பாபநாசம் சிவன் வாழ்க்கை பற்றி அவரது பேரன் எழுதியுள்ளார்.
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Body, soul and bhajan
Ashok Ramani, SEPTEMBER 25, 2015
Tomorrow marks the 125th birth
anniversary of Papanasam Sivan.
His grandson Papanasam Ashok
Ramani pays tribute.
The place was Oothu parai, in Thiruva
nantha-puram. A young boy had to
work longs hours as a cook during
Ramanavami celebrations just to
support his mother and himself, his
father having passed away when he
was just seven. His duties included
filling eight large water tanks twice a
day, assisting in the cooking and
serving all those thousands who
turned up for lunch and dinner during
the fest. But all the while, it was music
that enthralled him.
After dinner, the little boy would run
to listen to the harikatha performance
which was held as part of the festival.
It was here that he first heard
Manamelkudi Venkatachala
Bhagavatar, a harikatha exponent.
That was how Papanasam Sivan began
his tryst with classical music,
especially bhajan and harikatha.
Born on September 26, 1890, in
Polakom, a small village in Thanjavur
district, Sivan lived in
Thiruvananthapuram between 1899
and 1910. After that, he returned to
Tamil Nadu and stayed with his
brother in Papanasam. It was around
1912 that he started listening to
classical music.
From a ‘mere kirtana-driven devotee,’
Sivan slowly transformed himself into
a classical composer.
With no formal lessons whatsoever.
For this, the world owes a debt of
gratitude to the vidwan,
Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer,
who was a great inspiration to Sivan.
My grandfather said he listened to
about 50 concerts of Vaidyanatha Iyer,
whose Thodi rendition was described
by many vidwans in superlatives. So
much so, Sivan composed about 20
kritis in the same raga, which were
strongly influenced by Iyer’s Thodi.
I remember once my grandfather
narrating the following incident to my
mother, Rukmini Ramani, “Iyer was
singing in Ammangudi once. That
day, I was at my aunt’s place in
Kumbakonam in connection with my
father’s death anniversary. When I
learnt that Iyer was singing, I wanted
to go. It meant I had to walk seven
miles to Ammankudi. By the time I
reached the venue, the concert had
already begun and I could not go near
the stage. However, Iyer saw me and
sent someone to bring me to the stage
and made me sit with him. During the
concert, I noticed two people near the
stage talking intermittently. I was
annoyed and asked them to remain
silent. Iyer turned to them and said
(pointing to me), ‘He is intelligent.
Now, listen to this kriti of his.’
He then sang ‘Sikkal Meviya’, a kriti
of mine in Khambodi.” Thatha said
that though he was not destined to get
the love and affection of a father, he
received it in full measure from his
guru.
When Sivan settled down in Madras in
1929, Rukmini Devi Arundale was
among the first to recognise his
genius. Sivan was closely associated
with Kalakshetra, from 1934 to1939.
During that time, Rukmini Devi was
among his many students, which also
included leading musicians such as S.
Rajam. Perhaps, this tenure at
Kalakshetra inspired Sivan to
compose several padavarnams that are
now part of the Bharatanatyam
repertoire.
My grandfather’s involvement with
the film world is well known. The first
song he composed was for the film
‘Seetha Kalyanam,’ which was shot at
Prabhath Studio, Pune.
He made his acting debut in 1935 with
‘Kusela.’ He wrote Carnatic-based
songs for more than 100 films and
acted in quite a few such as ‘Kubera
Kuchela’, ‘Kusela’ and ‘Thyaga
Bhoomi.’ It is no exaggeration to say
that my grandfather enjoyed divine
grace in all his endeavours. Once after
finishing a concert, he and his friends
were returning to Mannargudi by
bullock cart. It was pitch dark and the
route they were taking was notorious
for dacoits. And almost every member
in the group had quite a bit of gold on
their person. As luck would have it, a
gang of dacoits with burning torches
stopped the group.
They were all petrified, to say the
least. At once my grandfather began
singing ‘Namarkum Kudiallom
Namani Anjom’ loudly. Hearing the
song, a few watchmen from nearby
groves rushed to the spot and the
robbers took to their heels. And the
group continued its journey unharmed.
Such instances, where help came from
unexpected quarters, was proof that
Sivan had divine protection all the
time.
Ramnad Krishnan had visited my
grandfather. When he heard Sivan
sing Tyagaraja’s Navarasa Kannada
kriti, ‘Ninnu Vina,’ he was
spellbound.
The following day, which was
Sivaratri, he was leading a bhajan
team when Krishnan requested him to
render the Navarasa Kannada song.
At once, my grandfather composed
‘Naan Oru Vilayattu Bommaiya’ in
the same raga, and Krishnan fell at his
feet to receive his blessings.
So overwhelmed was Sivan when he
watched the Adhikara Nandi
procession of Lord Kapali and other
deities that he composed ‘Kaana Kann
Kodi Vendum.’ He then went on to
compose more than 100 kritis on
Kapaleeswaraar and Karpagambal,
which he taught to his disciples.
My grandfather will always be
remembered for the bhajans he
presented all over Tamil Nadu.
(‘bhajan’ here refers to devotional
music, not group singing.)
