The ancient Thanjavur Veena has got a fresh lease of life. Recently, the veena was accorded the Geographical Indication (GI) status by a High Court. The status recognises the musical instrument as having special characteristics unique to the region and techniques employed by artisans who live in and around Thanjavur, a historic pocket of traditional music. In Thanjavur, the birthplace of the inimitable Saraswathi Veena (Thanjavur Veena), revered as one of the three celestial musical instruments which continues to enthral music lovers, makers of the musical instrument are rejoicing at this announcement.

The GI status provides better legal protection for action of infringement, offering a respite for the few families who are still devoted to this deeply satisfying but complex craft.

Just as Carnatic music is incomplete without this Vedic instrument, the veena-makers of yore enjoyed royal patronage and high respect in the community. With traditional instruments gradually falling out of favour, the living conditions and social standing of the veena craftsmen are, sadly, on the decline. The Thanjavur Veena, unique with its functional resonator and 24 fixed-frets enabling ragas to be played on it, is crafted by master craftsmen who possess immense knowledge of music and understand the nuances of sound and tonal quality. The very instrument exudes grace and elegance.

Having been a home-based cottage industry for generations, the art does not thrive on hereditary knowledge any more. “My two sons have taken up corporate jobs after MBA. I could not press them into veena making knowing the meagre income it would fetch,” says M Narayanan, a fourth-generation veena maker from Thanjavur.

Srinivasan, a state-award winning veena-maker’s son works for a software company. But, not everyone in the younger generation wants to part ways with the art of making the veena. Craftsman Raman’s son Krishnamoorthy returned after a short stint at a private company to help his father. “There was a compelling urge within me to continue making veenas,” says the 25-year-old who started Sri Sai Musicals. Besides crafting, he exports veenas to other countries and markets them online.

Procuring wood has become a challenge. Jackfruit wood is predominantly used for veena crafting as it’s perfect for all weathers. “Earlier, Thanjavur used to house large clusters of jackfruit trees. Nowadays we buy wood from places like Panruti and Cuddalore,” says Narayanan. They used to work with stag horns, which is now legally banned.

Srinivasan, who is familiar with modern crafting techniques aided by new tools and machines says that the motifs and symbols etched on the instrument have changed. “Earlier, it used to be figurines of Gods and motifs like the swan and peacock. Now it’s all modern designs and patterns,” he says.

Another pressing issue is the involvement of intricate workmanship and labour shortage. “We used to make the veena from scratch, including chopping the wood, carving, fixing the frets and waxing. These days, with only a few trained hands assisting us, we outsource parts from carpenters, and pay a large chunk to middlemen,” rues Narayanan. The Government-run ITIs offer training in veena craftsmanship, but there are no concessions or assistance to help artisans. The dearth of craftsmen may have a threatening impact on the quality, says a concerned Krishnamoorthy.

“Unfortunately, today’s focus is predominantly vocals; the instrument comes secondary. It’s also undergoing lots of structural changes. Anything that can be dismantled can’t be called a veena,” points out ‘Veenai’ E Gayathri, popular veena exponent and principal-director of the Tamil Nadu Government Music Colleges in Chennai, Thiruvaiyaru, Madurai and Coimbatore.

The Tamil Nadu Government has announced the setting up of a university exclusively for music. Efforts will be made to academise the craft of veena-making and providing a better platform to artisans. A good sign: the demand for the veena has not dwindled despite the popularity and influence of Western instruments. The veena’s sound has been preserved forever.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Sundari Sivasubbu / July 07th, 2013

Margaret Sekhran says that people do not notice a good library because it is always there, like the KMU Library in Kodaikanal since 1890.

“Kodi was like a health resort then,” says Margaret Sekhran about Kodaikanal of 1965.

She remembers the peace and mist all around, the pleasure she derived walking around the lake where a handful of people sat and played the flute.

“That charm of the hill station is gone today”, she rues. Now, there are more people, more buildings, more vehicles, more noise, more garbage and pollution.

