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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00133 Jun 2005

 
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Sri:

Dear BhakthAs :

On this avathAra Dhinam of Swamy Naatha Muni , it is good to read about
the dedicated efforts of  Sangeetha Kalaa SikhAmaNi , Sriman KalyaNapuram
R.AravamudhacchAr (RA) Swamy.

adiyEn had the bhAgyam of listening to the spellbinding HarikathAs of
Sri RA Swamy's AchAryan , EmbAr VijayaraghavAcchAr Swamy at Oppiliappan KOil
KalyANa Uthsavams .

adiyEn is glad to know that this unique art combining Iyal , Isai and
Naatakam dear to Swamy Naathamuni has been preserved and is being
passed on to a new set of AasthikAs .

As many of you  might know , the gift of HarikathA KaalkshEpam is
a gift to Tamil Naadu from the Maratti rulers of ThanjAvoor . We have had
eminent experts lie Chidhambara Bhagavathar , EmbAr SrirangAcchAr
( Father of Sri Embar VijayaraghavAcchAr ) and most recently Brahma Sri
T.S.Bala KrishNa saasthrigal , an officer of the State Bank of India .

May this rich and mesmerizing tradition continue with the efforts of
Sri Sri RA Swamy propelled by the vision of Srirangam Srimath Andavan .

A recent write up from The Hindu is attached .

V.Sadagopan

============================================================
Source: The Hindu
(http://www.hinduonnet.com/lf/2005/06/19/stories/2005061901410200.htm)
 Giving his all for the sake of art

 "The composite art form demands more from the performer. It is not an easy
art to learn or perform".

 R. Aaramudachariyar.

 Sixty-nine-year-old Kalyanapuram R. Aaramudachariyar has spent most of his
lifetime in telling `harikatha.' Giving up a lucrative job he took to
`harikatha' at the age of 43. For him, `harikatha' is soul and body. Having
performed the composite art form in most of the places in India, now his
concern is protecting the art form for the posterity. He is currently
engaged in training youngsters in `harikatha' with the hope that they will
carry forward the tradition. Amidst his busy schedule involving the
performing and teaching of `harikatha,' he took time to speak to G.
Srinivasan on the art form and his life.

HE WAS born in Kalayanapuram, a village in Thanjavur district on July 25,
1936. Aaramudachariyar was brought up in a spiritual atmosphere, which
infused in his blood the love for `harikatha.' His father, Nathamuni
Ranganatha Iyengar, popularly known as Raju Vadyar, was a Vedic scholar well
versed in music, the `Divya Prabantham' etc. The typical `agraharam' house
of Aaramudachariyar was filled with bhajans and spirituality. During the
early years of his life, Aaramudachariyar learnt the Vedas, prabandhams,
etc. from his father. This served as the basis for him to become a
`harikatha' exponent.

 "Two persons were responsible for me to take to `harikatha.' One of them is
Thirukudanthai Aandavan who took to `sanyasam' at the age of 57 and walked
through Bharath i.e. 40,000 km on foot. He led me to listen to Embar
Vijayaragavachariyar, a famous `harikatha' exponent. I learnt the
intricacies of the art form from Embar and am now following his style," said
Aaramudhachariyar.

He performed first at Madras Music Academy in Chennai in 1979. On the
recommendations of Embar, the academy called on him to present the
`harikatha.' He has not looked back since. He continuously performed the
`harikatha' in all the leading sabhas in the country not only in major towns
and cities but in small villages too. It was in 1979 that the All India
Radio, Tiruchi, started offering him programmes as a graded artist and in 20
years AIR made him a top grade artist.

"The composite art form demands more from the performer. It is not an easy
art to learn or perform. One has to be an all rounder. It requires a lot of
reading. I used to read for eight hours before giving a performance. One has
to give comparisons from texts, for instance, if the `harikatha' is on
Kambaramayanam the comparison must be detailed with quotes from Valmiki,
Arunachala Kavirayar etc.," explained Aarmadhachariyar on the requirements
of a `harikatha' exponent.

This is because the audience have different tastes. Some attend the
performance for the music, some to learn Dharma, some for the humour. A
performing artist should satisfy the audience on all these aspects. "The
`harikatha' is a three-in-one performance i.e., `iyal' `isai' and `natakam'
in one" says Aaramudhachariyar.

 His major concern now is that there are no people to carry the tradition
forward. Hence, he has started training youth in `harikatha' at Sri
Ranganatha Paduka Vidyalaya run by Srirangam Srimath Andavan Ashram. He has
been selected by the Government of India to train young people in the art
through the `Guru-Sishya' programme implemented through the South Zone
Cultural Centre at Thanjavur.

 Aaramudhachariyar is also concerned about the decline of values in the
society. To teach values to the students he started SHREYAS, Service Academy
to Promote Value Systems Among Youngsters, a service academy to promote the
value system and inculcate moral and spiritual values in young minds. He has
been conducting free Sanskrit classes and special lectures for youngsters.

 A winner of several titles, including the `Sangeetha Kala Sikhamani'
bestowed by the Indian Fine Arts Society and the Kalaimamani award bestowed
by the Government of Tamil Nadu, Aaramudhachariyar is also the founder
secretary of Sri Andal Thirupavai Mahotsava Sabha, which has been conducting
the Thirupavai Mahotsavam for the last 14 years at Srivilliputhur and for
the past seven years at Kumbakonam.

 According to him, many people are reluctant to learn the art for three
reasons. First because it requires a lot of work, second because it is not
remunerative and third because one gets little recognition. But, the art has
a wide following.

 "I have conducted seminars on `harikatha' to create an awareness of the art
form at several places including Srirangam, Chennai and Mumbai. In Mumbai,
1,500 persons attended one of my lectures. But, the art requires patronage.
Sabhas should come forward to patronise such rare arts," says
Aaramudhachariyar. He thanks Srimath Andavan Rangaramanuja Mahadesikan of
Srirangam for allowing him to teach `harikatha' to the students at Sri
Ranganatha Paduka Vidyalaya and introducing it as an ancillary subject in
his college.



 
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