‘Veena’ Dhanam’s House
6, Ramakrishna Chetty Street, George Town |
The Madras Presidency had a unique custom of dedicating women to temples. Such women were called Devadasis and they were the custodians of the fine arts. One of the most ancient clans among them was that of Thanjavur Kamakshi, who in the 1850s moved to Madras. Her granddaughter was Dhanammal (1868-1938). ‘Dhanam’ chose the veena as her instrument and perfected an extremely graceful method of playing it. Her talents had Maharajahs, business barons and composers at her feet.
This house was Dhanam’s residence from 1910 till her death. The rented accommodation was arranged courtesy of her admirer ‘Jalatarangam’ Ramaniah Chetty. Reclusive and moody to the extreme, Dhanam restricted her performances to once a week, at her own home. Her Friday evening concerts became famous and, soon, the cognoscenti flocked to this small dwelling, abided by her strict rules of silence, and soaked in her music. Dhanam was poor all her life, but she left behind a rich music tradition, passed down to her grandchildren, all of whom became famous. T. Brinda and T. Muktha were singers, T. Abhiramasundari was a violinist, T. Balasaraswathi, a dancer, T. Vishwanathan, a flautist, and T. Sankaran, a music historian.
Dhanam’s funeral was a grand affair with many of the city’s leading lights in attendance. A condolence meeting was held at Senate House, no less, with C. Rajagopalachari and S. Satyamurthi in attendance. Dhanam remains one of the most written about artistes and her name will live as long as Carnatic music does. (Courtesy: KalamKriya.)
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