Bangalore Nagarathnamma

Nagarathnamma was among the earliest artists of South India, along with Salem Godavari and Dhanakoti Ammal of Kanchipuram to be recorded as early as 1904-05. She was a gifted musician, scholar, poetess and devadasi born in the princely Mysore State. She moved to Bangalore under the patronage of Justice Narahari Rao in the city. She later shifted to Madras which was emerging as the seat of Carnatic music. She was famous for publishing the controversial erotic love poetry ‘Radhika Santhvanamu’ of an 18th century Tanjore courtesan Muddu Pazhani. Copies of the book were banned and burnt in public, but she took the matter to court where after a prolonged fight she lost the case and the ban was upheld. Nagarathnamma made a passionate plea against the Devadasi Abolition that was enacted by the Madras Presidency. Later in life, she was instrumental in establishing the Samadhi of Saint-bard Thyagaraja in Tiruvaiyyaru in Tamil Nadu. Musicians flock to the Samadhi to this date on the occasion of the Saint’s death anniversary and render his Pancharatna Kritis.Bangalore Nagarathnamma was famous for her Sanskrit Shlokas and Virutthams along with Raga alapanas that she recorded for the Gramophone Company with a clear and chaste diction. Nagrathnamma sings a Carnatic Shlokam, ‘Gacchami achyuta’.