Celebrating Madras Day

"Devadasis of Madras" by V. Sriram

Venue: Chamiers, 85 Chamiers Road, R A Puram, Chennai -28 From the position of a sacred servant of the temple and handmaiden of God, the Devadasi became a profane prostitute over the years. By the time Madras as a city was founded, the degradation had already begun. Yet the years 1639 to 1900 saw the Devadasi flowering as a custodian of the arts and she was largely responsible in making the city of Madras that is Chennai a cultural capital. Many names abound from this glorious period - Tanjavur Kamakshi, Tiruvidaimarudur Bhavani, Kanchipuram Dhanakoti, Mylapore Doraikannu, Madras Jeevaratnam, Salem Meenakshi, Enadi Lakshminarayani and Rangiah, 'Veena' Pushpa and of course the redoubtable 'Veena' Dhanam, Bangalore Nagarathnam and Mylapore Gowri. But by the 1900s Western education had taken root of Indian minds and a movement arose to outlaw the Devadasi. The women were however not of the kind to give in meekly. What followed is an interesting tale which ended in tragedy. All of this happened in our city of Madras that is Chennai between 1927 and 1947. Come and listen to the tale of the Anti Nautch Movement even as we celebrate Madras Week.

Engineer-MBA V Sriram, is a ardent follower and exponent of Carnatic Music, having learnt music from the age of six. The popular 'Music Walks in Chennai' during the kutchery season and a quiz book on Carnatic Music are authored by Sriram in partnership with Sanjay Subramaniam. In 2004, Sriram's book Carnatic Summer that has biographies of 20 major Carnatic music exponents was released. His book on Bangalore Nagarathnammal is slated for a December release.