Interview

Interview with DR. NALLI KUPPUSWAMI CHETTI

who inaugurated MUDHRA as a sabha in 1995 and the Mudhra's Seventh Fine Arts Festival on 7th December 2001



	Baskar :	'Nalli' is synonymous not only with silk sarees but also with social service. How did the attitude to serve the society come to you?
		When I was just twelve, my father Narayanaswamy left this world. I was the only son and so the burden of looking after the family business fell on me. Some people are forced to discontinue their studies for want of money, I had no dearth of money but business commitments forced me to discontinue my studies. Thus as I was deprived of education , I felt the urge to help any person who was in need of money to pursue it . Another thing, I had a friend V.Krishnan, (he was my classmate) who was very large hearted. When we were students, we used to get about 4 annas as pocket money. Even this he used for helping someone in need. This influenced me to a considerable extent.
	Radha :	Any memorable incident with regard to your social service?
		Yes. I remember one incident. Once an article was written about me in 'Kalki' and a life time prisoner in Vellore jail happened to read it . At that time, he had a daughter who had just completed her plus two and wanted to pursue Engineering. Of course, this desire could not be fulfilled by the father as he had to be in jail for 14 years and was financially in deep trouble. One thing I want to mention about this prisoner is that he did not commit crime with any motive or reason, it was necessitated by circumstances. So, this prisoner wrote to me seeking help for his daughter's education and we took care of all her expenses for those five years. After that man came out of jail, the first thing he did was to come to my shop and thank me for my noble service. Of course, there have been many such memorable instances in my life.
	Baskar :	Where did you do your schooling?
		In Ramakrishna Mission School. At that time I used to reside at Pondy Bazaar. I always used to be a first ranker in school.
	Radha :	About your involvement in the arts?
		I have always donated money for religious and educational causes. Even the small expenses of my employees (like buying spectacles) are taken care of by me. But my involvement in fine arts came much later. My daughter got married in 1980. I was particular about only two things- the nadaswaram was to be by Namagiripettai Krishnan and reception concert by Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi. It was at this time that I got acquanited with A.Natarajan (Former Director, Doordarshan Kendra) and my taste in fine arts grew from then on.
	Radha :	Could you tell something about the general scenario of Chennai about 40-50 years back?
		At that time there were no two wheelers, it was either cars or cycles. Even during peak hours, only a car or two used to pass by Panagal park in about a span of half an hour! It was so peaceful then. By 7.30 p.m., the roads had a totally deserted look.
	Radha :	About the audience then?
		There used to be huge crowd. For example in Brahma Gana Sabha, there were 2000 members then but the hall capacity would be only for a thousand. So, the same drama used to be staged consecutively for two days so as to cater to all the members! At that time, the concept of sponsorship was totally unknown.
	Baskar :	When did this concept of sponsorship come into fine arts?
		Must be only around 1980-85. At that time, the sabhas were also limited in number and the cost involved in conducting concerts was also not very high.
	Radha :	Has the growth of sabhas helped the growth of music?
		All sabhas conduct festivals in December only and with so many artists performing, it is difficult to give chance to everybody. But the December festival has its own charm. Why, our Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha which is 100 years old used to conduct festival only in February. To cater to the general trend, we have also shifted our festival to December. Of course, it is heartening to note that when presented in the proper way, music does have very good response. This is true of drama also.
	Baskar :	What do you think are the pre- requisites for starting a sabha? Is it a healthy trend to have so many sabhas?
		Now, there are sabhas even in areas like Madipakkam, Nanganallur etc. This enables the local rasikas to have easy access to music and thus also promotes music in the long run. But it is amazing to see how so many sabhas are concentrated around Mylapore now. This of course will result in crowd dispersal, but it is unavoidable.
	Radha :	Can sabhas run on membership money alone?
		This is not possible considering the number of programmes we give. In fact, in Parthasarathy Sabha, we charge only Rs.12 as annual membership and don't charge anything extra for the December concerts. Some members felt that we must enhance the rate. I expressed to them that they should first have committed listening and attend concerts regularly. After all, these programmes are conducted only for the audience and it is only the wholesome participation of the audience that motivates the artist to perform better. Earlier, arts received royal patronage. Now sabhas have to depend on sponsors for their survival.
	Baskar :	Why is it that the media is not giving much focus to fine arts?
		My friend A Natarajan took a lot of effort (during his tenure in Doordarsan as Director) to provide more slots for classical music on television and he did succeed in cultivating a taste for it among viewers. In fact, once when we met Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi, she remarked that she did not have cable connection in her house as the Doordarsan was able to provide music to her taste (she was referring to the 5.30 a.m. slots).
	Radha :	What is the feeling you get on hearing Carnatic music?
		I get complete peace of mind. But I feel that probably I can relish it better if I understand its nuances more deeply.
	Baskar :	Your booklet "Ready Ragas Reference" on composition and their ragas is very useful to rasikas...
		Yes, I remember one instance. We were listening to a concert of Unnikrishnan in Krishna Gana Sabha just the day after this book was released. He was singing a particular kriti which was not mentioned in this book- it was a rare composition of his guru S.Ramanathan. Sometimes, musicians themselves forget the sahithyakarta of the kriti, this book is really handy to musicians and music lovers. It is heartening to note that rasikas are eager to learn more about music. We are updating this book frequently so as to make the book as exhaustive as possible. In fact, it is very handy to music students as well.
	Radha :	Your reflection on music as an art...
		One should have the motivation and desire to pursue it dedicatedly, then only can it become ours. Just because music is available in plenty through radio, television, cassettes and CDs, is it possible for everyone to become a vidwan?
	Baskar :	Your other hobbies?
		My hobby is to read books. Whenever I find time, I like to read books containing articles on philosophical thoughts and religious works. I have a collection of books in my library at home. It comprises mostly of works on the teachings and philosophy of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Vivekananda and biographies of great men.
	Radha :	Have you written any books?
		I Yes. I have authored several books on business management and didactics
	Baskar :	How are you able to keep a calm composure amidst such a hectic and busy schedule?
		I don't get angry about anything. I strongly believe that our emotions have no impact on anything, it is only our deed that decides the result. Thank you !