Kinnera is my life, the art should continue to live: Darshanam Mogulaiah

Hyderabad: Darshnam Mogulaiah, who hails from Nagarkurnool district’s Avusala Kunta village, has been awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, for the year 2022 in the ‘Art’ category for his contribution in preserving the traditional art form – the kinnera, a folk musical instrument native to Telangana.

Mogulaiah, a fifth-generation artiste, has not only kept his family tradition alive, but is also instrumental in reinventing the kinnera, origins of which can be traced to the nomadic tribes — the Dakkali and the Chenchu — in the Nallamalla forest.

Mogulaiah says he was introduced to kinnera by his father Yellaiah when he was 10 years old. And, since then, he has been associated with this art form. While Mogulaiah’s father used the seven-step player, his forefathers and ancestors used eight or nine frets.

Mogulaiah has upgraded the instrument to 12 steps. His ancestors played the kinnera in the court of the Wanaparthy king about 400 years ago.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao felicitated the noted kinnera player for being awarded the Padma Shri, and announced a residential site in Hyderabad and Rs 1 crore for the construction of house and other expenses.

The folk artiste, on account of his marginalised socio-economic status, is also given a monthly pension of Rs 10,000 now by the Telangana government. The State government in 2015 honoured Mogulaiah with the Ugadi Puraskaram, recognising his rare talent.

Mogulaiah’s contribution towards the revival of the artform has also earned him a place in the Class 8 social studies text books in the State board syllabus.

Need to preserve art form

This centuries-old art form is now on the verge of extinction. Being the only artiste alive to perform the 12-step kinnera, the 68-year-old is striving to revive the art form.

Mogulaiah repents that the art is dying and wants to pass on valour stories of Telangana fighter Panduga Sayanna, Miya Saab and Endematla Fakeeraiah, to the next generation. He says the traditional art can be pulled back from the verge of extinction with help from the government, and is willing to teach this artform to students who wish to learn it.

Defying poverty

Born into a family of traditional kinnera musicians of the Dekkali community, he was trained at an early age. Mogulaiah says he has encountered many hardships while growing up. He pursued folk music defying extreme poverty and not let the circumstances act as a hindrance. Even as their family was hit by poverty, and survival of his children depended on alms by well-wishers, Mogulaiah did not leave the kinnera.

From his family working as daily-wage labourers, to losing his wife and four children to hunger and poverty, he has lived a very difficult life. Mogulaiah moved around his village and other places in the district singing songs at fairs and gatherings, entertaining people and telling them the rich history of the State. At times, Mogulaiah had no option but turn to odd jobs, but there is not a sense of defeat in his voice.

Mogulaiah’s life journey has been truly inspirational. Never the one to let adversities triumph over his innate talent, he continued to move forward and worked harder, using the skills of the ancient art without deviating from his artistic creativity.

Turning point

The folk artiste gained prominence and became an overnight sensation after rendering his vocals to the introduction song of the Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film ‘Bheemla Nayak’, and since then his popularity has only catapulted. The actor’s trust — Pawan Kalyan Learning Centre for Human Excellence — had also presented Rs 2 lakh financial aid to Mogulaiah as an honour.

About Kinnera

Kinnera, whose strings produce pleasing resounding notes, is made using bamboo, dried outer shell of round pumpkins (used as resonators), bull horn, honey, wax, and beads. The performance involves music and vocals in the form of ballads, usually short monologues, drawn from historical incidents.

By Ravi Hari

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