quick and eager to learn. They find their way to the top and are able to start concert performance early. The form of teaching may have changed but knowledge is still imparted one on one, on a personal level.
(The author is a well-known vocalist, musicologist and teacher)