your bridge home
Saints and Poets
The king sent gifts ahead, which was how a court acquired a musician. Tyagaraja sent back a song refusing them, and his brother threw the family gods in the river.
The king of Thanjavur sent for Tyagaraja, which was not a request. And he sent gifts ahead.
That was the standard arrangement. A court acquired a musician, and a musician acquired a life without hunger in it.
The rest of this story, read aloud, and a new one every day.