T.R. Subramaniam

Carnatic Musicians
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T.V.GOPALAKRISHNAN
Posts: 44
Joined: 25 Mar 2009, 05:43

Post by T.V.GOPALAKRISHNAN »

I have uploaded a concert of Sri T.R.Subramaniam to my folder: http://sangeethamshare.org/tvg/
vide S.No.1239. I thank both of you for your immediate response.

Regards,

TVG.
Last edited by T.V.GOPALAKRISHNAN on 26 Jul 2009, 16:09, edited 1 time in total.

kam
Posts: 38
Joined: 13 Jun 2009, 15:32

Post by kam »

Does anybody have T.R.Subramaniam sir concert held in Haripod.If yes give me some information regarding the concert.Thanks in advance.Namasthe.

sramaswamy
Posts: 366
Joined: 24 May 2006, 22:29

Post by sramaswamy »

Where or what is Haripod?

kam
Posts: 38
Joined: 13 Jun 2009, 15:32

Post by kam »

Haripad is a place in Kerala

gita
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Joined: 08 Oct 2007, 20:45

Post by gita »

I tried d/l ing all the 4 parts. No. 3 seems to be deleted. Can you pl. re upload no.3? Thanks !

The other uploads of TRS lec dem on pallavi (such as the one on boomp3.com) are not working either.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

Greatness about the music of prof TRS:
-------------------------------------
# Around late 80's once I had been to delhi . My periappa who was working in Central Govt there used to have conversations with TRS , once I have gone even to karol Bagh residence .I did not know TRS then and I certainly did not know what a great musician he was till roughly 4 or 5 years.Roughly 4 or 5 years back I got a lot of recordings of him and also had long rounds of chat with Delhi V muthukumar who is a carnatic musician having learnt with both TRS and TNS. TRS is to me a very inspirational musician, he has achieved few things that many would not dare .Recollecting few of that

# Swara kalpana manOdharmam , especially in the pallavi . In one of his dvd's he was so confident that kanakku enhances rAgA bhAvam and he demonstrates beautifully with his student rAdhA venkatachalam. Beyond a point after any one achieves a fair degree of rAga bhAvam , to graduate and mature more one has to concentrate on layam and perhaps TRS did that in style.

# I am assuming he is one musician who at every stage of his musical career has reinvented himself. Early recordings of his had a lot of GNB like style .Then there are concerts were he has given a lot of focus on purandaradAsar krithis , to an extent one can assert next to MLV only TRS has covered so much of purandaradAsar. As such he has come out of comfort zone and presented many many krithis and rAgas that most musicians dared not to touch it even once.

# I am assuming in the second half of his performing career he has taken rare,unheard , untested krithis of popular vageyakkaras like thyagarAja and he had the daring confidence to present them in concerts. Few numbers to back up that anyAyamu sEyakura-kApi-ThyagarAja krithi and eTlaa dorakitivO -vasantA-ThyagarAja. I am pretty sure 99% of you would have not heard these unheard rare krithis of thyagarAja but when he sings these they are as good as time and tested krithis like say seethamma mAyammA etc...

# Also he has taken special interest in presenting kOteeshwara Iyer's krithi. Few numbers like shingArakumAri-varunapriyA and arul seyya vEndum ayyA in rasikapriyA etc are just superb. Also he taking some so called minor pass through rAgas like mAnd elaborated it beautifully with a raga alapana and fast swaras, if you hear Janaki Manoharam Bhajeham-maand, you will get a feel of what I am saying.

# He has popularized few contemporary composers like tulasivanam which many vidwans vidushis do,but what is amazing to me he has even taken his own era perhaps his main competitor then balamuralikrishna's composition piraAyinum perumAn in hamsadhwani? Will any musician do that , it shows so much of openness in accepting both old and new that too singing fellow musicians compositions . This act is really touching.

# There are rAgAs like say revagupti which will be sung usually as a filler and there are rAgas like pharaz which will be slightly elaborated . But when you hear Grahabalamemi-Revagupthi and Trilokamatha-Pharas , you just see with his musical intellect he connects so much of brand new fresh sangathis and they are all in plenty , to me 95% of the musicians cannot bring this kind of polish as TRS.

# His style especially swarakalpana is awesome ,he created a unique innovation which I am assuming he did it for the first time. When a rAgamAliga swaras are presented in a pallavi after doing a mini round of swaras in its parent rAgA , musicians sing the swaras of that rAga and then loop back to the pallavi line. But TRS usually in many occassions takes the pallavi line tosses in and out with lot of rAga bhAvam and then sings the swara kalpAnA in that rAgA. This is just extraordinary as a lay rasika I get more mileage of having 50% more swaras and pallavi's are more wholesome.

