Remembring Bengaluru Nagarathnamma

Nagaratnamma, a distinguished Carnatic Musician and Bharatanatyam dancer, came from the class of Devadasis, who enriched cultural life of India, by preserving, cultivating and promoting fine arts of dance and music. In earlier times, devadasis formed part of temple staff (deva=god, dasi= servant). Some of the rich devadasis, have built temples (Vinapoti) donated books, (when printing was unknown and palm-leaf books were hand-written) and built big tanks (Shantavve).

Bangaluru Nagaratnamma will be remembered for:

1. For reviving and republishing a classic of 18^th century and
2. Creating an All India platform for Carnatac Music at Tiruvaiyar, birth place of Saint Tyagaraja, One of the trinity of Carnatic music.

Besides temples, devadasis adorned royal courts and were also patronised by the rich and the learned for their talents. It was considered a prestige to patronise talented devadasis and have relations with them. Putta Lakshamma, a good musician, was patronised by Subbarao, a lawyer of Nanjangud. Nagaratnamma was born of this relation in 1878 C.E. Her mother provided good education in Kannada and Sanskrit languages at Nanjungud and in Mysore. Later on she shifted to Bangalore, where Puttalakshamma's brother, Venkataswamaiah, a distinguished violinist lived. Nagaratnamma, besides specialising in Bharatanatyam, studied classical music under him and Bidaram Krishnappa.

A rare picture of Bangaluru Nagaratnamma

Nagaratnamma's good looks and talents drew the attention of Narahari Rao, who was a High Court Judge in Maharaja's government. He became her patron. In no time Nagaratnamma bloomed and made name as concert artist in South Indian circles, especially in Madras.

She had religious bent of mind and worshipped Tyagaraja, singing whose compositions had made her famous. She once dreamt of the saint in a dilapidated samadhi (tomb). The very next day, she went in search of the samadhi which was in a deserted place and in broken condition, (saints and monks are interned and entombed unlike ordinary Hindus who are cremated).

She decided to renovate it, there and then. After obtaining necessary permission from authorities, she built a temple of Seetharama, who was Tyagaraja's deity. She sold all her jewelry and newly built house at Madras, where she had settled. She was also responsible for arranging concert of her Guru Bidaram Krishappa. It was here that Bidaram sang Kannada Devaranama's in the entire concert and the Tamil elite, accorded him a rousing welcome.

Nagaratnamma also built a choultry for visiting Mysoreans at Tiruvaiyar. Earlier, she resurrected and got reprinted a love-lyric, Radhika santvanam written by Muddu Palani who was a highly accomplished court musician of Bhonsales of Tanjore. Muddu Palani (1739-60 C.E.) wrote this work in Telugu on lines of Jayadeva's Geeta Govinda in Sanskrit. Hailing from Devadasi family, Muddu Palani, had mentioned in her introduction that she was following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother who were accomplished poets. Radhika santvanam ("consoling Radhika") deals with divine love of Radha and Krishna and Srungara (love) is the predominant rasa (emotion).

The book was considered obscene and banned by the British. The missionaries helped them in passing laws which would teach "Social modesty" to Indians. Divine love scenes and Radha's pining for Krishna was considered "immodest"!

Nagaratnamma loved the lyrical quality of Radhika santvanam and with great difficulty, obtained the palm-leaf books of this work edited and got it published in 1911 C.E. The book was banned again in 1930s, when abolition of Devadasi custom was introduced a