Meet Bharadwajan, a trained pilot, who performs the traditional Araiyar sevai in Srirangam

At a caller lecture organised by the Department of Vaishnavism, University of Madras, Bharadwajan Araiyar spoke astir the affluent practice of Araiyar sevai, performed successful temples, which seamlessly blends each 3 aspects of Muthamizh — iyal (literature), isai (music) and natakam (theatre). drama).

The signifier of reciting pasurams successful beforehand of Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam was begun by Thirumangai Azhwar. However, implicit time, the Divya Prabandham verses were lost. It was the Vaishnava acharya Nathamunigal (mid ninth to mid 10th period CE) who retrieved them and arranged for them to beryllium presented with music, abhinaya and theatrical elements. Bharadwajan said that the euphony that Nathamunigal created for the pasurams is reverentially referred to arsenic deva gaanam (divine music).

To exemplify the philharmonic acumen of Nathamunigal, Bharadwajan highlighted an episode. Once, erstwhile Nathamuni was asked to found the superiority of this deva gaanam implicit mean forms of music, helium requested the king to put for the playing of 4,000 cymbals each astatine once. Just by listening to their tonal quality, Nathamuni was capable to place the metals utilized to marque the cymbals, the proportionality and the nonstop value of each cymbal. The king acknowledged Nathamunigal’s cognition of euphony and the superiority of his deva gaanam.

According to Bharadwajan, Nathamunigal drew from galore ragas of Sama Veda to travel up with the euphony for the Divya Prabandham. Demonstrating the min uruvai verse of Thiruneduntandagam, Bharadwajan highlighted the similarity betwixt Nathamuni’s euphony creation and the melodic operation of the Sama Veda. “Nathamuni’s euphony captures the emotions and the doctrine underlying each verse successful the Divya Prabandham,” helium said.

While talking astir the Tiruppavai renditions, helium explained however the verses are presented successful antithetic ways by the araiyars. When Ranganatha is visualised arsenic a king presiding implicit his court, the verses are sung lone successful arohanam. When helium is imagined arsenic a child, it is rendered successful a coaxing tone.

Before the adhyayana utsavam begins successful Srirangam, the araiyars are escorted from their location to the temple to the accompaniment of ekkalam, an past upwind instrument, inactive utilized successful the temple. The thoroughfare wherever the araiyars reside successful Srirangam was erstwhile called arsenic Sentamizh Paaduvaar Veedhi (the thoroughfare wherever those who sing beauteous Tamil verses reside), emphasising the value fixed to the philharmonic presumption of pasurams.

When the euphony tin convey truthful much, what is the request for abhinaya? “What if determination are aurally-challenged people? The thought is to guarantee that the meaning of the verses reaches everyone. There had been temple dancers adjacent earlier Nathamuni’s time, and helium utilized their abhinayas for the verses. While galore verses erstwhile included abhinaya, lone a fewer person them today.”

Thambiranpadi Vyakhyanam is simply a commentary written by an araiyar. Presented successful prose style, it helps the araiyars dramatise the events described successful the verses. “Thambiranpadi is the oldest commentary, written astir the play of Nathamunigal. Another araiyar called Deivasigamani wrote Kondattangal verses, which are besides presented by the araiyars,” said Bharadwajan. Kondattangal verses, which seizure the flavours of antithetic festivals, are acceptable successful antithetic metres. Some of these metres are hard ones, and arsenic Bharadwajan recites a fewer of these verses, it is evident that immoderate are lingua twisters.

When did helium get funny successful Araiyar Sevai? “When I was three, I archetypal began to sing, utilizing a brace of cymbals. But ceremonial grooming began erstwhile I was six. By nine, I had presented each the verses of Thondaradippodi Azhwar’s Thirumaalai ,” helium recalled.

“Araiyar sevai was ne'er stopped, adjacent aft the sack of Srirangam successful the 14th century, erstwhile the processional deity was taken distant from the municipality for 48 years,” said Bharadwajan. Everyone associated with the temple had near the town, but Araiyar Sevai continued successful the temple. Afraid of attracting the attraction of enemies, the araiyar past kept clip with his hands alternatively of utilizing cymbals.

Bharadwajan hails from a household that gives adjacent value to contented and education. His begetter Lakshminarayanan, was a fertile holder successful Electrical Engineering from REC Trichy (now NIT), and worked for BHEL. But helium ne'er erstwhile missed Araiyar Sevai. Neither has Bharadwajan, who is simply a trained pilot. Now, Bharadwajan’s seven-year-old lad Aparajithan has begun grooming successful araiyar sevai.