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Songs of a rebellious spirit
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She sings traditional songs, strictly adhering to the format passed on from generation to generation. But this stickler for tradition has an irrepressible rebellious streak within her.
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Vageeshwari Shastry: Repository of an oral tradition.
VAGEESHWARI SHASTRY is like any grandmother. But this energetic 76-year-old is at ease both in the kitchen as well as in a music studio, recording songs from her wide repertoire of Sampradayada Haadugalu (traditional songs).
Age has not deterred her spirit and she continues to popularise the songs of a bygone era through her cassettes and books.
Composed by hundreds of anonymous people, mostly women, and passed on from generation to generation through the oral tradition, Sampradayada Haadugalu describe episodes from the epics and the Puranas. They also include songs that go with every traditional occasion, from a baby's naming ceremony and specific wedding rituals to festivals big and small. While most Sampradayada Haadugalu are unsigned, but there are exceptions such as those composed by Bellave Narasimha Shastri and Mysooru Haadina Nagamma during the 20th Century. Vageeshwari has an invaluable 100-year-old HMV recording by Nagamma.
Vageeshwari, who considers pioneers such as Nagamma as her inspiration, today has around 10 cassettes and a number of books on Sampradayada Haadugalu to her credit. One of her books, Hridaya Samputa, a voluminous treatise on the subject, is an important text for postgraduate students.
Vageeshwari's musical career is ironically linked to practices that were not entirely favourable to women. It was her grandfather's death that initiated her into the tradition. Vageeshwari was then too young to make sense of the cruelty heaped on widows by society. She movingly narrages the trauma of seeing her widowed grandmother, Konanur Subbamma, forced into the trappings of widowhood, including a tonsured head. Seeing her grandmother, she panicked and fled. What had happened to her grandmother with long hair, colourful saris, and big kunkuma? Even in her grief, Subbamma drew her grandchild to her, and whispered: "Vagee, look at my face. Once you get used to my new avatara, you will not feel scared anymore." To put the child at ease, she taught her witty rhymes and simple verses such as Railina Hadu and Mitayi Hadu. Vageeshwari was fascinated and thus began her lifelong passion. Incidentally, she has had no formal music teacher other than her grandmother.
Her talent came into the limelight when she sang a welcome song in honour of Nalvadi Krishnarajendra Wadiyar, who was on a visit to Mandya.
Today, happily settled in a large family, she admits that the most difficult moment in her life was her husband's death. She stood in front of the mirror and tried to imagine how she would look without her kunkuma. Born into an orthodox family, and a stickler for tradition, she was torn between continuing a normal life and turning reclusive. She says with a sense of pride: "On the day of the Vaikunta Samaradhane, I went to the choultry with kunkuma on my forehead. Wearing kunkuma as a widow may seem like a small act now, but for my generation, it was scandalous. I may be proficient in various sampradayas, but I feel it is time we gave up aspects not relevant to today's society."
She is currently recording two cassettes, one that eulogises Lakshmi and the other related to Ananthanahabba rituals, These songs have been written by Helavanakatte Giriyamma, one of the early women writers in Kannada.
Given the vast changes in lifestyles, where do Sampradayada Haadugalu stand in our times? Vageeshwari is optimistic: "As long as there are people who want to find the innate meanings of our ancient texts, Sampradayada Haadugalu will continue to be meaningful."
B.S. VENKATALAKSHMI
Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
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