Youngsters in traditional nagaswaram and thavil playing families raise hopes about the future of these instruments

Keeping alive the tradition of nagaswaram and thavil playing

Kavin, a fourth standard student and a fifth generation nagaswaram artiste belongs to Idumbavanam, an abode of Shiva, praised by Saivite saints in their hymns. When not attending school, he accompanies his father Prakash Ilayaraja, a nagaswaram artiste and teacher, who, with  Vijay Karthikeyan,  regularly performs in temple festivals, weddings and other events.

Kalyanapuram K.G.S. Dhayaparan is pursuing a degree in Visual Communication besides playing nagaswaram with his brother Vedhagiri, a Class 10 student. Their father is the well-known nagaswaram artiste K.G. Srinivasan.

Across the board, youngsters are taking to learning and keeping alive this traditional instruments, while pursuing academics. This heartening change is a departure when families of nagaswaram and thavil players discouraged their wards from following in their footsteps, because they felt that it was a difficult vocation that commanded no respect.

V. Gopeeswaran, a Class 9 student, has already become a full-fledged thavil player and regularly participates in concerts with his teacher T.B. Radhakrishnan.

“It is the family’s wish that Kavin should pursue nagaswaram, but we have left it to him to decide whether to make a career out of it,” says Ilayaraja.

Srinivasan agrees. “For generations, our family has been playing the instrument at the Kalyanapuram Perumal temple. I am happy my sons are taking it forward,” he reiterates.

Places such as Thiruvavaduthurai, Thiruvidaimarudur, Thiuveezhimizhalai, Thiruvenkadu and Nachiyarkoil, which are known to have produced great nagaswaram and thavil players, who dominated the music world, hardly have any descendents left.