Terada Yoshitaka, Professor Emeritus at the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan began his journey with South Indian music with a rather simple query. Why had Periya Me¯l·am (the traditional musical genre featuring the na¯gasvaram and the tavil), which is considered to be extremely important in the religious and social life of South Indian Hindus, been neglected by both Indian and non-Indian scholars? As he began his field research, Terada realized that the history of Periya Me¯l·am is inextricably linked with the life of the master of na¯gasvaram, T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai (1989-1956).

T.N. Rajarattinam Pillai: Charisma, Caste Rivalry and the Contested Past in South Indian Music focuses on the influential artist’s life and work, illuminating important aspects of caste-based relations in South Indian music. Backed by extensive field research and scholarship, this book is also a pioneering ethnographic account of Periya Me¯l·am, its practitioners and the significant changes in the genre that took place in the twentieth century.