Sebastian & Sons : A Brief History of Mrdangam Makers

This is an account of the lives of mrdangam makers , who are the unsung backroom boys of the carnatic music world, and the complex relationship between the makers and their patrons.The author has put in painstaking efforts in tracing the families, conducting interviews with the makers in an attempt to reconstruct the history over the last fifty to seventy years.The key points around which the book revolves are:The hypocrisy of bramins in using the mrdangam made of cow hide while claiming ritual purity.Outsourcing the unenviable job of slaughtering the cow and making the mrdangam to dalits and living in a world of pretence (don't worry about the origin of the river or of the rishi).Not giving the makers due credit for their contribution and attributing the good work to a divine force for bringing together the wood, leather and the artist to produce heavenly music.Artist going on an ego trip and making unnecessary and unreasonable demands on the maker which resulted in extreme physical hardships for the makers which the artist themselves (bramin 'weaklings') were not capable of.All of the above points are valid and works like this would go a long way in correcting a historical wrong giving the makers their due credit. However, the biggest issue marring the narrative is the author's privilege.Krishna comes from an affluent and privileged background. His contemporaries like Sanjay subrahmanyan probably worked twice as hard to reach a similar status and not everyone gets to write in the "The Hindu". Thus, he is very much part of the inner circle that he is being critical of. His extreme self-awareness of his privilege has resulted in Krishna superimposing 20th century values on feudal men who seem benevolent judging by their times.The book revolves around Palghat Mani Iyer and his obsession with improvising the mrdangam and to be fair Krishna quotes the interviewee verbatim/states the facts before adding his interpretation. Iyer comes out as a fair person who is passionate about his work and respects talent, While Krishna tries to paint him as an opportunist providing concessions to the makers to gain an edge against his rivals by having a better instrument.To quote a few :One Vaidyanada Iyer pays only the bare expenses to the makers and keeps the rest in safe custody. Krishna interprets this as a feudal lord controlling the socio-economic status of the lower class. But elsewhere the family members of the makers state that any surplus cash would be spent on liquor (once can argue iyer had no business to decide how they spent their money) and later the author also states that vaidyanada Iyer and Mani Iyer gave money to parlandu (one of the makers) for building a house and also buy some land for him. Parlandu also spends the night at the crematorium when (V) Iyer dies. The author attributes this to complex web of emotions including servitude.Elsewhere Parlandu is said to have threatened one of Palaghat’s Iyer’s managers with dire consequences if he ever visited the “Cheri” again when he has one of the many fallouts with Iyer. But Iyer seems to treat these episodes with benevolence (for a man of feudal times). Contrast this with one of his leading contemporaries (Palani) who brooks no insubordination from Parlandu and refuses to work with him after that.Iyer on the other hand seems to genuinely appreciate the makers talent and seems to treat them fairly from a financial perspective. He asks his manager (another Iyer) to collect Parlandu’s urine for tests when the latter is debilitated with diabetes.Similarly, some of the makers seem to think that the brahmin artists have moved on and caste discrimination has reduced. Krishna attributes this to compulsions of living in urban spaces and desperation for availing the makers services and keeping them in good humour. He makes a similar observation when one of the makers mention that a particular artist treated him like a son.While the makers deserve due recognition, sometimes one feels Krishna overstates the case and to my mind the below episode answers the question for the lay reader:Mani Iyer believes that his rival Palani has a better mrdangam and asks Parlandu to finetune his instrument. After many iterations, Iyer is not satisfied and he scornfully questions Parlandu’s ability. Parlandu Retorts “ Ayya it is not the instrument, it is his hands”.This would have been a more soulful book if written by an insider( like Bala Sarawati’s biography by Knight).

Dialogue us essential to the transformation of societal structures.

A riveting and gut wrenching read. Exposes the dirty underbelly of casteism in the classical music circuit especially around manufacturers of musical instruments. It's an eye opener of how society treats the downtrodden. And you can draw parallels to every phase of our lives on how casteism play out in daily life.Take a bow for writing this, Krishna. It takes courage and a very open mind to research this topic and present it in its naturality.The wiring style is simple and straight from the heart, keeps the reader glued. A must have on your bookshelf.

Great book, very detailed and immensely enjoyable to read. Though provoking way to understand the art of Mridangam making and the makers who went unheralded.

I'm astounded at the research TMK has undertaken to write this book.At the same time, its humbling. To read about unsung heroes - for once detached from their heroes.Engrossing read!

An excellent exposition of lives of the Mridangam Makers, but for whom the Mridangam Artists wouldn’t have been able to be what they are!

I didn’t dislike it but had I known it would deep dive so much about the making of the instrument, I would have avoided it for sure. TMK is a rockstar and his observations are fine.

Fantastic read! Brilliantly edited. The nuances that TMK brings to the fore are fascinating. Being an amateur mrdangam player myself, revelations stunned me

A very well researched piece of work that combines first hand accounts, making it a compelling read through. I had goosebumps while reading some of the sections. I learnt quite a bit about the unknowns in the process of mridangam making. After spending close to three decades being associated with the instrument, this book opened my eyes (and better appreciate) the “art” of mridangam making and the craftsmen who make it all happen.

I am amazed that the Gandhian values of Equality have come back alive with this book! So heart felt appreciation to the Author TM Krishna. It's a must read for all those who believe that 'Equality is Democracy'!

Fantastic piece on the art and craftsmen. An even better commentary on society and caste.

I bought this book after hearing the author speak. It is fascinating, and empowering for drum makers (even calling them that instead of "drum repairers"). A great book on South Indian drums

Absolutely amazing!