She not only has a collection of hundreds of musical instruments from across the world, but has learnt to play all of them too.

Dr Anasuya Kulkarni was learning Hindustani music from her ustaad in Kabul in 1965, when he invited her home to sing in front of his family and guests. Pleased, he decided to give her a token of appreciation, his swaramandalam. That was the start of what is today a diverse collection of musical instruments. “I haven’t counted,” she says, “but there are at least 200-300 instruments. I have categorised them into separate genres of wind, string, bow, plucked, idiophones and percussion instruments.”
The second instrument in her collection also came from Kabul of the ’60s. After a snowstorm, Kulkarni was basking in the sunlight outside her home when she heard music from the neighbour’s house. It was a rubab, a lute-like instrument. She bought one in the local market.

Collecting a variety of instruments became easier after her husband, who was working for the United Nations, was posted to different countries across the world. There are also different varieties of the same instrument, like flutes, of which she has more than a dozen, each distinct. The flutes from Papua New Guinea, for instance, have religious connotations.

The collection also hosts an instrument called the angklung — a series of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. When Kulkarni first heard it in Jakarta, Indonesia, in the late ’70s, she was bowled over by the intricate sound. “I first bought an 8 note angklung and kept meddling with it to try and play Indian music on it.”

Customising the stand proved to be the key, after which she was successful in creating the right notes of Indian music. She demonstrates Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma on a 13-piece angklung and soon, the perfect notes of the classic song chime melodiously.

Kulkarni has made it a point to learn to play all the instruments, receiving specific training from experts. For instance, she learnt to play the flutes of Papua New Guinea from a local musician. The only self-taught instrument is the angklung, says this doctorate in music. She now hopes to propagate its use in Indian music.

Next on the agenda is to train students who wish to learn any instrument, through the institute.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Work  / by Jayanthi Madhukar  , Bangalore Mirror Bureau  / March 15th, 2014

The first registered institute for ethnomusicology in the State will be inaugurated here on November 21 at 6 p.m. at the Indian Institute of World Culture, Basavanagudi.

Founder managing trustee of the Institute of Ethnomusick and angklung artiste Anusuya Kulkarni says, “Our goal is to spread awareness on this branch of music study among Indians, particularly the younger generation.”

Cultural interactions would be a lot more meaningful with the familiarity and comprehension of music, and knowledge of its cultural and ethnic background.

Non-Western

Ethnomusicology, a branch of musicology, is a discipline that is said to have developed after World War II in Western countries because some experts were passionate about studying non-Western styles passed on from generations, especially among the tribal communities. Talking of her own experience with the angklung, Ms. Kulkarni, who has made it to the Limca Book of Records for playing Carnatic style on the rare musical instrument, says she is really happy to know that the Jaganmohan Palace museum has the instrument in its collection, and that it was being used by the police band.

Although she is familiar with the bamboo version of it, which is played in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, the palace, she came to know, had imported the metal angklung with a bamboo resonator, from England, nearly 135 years ago.

Details

She says talks and discussions would be a regular feature at her institute. Those interested in sharing knowledge can call 080 26586826 or 93419-64662. The institute will be inaugurated by vocalist Suguna Purushottam.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> TamilNadu / by Ranjani Govind / Bangalore – November 19th, 2010

A rebel writer if there was ever one, Devanuru Mahadeva has been conferred an honourary doctorate, but will he accept it ?

Devanuru Mahadeva is as famous for refusingawards or other kinds of recognition, as he is for his writings. He first rejected, in 1990, the government’s offer to nominate him to the Rajya Sabha. In 2010 he rejected the prestigious Nrupatunga Award instituted by the State government, that carries a purse of Rs 5,01,000. It was his way of expressing his protest against the government for not making Kannada the medium of instruction in schools and colleges. In a letter to the president of Sahitya Parishat he said, “When Kannada is being neglected totally in seats of learning, it is not prudent to accept an award instituted by the Parishat.” He further added, “Kannada in its own state is struggling to exist. We cannot keep quiet and accept awards in its name.”

Agrahara Krishnamurthy, former secretary of Sahitya Academy, says when the Academy wanted to confer a fellowship and pay Rs 25,000 per month for his works, Devanuru refused to accept both.

VC of Mysore University KS Rangappa once revealed that Devanuru refused to accept an honorary doctorate for his magnum opus Edege Bidda Akshara. Instead he suggested that Ragi Lakshmanaiah be awarded the honour for his extensive work on Ragi breeds. The university accepted the suggestion.

Finally, when the Padma Shri was announced, Devanuru didn’t go to Delhi to receive it. It came to hisdoorstep; then Deputy Commissioner of Mysore Harsh Gupta presented it to him at his residence in Kuvempunagar.

Eventually, he was conferred the Karnataka Sahitya Academy award and Sahitya Academy award. The Hampi Kannada University decorated him with the Nadoja title. He was also given the VM Inamdar Award at MGM College Mangalore.

Now, the Mysore University has announced an honorary doctorate for Devanuru, to be conferred on March 22 at Mysore University, by the Governor Hamsaraj Bharadwaj. We have to wait and see if Devanuru will accept it this time.

Dalit Swaraj What makes Devanuru Mahadeva special? His close associate, journalist and activist Agni Sreedhar, says, “Mahadeva is way above any sort of university or government honours.”

Born in 1948 in the Devanuru village, he was a teacher before turning farmer. Today he is at theforefront of the farmer’s movement in Karnataka. He is hailed as the messiah who brought in Dalit Swaraj. Devanuru has published only five books till now, but the influence they had on launching the Dalit literary movement in Kannada is stupendous. His works Dyavanuru, Odalala, Kusumabale and Edege Bidda Akshara are literary gems.

When he floated Sarvodaya Karnataka, a political party with the aim of bringing the haves and the have-nots, landed and the landless together on one platform, many called it “a captivating idea founded on a naive, utopian ideal.” But the party won six seats in the previous State Assembly election.

Devanuru stands for freedom, equality and fraternity.(Swatantra, Samanathe, Sodarathe). He felt, “the mining and real estate mafia will soon start bidding for legislators as corporate houses did for cricketers in the IPL.”

In a special lecture titled The Elusive Peacock – Devanuru Mahadeva and Dalit Imagination, Dr Prithvi Datta Chandra Shobhi of Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities said, “Mahadeva is largely misunderstood. Though his friends and readers have tried to seek him out, the writer himself has remained elusive.” He describes Devanuru as “almost Gandhian. He advocates constructive programmes, similar to those of Gandhi.”

Yet Devanuru is not a recluse. His speeches are six to seven minutes long at the most, full of anecdotes. It is always a pleasure to speak to Devanuru because he connects with you. Hope he accepts the doctorate this time.

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Others / by  Prathibha Nandakumar  / March 15th, 2014