Collection of short stories that strikes a chord with music lovers

: Music runs as an undercurrent through many of T. Janakiraman’s short stories and novels, reaching its zenith in Mohamul, later adapted into a film. As Chennai continues to pulsate with music, Kalachuvadu has published a collection of short stories devoted to this theme, with a preface written by Sangita Kalanidhi Sanjay Subrahmanyan.

Janakiraman’s father, Thyagaraja Sastry, was an accomplished Harikatha exponent. During his years in Kumbakonam, Janakiraman had the opportunity to learn music from Umayalpuram Swaminatha Iyer. The music teacher, Ranganna, portrayed in Mohamul, was inspired by Swaminatha Iyer.

Despite his strong musical grounding, Janakiraman chose not to pursue a career in music. “Swaminatha Iyer passed away on the very day Janakiraman was to make his debut. When he went out to confirm the news, he saw the body being taken for the funeral,” said Kalyanaraman, author of Janakiramam, a collection of essays published to mark the writer’s birth centenary.

The Kalachuvadu collection contains ten stories. While some are centred on music, others dwell on the experience of listening to it. Readers familiar with Janakiraman’s writings and musical sensibilities will easily recognise his impatience with any form of music other than Carnatic classical traditions, as well as with music criticism.

“This cannot be dismissed as Janakiraman’s personal taste alone. There are many such people in my circle. When I rendered a few devotional songs from films in my concerts, I encountered listeners who shared his views,” writes Sanjay Subrahmanyan in the preface.

Kottumelam, one of the stories in the collection, reflects this perspective. While Janakiraman had extolled the greatness of the nagaswaram in Seithi, he appeared far less tolerant when the nagaswaram and the thavil accompanied Poikal Kuthirai, a folk dance, in Kottumelam.

Sanjay Subrahmanyan notes that Janakiraman did not delve into the technical minutiae of music in his fiction. “It is about the experience — just the name of a raga, a line from a keerthana, a few musical terms scattered through the writing. When he describes the music he enjoyed, the literary beauty and aesthetic sensitivity offer the reader the complete experience of listening,” he writes.

Although Janakiraman adored and celebrated women, the story Rasikarum Rasikaiyum does not allow its hero, Markandam, a celebrated musician, to exploit a woman’s admiration for his art. She drives him away when he tells her that “she sings better than Tyagaraja”.

Kuzhanthaimethai reveals the burdens carried by a child prodigy, who would rather talk about sweets than her talent for dance. 

“Pashanga Ragam sharply critiques a music critic, who failed as a musician and acquired his knowledge solely from books. He remains oblivious to the suffering of his own family. After his death, his wife marries his friend, who had supported the household.”

Natesanna, widely regarded as one of Janakiraman’s finest stories, is unfortunately absent from the collection.