Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Cinema Plus | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Sheik Chinnamoulana Saheb offered his nagaswaram to me, and his grandson’s to my wife. This is what we call Divine intervention.

Photo: M. Moorthy

UNIQUE couple: Sheik Mahaboob Subhani and Kaleeshabi Mahaboob.

Subhani was initiated into nagaswaram by his grandfather and Andhra Pradesh State Government awardee Janab Sheik Chinna Beer Saheb. The training continued under his father Kotapalli Sheik Meera Saheb. The family believes that the first generation forefather, Hussain Saheb, was blessed by their village goddess Munimandamma with ‘bheejaksharam’ and granted a boon that nagaswaram playing will continue for at least seven generations in the family.

In 1977, Subhani married his cousin Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, who is also an accomplished player. Trained by her uncle Sheik John Saheb in Chekurapadu village since childhood, she has performed alongside him at local temple festivals. After marriage, both started performing and were the first pair to do so.

K. Chandramouli Iyer, Principal, Sri Sarada Kala Sala, Kurnool, made them join his institution to write grade exams in music. He took them to the Tiruvaiyaru Tyagaraja festival to pay homage to the saint-poet in 1981. Turning emotional, Subhani recollects, “We fervently prayed at the samadhi for an opportunity to play there. Iyer went out of the way to ask A.K.C.Natarajan to provide us a chance. Having gone there without our instruments, the most unforgettable thing happened. Sheik Chinnamoulana Saheb, who had just finished his concert, offered his nagaswaram to me, and his grandson’s to my wife. Normally, instruments are never parted with, by vidwans. This is what we call Divine intervention. The concert was well received, and after that kutcheris started trickling in and has been in good flow over the years.” They fondly thank Andan Koil Selvarathinam and AKC who shaped up their career in the initial stages.

With increasing concert opportunities in Tamil Nadu, this unique pair shifted base to Woraiyur, Tiruchi. It also helped them come under the tutelage of Sheik Chinnamoulana Saheb. Later, they moved to Srirangam, to be nearer to their guru, whose house was on the other side of the station. This enabled them to meet him frequently and take lessons. They hold him in great reverence and remember him as an affectionate and caring person who was ever willing to teach them everything he knew. The ground on which their house now stands was identified by him.

The former President R. Venkatraman, who once attended their concert at Malai Mandir, New Delhi, made them play at his house before an invited audience and also arranged a meeting with the then President, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam. He in turn made them perform at the famed Indra Dhanush Hall in 2005.

The Tamil Nadu State Government honoured them with ‘Kalaimamani,’ and Sringeri Sarada Peetam made them their Asthana vidwans. The couple has travelled to the U.S., Germany, France, Brussels and Japan on concert tours, of which they consider playing at the inaugural concert of the Lille-3000 festival at France, a memorable one. On the advice of Mr. Abdul Kalam, the Subhanis regularly play at schools for mentally challenged children. That gives us immense satisfaction, says Kaleeshabi.

Not a day passes without a practice session that spreads over five hours. Recordings of vidwans of yesteryear and that of their guru help them hone their skills still further. They also listen to Hindustani music. (One of their daughters has been named after Parveen Sultana as she was born immediately after the AIR National concert of Sultana. The other one is Meera Bai.) Though they both sing well, none pursues music seriously. Son Feroz, an MCA student, on the other hand, is groomed to take over the mantle.

Self-analysis after every concert has helped them improve. Mahaboob recollects the day his father, nearing his end, insisted on correcting certain sangatis as Kaleeshabi kept playing by his bedside.

A regular at the ‘Poo Choriyal’ festival at Samayapuram Mariamman temple, this couple has played at several other temple festivals too.

This pair wants more women to take up nagaswaram playing. They have male students from Mysore and Andhra who come and stay with them, but ironically none from Tiruchi. A woman taking up nagaswaram playing as her career is rare as it requires a lot of strength and stamina. But Kaleeshabi handles the nagaswaram with the ease of a veteran as she has been playing the instrument since childhood, and it is now child’s play for her, says her husband proudly.

Both of them strongly feel that gender bias should be eradicated completely. Braving objections to Kaleeshabi’s performing on stage from some of the elders in their family, this couple has been holding the flag of Chilakaluripetta high, and with all humility is looking forward to scaling new heights.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail