Pondichery. A drizzly morning in, hold your breath, May. The Sharada Temple. The occasion? The Jayanthi (birth anniversary) of Saint Thyagaraja, one of the greatest composers in Carnatic music. It is 8.30 and a set of musicians gets ready to sing the Pancharatna kritis - his five gems. There is hustle and bustle all over the place. Regular visitors to the temple make their salutations. The tambura drones on in the C pitch- its haunting resonance more mesmerising than any incantation. It seems that our heart beats to the same frequency as the unified notes that emanate from it. Children also form part of the Pancharatna rendering. Neatly dressed in 'pavadai', the traditional attire of South India, hair neatly braided, shining with all the ornaments they have in their store, they also have a copy of the notations of these exacting songs.
The picture of Saint Thyagaraja, next to that of Lord Ganesha is fully decorated with flowers. The artistes sitting facing him feel his presence there and then. To their right, behind these pictures, is the sanctum sanctorum of Sharada Devi.. So the singers have an interrupted view of divinity. One of the organisers, the noted mridangist Neyveli Skandasubramananian chants the Purusha Suktham over the microphone. His sharp voice, clear enunciation in the backdrop of the tambura drone create sharp vibrations that permeate into our very being. Outside, at the 'sannidhi' of Lord Hanuman, bells are ringing .
The combined melodies of bells, tambura, mantras in the presence of the deities make for an experience that cannot be described.
Suffice to say that for the space of a few moments at least, we were transported to a world beyond all mundane thoughts or desires. For a short while, we identified ourselves with the divine. It was Sat Chit Ananda unadulterated.
This is our land, where such sublime experiences are part and parcel of daily life. Can this ever, ever be replaced by the material comforts of a foreign land?
The picture of Saint Thyagaraja, next to that of Lord Ganesha is fully decorated with flowers. The artistes sitting facing him feel his presence there and then. To their right, behind these pictures, is the sanctum sanctorum of Sharada Devi.. So the singers have an interrupted view of divinity. One of the organisers, the noted mridangist Neyveli Skandasubramananian chants the Purusha Suktham over the microphone. His sharp voice, clear enunciation in the backdrop of the tambura drone create sharp vibrations that permeate into our very being. Outside, at the 'sannidhi' of Lord Hanuman, bells are ringing .
The combined melodies of bells, tambura, mantras in the presence of the deities make for an experience that cannot be described.
Suffice to say that for the space of a few moments at least, we were transported to a world beyond all mundane thoughts or desires. For a short while, we identified ourselves with the divine. It was Sat Chit Ananda unadulterated.
This is our land, where such sublime experiences are part and parcel of daily life. Can this ever, ever be replaced by the material comforts of a foreign land?
