A full life-time may not be sufficient for a person to listen to even a fraction of the musical archives under the possession of the All India Radio, the country’s national broadcaster. According to Suresh Chandra Panda, member (Prasar Bharati), the AIR has musical archives running into more than four lakh hours. This includes Hindustani, Carnatic, folk music and of course film music which has made AIR the world’s largest repository of music.
As part of its initiative to bring the legendary musicians and artists to the GenNext, All India Radio is bringing out digital recordings of some of the all- time greats in CD format. The AIR Madras, one of the oldest radio stations in the country, last week brought out some real gems from its archives, which have turned out to be a scintillating experience to radio listeners as well as music aficionados.
With the month-log annual Chennai Music and Dance festival round the corner, the AIR Madras set the tone by releasing the CDs featuring Thanjavur S Kalyanaraman, one of the mega stars among the Carnatic musicians of his time (1949-1993) Emani Sankara Sastry, the veena virtuoso from Andhra Pradesh (who ruled the world of veena during the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s), MS Viswanathan, popularly known as the King of Melodies and Thenkachi Swaminathan, who made people of Tamil Nadu smile and ponder with his daily five-minute talk shows laced with fun, wisdom and anecdotes.
“It is a trip down memory lane and we can experience the charm and beauty of the old world which was much sweet and safe than the present era,” said R Sudarshan, senior Programme Executive, AIR, Madras. It was Sudarshan who recorded the five-and-half-hour long interview with Viswanathan in which the great music maestro opens up about his childhood, initiation into the world of music and the struggles he had to face to emerge as south India’s leading music composer. Those were the days when a singer would get recognition as a singer only if he had performed at least once under the baton of Viswanathan. It is said that MGR, who reigned supreme as the numero uno of Tamil films, always insisted that MSV should score the music if he has to act.
Madhu Ashok, MSV’s daughter, who received the CD from Panda said that it was a God-given gift to her as well as the world of music. “There are many things in this interview which were hitherto unknown to us, his children. The interview itself is in the format of an auto biography of my father and we are really moved by the gesture of the AIR,” Madhu told The Pioneer.
The release of the CDs featuring the legends from the world of politics, music, films, arts, literature and science is an attempt by the national broadcaster to relive the country’s history which has been mutilated and distorted by vested interests. The archives of Madras AIR boast of a collection of recordings including that of Kamaraj, Annadurai, APJ Abdul Kalam, R Venkitaraman, Chembai Vaidynatha Bhagawather, Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer, MS Subbulakshmi, DK Pattammal and hundreds of others of their stature, an ideal tribute to these doyens and an ever lasting gift to the new generation by the AIR. Uroob (PC Kuttikrishnan), the great Malayalam novelist was once asked about his most memorable moment in life. “No doubt, it was the radio interview I did with Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagawather,” Uroob is reported to have said.