Ideas & Views

How can anyone so well versed in a system of music not compose? I am sarcastically amazed at how some veterans keeping chewing the same old kritis written in a totally different era again and again and again. Same sahityams, even same sangatis!  A perennial musician's block, just like writer's block. "பெரியவா பாடி வெச்சுட்டு போயிருக்கா, நாம புதுசா ஏதும் செய்ய போறதில்லை". Crap. Innovation has to be there at all levels, in any playing field. More so for a music field where creativity could truly take beautiful shapes. A long time musician should atleast write short and sweet poems of his own feelings, compose and sing them in regular kutcheri formats. I am bored of everyday performances by everyday artistes.

Carnatic music sahityam/lyrics has critical contributions from the Trinity - Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. Their kritis are soaked in bhakti towards a specific Hindu deity (Rama, Shiva or the Lordess). apart from the Trinity, various composers like Oothakadu Venkata Kavi, PurandaraDasa, Gopala Krishna Bharati, Papanasam Sivan, et all wrote kritis expressing devotion towards a Hindu deity of their choice. Devoion or bhakti could also be expressed in various bhavas like nindha stuti and viraha bhavam. Carnatic music hence is exclusively Hindu devotional music as of now.  Bhakti movement played a great role in giving a lyrics based niche to Carntaic music rather than a Raga based. "Sangeetha gyanamu bhakti vina" ! So sang St.Tyagaraja. Why is this so? Ragas form the foundation structure for carnatic music system. Any feeling can be expressed very beautifully in this system. Any content matter in lyrics can be brought to beauty. Why are there not compos