At his Mylapore bhajans (during the
month of Margazhi), one often saw
stalwarts such as Dr. S. Ramanathan,
D.K. Jayaraman and Ramnad
Krishnan in attendance.
My grandfather would say, “People
say body and soul are born together.
But I was born with body, soul and
bhajan. The moment I am unable to
perform bhajan, I shall cease to exist.”
He passed away in 1973, but left
behind so many gems in the form of
Carnatic kritis and bhajans.”
(The writer, a Carnatic vocalist, is the
grandson of Papanasam Sivan.)
My grandfather said that though he
was not destined to get the love and
affection of a father, he received it in
full measure from his guru.
Innamburan S.Soundararajan
[email protected]Translate message into English
நண்பர் கணேசனுக்கு என் வாழ்த்துக்கள். பூமியின் ஒரு கோடியில் நீங்கள்;
மற்றொரு கோடியில் நான்.
இருவருக்கும் ஒரே வினாடியில் பாபநாசம் சிவன் அவர்களின் கடாக்ஷத்தை
பெறுகிறோம். அதிகாலை பஜனைகளில், நானும் அவர்களுடன்,சில
நாட்களில்,பஜனைகளில் கலந்து கொள்ளும் பாக்கியம் எனக்கு கிட்டியிருந்தது.
அவருக்கு அஞ்சலி செலுத்தும் பொருட்டு, 'அன்றொரு நாள்' தொடரில் அவரை
பற்றி நான் எழுதிய கட்டுரையை, இங்கு பதிவு செய்கிறேன்.
அன்புடன்,
இன்னம்பூரான்
ஜனவரி 29, 2017
********************
அன்றொரு நாள்: அக்டோபர் 10
பாபநாசம் சிவன் (செப்டம்பர் 26, 1890 - அக்டோபர் 10, 1973)
கையேந்தி பவன்களில் உணவருந்தி, மச்சு, குச்சுக்களில் குடக்கூலி இருந்து,
காலேஜில் படியாமல் இருந்து வந்த காலகட்டத்தில், கபாலி கோயில் சுத்து
வட்டாரத்தில் அஞ்ஞாத வாசம் செய்ததுண்டு. மார்கழி மாதம் அதிகாலையில்
குளத்தாண்டே ஜிலு ஜிலு மாருதம் வீச,படா படா பெட்டி ஆர்மோனியம் ஒலிக்க
பஜனை இசைத்து வரும் பாபநாசம் சிவன் அவர்களுக்கு, ஜால்ரா போட்டதுண்டு.
அது அந்தக்காலம். திரு. கிருஷ்ணன் வெங்கடாசலம் பெரியவரை பற்றி நேர்த்தியாக
எழுதியிருக்கிறார். அவற்றிலிருந்து சில துளிகள். முழுதையும் படிக்க உதவியாக,
உசாத்துணை.
“...பாபநாசம் சிவன்: அவரைத் தமிழ்த் தியாகய்யர் எனக் கூறுவார்கள்.
சினிமாவுக்காக அல்லாமல் ஏராளமான தமிழ்ப்பாடல்களை எழுதி, அவைகள்
சினிமாவில் அப்படியே பயன்படுத்தப்பட்டிருக்கின்றன... தெலுங்கில் எழுதிய
தியாகய்யர் போல் தமிழில் ஏராளமான பக்திப்பாடல்களை இயற்றி இன்றளவும்
அவைகள் கச்சேரி மேடைகளில் வலம் வந்து கொண்டிருக்கின்றன.பாடல்களை
எழுதும்போதே அவற்றிற்கான மெட்டுக்களையும் அமைத்துவிடும் திறன் இவருக்கு
உண்டு. அவைகள் யாவும் கர்நாடக சங்கீத மெட்டில் அமைந்திருந்ததால் சினிமா
இசையமைப்பாளர்களுக்கு எவ்வித சிரமமும் இருந்ததில்லை...தஞ்சை மாவட்டம்
போலகம் எனும் ஊரில் 1890-ல் பிறந்த இவரது இயற்பெயர் ராமய்யா. சிறு
வயதிலேயே தந்தையை இழந்தவர். இவரது இளமைக் காலம் திருவனந்தபுரத்தில்
கழிந்திருக்கிறது...் ஏழை பிராமணர்கள் இலவசமாகச் சாப்பிட முடியும். அப்படி
அன்னதானம் அளிக்கப்படும் இடங்களுக்கு ஊட்டுப்புரை என்கிற பெயர் உண்டு.
