Part 3

continued from part 2

Though it is all about self expression, the fruits/fallout of art is seldom restricted to one's own self. What the artist has achieved by means of better understanding of his surroundings through his art, he wishes to share it with everybody around to help them achieve similar state of mind, which ultimately is the purpose of any art - enlightenment and harmony. This is what is the broad theme of 'Rudra Veena'. And the director chose the traditional classical music to highlight the deep divide between the elite practitioners and the ignorant proletariat. In the current day and age, when the utility value of archaic art forms is diminishing by the minute, to what end is an art that remains shackled in age old structures and remains confined behind the closed walls of a chosen few, is a necessary question that needs to be answered, if it were to survive the assault of times and trends. If the common masses cannot aspire to or appreciate the complexity and the intricacies of art, let it come a few steps down and mingle with them instead of stubbornly remaining at the top ordering the downtrodden to rise up, remains the wishful thinking of the movie. This theme has been resonating with every art and artist since time immemorial, whether it is the populism that guarantees perpetuity of art, or in fact the strict structure that automatically ensures its survival (or in maayala fakir's words from paataaLa bhairavi - janam choosaedi manam chaeyaDamaa, manam chaesaedi janam chooDaDamaa). While 'Swarna Kamalam' before was about answering one's true inner calling, 'Rudra Veena' goes one step forward and let that voice be heard by one and all. 'Swarna Kamalam' was about hearing the message, and 'Rudra Veena' is about spreading it. Sirivennela employs the same tool set that he used for his previous free will vs structure debate in 'Swarna Kamalam', to depict how the diverse elements in nature bestow their best on mankind, regardless of whether mankind deserves its benevolence or not in the first place, bringing into relief the single most important trait that every art form should possess - non-judgmentality, in it, an artist may be prejudicial in his choice of audience, but the art itself can never be.

vennela deepam kondaridaa
adivina saitam velugu kadaa
aevee sontam kOsam kaadanu sandaeSam
panchae guNamae pOtae prapanchamae Soonyam
idi teliyani manugaDa kadha
diSalerugani gamanamu kada ||tarali raada tanae vasantam||

But sharing is something that doesn't come natural to the individual. Why would anyone who has spent a lifetime mastering an art give away the fruits of that knowledge for free, remains a very valid question. And the answer to that lies in the existence of very individual himself. An individual is never an island, existing and subsisting entirely on his own. His ideas, ideals, expressions and experiences are rooted and derived from the society around him. And the sharing of his art is an act of repayment (guru dakshiNa), not to one master, one mentor, but to the collective, as a whole, an ode to the saying 'it takes a village to raise a man'

nuvvu tinae prati oka metuku ee sangham panDinchindi
garvinchae ee nee bratuku ee samaajamae malichindi
ruNam teerchu taruNam vastae tappinchuku pOtunnaavaa
teppa tagalabeTTaestaavaa aeru daaTa gaanae ||chuTToo pakkala chooDaraa chinnavaaDaa||

There is an interesting similarity here between the lead character in the movie and the poet himself. Both of them equally gifted in the ways of the word, and endowed with special talents. Besides earning for a living, and striving for recognition, every artist (be it the character, or the poet) aims for something more than the comfortable accompaniments that his skills and talents attract. It is to affect the world around him with his art, and in the best case scenario, try to rectify it, if not, at least highlight the plight by reflecting it in his wor(d)k. SriSri's seminal piece of literature 'Mahaa Prasthaanam' is not merely a collection of powerfully worded poems that defied the then reigning standards of rhyme and meter defining poetry. The work was a living and a breathing entity, in which the words vibrated in the struggles of the weak, and themes resonated with the plight of the weary. That it defied all conventions of expressions was a different matter. The aim wasn't defiance, the intention wasn't rebellion, it was anguish (aakrOsam), lament (aavaedana), yearning (aarthi). That is when a work of art is said to have truly served its purpose, when it has indeed strived for the greater good of the society. The soul of 'Mahaa Prasthaanam' served as a guiding light to the ideals of the lead character in the movie, as well as provided a perfect template for the poet. It was important for both 'sooryam' (in the movie) and Sirivennela to make good of the occasion and the skills by not frittering them away, extolling the banality of beauty and singing virtues about the status quo

asahaayata daDa daDalaaDae hrudaya mrudanga dhwaanam
naaDula naDakala taDabaDi saagae aartula aarani Sokam
eDaari bratukana nityam chastoo saagae baadhala biDaaru
dikkoo mokkoo teliyani jeevula vyadaardha jeevana swaraalu

niluvunaa nannu kammutunnaayi
SaantitO niluvaneeyakunnaayi
ee teegala savarinchaali
ee apasruti sarichaeyaali
janageetini vaddanukunToo
naaku naene peddanukunToo
kalalO jeevinchanu naenu
kalavarinta kOranu naenu ||naenu saitam||

All through the movie history, protagonists in the progressive movies (and hard hitting poets dealing with harsh realities) bemoaned and decried about the pathetic state of the current affairs. Raising an issue and ruing about it is only half the battle. This is where the indomitable spirit of the individual comes in. He doesn't wait for the society to signal for its improvement. Lessons are abound all around, if only one were ready to learn. Nature guides him and the glow of optimism that shines from there on serves as a beacon on his path of progress. The optimism isn't just in the thought alone, it reflects in the walk and talk, it resonates in the action, it becomes ingrained in the fundamental philosophy guiding one's conduct. And once one feels the change in himself first, change around is not far away. 'Rudra Veena' is probably the most auto-biographical album in Sirivennela's career as it relates to his 'tatwam', by ultimately assigning a purpose to his voice.

SeetaakalamlO ae kOyilainaa raagam teesaenaa ae'kaakigaa'
murisae puvvulu laeka virisae navvulu laeka
evariki chendani gaanam saaginchunaa
paduguri soukhyam panDae dinamae panDuga kaadaa
aa naaDu vaasanta geetaalu palukunu kada ||nammaku nammaku ee raeyini||

Cont'd in the next part - aaSaavaadam.

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