70-year-old Anjanappa from Gudibande taluk learnt to play Mukhaveni, an instrument that resembles a flute, from his father and grandfather

If you happen to see this 70-year-old musician at a public place seeking alms while playing an instrument that resembles a shehanai or a flute, do not dismiss him as just a beggar. Anjanappa is not only a gifted musician, but also one of the last links to Mukhaveni, a wind instrument.

The art of playing Mukhaveni is in his genes as Anjanappa, who hails from Gauguntehalli of Gudibande taluk in Chickballapur district, learnt it from his father and grandfather, who were professional musicians. He has mastered the art of playing Karanji, a piped instrument that involves taking in water from one nostril and leaving it through another, besides Panchavaadhya. Sometimes, he also enthrals the crows by playing all three instruments at once.

Besides Karnataka, Anjanappa has performed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. “I play the songs from the films of matinee idols of the respective States at concerts,” he says. Despite mastery over this instrument and huge popularity, Anjanappa lives in poverty.

“My music is not for sale. I will never fix a price for my music,” says Anjanappa, when asked why he should not quote a price for the music shows, which he performs at the request of various organisations.

“But, I accept whatever these organisations give me. While some pay a few hundreds, some have even paid Rs. 25,000. However, what they give is not my concern at all, because my main aim is to entertain the crowd with my music,” he says. He does not feel bad about getting alms from people after playing music. “It is a reward they give if they are satisfied. And this is how I lead my life,” says the humble musician.

The Kannada and Culture Department has sanctioned a monthly pension of Rs. 1,000 for him. But, that is not enough for this musician, who has a family of 10 members, who are farm labourers.

“I got a cash reward of Rs. 3 lakh. I used it to build a house for my family. I have built the walls. But I do not have money to put the roof over them,” says Anjanappa, whose dream is to complete his humble house.

However, more than completing the construction of the house, what bothers him is that nobody is willing to learn his music. “I taught these skills to one of my sons. But once when he was playing it outside a house in Mysuru, the owner got annoyed and scolded him by saying that he was wasting his life like his father. My son took it seriously and broke the instruments. Since then, he has not touched them,” says Anjanappa, who is eager to pass on the music tradition so that there will be somebody to carry forward his legacy.

Anjanappa (70) from Gudibande taluk learnt to play Mukhaveni, an instrument that resembles a flute, from his father and grandfather

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities / by B.S. Satish Kumar / Bengaluru – January 11th, 2016