இங்கு தான் ராமய்யாவுக்கு சாப்பாடு... பாலக்காடு அருகே நூருணி என்கிற ஒரு
ஊர். இந்த ஊரைச் சேர்ந்த பாகவதர் ஒருவரின் நட்பு இங்கே கிடைத்தது. அது
இவரது இசை ஞானத்தை வளர்க்க உதவியாக இருந்தது...1939 ஆம் ஆண்டு
சென்னையில் குடியேறினார். வீணை எஸ் பாலச்சந்தரின் தகப்பனார் சுந்தரம்
அய்யரின் நட்பு கிடைத்தது. சுந்தரம் அய்யரின் மூத்தமகன் எஸ் ராஜம் (ஓவியர்)
எஸ் பாலச்சந்தர், மகள் எஸ் ஜெயலட்சுமி மற்றும் சுந்தரம் அய்யர் ஆகியோர்
நடித்த 'சீதா கல்யாணம்' என்கிற திரைப்படத்திற்கு தன் முதல் பாடல் இயற்றினார்
பாபநாசம் சிவன். மைலாப்பூரில் வாசம். ஒவ்வொரு வருடமும் மார்கழி மாதத்தில்
நடைபெறும் பஜனை கோஷ்டியில் பிரதான பாடகர். மாட வீதியைச் சுற்றி வரும்
இந்த பஜனை கோஷ்டி, கற்பகாம்பாள் பேரில் பல பாடல்களை இயற்றிப்
பாடியிருக்கிறார்...பாபநாசம் சிவன் தனது குருவாக பிரபல சங்கீத வித்வான்
கோனேரிராஜபுரம் வைத்யநாதய்யரையே கருதி வந்திருப்பதாக ஒரு பேட்டியில்
அவரது மகள் திருமதி ருக்மணி ரமணி அவர்கள் தெரிவித்திருக்கிறார்கள். சிவனின்
சகோதரன் ராஜகோபாலய்யரின் புதல்வி மறைந்த எம்ஜியாரின் துணைவியார்
வி.என். ஜானகி என்கிற பதிவுகள் உள்ளன. ..இவரது கீர்த்தனைகள் பலவும் புத்தக
உருவில் வெளிவந்திருக்கிறது. சிந்து பைரவி ராகத்தில் இவர் இயற்றி, ஆலத்தூர்
சகோதர்களால் பாடப்பட்டு, இசைத்தட்டாக வெளிவந்த பாடப் 'சந்திரசேகரா ஈசா',
இப்பாடல் இன்றும் கூட பல மேடைகளில் கர்நாடக இசை வித்வான்களால்
பாடப்படுகிறது. இந்தப் பாடலைக் கேட்கும்போதெல்லாம் கண்களிலிருந்து கண்ணீர்
பெருகுவதைத் தவிர்க்கவே முடிவதில்லை...இவைகள் தவிர தமிழின் முக்கியமான
சில படங்களில் நடித்த பெருமையும் இவருக்கு உண்டு. 1939 ல் சேவாசதனம்.
1943 ல் குபேரகுசேலா. இதில் குசேலராக மிகவும் அற்புதமாக நடித்திருக்கிறார்.
காலத்தால் அழிக்க முடியாத திரைக்காவியம் 'தியாகபூமி'. இப்படத்தில் நடித்த
பாபநாசம் சிவன் அவர்களைத் திரையுலகம் மறக்க இயலாது...1961 ஆம் ஆண்டு
தமிழக அரசு இவருக்கு கலைமாமணி விருது அளித்து கௌரவித்தது. காமகோடி
பீடம் இவருக்கு 'சிவபுண்ணியகானமணி' என்கிற பட்டத்தை வழங்கியது. தமிழ்
சினிமா உள்ள காலம் முழுவதம் பாபநாசம் சிவனின் பெருமை திரையுலகில்
நிரந்தரமாக இருந்து வரும்.
மிகவும் சிறப்பான சில திரைப்படப்பாடல்களை இப்போது நினைவு கூரலாம்.
உனைக்கண்டு மயங்காத பேர்களுண்டோ - அசோக்குமார்
பூமியில் மானிட ஜென்மம் அடைந்தும் ஓர் - அசோக்குமார்
மன்மத லீலையை வென்றார் உண்டோ - ஹரிதாஸ்
அன்னையும் தந்தையும் தானே - ஹரிதாஸ்
ராதே உனக்குக் கோபம் ஆகாதடி - சிந்தாமணி
மனமே கணமும் மறவாதே - சாவித்திரி
வதனமே சந்திரபிம்பமோ - சிவகவி
மறைவாய் புதைத்த ஓடு - திருநீலகண்டர்
பாபநாசம் சிவனின் பாடல்கள் இடம் பெற்ற சில முக்கியமான
படங்கள்:அசோக்குமார் - 1941 லிருந்து செஞ்சுலட்சுமி - 1958 வரை.
திரு. தி. ரா. ச ஒரு நிகழ்வை நினைவுறுத்துகிறார்~ ‘... அவருக்கு சதாபிஷேக விழா
நடந்தது.சென்னையில் கிருஷ்ணகான சபாவின் சார்பில் அது 1971 வில்
நடைபெற்றது... அந்த கொட்டும் மழையிலும் ஒரு சைக்கிள்ரிக்ஷாக்காரன் வண்டியை
ஓட்டிகொண்டு வந்துகொண்டிருந்தான். கிட்டே வந்தவுடன் "ஐய்யா போலாமுங்களா"
என்றான்.எனக்கு ஒன்றும் புரியவில்லை."என்ன மாமா கார் வரவில்லயா"
என்றேன்."இல்லை அம்பி இவன்தான் எனக்கு எங்கே போனாலும் வந்து இருந்து
பத்திரமாக கூட்டிக்கொண்டு போகிறான்.
காருக்கு 50 ரூபாய் குடுத்தால் 5 நிமிஷத்தில் மயிலை கொண்டு விட்டுவிடுவான்.
