Song of the Clay Pot My Journey With the Ghatam

Who was the first ghatam player in the universe? Was it Lord Ganesh, who drummed out a rhythm on his potbelly? Or Shiva, whose love for the clay pot was so great that he decided to manifest on earth as one, becoming Kumbheswara, a form in which he is still worshipped in Tamil Nadu? Or was it Gundayya, the potter, who played and played on the pots he made, until the whole world danced to the sound of the pot? Or was it the village women who, since time immemorial, have walked home every evening with their pots on their heads, playing on them with their rings and bangles? In this fascinating book, Sumana Chandrashekar describes her love affair with the ghatam from the time when it called to her in her dreams, leading her to Sukanya Ramgopal, contemporary Indias first woman ghatam player, and to Sukanyas own guru, Vikku Vinayakram, who, in 1966, had played the ghatam in New York, as an accompanist for the legendary M.S. Subbulakshmi, bringing this humble instrument onto the world stage. In tracing the journey of the ghatam, from the moment it is shaped on the potters wheel from clay gathered from pond and lake beds, to its entre on stage, Chandrashekar regales us with nuggets from the history of Carnatic music, including musical censorship that led to the rejection of the ghatam and AIRs ban on the harmonium from 1940 to 1971. She talks eloquently about the hierarchies amongst instruments-the ghatam being fifth in the line after the main artist, violin, mridangam and khanjira-and how this affects equations between artists. She is candid about the gender biases against women artists, and the pressure to conform-an aspect she has frequently experienced, having eschewed the traditional kanjeevaram sari and neatly coiled hair, for a kurta pajama and turban. Written as lyrically as the music it describes, Song of the Clay Pot is a deeply researched and thought-provoking book, replete with history, legend and romance, essential reading for all music lovers, and for those who love a good story.