T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai: A Study of Charisma, Caste and Contested Pasts in South Indian Music

TeradaYoshitaka, Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Ethnology,

Osaka, Japan began his journey with South Indian music with a rather simple

query.Why had Periya Me¯l -am (the traditional musical genre featuring the

na¯gasvaram and the tavil), which is considered to be extremely important in

the religious and social life of South Indian Hindus, been neglected by both

Indian and non-Indian scholars?As he began his field research, Terada realized

that the history of Periya Me¯l -am is inextricably linked with the life of the master

of na¯gasvaram, T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai (1989-1956).

T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai: Charisma, Caste Rivalry and the Contested Past in South

Indian Music focuses on the influential artist's life and work, illuminating

important aspects of caste-based relations in South Indian music. Backed

by extensive field research and scholarship, this book is also a pioneering

ethnographic account of Periya Me¯l -am, its practitioners and the significant

changes in the genre that took place in the twentieth century.