ஆனால் அதே 50 ரூபாயை இவனுக்குக் கொடுத்தால் அரைமணியாகும்.
இவன் குடும்பமே ஒரு வாரத்துக்கு வயிறாறச்சாப்பிடும்" என்றார்... அந்த இழையில்
திரு. தி. ரா. ச.வுடன் நம் மின் தமிழ் முன்னணி கீதா சாம்பசிவம் 2007 லியே
அரட்டை அடிக்கிறார். நான் புதிசா சொல்றதுக்கு என்ன இருக்கு?
இன்னம்பூரான்
10 10 2011
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_yass/s320/sivan_strtbhajanai.jpg
உசாத்துணை:
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‘அம்பா நீ இரங்காயெனில்...’ எம்.எஸ். பாடியது.
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N. Ganesan
[email protected]Translate message into English
On Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 9:33:15 AM UTC-8, yogiyaar wrote:
wonderful. thanks for yu to have given an opportunity to read again,
yogiyar
வெண்பாவிரும்பி சோதரர் முனைவர் வி. என். முத்துக்குமார் கட்டுரை, 2001.
முத்துக்குமாரின் தீஸிஸ் அட்வைசர், திருப்புகழ் என நினைக்கிறேன் -
ஜார்ஜ் ஹார்ட் என்னிடம் பலமுறை அவரது மாணவர் முத்துக்குமார் அவர்களைப்
புகழ்ந்துள்ளார். ~NG
http://www.parrikar.org/carnatic/sivan/
Papanasam Sivan – Inspirations And Expressions
by V. N. Muthukumar and M. V. Ramana
First published on SAWF on October 29, 2001
M. V. Ramana is currently at the Program on Science and Global
Security, Princeton University.
M.V. Ramana
We dedicate this feature to the memory of Papanasam
Sivan (Sep 26, 1890 – Oct 1, 1973), one of the great composers
of Indian Classical Music. The life of Papanasam Sivan, his
contributions to the world of classical music, Tamizh Isai, and
film music have all been documented in various sources.
However, to our knowledge, his personal reminiscences (written
in Tamizh) [1] have not been translated into English. Nor is this
slim volume widely available. Therefore, we decided to translate
some excerpts of Papanasam Sivan’s “enatu ninaivuk kadal”
[2].
Papanasam Sivan with his wife Lakshmi
The aim of this exercise is twofold. First, there is not much
information available in the literature about the (Carnatic)
musicians of the early 1900’s, and Sivan’s reminiscences offer
some interesting glimpses of this era. Secondly, and perhaps
more interestingly, his recollections show the evolution of a
great musical mind and the influence of another great
musician, Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer (1878-1921). In
particular, since Sivan did not learn music formally for any
significant period of time, his Kritis as well as the manner in
which he handles different ragas, offer us a glimpse into the
music of Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer and other
musicians of that era. We offer a sample of Sivan’s Kritis in
audio clips, following the translated memoirs.
In the following, we present some excerpts from [2]. We make
no attempt to bring the flavor of Sivan’s style of writing into our
translation. For those who read Tamizh, we recommend the
original for its Tanjavur flavour.
Between 1899 and 1910, Sivan lived with his mother in
Tiruvanantapuram (Trivandrum), where he was inspired by the
composer Nilakanta Sivan. Nilakanta Sivan passed away in
1903. However, Sivan says he had the fortune of attending
Nilakanta Sivan’s bhajans during the years 1902 and 1903.
My primary Guru was “Swarakkudukkai” NUraNi Mahadeva
Bhagavatar. He was the son of NUraNi Parameshwara
Bhagavatar. Like his father, Mahadeva Bhagavatar was the Asthana
VidwAn in the court of Trivandrum. He had a thin voice that could
span three octaves. His expertise in singing swaras earned him the
title “Swarakkudukkai”. During the months of Aippasi and Panguni,
an Utsavam used to take place in the temple of Padmanabhaswamy in
Trivandrum. During this festival, the idols of Padmanabha, Narasimha
and Krishna were taken around the corridors of the temple, to the
accompaniment of the asthana vidwAns singing the kritis of Swati
TirunAL. Mahadeva Bhagavatar was a key figure in these
proceedings. I vividly recall an occasion where he started the fast
paced kriti in Khamas [3], “sArasasama…“. In the third stanza,
“prakata pala …“, the musicians started swara prasthara. Each
musician sang in turn and the resulting music was inspiring. Though
63 years have lapsed since, the scene and the music are etched in my
mind. Some of the musicians in that gathering were Ganapathy
Bhagavatar, Ramaswami Bhagavatar, Vishvanatha
Bhagavatar and Somayaji Bhagavatar. Mahadeva Bhagavatar’s
eldest son who was called Bhairaviccamy gave a brilliant rendition of
“ninnu sevinchina…” in Yadhukulakambodi. I learnt music from
Mahadeva Bhagavatar for about three months. He taught me the
introductory sarali varisais and alankara gitas.
From Sivan’s writings, it is clear that he did not have a
traditional musical curriculum. He learnt bits and pieces of
music from many people and rues that he did not heed the
advice of Krishna Bhagavatar, who told him to go to an
accomplished musician for formal training. However, Sivan was
more drawn to the music of bhajans and Harikathas.
