Sounds of Celebration: The Nagaswaram and its Greatest Exponent*
Aruna Roy
T.N. RAJARATTINAM PILLAI: CHARISMA, CASTE RIVALRY AND THE CONTESTED PAST IN SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC by By Terada Yoshitaka Speaking Tiger Books, 2023, 464 pp., INR 599.00
July 2024, volume 48, No 7

Terada Yoshitaka’s TN Rajarattinam Pillai: Charisma, Caste Rivalry and the Contested Past in South Indian Music is an exploration of South Indian music and culture through an analysis of one charismatic musician. In the recent past there have been many biographies of great singers and performers, referenced within cultural intersections of caste and a stratified society. We tend to disassociate musical performance from social analysis and stratification, concentrating on the excellence of performance. The story of Rajarattinam Pillai is about a musician who was one of the greatest musicians and performers of Carnatic music, and who as a player of the Nagaswaram, consciously faced and addressed the contentious issues and intersections between musical performance, hierarchy and caste. His life and performance offer Yoshitaka the opportunity to study power relations and conflict between Brahmin musicians and patrons and non-Brahmin musicians.

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