After all, what is in a name, asks S Gopala Krishnan. Last Saturday morning, he was listening to a lovely rendering of the famous Dikshitar composition ‘Neerajaakshi Kaamaakshi’ in Hindolam by Musiri Subramanya Iyer (1899-1975). https://youtube/watch?v=qgQrarNALSQ As his first name is sounding similar to the ancient sea port in south-western India existed from around 1 century AD, Muziris, I had an inclination to know more about the place-name prefixed with the legendary musician. Hence I came across a very interesting note… “He made his debut in Chennai in 1920. His name was announced as Subramania Iyer of Musiri and the name stuck. (As per tradition in India, the town the artist hails from is sometimes added as a prefix to ones name, honoring the town while simultaneously giving a distinction of a specific geographical nature to the artist, such as Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, etc.) Given that Musiri was not born in Musiri, accounts differ as to why the name Musiri was added to his name. Musiri once stated that it was simply because Musiri was a more well known location than Musiris home town of Bommalapalayam, and easier to say as a prefix.” (legendsinmusic.ucoz/index/musiri_subramania_iyer/0-103) Please enjoy the beautiful rendering of ‘Neerajaakshi, Kaamaakshi’, a copy from a 78 RPM record. The track is a testimony of the essence of his music.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 08:11:32 +0000