Rama Navami was celebrated with much enthusiasm in Trivandrum.
In the mutt at Pazhavangadi Street, Rama Navami was celebrated for
10 days. Those 10 days were extremely busy days for me.
The Harikatha in the mutt began at 9 in the evening and went on till 2
a.m. In those days, my mother had a serious stomach ailment. I
worked as a cook and handyman in many places in the area,
particularly in Ootuparai, yet another place where Ramanavami was
celebrated on a grand scale. During the day, I worked in Ootupurai as
a cook. I had to fill the eight water tanks twice, assist in the cooking,
and help serve food to the thousands of people who turned up for
lunch and dinner. After dinner, I used to run back to listen to
the Harikatha. It was here that I first heard ManamElkudi
Venkatacala Bhagavatar. He was 75 then, and had a deep and
resonant voice. Though his music was mediocre, his commentary on
songs such as “cakkani marga…” of Thyagaraja was very erudite.
Such was his vidwat that Harikesanallur Muthiah
Bhagavatar and Ennaipadam Venkatarama Bhagavatar stood
behind him during the Harikatha and offered vocal support for the
entire duration of 10 days. ”
“A poet once said that a man must be endowed with the five va’s
– vastra, vapus, vAk, vidya and vinaya. Tiruppazhanam
Pancapakesa Bhagavatar was an example of this. He was a very
handsome man, always wore the best clothes, and had splendid
oratory skills. He started out as a narrator of Puranas, and went on to
specialize in Harikatha pravacana. He was a rasika and could
therefore tailor his recitals to suit the tastes of his audience. He came
to Trivandrum in 1906 on the invitation of King Mulam
TirunAL. Tanjavur Rao (who was known as Jutka-vaNdi Babu)
accompanied him on the Mridangam. I heard him discourse on the
story of Chandrahasa for three hours before a huge crowd. The next
day, at the residence of the Diwan, he gave a musical discourse on the
life of Kabir. Each scene he depicted was like having a movie being
played in front of our eyes. Later in my life, when I started doing
my bhajans at Tiruvaiyaru, Bhagavatar would always host our group
at his doorstep in Tiruppazhanam. He used to celebrate Rama Navami
on a grand scale at his home in Kumbakonam. All the vidwans in
South India participated in this festival. He was also involved, as an
office bearer, in conducting the Thyagaraja Aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru.
If Pancapakesa Bhagavatar could be compared to the dazzling
sun, Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar was the bright full moon
in the firmament of Carnatic music. He was a great musician and
composer, and was adept at Hindustani music as well. He had a very
keen intellect, mellifluous voice and a thorough understanding
of sangeeta shAstra. Muthiah Bhagavatar was a devotee of
Subrahmanya and therefore reveled in a discourse of “VaLLi
KalyANam“. Indeed, he was instrumental for this story gaining a place
in the repertoire of the Harikatha vidwans. He was the asthana
vidwAn at the court of the Mysore Maharaja for several years and also
adorned the court of Travancore. Muthiah Bhagavatar used to
celebrate Skanda Shasti for seven days in Harikesanallur. The
occasion was typical of Bhagavatar’s life style, lavish and generous.
During those seven days, all the prominent vidwans could be found
only in Harikesanallur.
In 1910, Sivan returned to Tamizhnadu and stayed with his
brother in Papanasam village. It is clear from his writings that
Sivan, in his early years, was drawn
towards bhajans and Harikathas. In fact, he abhorred classical
music as practiced on the concert platform! It is clear from his
writings that he started composing songs during this stage of
his life. However, he was primarily driven by devotion rather
than abstract music. It was only around 1912 that he started
listening to “classical” music. This stage of his life marked an
important evolution in Sivan’s musical journey. From being a
“mere kirtana-driven devotee”, Sivan matured into a classical
composer. For this, the world of music owes a debt of gratitude
to the great vocalist, Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer. The
story is best told in Sivan’s words.
In January 1912, KonErirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer came to
Mannargudi to sing at a wedding. Tirukkodikaval Krishna
Iyer accompanied him on the violin and Tanjavur Pakkiri provided
the Mridangam accompaniment. During this time, I was totally
involved in bhajans and the like. With all the presumptuousness of a
22 year old, I was convinced that music was meant solely for the
praise of God and that anything else was a waste of time. So, I never
attended any concert. An elderly gentleman, Pazhaiavalam Subba
Iyer, persuaded me to accompany him and we went to hear
Vaidyanatha Iyer. In those days, I used to look like an exotic creature.
I only wore a short dhoti around my waist, and did not have anything
other than Vibhuti on my body. We went to the concert and Subba Iyer
got us seats near the stage. After about 45 minutes, Iyer started
singing Thayagaraja‘s “entuku peddala…” in Sanakarabharanam and
proceeded to do neraval on the line “antari nila thadi thadi“. I could
not understand a word of it, since it was in Telugu and I could not
recognize anything like “Rama”, “Krishna” or “Siva Siva”. I was
reminded of Sankara‘s Bhaja Govindam where he rebukes the
grammarians and logicians for wasting their times on abstruse sutras,
rather than uttering the Lord’s name. I could not tolerate it any longer,
turned to Subba Iyer and said, “you may want to listen to this, but not
I”, and walked out of the concert in a huff.
