At a time when the modern drum set, with its plethora of components, including snare drum, bass drum (also called ‘kick’drum), toms and cymbals, is proving somewhat inadequate to the multitudinous improvisations of present-day singers; it is indeed a rare achievement for an artiste to use the mridangam — a percussion instrument of ancient origin that is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble — to the hilt innovatively with undiminished ardour over more than four decades. Meet Yella Venkateswara Rao, who has straddled the Carnatic musicfirmament with his legendary performances as a percussionist par excellence.
Born in 1944, he picked up the rudiments of Carnatic music from his forefathers. After learning the ropes in Carnatic music and becoming an ace mridangam player, he accompanied top-notch musicians as a thorough professional, including yesteryear gems such as Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Chembai Vaidyanatha Ayyengar, Emani Sankara Sastry and S Balachander, to name a few.
The mridangam maestro, with over 30,000 performances to his credit, and a string of awards and honours – including the Padma Shree, has over 200 accomplished students all over the world.The curricula he set for the fine arts courses offered for degree, PG as well as PhD scholars across the universities in South India has been the turning point in his life. He narrates the interesting journey of his life, adorned with stellar achievements andgreat insights, in a conversation with The Pioneer’s Venkob R Balantrapu.
Child prodigy
I picked up the subtle nuances of mridangamplaying at the age of seven. Music has run in my family; I am the fifth-generation musician in the family. My father was a violinist and a student of music-icon Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu. Mridangam maestroYella Somanna was my uncle. My forefathers too were trained in Carnatic music.
Palghat Mani Iyer and Palani Subrahmanya Pillai are my idols. At the age of 14, I received my first Akashvani Award from President Dr Radhakrishnan. There has been no looking back since then.I can say that I am a self-made man, having imbibed the best from yesteryear stalwarts. Now, I am glad to say that my grandson Abhishekhas taken after me and won a NationalAkashvani Award in the Children’s category, while pursuing his engineering.
Solo performances my first forte
My aim has always been to bring out the range of naadam(sound) in the percussion instrument. I have achieved the unique feat of making my instrument attuned to bringing out solo performances. Accompaniment is a challenge which I have mastered. I wanted to go beyond accompaniment. I have alwaysaimed at involving the audience and artistes alike with the creative manifestations of the percussion instrument.So, I started giving solo performances of Nava Mridangam by playing nine mridangams at a time and creating a continuity of rhythm and musical sounds.
Bubbling creativity
With creativity bubbling inside me, I have brought out many musical features that fetched me national awards. One such feature was Siva Thandavam, which fetched me an international award: the Hoso Banko Award from Japan. I have performed foraccomplished musicians like MS Subbalakshmi, DK Pattammal, ML Vasantha Kumari, Radha Jayalashmi, among others.With over 25,000 concerts to my credit, I was able to create many musical features. Accompaniment is a challenge because a percussionist mustperform for singers or instrumentalists who have different banis or styles of their own. That is how I evolved and nurtured my bani, which is unique.
Jugalbandhis with Northern artistes
I have played for many jugalbandis with Hindustani artistes and performed in many well-known music festivals in India and abroad, including with Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, V.G.Jog, Pandit Ravishankar, Pandit Jasraj, and legendary tabla artistes like Ustad Allah Rakha, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Ustad Kishan Maharaj, Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan, Shafaat Ahmed Khan and others.I was a trend-setter in that I presented solo performances at the national level over AIR and Doordarshan. I have become adept in handling fusion music through joint ventures with famous drummer Sivamani and ghatam player Vinayakram.
Aesthetics of his performances
I have to my credit hundreds of lec-dems and workshops on topics like laya-vinyasam, tani-avaratanam, aesthetics of sounds and mathematics of mridangam. My handling of the edam (left), gumki (the drone with the left hand) is my trademark.The audiences lap up my muktayis, which I can play even with just my left hand and keep up the tempo. My style is unique in that it goes traditional initially in a concert and later shifts to improvisations depending on the response I get from the audience.
A virtual traveler and a globe-trotter
I have extensively toured all over the world and experimented with jazz and fusion genre too in collaboration with Western musicians. My idea of accompaniment is not just to play second fiddle but to bring out the best in me. However, it does not mean that I dominate the concert. Only a judicious blend of the singer and the percussionist can create the right kind of musical atmosphere.
Playing for performers using different instruments like veena, violin and flute needs different connotation and presentation, which I have mastered. Basically, it needs to be soft and soothing. Adaption and understanding are the hallmarks of aesthetic presentation. I have travelled to over 70 countries and given around 13,000 concerts and received accolades wherever I went.
Setting a world record
It was in the year 1981 that I set a world record and entered the Guinness World Records by playing mridangam non-stop for 36 hours. Mind you, it was not just one mridangam; but a set of over seven mridangams to the accompaniment of the Maha Rudra Yagam and Veda Parayana in the backdrop.
Later, I created another record by making 10,000 artistes play an ensemble of music and rhythm at Pune, which was very well received. Nava mridangam was another of my innovations in which I brought out famous keertanas of the trinity with all the flow of the musical notes. My musical feature Siva Thandavamwon not only the national Akashvani Award but also the Japan’s Hoso Banko Award, for which over 70 entrants from all over the world competed.
Turning point
After a stint of 30 years in the All India Radio, I took voluntary retirement and entered the portals of the Telugu University as the Dean of Fine Arts Department. It was a kind of a turning point in my life as I could come out with my best as an architect of curricula for degree, post-graduation and research scholars in all fine arts, including mridangam.The curricula have been adopted by 5,000 institutions, including Navodaya Vidyalayas, colleges and universities.
Research scholar
With the curricula set for the universities, I went about experimenting in music therapy. It happened during one of my tips to Japan, where I was taken to a home for the challenged children, especially mentally retarded children. When I played the mridangam to them, they responded positively and jumped and danced in joy.This made me work out the musical vibrations as part of music therapy, which is now followed by many institutions at home and abroad. I am happy to say that it has been accepted by practicing physicians and psychologists.
Aphilanthropist
Right from the beginning of my career as a mridangam artiste and music composer, over the past 50 years plus I have not taken a pie from the over 200-odd disciples that I have trained. Some 20 of them are now top- ranking artistes in India and abroad. Most of them were taught in the Gurukula traditionat my home, which includes feeding them and looking after their daily needs.
This tradition prompted me to start Yella Venkateswara Rai Charitable Trust 10 years back. It is meant not only for teaching, but also taking care of the poor by providing them with education, food and a place to live, besides meeting their clothing and other needs. This gives me utmost satisfaction.
Rapid-fire
Are you happy with your achievements?
There is no place for complacency. Learning is a continuous process for which there is no ending.
Your association with radio has been long lasting. What have you got to say about it?
It was a very wonderful experience. I feel bad that now radio is being replaced with smart phones.
What about your students?
I have over 200 students, out of whom, a majority have carved a niche for themselves. I am happy that my grandson has also taken to mridangam like anything and won a national award.
What are your plans?
To bring out the best from my students and make them carry forward the tradition.
What do you think of fusion?
It’s a very great happening. I have dabbled in it very successfully.
