‘Thiruppugazh’ for everyone
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The F/236 flat in Swathi Nagar has a Tamil attire right from its doorsteps. The ‘kolams’ in front, the typical jasmine flowers, idols; everything pulls a visitor to an invisible Tamil connection here. Living in this congested flat complex in West Fort, S R Subrahmanyan Ayyar and S Subbalakshmi have been spreading the message of ‘Thiruppugazh’- a central work of mediaeval Tamil literature composed by poet-saint Arunagirinathar during 15th century - to city folk.
For this old couple, giving music classes on Thiruppugazh to interested people is the main activity post-retirement. Thiruppugazh is considered as the central work of mediaeval Tamil literature which outshines contemporary works with its distinct style and composition. “The language in this classical Tamil work has loaned words and usages from Sanskrit, Malayalam and Urdu. It visualises universal brotherhood and has intertextual connections with other epics in Indian literature,” says Ayyar.
The composition of Thiruppugazh verses point not only to the devotion of its composer, but also his musical genius. “Singing the verses in Thiruppugazh is quiet difficult without proficiency in classical music. The meters are different and elite so that vocalists as well as the supporting instrument players should have enough expertise to set up a good show,” says Subbalakshmi.
It was A S Raghavan - his disciples respectfully called him ‘Guruji’- who diverted the musical genius of Mr and Mrs Ayyar towards the spiritual and musical bliss of this classical Tamil poetry.
“He has given tune to about 500 verses of Thiruppugazh based on Classic Carnatic ragas which helped the difficult rhythm structure of Thiruppugazh to come handy to musicians and devotees,” says the couple.
From the year 2000 onwards, the couple has been conducting weekly classes on Thiruppugazh for interested people. Age and language are no bar. The verses which are in Tamil are transliterated into English or Hindi or Malayalam for students who don’t have a grip on Tamil. Like the ‘Pancharatna krithis’, Thiruppugazh songs also have a fixed structure and are sung in chorus.
Even if the student doesn’t have a knowhow of classical ragas, or classical Tamil, since it is sung in chorus, they gradually pick it up along with others, says an always pleasant Subbalakshmi. This ‘Ganabhooshanam’ graduate from Swathi Thirunal Music College, who was a batchmate of K J Yesudas and Neyyattinkara Vasudevan, leads the Saturday and Monday classes on Thiruppugazh. In his Sunday classes, Ayyar trains a gents’ batch to improve their understanding of this medieval work of musical excellence.
Since they keep a flexible schedule, there is no fixed number of students at a given time. “We don’t attempt any publicity measures; instead, interested people come to us - even from the city outskirts - through word of mouth. Now, around 100 students participate in our classes. The response to the classes is inspiring and that makes us carry on,” says this delighted couple.
In a city, where everything is branded and sold for a price, an old couple imparting musical talents and knowledge to the coming generations without any profit motive indeed makes a difference. Contact the Ayyars on 9846537903
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