Konerirajapuram Iyer with Pudukkottai D. Pillai on the
mridangam
and Manpundiya Pillai on the Kanjira
Three months later, there was another wedding at AlangAdu, near
Muthupettai. I attended the wedding in the company of Moonkilkudi
Kannusami Iyer (father of T. K. Srinivasa Iyer). On reaching
Alangadu, I found out that Vaidyanatha Iyer was scheduled to sing at
the wedding, accompanied by Govindaswamy Pillai (violin),
Umayalpuram Kothandarama Iyer (mridangam), Pudukkottai
Dakshinamurthy Pillai (kanjira) and Aadhichapuram Sitarama
Iyer (morsing). Everyone was excited about the concert, but I decided
not to attend. So, I left the venue of the wedding shortly before the
concert and went to a dilapidated mantap on the outskirts of the
village. I sat there for a few hours, and around 8 p.m., returned to the
marriage pandal, thinking the concert would have ended by then. As I
neared the pandal, I was attracted by the sonorous voice of the
vocalist. I could not approach the concert stage, as the hall was
extremely crowded. Bhagavthar was proceeding to
do neraval in Gopalakrishna Bharathi‘s composition in Kambodi
“tiruvadi caranam“. Somehow, I managed to plough through the
crowd and went and sat near the dais. I was totally absorbed by the
music. This was not music for the ears, rather for the soul. There was
absolute silence in the audience and I shed tears of joy. It was a
turning point in my life.
Vaidyanatha Iyer seems to have known Sivan, at least by
name. Recall that by this time, Sivan had built up a modest
reputation in conducting bhajans.
After the concert, Vaidyanatha Iyer got off the stage, came up to me
and said, “so, you liked my concert today, didn’t you?” I said, “why
can’t you sing such songs in Tamizh?” He smiled and just said, “come
to my home”. So, I went to his village and stayed at his place. I stayed
there for several months and became part of Iyer’s family. Iyer’s voice
was not suitable for imparting vocal training to students. One had to
be in his company and absorb his music. However, his music was so
powerful that it sufficed just to listen. It had the capacity to make a
deep and lingering impact on the student.
The above remark is as much a reflection of Sivan’s keen
musical sense as a student, as it is a description of Iyer’s music.
All too often, we witness the phenomenon of students imitating
their teachers (or their musical heroes) when it is neither
appropriate nor desirable.
I must have listened to about 50 concerts of Iyer’s. Only after hearing
him, did I realize that music transcends the barriers of language and is
universal in appeal. His music was very special. After listening to his
concert, his music would play incessantly at the same shruti in one’s
mind. His concerts commanded and received total attention from the
listener. There would neither be any applause nor the usual
punctuation like “bhesh, shabhash” from the listener. In May 1912, I
heard a brilliant concert at Kumbakonam. Iyer sang at
the Grhapravesam of ANdakkudi Rajagopala Chettiar‘s new house.
His accompanists were all veterans; Govindaswamy Pillai on the
violin, Venu Chettiar on the mridangam and Mamundia Pillai on
the kanjira. There, Iyer sang a marvellous alapana in Begada, followed
by the kriti “manasuni nera…“. This was followed by a fast paced
“anupama gunambudi…” in AtANA where he did some
scintillating swaraprasthara. On the violin, Govindaswami Pillai was
stretched to his limit. Normally, Pillai never showed any signs of
exertion during a concert. But during that concert, he was drenched in
sweat and carried away in appreciation of Iyer’s music. Mamundia
Pillai was like a Guru to Iyer. On that day, even he turned to Iyer and
said, “BalE, Vaitha. Today, you seem to be a new Vaitha with
seemingly boundless manodharma. Sing some more.” The concert
lasted for a good 4.5 hours.
The same year, I had the fortune of accompanying Iyer to
Harikesanallur for the Skanda Shashti festival organized by Muthiah
Bhagavathar. The music I heard there, the scenes I saw still remain in
my memory though it happened a good 55 years ago. We had reserved
two train compartments from Trichy Junction. Harikesanallur was
packed with vidwAns and rasikas from all over. The entire village
played host to the visitors. In the world of music, Muthiah
Bhagavathar was an Ajatachatru. He had no enemies and was liked
and regarded by all. So, it was not a surprise that all
the vidwAns turned up at Harikesanallur. On Shashti day, all
the vidwAns participated in the unchavrtti. Among the vocalists
were Iyer, Kallidaikurichi Vedanta Bhagavatar and among the
violinists, Govindaswamy Pillai, Shyamala Iyer. Great
percussionists such as Kumbakonam Azhaganambia Pillai,
Tanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer, Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy
Pillai accompanied them. I felt I was in DevalOkA surrounded by
divine musicians. That afternoon, Bhootalur Krishnamurthy
Sastri played the gOttu vAdyam. He played a very
elaborate alApanA of the raga SrI. Till this day, I have not heard
anyone handle the raga SrI in such a delectable way. In the
evening, Madurai Pushpavanam sang to the accompaniment
of Govindaswamy Pillai, Azhaganambi Pillai and Dakshinamurthy
Pillai. In those days, Vaidyanatha Iyer and Pushpavanam shared the
top spot in vocal music and there was a lot of rivalry between their
respective fans. In the purANAs, we never hear of a fight for
supremacy between Siva and Vishnu. However, the Saivities and
Vaishnavites often fight tooth and nail about the greater God. It was
the same way with Vaidyanatha Iyer and Pushpavanam. While they
had great respect and admiration for each other’s music, the music
world was divided into two large fan clubs, each swearing by their
idol.
