T.N. RAJARATTINAM PILLAI CHARISMA, CASTE RIVALRY AND THE CONTESTED PAST IN SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC

TeradaYoshitaka, Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Ethnology,
Osaka, Japan began his journey with South Indian music with a rather simple
query.Why had Periya Me¯l ·am (the traditional musical genre featuring the
na¯gasvaram and the tavil), which is considered to be extremely important in
the religious and social life of South Indian Hindus, been neglected by both
Indian and non-Indian scholars?As he began his field research,Terada realized
that the history of Periya Me¯l ·am is inextricably linked with the life of the master
of na¯gasvaram,T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai (1989-1956).
T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai: Charisma, Caste Rivalry and the Contested Past in South
Indian Music focuses on the influential artist's life and work, illuminating
important aspects of caste-based relations in South Indian music. Backed
by extensive field research and scholarship, this book is also a pioneering
ethnographic account of Periya Me¯l ·am, its practitioners and the significant
changes in the genre that took place in the twentieth century.