MADRAS AND TAMILNADU – An Anthology
By Dr. V. Raghavan.
In English. Published in 2016. By Dr. V. Raghavan Centre For Performing Arts, Chennai. Paperback. 460 pages. Rs. 495.

August is the month when “Madras that is Chennai” is celebrated in a big way. It is also the time to remember some of the great sons of this land. What a coincidence that the birthday of Dr. V. Raghavan — the author of this book falls on the same day on 22nd August — which is observed as Madras Day in recent times!

The illustrious and multifaceted Dr. V. Raghavan was an erudite scholar, writer, poet, dramatist and Indologist. His works are precious gems which will remain a perennial source of information for generations of scholars and researchers. Dr. Raghavan was one of the leading lights of the Music Academy, Madras which he served in various capacities. He was one of its long-time secretaries, editor of the Music Academy’s Journal, and convenor of the morning academic sessions during the 1930s to 1970s music season.

This anthology has 29 articles which display Dr. Raghavan’s amazing research and scholarship. It focuses on Sanskrit manuscripts, texts and inscriptions, as well as works in the Tamil language, the contribution of Tamil Nadu to Sanskrit, and a variety of interesting subjects. Two articles deal with two major works: one is about this city and its historical background — which the author found in a manuscript titled Sarvadeva Vilasa in the Adyar library in the early 1940s; he has edited it with critical notes. The second is Anandaranga Vijaya Champu — a historical account of 18th century history of the Carnatic and the Deccan.

The chapter titled ‘Madras Sangitha Sabhas’ gives us an idea of the programmes presented in the 1930s in Chennai, as it an interesting compilation of excerpts from reviews written by V. Raghavan under various pseudonyms!

This book, with choice articles gleaned from his large body of work, by his daughter Smt. Nandini Ramani, will be of immense interest to lovers of history, heritage, and the performing arts of Tamil Nadu.
# On this occasion, there is another interesting book you can browse through in the library of the Madras Music Academy

The Madras Quartet : Women in Karnatak Music
By Indira Menon.
In English. Published in 1999. By Roli Books, Lotus Collection. Hardbound. 188 pages. Rs. 295.

This book is about the contribution of the women who have left an indelible impression on the Carnatic tradition. It moves from the female mystics of the bhakti movement, to those who helped revive Tevaram music, the women in the Tanjavur court, the rise of Madras as a seat of music, emergence of some brilliant women musicians from the devadasi community, and as stated in the Preface, it focuses on “a handful of women musicians who made a dramatic entry into the male-dominant areas of Carnatic music and forced the pace of social transformation”. Prominent among them were M.S. Subbulakshmi, T. Brinda, D.K. Pattammal, and M.L. Vasanthakumari — whom the author describes as the Madras Quartet.

S. JANAKI