Back to Basics.................

My native district, Palakkad has a history of producing great musicians. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, K V Narayanaswamy and Palakkad Mani Iyyer are legendary musicians and well known world over. For the connossieur, they dont come better than the Late M D Ramanathan, whose baritone voice and singing in vilamba kala, was virtually unimitable and something to cherish for ever.

About a quarter of a century ago, M D Ramanathan, who incidently was a teacher par excellence having taught in Kalakshetra, was called as the External Examiner for the Gana Bhooshanam Students practical examination. Now, for those who are not aware of what this program is, you need to know that Palakkad has a full fledged Music College called Chembai Smaraka Music College where diplomas and degrees in Carnatic Music are offered.

Gana Bhooshanam is one of the premier programs and the student has to sing a keerthana asked by the Examiner, who will evaluate his performance and award him the marks. Since the student has attained a good level of proficiency by the final year of Ganabhooshanam, normally he/she comes prepared to sing some complex keerthanas of any of the Trinity.

The examiners panel had other than the legendary Maestro M D Ramanathan, two more examiners, both professors in the college. M D Ramanathan is known for his impish sense of humour while at the same time his standing as a senior vidwan do not permit others to take liberty with him. He was highly respected.

Typical of any viva voce exam, the students gathered outside the exam hall and discussed at length what will be asked of them. Some said Tyagaraja krithis, others said Dikshitar Kritis and so it went depending on how each one of them had interpreted the character of MDR.

The first student walked in full of confidence. M D Ramanathan looked at him and asked 'Are you well prepared?'. The student nodded.

"Then sing the mayamalava gowla janta varisai"

Mayamalava Gowla janta varisai is the first thing a student learns in Carnatic Music. It is the foundation on which the entire study is built. A sequence of saptha swaras in various order.

The student was flabbergasted. He was 22 and had studied music for nearly 16 years and now at the culmination of studies, here he is asked to sing what he first learned as a 6 year old. He was totally unprepared as his preparations were based on complex and advanced krithis. Even the other two examiners were stunned. The student looked at them and back at Maestro who was phlegmatic.

Gathering his breath, he somehow managed to sing the jantavarisai, though needless to say , it was a poor effort. He was not asked any other question.

He went out and was surrounded by other students who were eager to know the level of questions asked. They did not believe him when he said that he was asked to sing jantavarisai. It was unheard of.

Student number 2 went in and came out. The same question was asked with the same result. The scene was repeated again and again. Students became restive as they felt that they are being insulted on being asked such a trivial question. The word went up through the other teachers to the two local examiners, one of whom gathering courage went up to the Maestro and told him that the students were very very unhappy and on the point of revolting.

M D Ramanathan didnt say anything. Just got up and went outside to the hall were the students were gathered, as were a few professors. He turned to the two local examiners and asked them to sing the Jantavarisai. Stunned, one of them with great reluctance sang it reasonably well.

"Umm.....sabash.....not bad", said MDR

He looked to a girl student and pointed to a tambura and asked her to sit near him playing the tambura for sruthi and then HE SANG the Janatavarisai in Mayamalavagowla that lasted a few minutes.

My source is someone who was fortunate enough to be there on that day and he said that the whole world stopped for those few minutes. It was so perfect, melodious and divine that there was pin drop silence at the end of it all.

The teachers and students had their mouth open in astonishment.

The Maestro got up and said "It is alright for you to study complex sangathis. But it is of no use if you dont have your foundation right. Unless and until your basics are perfect, you will never become a great vidwan. As we study more, we tend to forget the basics and this was clear from the way you sang the jantavarisai when I asked. So get back to basics and polish it everyday"

And humming a beautiful Geetham, he walked off leaving a chastened but wise audience behind.

This is true in every walk of life including management.

Go back and relearn basics every day