Drums that speak of tradition

B. Sumathi Mathiazhagan is the first woman to play the ‘panchamukha vadyam’ and ‘suddha maddalam’ drums

B. Sumathi Mathiazhagan, a government school headmistress, is keeping alive a family tradition of sacred music that has been practised for generations in the temple town of Tiruvarur.

Ms. Mathiazhagan, 52, has followed her father Selvaraj in the art of playing the ancient percussion instruments ‘panchamukha vadyam’ and the ‘suddha maddalam’, at the Thyagarajaswamy Temple in Tiruvarur. She is the first woman to have taken over a traditionally male role in this field.

“We belong to the ‘Parasaiva’ community that has been playing these instruments at the temple. My ancestor Thambiyappan Muttukarar was one of the disciples of composer Muthuswami Dikshitar. My father did not have a male heir or younger brothers, so after his demise in 2017, I decided to take it up in order to stop the tradition from fading away,” Ms. Mathiazhagan told The Hindu.

Ms. Mathiazhagan has been playing the instruments at the shrine, especially when the ‘saya ratchai’ pooja and ‘Ajaba purappadu’ rituals are performed, since 2018.

Her daughter, M. Sushmashankari, an engineering graduate, steps in when she is unable to attend, as she too has been trained in the art.

“Initially some people objected to my playing, because I am a woman, but I went ahead anyway. I am grateful to the temple authorities for their support and encouragement,” said Ms. Mathiazhagan.

“We don’t have any teachers for playing the drums, other than our parents and family members. In this art, the knowledge of the sollukattu (rhythmic words) is imparted in secrecy. The information is available only on palm leaf manuscripts,” she added.