But there is one nook in the hill town that still brightens up the 77-year-old’s face. It is the Kodaikanal Missionaries Union (KMU) Library housed inside the Kodaikanal International School (KIS) campus.

The library is 123 years old and Margaret’s association with the heritage hotspot is 46 years old. She first visited and used the library in 1967. In 1978 she became its honorary member and ever since has been “helping the library in every possible way.”

Life for Margaret has come full circle. When she was a child, her father built a library in a van and took it around Derbyshire. “It was a storehouse of classics,” she recalls.

Today, Margaret as a Trustee of the KMU library takes care of its priceless collection of 7,000-plus books.

“We still have some old valuable books from 1890,” Margaret finds it hard to contain her excitement as she shows me around the tiny little room neatly stacked with rows of shelves filled with books.

“A good library,” she smiles, “will never be neat” and pulls out copies of The Bible in French, Spanish and Hebrew, a beautifully illustrated book on Paris…all from the previous century.

“Most of our books have been donated by missionaries, past and present members, visitors and the KIS. We buy them occasionally, our collection includes a wide genre of books,” she says.

Fond of reading, Margaret has added the “India section” with lots of books on leaders of freedom movement and biographies of several unusual people. She also introduced the “talking” concept where members assemble for two hours twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) to discuss old and new books and for a friendly exchange of opinions.

“Our members are spread across the country,” says Margaret, “and many times even if they are on a holiday or official visit to Kodi, they drop in for these chat sessions.” Many people also bring along friends who become members. “I also want all the new people coming and settling in Kodi to join us,” she says. Margaret is also particular about encouraging reading habit among children and always requests her members to come with their families to the library.

For Margaret it has been an enjoyable experience to see the group of library members develop into a core group of ‘regulars’ with others dropping in and out from time to time. The annual fee of Rs.100 remains static to make it affordable.

“By doing this work,” says she, “I feel I am offering a service.” “It is my endeavour to ensure that every book, old or new, damaged or voluminous, is of use and is not destroyed,” she adds.

At present Margaret is busy cataloguing the library. “It’s a hands-on work and I do it with whoever is willing to volunteer.” She feels it is necessary to make the historic KMU library representative of what it is, who the members are and what are the benefits. “We have three well known novelists as members,” she gushes, “and it is the wonderful individuals who provide the personality of our group.”

The KMU was formed in 1890 to enable missionaries of the various denominations to come together for recreation and to develop mission strategy and outreach in cooperation with each other.

In 1923 an Edwardian style clubhouse was built with a large central hall for social events and afternoon teas, tennis courts, a reading and other meeting rooms. With the decline of missionary activity in India, the KMU was wound up in the 1980s, and the property was turned over to KIS. The KMU library, maintained by the KIS, continued to function from the single room and has become something of a social venue over the years. “It is perhaps the most influential club throughout Kodai’s history,” beams Margaret, a social worker who came to India post-marriage in 1962. Before the KMU Library grabbed her, Margaret started the Ladies Circle in Chennai in 1970 and did lot of voluntary work with refugees and children of slum dwellers. After coming to Kodaikanal, she launched herself on a self-assigned mission of planting shoal trees.

To know the past through books kept returning her to the library. “A library just has to provide,” she says, “it need not be big or beautiful, with more staff or users.”

It is Margaret’s desire to keep adding books to the library’s present volumes. Aware of technology taking over and more people reading online, she says, “I hope physical books will continue to stay for a long time.”

“Library is more than a repository of books,” Margaret describes, “it is a gathering place for people because they interact with each other.” Whether she is interacting with the young or old, regular or new visitors in the library or her pet Dalmatians and the hundreds of birds, trees, butterflies and flowers at home, it is them who make her life interesting.

“If you have a library and a garden, what else you need in life?” she asks. In her opinion both are wondrous places with the power to change lives and help you to look forward.

“They are the future,” she smiles, praying that the KMU library remains one such indispensable spots in Kodi always having what people need.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> MetroPlus / by Soma Basu / Madurai – July 04th, 2013