CHENNAI: On Sunday evening, well wishers, students and fans swarmed into Asian College of Journalism to attend the launch of Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna’s latest book — Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers. The MS Subbulakshmi auditorium of the J School was packed, and many were directed to the lawn where a projector was set up. 

The evening began with a musical performance by mridangam artistes. The event was attended by 50-60 mridangam makers along with their families from Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. “This book is a celebration of mridangam makers, the bond shared between the player and the instrument makers, the community they belong to and the legacy left behind. They are the heroes of the evening,” said Krishna, addressing the audience. 

The book has stories of more than six generations of families involved in the business. The book also talks about three female mridangam makers. Krishna fondly calls Sebastian, after whom the book is named, to be the father of this profession and the other makers, his children. From acquiring the skin to the final stages of construction, it addresses every aspect of a mridangam’s making — intellectually and aesthetically. 

“The quality of the hide and how it is cured, cut, stretched, bound and braided impacts the tone, timbre and sound of the instrument. This requires a highly tuned ear, and an ability to translate abstract ideas expressed by musicians into the corporeal reality of a mridangam. Yet, their contribution to the art of the mridangam is dismissed,” he said, after reading excerpts from the book.

This was followed by a panel discussion with Rajmohan Gandhi, historian and biographer; Thol Thirumavalavan, Lok Sabha MP, and Krishna, and was moderated by journalist Kavita Muralidharan. The panellists shared their views on caste discrimination, the plight of the makers and underlying issues. 
“Caste is deep-rooted in our community. I’m happy that Krishna has interspersed the problem in this multi-layered book. How the rules work differently for the makers and the instrument! The one who creates it is not treated equally in society or recognised. But mridangam makes it to the stage at concerts. If this is the case for mridangam makers, then think about parai. After all, the mridangam is an evolution of parai,” said Thirumavalavan. Gandhi felt that the story addressed the darker side of the community. “All of us are fighting for liberty, equal rights and mutual respect. Sadly, there’s ignorance at one end and silent indignation on the other. The book has captured this essence,” he pointed out.

The motive behind this work is a culmination of Krishna’s other book, A Southern Music: Exploring the Karnatik Tradition (2013). “Soon after that book was launched, I realised that I had not addressed any instrument makers in it. I then decided to focus exclusively on them. I’m privileged and no matter how much I talk about caste, I will not lose my privilege. I don’t know if the book will bring light to their lives or recognition. I’d be glad if the book raises a few questions in your mind after a read,” he concluded. 

‘Sebastian and Sons: A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers’ by Westland Publications is priced at `799. It is available on Amazon and at book stores.