The Music Academy honors itself by bestowing on Sivan
the title Sangita Kalanidhi in December 1971.
Sivan is seen here with the Governor of Tamizh Nadu, K.K.
Shah
The next day, Tiruppazhanam Pancapakesa
Sastri performed Harikatha at 6 in the evening. Vaidyanatha Iyer’s
concert was scheduled for 10:30 in the evening. Thousands of people
from adjoining towns and villages had gathered to hear him. Even
the rasikas from Kallidaikurichi (who normally rate the music of sage
Narada below that of Kallidaikurichi Vedanta Bhagavatar) were
present in large numbers. Iyer started with an alApanA in
Hamsadhwani, followed by the kriti “raghunAyakA..“. By that time,
the mridangam’s sruti slipped. Dakshinamurthy Pillai tried to tune the
mridangam back to its original sruti and could only succeed partially.
Ten minutes later, the mridangam went off key again and Pillai tried
another instrument. After a while, this instrument went off key as well
and Pillai, resigned to a bad concert, told Iyer, “carry on”. (Later, we
found out that Pillai was unwell that day.) Naturally, the concert never
looked like taking off and many vidwAns walked out of the
concert pandal. Around midnight, Iyer started alApanA in TODi.
Within minutes, the atmosphere became charged with music. I have
never heard a TODi like that in my life. It was beyond all imagination.
Within minutes, people who had walked out were drawn back into
the pandal.
Many vidwans have described Vaidyanatha Iyer’s TODi in
superlative terms. Since Iyer inspired Sivan, it is natural that his
TODi kritis (numbering about 20) were strongly influenced by
Iyer’s TODi. Several musicians who have heard Iyer’s music
such as the great Nadaswaram exponent Mannargudi Chinna
Pakkiri have made this point.
Once, Iyer sang in Ammangudi. On that day, I had to perform
the shrAddhA ceremony for my father. I performed the ceremony in
my aunt’s house in Kumbakonam and walked (ran, as a matter of fact)
7 miles to Ammangudi to hear Iyer. The concert had already begun
when I arrived and I could not get near the stage. However Iyer saw
me and sent someone to bring me to the stage and made me sit with
him. During the concert, I noticed two people near the stage who were
talking intermittently. I was very annoyed and turned to them and said,
“don’t talk”. Iyer then turned to them and said (pointing to me), “he is
very intelligent. Listen to this kriti of his”. He then sang my kriti in
Kambodi, “sikkal mEviya…” elaborately. Subsequently, he
sang Thyagaraja‘s “hari nEnenthu…” in Karnataka Bihag and his
imagination ran riot while doing swaraprastArA for the phrase
“kalushAtmudai“. After the concert, we went to the house where Iyer
was a guest and he was surrounded by a host of vidwAns. The two
people whom I had rebuked were also there and they asked Iyer about
me. Iyer asked me to sing for them and I sang for a while.
Subsequently I was very embarrassed to find out that the two were the
great vidwAns, UmaiyaLpuram Swaminatha
Iyer and Tiruvidaimaruthur GOttu vAdyam Sakarama Rao.
That night, Iyer and I left for Madras where he had a concert. I took
Iyer’s permission and spent a month in Madras. I stayed with the great
freedom fighter Subramania Siva. While in Madras, I also made the
acquaintance of varakavi Koteeswara Iyer. While in Madras, I wrote
a commentary for Jayadeva‘s Ashtapathi and a drama, “Bhakta
MArkaNdEyA“. Then, I toured around Tamizh Nadu for a while
before returning to Konerirajapuram. A week later, Iyer sang at the
wedding of TirukkarugAvUr Pantulu Iyer‘s daughter (Pantulu Iyer
was a freedom fighter). Needless to say, the concert was well
attended. Kozhumam Zamindar Sundararajan who was in the audience
spoke very appreciatively of Iyer’s music. Iyer then interrupted him
and said, “so if someone else sings now, you wouldn’t listen, would
you?”. Sundararajan replied, “why do you say that? Don’t I know you
would only ask a competent person to sing?” Iyer turned to me and
asked me to sing for a while. I sang for half an hour. Iyer appreciated
my music and asked the patrons who were there to honor me. I was
presented with an AngavastrA and Rs. 50. Though I was not destined
to get the love and affection of a father, I received it in full measure
from my Guru.
The death of Iyer in 1921 was an irreparable loss to the world of
music. Three people who followed his bANi in singing rAgA
were Trichy Kanakasabhai, Alangadu Krishnamurthy and
a Dikshitar in Chidambaram. I have been told by
many vidwAns like Musiri Subramania Iyer and Marungapuri
Gopalakrishna Iyer that my music bears some semblance to Iyer’s.
For this, I count myself fortunate.
Much has been written about Sivan’s Kritis [4]. Here, we shall
merely present a few samples of his creations.
