Syama Sastri - Early Life

Early Life

Syama Sastri was born in Tiruvarur in Thiruvarur district, into a scholarly and priestly Tamil speaking Brahmin,Iyer Vadama family. His father Viswanatham was the hereditary priest responsible for the care and worship of the image of the goddess, Bangaru Kamakshi, whose temple is in Thanjavur. Syama Sastri's father was 25 at the time of his birth and his mother, Vengalakshmi, 20 years old. A family tradition holds that she had received a prophecy of his birth from a devout neighbour. The infant was named Venkatasubrahmanya, but came to be affectionately known as Syama Krishna.

The family was comfortably settled and maintained a long tradition as devoted priests and scholars, but there were no musicians before Syama Sastri. Sastri's father ensured that he attained scholarship in Telugu and Sanskrit at a young age; his maternal uncle gave him a basic music education. When he was 18 years old, he moved with his family to Thanjavur. A sannyasin (renunciate) known as Sangita Svami (i.e. music svami), a learned musician skilled in both music and dance, was the family's guest during the chaturmasya period one year. This is the rainy season when renunciates are expected to stay in one location and teach. Recognizing Syama's potential, he educated the young man on many advanced aspects of music during his four-month stay, and presented him several rare musical texts. He recommended that he listen to as many of the fine musicians of the area as possible, and suggested that he cultivate the friendship of the court musician Pachchimiriyam Adiyappayya.