I am a great admirer of Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna's music. Very often, people who attend his concerts or listen to his music complain that his exposition of ragas is too complicated and he makes even the most mundane ragas like Shankarabharanam difficult to identify. Even if one manages to identify the raga, one never knows when he will break into a seemingly easy and painfully scalar but yet intricate interpretation of the raga. A lot of people view his innovative style of rendition of certain ragas as something that is taboo as far as traditional music is concerned. However, I feel that very few people can reach the level of expertise required for such obscure interpretations of popular ragas (not to mention BMK's own interpretations of obscure ragas!). But I've always wondered why he does that when Carnatic music is already so well defined. And then today, I came across one of his interviews on youtube. Below is the text version of the same. I would love to hear what the reader thinks of this.
Interviewer: You have done over 400 compositions.
Balamurali gaaru: Yes
Int: Intially when you were doing that, the traditionalists, the purists, were a little outraged?
BMK: (getting a little irritated) I'm sorry?
Int: (now meekly) The purists of Carnatic music...
BMK: (interrupting) There is nothing like purists, you see. "Pure", "traditional"; there is no meaning for these. Nobody knows the meaning for these.
Int: (poor guy is still trying) But the traditionalists of carnatic music...
BMK: (interrupting again with fiery eyes) There is no tradition..
Int: (close to tears now) Okay, the Carnatic musicians were used to singing Thyagaraja keerthanas...
BMK: (mellowing down a little) Yes, Thyagaraja keerthanas... but they are not singing alike. Each one has his own way of singing; quality of voice and presentation differ for each individual. Otherwise, how can you identify that so-and-so is singing or playing? There is something always there. Tradition means the fundamental thing. Tradition means "sa ri ga ma pa dha ni", that's all. When you know it, forget about it, and you improvize. See, the tradition in those days is not the dress you are wearing now. But it does not mean you have gone out of the tradition, right? You always walk with your legs, talk with your mouth, see with your eyes. That is tradition. Tradition is the base. That base will never change. Everybody has one nose, two eyes, two ears, but each one is different. So you can't say that if someone looks handsome, it is not traditional.
Int: (has given up by now) Right, right...
BMK: So, you have to give importance to tradition as a foundation. Like a blue print of a house. The house is built on it.
Int: Absolutely..
BMK: (continuing) So that base is very important, but it does not mean that you should always remain at that level. That is how I feel abt the tradition. People who talk abt tradition or convention usually don't the meaning of what they r talking about.
Interviewer: You have done over 400 compositions.
Balamurali gaaru: Yes
Int: Intially when you were doing that, the traditionalists, the purists, were a little outraged?
BMK: (getting a little irritated) I'm sorry?
Int: (now meekly) The purists of Carnatic music...
BMK: (interrupting) There is nothing like purists, you see. "Pure", "traditional"; there is no meaning for these. Nobody knows the meaning for these.
Int: (poor guy is still trying) But the traditionalists of carnatic music...
BMK: (interrupting again with fiery eyes) There is no tradition..
Int: (close to tears now) Okay, the Carnatic musicians were used to singing Thyagaraja keerthanas...
BMK: (mellowing down a little) Yes, Thyagaraja keerthanas... but they are not singing alike. Each one has his own way of singing; quality of voice and presentation differ for each individual. Otherwise, how can you identify that so-and-so is singing or playing? There is something always there. Tradition means the fundamental thing. Tradition means "sa ri ga ma pa dha ni", that's all. When you know it, forget about it, and you improvize. See, the tradition in those days is not the dress you are wearing now. But it does not mean you have gone out of the tradition, right? You always walk with your legs, talk with your mouth, see with your eyes. That is tradition. Tradition is the base. That base will never change. Everybody has one nose, two eyes, two ears, but each one is different. So you can't say that if someone looks handsome, it is not traditional.
Int: (has given up by now) Right, right...
BMK: So, you have to give importance to tradition as a foundation. Like a blue print of a house. The house is built on it.
Int: Absolutely..
BMK: (continuing) So that base is very important, but it does not mean that you should always remain at that level. That is how I feel abt the tradition. People who talk abt tradition or convention usually don't the meaning of what they r talking about.
