Hanuman's hindolam.

violinlover · Post by **violinlover** » 15 Jul 2007, 15:31

yesterday, as i was reading the newspaper,i heard a sounds of anklets. looking up, i saw an urchin dressed up as Lord Hanuman. he stopped at my doorstep and sang a virutham in hindolam " ramAya rAmachandrAya..."
it will take a long time for me to forget his hindolam. some of his phrases were rustic but others were simply superb. for someone with no music background or training, this is simply awesome. But we can't change his fate. he has to earn a livelihood with this only,singing well but without any bhakthi or realisation that God has given him a rare treasure that most would die to have.

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 15 Jul 2007, 16:40

these people are gypsies from Andhra. They eak out a living only out of singing. these choose around this time of the year and visit houses for alms. they sing as if they are angels from heaven and i've had the oppurtunity to listen to them and converse with them. with harmonium and voices in 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 kattai it is heaven descended on earth. the most unfortunte thing is that they are driven away and they are compelled to stop the song half way. it is high time somebody made a documentary about their lives.

vijay · Post by **vijay** » 15 Jul 2007, 16:46

I remember a fine Brindavana Saranga in my street sometime back. I am a late riser but these guys would always succeed in drawing me to the window! Chalanata thanks for the details.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Jul 2007, 17:44

these people are gypsies from Andhra

I have heard that KB Sundarambal was one such person. Is it true?
To know more about gypsies, their origin and their connection to music -
http://herso.freeservers.com/gypsies.html
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thsc ... /&prd=seta&

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 15 Jul 2007, 19:15

More on the Romani people

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

chalanata · Post by **chalanata** » 15 Jul 2007, 20:32

probably the word 'gypsy' was inappropriate. the people belong to a particular genre of people belonging to villages and are engaged in agri related vocation in other times. many genre in India are like these; for example 'kudukuduppai'kkaran is different from 'boom boom mattukkaran'; 'kazhakkothadi' is different from 'samiyadi'. there is a specific book by a French author describing all these genre in india. i've read some passages in this but i do not remeber his name. in this book he discribes minutely even the physical features of all these people.
VGV, I've heard that KBS was singing in trains before getting in to music operas; i do not know whether it is true. but KBS' pathibhakthi and devotion are comparable only with that of Nalayini and Arunthathi.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 15 Jul 2007, 21:19

Fascinating, DRS!
In those days in England, in High streets and sometimes even to your door, romani women came with tiny bunches of violets in spring and heather in autumn (explains the scottish connection!), asking for money. They would curse you, if you did not give them money, neighbors would say (soothsayer connection). The image of the gypsy playing the accordion is a well known one. Barbara Cartland, the queen of romantic fiction was a romani sympathizer and let them live in her estate for free in their caravans/trailers, the modern day tent!

In Bangalore, we have a nAgaswaram player come to our door once in a while. He plays a beautiful but his own brand of bhImplAs. Could he play anything else, I once asked him.
mAlkauns it was. I asked him if he knew what he was playing, thinking that he was from a line of nAgaswaram players. No, he said. Next time I see him, I will ask him about his roots. Soon, we may not find these wild flowers appearing in concrete jungles...

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 15 Jul 2007, 23:11

Is rAga kuranji related to kuRavanji in any way? (In Tamil Nadu gypsies are called kuRavar)
vaLLi (consort of murugan) is called kuRavaLLi

For kuRRAlak kuRavanji - http://www.shaivam.org/tamil/sta_kurrala_udal_u.htm

emyesbee · Post by **emyesbee** » 17 Jul 2007, 17:51

That's an interesting read!

KBS was singing in trains, she was introduced by a kind soul to dramas and, Kitappa met KBS in Ceylon where they were putting their dramas.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._B._Sundarambal

sureshvv · Post by **sureshvv** » 17 Jul 2007, 20:53

kuRinji is a flower that blooms in the mountains every 12 years. I believe that the raga is named after this.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 17 Jul 2007, 21:41

How about nATTak kuRanji?

kutty · Post by **kutty** » 18 Jul 2007, 22:54

I draw your attention to a write up about these roving minstrels under the caption ' Tradition at a cost' by Deepa ganesh on Page 7 of The Hindu of 15th July 2007, Magazine Section.

drshrikaanth · Post by **drshrikaanth** » 18 Jul 2007, 23:10

Here it is

[quote]Tradition at a cost

DEEPA GANESH

For the community of nomadic performers in Karnataka, keeping venerated folk forms alive is a thankless task.

I stood there, gripped by the devotion in his songâ€¦

I let it pass assuming that it was a case of an overworked imagination. If you hear a robust voice singing vachanas (12th Century poetry by Veerashaivas), supported by an equally full-bodied harmonium, and that too on a hectic morn ing of a weekday when you feel exactly like a nervous breakdown, such a wraithlike phenomenon would surely be considered a figment of oneâ€™s imagination. It was also a fact that in my mind, art no longer inhabited urban, public spaces. I was a dweller of my imagined ethereal world for barely 10 seconds, for, the voice was too close to not be true, at my doorstep. I rushed out to find these two young boys â€” one a hagaluveshadhari, who was wearing a Hanuman costume, and the o ther belting out vachanas set to chaste Hindustani ragas.
Song for the soul

I stood there, gripped by the devotion in his song, even as I wondered how he could become so one with his music with all the city clamour around him. â€œShall I sing another, akka?â€

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 19 Jul 2007, 03:54

How touching! And how difficult to hear the hardships they go through!:(

srini_pichumani · Post by **srini_pichumani** » 21 Jul 2007, 01:43

Folks,

if you get the chance, watch the movie "Latcho Drom" -- it traces the route of the Romani/gypsy people's migration. Got some amazing music and dance, as one would expect. Very moving too.

Recently, a few clips have made their way into youtube.

-Srini.