D K Pattammal

I'm sure we all remember Michael Jackson's death splashed across the whole newspaper for days on end. Everyone seemed to be mouthing words of sadness and people seemed to be carrying banners, out here, in India. Just imagine America. While there is really nothing wrong calling him a legend, a superstar, an icon, a gift to the world and all that, I'm sure only some of us know that the iconic singer D.K. Pattammal, passed away on 21st July. Agreed, MJ was popular and he had an outstanding fan following, D.K. Pattammal, Nithyashree's grandmother, was born to an orthodox Brahmin family in Kanchipuram, near Chennai. She was 90 when she passed away, due to arthritis. Those were the days when only Devdasi women used to sing. Brahmin women had to sing from behind a curtain. Despite all those setbacks, she made a niche in the world of music. She was the first one to delve into the 'Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi' concept, which was monopolized by men. Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi implies that an aalap is sung in detail before the actual rendition of the song. (An aalap is the extension of a particular tune, stretching as 'aaaaaa', for the uninitiated) She popularized the pallavi (the commencement of the words of the song) among women. She never sang love ballads. She was a freedom fighter, who sang Subramanya Bharati's songs. 'Aaduvome' and 'Parukulley Nalla Naadu' was sung by her in 1947. Her timeless numbers are listened to even till today. She was one among the trinity of the first women singers, the others being M.L. Vasantha Kumari (Sudha Raghunathan's guru, who named her daughter MaLaViKa, after the initials of her guru's name) and M.S. SubbuLakshmi. Not only was D.K. Pattammal a great singer, but also an empowered woman. It is indeed shocking and saddening that for a legend of her stature, who contributed towards the country's independence, one prominent daily gives her just one-eighth of a page, and the other doesn't mention her death at all. I really dislike to call it death, because she will continue to live in music lovers' hearts. I wish newspapers respected this great lady by atleast giving her a front-page coverage, for not only did she sing, she started the tradition of being a women singer. It is for people like her that I feel proud to learn Carnatic music, and I'm sure all the connoisseurs of music will agree to this. Torchbearers like Ishwar Chandra VidyaSagar and John Drinkwater Bethume laid the foundation for education being imparted to women, way back in 1843. The same way, the last of the trinity of the greatest of women singers, has illuminated the path for women singers. Whether it may be pursuing a career in Carnatic music, or just singing as a hobby, women singers have to thank the Trinity. Even after her death, she will continue to live on in our hearts, for believing in equality, patriotism, principles and most importantly, her divine music. Moments like this we realize the merits of being a proud Indian. Cheers!!