Saturday afternoon musings

After my recent sojourn in India, weekends have been somewhat sacrosanct. There has been much happening at work, and, by the time I reach Friday, I am fairly burnt out. So, to get me stirred into action on a Saturday morning, even with a promise of idlis and vadas requires some minor earth shaking activity. This came in the form of a news item that floated across me that
Dr Avul Pakeer Jainelabdin Abdul Kalam, till last year the President of India, aka the Missile Man, the father of India’s missile program, would be presiding over the annual Thyagaraja aradhana in Toronto.

The Thyagaraja aradhana that is held early spring in Toronto is an attempt to recreate the annual Thyagaraja aradhana that takes place in Tiruvaiyyaru, Thanjavur, every year on Bahula Panchami day. At Tiruvaiyyaru on that day thousands of Carnatic musicians sing the Pancharatna kritis in honour of Saint Thyagaraja (circa 1767 to 1847), one of the founders, if one may use that word in this context, of Carnatic music. Thyagaraja has somewhat divine status in the tam-brahm psyche, thanks to his composition of several hundred songs in praise of Lord Rama.

In the Toronto version of the aradhana, local musicians sing the Pancharatna kritis which are said to be the best of Thyagaraja’s compositions and there is a festive occasion, with good, South Indian food served (a sine qua non for the success of any tam-brahm activity). Since Bahula Panchami falls in January, and, Toronto is snow bound at that time, Torontonians observe Thyagaraja Aradhana day early in spring.

The motivation to hear and see the Missile Man was sufficiently strong enough for me to invest a hundred and fifty dollars, Canadian, (this emphasis on the word Canadian for the benefit of my friends living south of the 49th parallel) , in renewing my membership of the Bharati Kala Manram, and, early Saturday morning I was there to experience this man.

The Missile Man has intrigued me. A true pan-Indian in the tradition of “…Ishwar Allah tero naam…sabko sanmati de Bhagvan…” (a line from a favourite hymn of Gandhi which means, 'May God, whose name is both Ishwar and Allah, bless all) he is said to be equally at home with the Bhagavad Gita and the Koran. He plays the veena himself, and, is a bachelor, reportedly celibate and a vegetarian. I have not read much of what he has written. However, one piece I recall reading was how the power of nature astounded him at a very early age. In his early teens he witnessed a powerful December cyclone (a somewhat common occurrence along the East Coast of India) wipe away an entire hamlet (Dhanushkodi, maybe ?) near his hometown of Rameswaram, and, that is supposed have left an indelible mark on him. An apparent man of peace in terms of his habits and inclinations, his sponsorship of India’s missile program has always left me wondering. Strong enough motivation for me to break the lazy peace of a Saturday morning.

Somewhat appropriately, Dr Abdul Kalam came in just as the musicians were singing Thyagaraja’s ‘Endharo Mahanubavalu…’ a song in praise of All those who are Realized Souls, All is the magic word, just not the one’s chosen by one’s faith.

I am told that the composition is a favourite of Dr Kalam’s, and, he was ushered in with much fanfare and the musicians had to stop their singing. I am not so sure that the nadaswaram and mridangam that accompanied Dr Kalam’s entry was in keeping with the tribute to Thyagaraja which is what Thyagaraja aradhana is all about. Left to himself, I suspect the Missile Man would have liked to come in unannounced and sit listening to the musicians sing his favourite Pancharatna Kriti. Such are the perils of celebrity-dom.

After the Pancharatna Krithis were over, the Missile Man spoke, and, his speech left me fascinated at the depth of that mind. He talked of music as an integrating force (that statement was not rocket science), and, then came the beauty. He spoke of those who are differently abled (disabled in common parlance) and the impact music has on them. He asked the musicians to go out and sing to those who are differently abled and those in prisons. He talked of the rhythm of nature (and science) and how everything in the Universe dances to a rhythm. Understanding that rhythm was no different, whether it is science or music he said. As he talked an old Sanskrit verse came to mind

‘…vajra’d’api katorani, mridu’ni kusum’d’api
loko’ttaranam chetamsi vignya’tum arha’ti ko’pi…’

Harder than the diamond, softer than the flower,
Is the mind of the person of wisdom
Such wisdom is difficult to comprehend for the ordinary soul…

And so, the beauty of music and the burning, destroying power of the Agni missile co exist peacefully…just another rhythm of the Universe…

Once his speech to the grown ups was over, he spoke to children, and, this was where his heart came through. Himeslf a consummate teacher, he spoke to them of his teacher, Sivasubramania Iyer, who in grade five or so took the class to the beach and showed them birds flying and taught them the first principles of aerodynamics. This must be what must have prompted Dr Kalam to take up aeronautical engineering in his post graduate days. He talked of his music teacher, Kalyani, who introduced him to the work of Thyagaraja. He asked the children questions (try this one, ‘If the earth makes a single orbit around the sun every year, and, I am in the seventy seventh orbit of my life, how many years old am I ?’ Much to what will be my mathematics teacher's surprise I got that one correct.) It was fascinating to see him talk and respond to children without any air of superiority, and, utterly, completely from the heart. Such openness and genuineness is a mark of greatness and is so rare

As I left the hall the words of Thyagaraja’s Pancharatna Krithi kept ringing in my ears,

“Endharo mahanubhavulu, andharikki maa vandanamuna…”

My homage to ALL the Realized Souls

Or, the same, in the opening words of the Buddhist prayer of refuge,

“Namo tassa bhagavatho arahato sammasam budhhasa..>”

“…my homage to all realized souls…”