Treasure-house of knowledge

`KARNATIC MUSIC Book Center, a nondescript board, stares at you when you enter a by lane on Royapettah High Road. Neither the location nor the board prepares you for the veritable treasure of books stacked inside. They are on different types of music ranging from `Carnatic and Hindustani to western classical and folk. There are also books on dance, art-related indological books and all in a variety of languages. What would have prompted the owners to start such a useful, unique venture?

``It was in January 1968 that I first started selling Carnatic music books in Tiruvaiyaru,'' begins T. S. Krishnamurthy, founder of this venture. Sangeetha vidwan Shri Panchapakasa Iyer, author of several books on Carnatic music, was his father-in-law. Krishnamurthy took it upon himself to propagate these books and could not think of a better time and place to do it than the annual `Bahula Panchami' festival at Tiruvaiyaru. It was soon apparent that there was a market for such books and Krishnamurthy started selling the famed collection of Prof. Shri Sambamurthy, Shri Tinnai Venkatrama Iyer and other publications. At this point of time, there was only one other bookstall of a similar nature at the same venue. However, there was no competition as vidwan Shri Sundaram Iyer, its owner, sold only his own publications.

Krishnamurthy continues, ``I was surprised when customers told me that they were finding it difficult to get similar books rest of the year around.'' Spurred by this demand, he decided to start his own bookshop in 1978. The traditional practices of choosing an auspicious day and time were done away with and a board `Karnatic music book center' was put outside their residence. The unusual spelling of the word `carnatic' was purely accidental. ``You are not the first person to raise this query. The equivalent word for God in Tamil is `Kadavul'. Maybe God himself put in the first letter of this word as a sign of his blessings,'' explains Balasubramaniam, younger brother who subsequently became a part of this venture. From then on it has only been rise to reach the top in their field of choice. In 1982 they acquired `The Indian music publishing House' which was in doldrums. In 1991 `Adi Company' of Sangita Sahitya Vidwan Shri K. V. Srinivasa Iyengar came under their umbrella and there are many more similar acquisitions. This is certainly a remarkable feat considering their non-musical background.

This little shop stores about 1,500 titles. ``We do have very rare books too, some of it in manuscript form,'' says Krishnamurthi. Some of them are the `Sangita Chandrika' (1902) by Manicka Mudaliar, `Nallanadi Vadya Ranjani' of Gangaimuthu Nattuvanar (1898) and many more such valuable works.'' Balasubramaniam explains: ``I love to travel and in the course of my wanderings I came across interesting manuscripts sometimes in the most unexpected of places.'' However, due to certain copyright constraints they are not able to publish it. This wide range of books attracts a variety of customers from the lay rasika to the research scholar.

The brothers have a reputation for providing good customer service. ``Sometimes for a regular customer we even help in procuring books on other subjects,'' Balasubramaniam says.

The owners are certainly very happy with the support they receive from well-wishers in the music fraternity. They also mention with pride a reference to their bookshop as a `Treasure House' in Michael Wood's book. However, they do have one regret. ``For all the public talk on patronising Tamil music, do you know that there are many old Tamil books which need to be reprinted? In spite of informing the authorities concerned nothing has been done on this matter for the past several years,'' Balasubramaniam concludes with an air of helplessness.

LAKSHMI DEVNATH

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