A Sivan Sampler
While Sivan kritis are a staple feature in concerts, most of the
songs we present below are rarely heard on stage.
We begin with a song that appeared in the Tamizh film, “AshOk
KumAr”. Sung by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, this song is set
to the rAgA KuntalavarAlI. An appropriate choice, since Sivan
composed his first kriti unnai tutikka in this rAgA.
When Sivan settled in Madras in 1929, Rukmini Devi
Arundale was among the first to recognize his genius. She
appointed him as a music teacher in Besant High School, and
subsequently at Kalakshetra. Sivan was associated with
Kalakshetra from 1934-39, where Rukmini Devi was also one of
his students. Perhaps, this sojourn at Kalakshetra inspired
Sivan to compose several pada varNams that are now part of
standard repertoire in BharatanATyam. The following clip
features one such varNam. The rAgA is SriranjanI, and the
vocalist, Sivan’s grandson, Ashok Ramani.
Rukmini Devi Arundale with Papanasam Sivan
Several leading musicians learnt music from Sivan. Here, we
listen to S. Rajam speak a few words about his Guru,
Papanasam Sivan. As a prelude to Sivan’s kriti in the rAgA
NatabhairavI, Rajam also points out why NatabhairavI is not
very prevalent. The rAgA uses D1 and N2. The more common
rAgAs Kharaharapriya and Bhairavi employ D2 and N2. While
delineating NatabhairavI, performers tend to drift towards
the D2, N2 combination. In fact, the violinist accompanying S.
Rajam in this clip provides a perfect example of this pitfall,
during swaraprastArA.
S. Rajam now sings the popular kriti, sri valli.
A young S. Rajam
Sivan was deeply committed to Tamizh, Tamizh Isai and the
freedom movement. In the next kriti that we present, Sivan pays
tribute to another great Tamizh poet and freedom
fighter, MahAkavi Subramania Bharati. Sanjay
Subrahmanyan sings the kriti, paamaalai, in the rAgA
Harikambodi [3], [5]. The phrase Sanjay uses for neraval, tamizh
nADu sei tavap payanAi vanthavA, speaks of Tamizh NADu’s
fortune in begetting a son such as Bharati. This phrase is
equally applicable to Sivan.
Invoking the Goddess of Learning, Trichur V.
Ramachandran sings a Sanskrit kriti of Sivan in the rAgA
DEvagAndhArI, shArade vINA.
Madurai Mani Iyer popularized several of Sivan’s kritis. Here,
he sings AndavanE in the rAgA ShanmukhapriyA.
Sivan will always be remembered for the bhajans he conducted
all over Tamizh NADu. By “bhajans” we do not mean the
rendition of songs/kIrtanams by a group of people. In
these bhajans, people sing invariably alone, offering the best of
classical Carnatic music. According to Sivan’s contemporaries,
Sivan revelled in the rendering of Viruttams, tEvAram and
the kritis of Tyagaraja during these bhajans. Many of
Sivan’s kritis were also composed in these bhajans. From 1921,
Sivan conducted bhajans in Mylapore, both during the annual
festival at the KapAlIswarar temple as well during the month
of mArgazhi. The mArgazhi bhajan continues to take place in
Mylapore, Chennai. For a description, we refer the reader to the
articles by Burma Sankaran [6] and M. V. Ramana [7].
Sivan (second from left) at a street Bhajan in Mylapore,
Chennai
In the following clip Sithalapati Balasubramanian talks about the
“Sivan bhajanai” as it is known. He also recounts (as told to him
by his uncle Mani Iyer, a disciple of Sivan) the story behind
the kriti in MaNirangu, kadalil amizhndituvOm. Sometime during
the 60’s, Sivan was requested to conduct his bhajan during the
temple festival in Trichy. Those were the heydays of the
Dravidian movement, spearheaded by E. V. Ramaswami
Naicker (EVR). The DK (Dravidar Kazhakam) organized a
“pakuttarivu maanAdu” (rationalist convention) to rival the temple
festivities. Fearing for the safety of Sivan, the temple trustees
suggested he abandon the bhajan (the bhajans are always held
on the four streets that surround a temple) and instead, sing
inside the temple. Sivan refused saying, “… it is his (EVR’s)
duty to speak and mine to sing”. On that day, he composed
the kriti in MaNirangu, which describes God as bestowing man
with the power of discrimination (in Tamizh, “pakuttarivu” – also
the name of the rationalist movement!).
Sivan Bhajanai, December 1995. From left, Sithalapati
Balasubramanian, M. V. Ramana, G. A. Baby and Ashok
Ramani
Sivan’s musical life can perhaps be summarized by the word
“bhajanai“. So, it is fitting to conclude our feature with a song
where he orders his mind to do bhajanai invoking the name of
Lord Rama: sri rAma nAma bhajanai sei manamE. The song,
describing the mahimA of the RAma nAmA, says “… it is the
name that is always on the tongue of
the RAmadAsA…” RAmadAsa was also Sivan’s colophon and we
leave the listener with Sivan singing this kriti in AtANA. This
recording was made two years before he passed away and his
disciples Rukmini Ramani (vocal support) and Lalgudi
Jayaraman (violin) accompany him.
