Nallan Chakravarthi Murthy, popularly known as NC Murthy, is musicologist, vocalist and author of many books, made videos and audios on carnatic music’s theoretical aspects. He is also a professor of Chemical engineering in Baroda University.
With an urge to fill the gaps he finds in the hierarchy of music, he has brought out books ‘Janakaraga Varna Manjari’ , ‘ Tana varnams in 72melakartaa ragas’,‘Ghanaraga Varna Panchakam' , ‘Navya Tana Varnams’ , ‘Dwadasa Tillana Mala’,‘Noothana Satakeertana Swaravali’ , hundred new kirtanas in established Ragas; ‘Nava Navya Padamulu’ (innovative padams in select ragas), a compilation of his own bhajans on Ganesha and ‘Apoorva Raga Kriti Manjari’ hundred new kirtanas in new ragas not chosen by earlier vaggeyakaras. He now adds one more book titled ‘Pracheena Raga Kruti Manjari’ ,under review, containing compositions he penned in ragas either obsolete or or infrequently used.
“ Pracheena Raga Kriti Manjari’ containes high quality composition he penned in ragas that were not in circulation. He says Thyagaraja created some ragas out of ‘Swararnavam’ said to have been gifted to him by sage Narada. But composers hardly ever composed kirtanas in those ragas. Even Thyagaraja used only some of them, or penned one or two kirtanas in those ragas. .One reason why some ragas were dropped was because there was belief in some composers that these ragas are not complete in structure or not complete to give a distinct raga picture.
Some believe they are smaller ragas, hence not in circulation. Author Murthy condemns all these theories saying there is nothing like big or small ragas; it all depends on our ability to understand the depth of the raga to exploit and expand. “It depends on our creative skills for us to expand the raga to what ever level you like” he says.
Haunted by these thoughts, Murthy made it his mission to list them out, practice them and then pen compositions, he penned as many as a hundred compositions in as many ragas. Thus he made a beginning for the resurrection of forgotten ragas. “Hope as we commence using the ragas and rendering compositions in them, vocalists would sure start enjoying their rendition and enter into a well of possibilities that the raga gave for the artiste to exploit” says the author.
Murthy also brings to our notice that it was, in fact, Muthaiah Bhagavatar who first began this work of writing compositions in unused ragas. he has added compositions of Muthiah Bhagavatar his list. In all there are there are 112 compositions, including a few of Muthiah Bhagavatar.
Noted voco-violinist and scholar Komanduri Seshadri says, in his introductory comments to this book, this work was a daring attempt and that each composition was refreshing and rich.
Murthy also wrote compositions for a few ragas used by Thyagaraja and Muthiah Bhagavatar.
One who wants to expand his repertoire or give freshness to his concert, would do well to practice Murthy’s compositions.
The krities are so good that singers are sure to feel they are equal to those of established composers. Murthy has widened the scope of Carnatic music with a modern outlook and it is now left to practitioners of Carnatic music to pick and choose the compositions to refresh their own output of music.
PRACHEENA RAGA KRITI MANJARI
by Nallan Chakravarthy Murthy
Available at: 201, Saibharat Towers, DD Colony, Hyderabad.
Contact 040-27427600/ 9177229391.
Pages: 200.
Price: Rs. 200
