‘Happy that people recognise my artform now’: Padma Shri winner and folk singer Darshanam Mogulaiah
As the only surviving artiste to play and perform with Kinnera, Mogulaiah is no less a celebrity. People, especially youngsters, gather around him requesting selfies, and eagerly wait for him to sing.
6 min read
Darshanam MogulaiahDarshanam Mogulaiah, 67, has done many odd jobs, including that of a daily wager at construction sites, to provide for his family. But that never deterred him from pursuing a centuries-old artform, which his father passed on to him. Though it did not fetch him a steady livelihood, Mogulaiah has been singing folk tales of local heroes for over five decades, evoking purest of emotions, using his string instrument Kinnera.
As the only surviving artiste to play and perform with Kinnera, Mogulaiah is no less a celebrity. People, especially youngsters, gather around him requesting selfies, and eagerly wait for him to sing. He was among the luminaries recently honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in the country, on Republic Day.
“We have seen him do all kinds of odd jobs to sustain his family. His life has been full of hardships and if he is blessed today with good fortune, it is because of his devotion towards the artform his ancestors passed on to him,” said 68-year-old Parvathamma, Mugulaiah’s neighbour in Avasalikunta village, about 180 kms away from Hyderabad in Telangana.
On the fringes of the village, tucked away from the main road, Yellaswamy, 27, points towards a single-room house where 10 adults and nine children presently live. The 27-year-old is Mogulaiah’s eldest of five children and ekes out a living as a mason. While Mogulaiah can name his ancestors from the last five generations who played Kinnera, Yellaswamy chose to not learn the art form.
“By the time I was 10, I moved to Mumbai with my father, mother, and sister to work at a construction site for Rs 30,000 for 10 months. While our parents returned, we continued to work there for the next 12 years,” says Yellaswamy, explaining why he never picked up Kinnera from his father. Mogulaiah’s wife Shankaramma passed away in 2017. The family has been struggling to build a two-bedroom house abutting their present house for over a year.
The family has been struggling to build a two-bedroom house abutting their present house for over a year.
“People here do not understand the prestige associated with the Padma Shri. We are very happy with the recognition and hope to construct this house soon,” he underlined.
“People here do not understand the prestige associated with the Padma Shri. We are very happy with the recognition and hope to construct this house soon,” he underlined.
Kinnera is a two-stringed indigenous instrument made using bamboo, the dried outer shell of round bottle gourd, honeycomb, bull horn, wax, beads, mirrors and peacock feathers. Mogulaiah has upgraded the instrument to 12 frets instead of seven, eight, or nine frets used by his ancestors. The strings made of goat’s nerves were replaced with metal strings. From the age of 8 years, he had been traveling with his father Yellaiah.
“We did not seek alms while playing music. Wherever we were asked, we performed. Whenever someone died in the village, we used to sing for entire nights to console the bereaved family. Whenever someone was bitten by a snake, along with the medicine it was our songs that helped cure them,” said Mogulaiah.
Kinnera is a two-stringed indigenous instrument made using bamboo, the dried outer shell of round bottle gourd, honeycomb, bull horn, wax, beads, mirrors and peacock feathers.
He said the art form is never a means of livelihood for him. “I worked as a labourer for 14 years in Adilabad, Karimnagar, and Warangal. I used to work during the days and sing during the nights for myself and my neighbours. Even during the toughest of times, I did not leave it,” he added, explaining that the songs he sings are oral renditions that are passed on to him by his father and not written down anywhere.
Backed by the earthy tonality of the Kinnera, Mogulaiah sings the heroic tales of Pandugolla Sayanna, an 18th century Robinhood, and the likes of Endavetla Pakiraiah and Miya Saab, all of whom helped the poor. But his claim to fame happened after he sang the title track for the upcoming Telugu movie ‘Bheemla Nayak’.
“I am very happy that a lot of people recognise my artform now. The title song of the movie is folklore of Miya Saab I have been singing for decades. They did make some changes but I am happy,” said Mogulaiah, adding that he met Pawan Kalyan twice and was offered Rs 2 lakh in return for the song.
A year after the formation of the Telangana state, Mogulaiah was honored with the state government’s Ugadi Puraskaram in 2015. Though he was promised a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 in 2015, it started coming through only a few months ago. Contributions of Mogulaiah and Kinnera have made it to Class 8 text book in the state board syllabus. He said he is indebted to the Telangana government for taking steps to preserve his endangered artform.
Following the Padma Shri honour, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao felicitated Mogulaiah at the CM’s official residence and announced a reward of Rs one crore and a house site in Hyderabad. “The state government has agreed to open an academy. I will make 10 more Kinnera instruments and teach the music to 10 more people. To take the art form forward, I am ready to teach anyone who wants to learn it,” he added.
Mogulaiah’s second son Mahender, who accompanies his father for various cultural programmes, is now learning the artform and taking his father’s legacy forward.
You May Like
Photos
