This allegation can be thrown out simply on the basis of the bizarreness of the claim. They say that Carnatic musicians were “forced” to wear a cross when singing the Christian Hymns. But they are totally different songs in their content and composition. Other than this, the two hymns are as different from each other as the day from the night. The only words that are common to both the songs in question are “ samanulu evaru”. They allege that the word Rama has been substituted with the word Christ. With a double-barrelled gun or a poison-dipped dagger? They say that Thyagaraja Keerthanas have been altered and tampered with. They say that Carnatic artists have been “forced” to sing and perform in Christian Albums and concerts. Let us now proceed to look at them objectively. Nithyashree can sing the folksy Kumbakonam Sandhayile but she cannot dare sing Samanul evaru Prabho.Īs usual, there are some clever lies that are subtly parked in this debate.
Why will you grudge me when I take the beauty of the two experiences and blend them together? In the past week, the ire of the forces were directed at the Carnatic musicians who sang the so-called guilty verses. This whole appeal to exclusivity and purity is a reflection of a caste and class bias that does little to enrich the genre. Efforts by music connoisseurs like me in broadening the width and depth of Carnatic music by the establishment that has always considered us outsiders must be welcome. By opening its doors for all people of all faiths and interpreting it in our own cultural and spiritual contexts, we have claimed a shared heritage that is equally ours. I reject all attempts that prevent making Carnatic music inclusive. Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam belong to me just as it does to those enjoying it in a Sabha during the Margazhi season. But Carnatic music is not anybody’s exclusive property as trolls seem to imply in the tons of vitriol that has poured on social media since the controversy erupted. Oh boy!ĭidn’t this just get better? I can see the delirious faces of the right wingers smacking their lips. Here is a fun fact, Yahova Na Mora was written and composed nearly 180 years ago by a great seer of yore, Purushottama Choudary, a Bengali Brahmin who lived in Ganjam Orrisa and wrote in chaste Telugu. Yahova Na Mora is a perfect example of the Christian cultural appropriation of not only Carnatic music but also Bharatnatyam. People have taken what they see and love and made it their own by imitating, and creating anew. It has more than four million views on YouTube and it has further inspired at least 250 similar versions in India and abroad, all of which are circulating on social media. To add to its universal aesthetic appeal, my dear friend Ms Kavitha Ramu, a civil servant and danseuse in her own right choreographed the song in Bharatanatyam. The old hymn was set to new music to make it relevant and meaningful to a new generation of music lovers. The first song that I produced – Yahova Na Mora – is a Telugu Christian hymn set in Raag Shankarabharanam to Adi Taal. My second album introduced Hindustani, and Qawwali into the spiritual potpourri. My first album was a wonderful fusion of Western and Carnatic instrumentation, melodies and sounds. Two Telugu Christian music albums that I produced in the world music genre are called Thrahimam which simply means – the thirst of the soul.