# His style of singing is always little fast and a lot of usages of flat notes , but they add so much charm to his manOdharmam as when the kAlapramAnam is bit fast the mridangam artist also enters into a comfortable zone and surely it blends beautifully(hear his revathi swarakalpana in few of his rtp , you will get what I am talking about). When TRS sings , sangathis pregnant with intense manOdharmam come not as slight drizzle here and there it just pours and pours ,at many times his music is so original that it takes a bit of time to come back to where you are.

# In each of his alApana , he takes a very comfortable pitch more on the high side and really goes with a controlled aggression , no squatting on sowkhyam and singing any sangathi meditatively or anything like that, However with his aggression there was sowkhyam too in his music

# He was perhaps in the shadow of the mmi-ssi-gnb-ariyakudi and just half a generation behind,to an extent in that generation we usually talk a lot about say MLV,KVN, MDR and santhAnam , but just as how S kalyAnaramAn is considered a genius , I would rate prof TRS personally as much as SKR.

# On a personal front I was bit tentative to talk with him, I took a chance once in MFAC about 3 or 4 years back to mention my periappa who was with him for atleast 2 or 3 decades in delhi.He immediately gave me his home number and got my number , he even called and invited me , once he introduced me to smt jayalakshmi santhAnam, i just chuckled i thought JS would not remember me , but she immediately told TRS he is arasi's friend. You can always see shri TRS and JS in most of the concerts appreciating and listening intently , both of them are very truthful
to the art, everytime they both walk upto the artist , appreciate their music and leave the hall. They have no ego as such that they are artists and they dont sit for the first 2 numbers and leave en mass with a gang of vip's.They genuinely hear musicians in full till the last mangalam despite their old age.

# Once I told TRS in deekshitA's concert(which was dedicated to all gnb compostions) "enna Sir neengA eppapAru GNB pathiyE pEsindrukkenga (Why is that you are always talking about GNB), you are also an equally great musician". He said 'rajesh you just dont know many musicians like me exist only because of GNB'.

# If there is a slight blemish , it was his thesis that he guided radha venkatAchalam that got published ,perhaps he took a little excess liberty on commenting many musicians and it just backfired , (just like how at times we all make few posts in this forum and then keep wondering later ;) ).

TRS is truly a very very original and creative musician who pushed the carnatic music envelope much more with his manodharmam and enthusiasm. On his shatabhishekham(happy sadhabhisekham TRS sir ;) ) I wish there are more musicians grooming like him.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 19 Jan 2010, 17:24, edited 1 time in total.

mohan
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Post by mohan »

Nice writeup on a great musician Rajesh!

cienu
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Post by cienu »

Wonderful write up on TRS , rajesh :)

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Rajesh,
Good job!
One small correction: when you mention me, you say 'his' friend instead of 'my' friend. He hardly knows me and I'm lucky if I say namaskAram to him and he returns it, recognizing me!
A big namaskAram to him on a milestone of a birthday. May his music and his active service to it increase! May he live long to inspire the music community.
A birthday celebration took place just paces away from where I was staying during the season. My sis-in-law came specially for that from Tiruchy and said, 'why don't you come along'? I hesitated to crash the party (lunch was served too!) :)

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

BTW,
Shri TRS has learnt and is a disciple of musiri. But not even krithi , one sangathi has a musiri resembling touch, also if any of the old timers write about shri TRS live concerts I would be very happy.

I would love also to hear from his disciples who are our forumites like smt vijisubra and dvmk , to an extent only very few know about him that too with him being mostly in andhra and delhi chances of many of us knowing about him is very remote, as such mine was only an extrapolation of mp3 and my own conjecture ;).

BTW in one of our rasikas concert of PB SrirangAchari after cmlover talked briefly about our forum, he said "what is this forum that you are all talking about , I would love to intensely participate".

thenpaanan
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:45

Post by thenpaanan »

rajeshnat wrote:Greatness about the music of prof TRS:
-------------------------------------
[Lots of insightful comments about TRS music]
...

TRS is truly a very very original and creative musician who pushed the carnatic music envelope much more with his manodharmam and enthusiasm. On his shatabhishekham(happy sadhabhisekham TRS sir ;) ) I wish there are more musicians grooming like him.
To add to this list of his innovations: on one occasion (perhaps more than once) he started a concert with "smara janaka shubha charita" in behag, a song normally considered a tukkada and in a raga not touched until the second half of a concert! It made me sit up in a surprise! He is known to have taken other liberties as well (I vaguely remember hearing a varnam in the middle of his concert) like the abovementioned -- singing sangatis of his own creation on-the-fly. I think he enjoys breaking the rules, which increased my interest. :-)

But the hallmark of his style to me is the way he makes elaborate kanakku sound casual. I think the key is that a singer typically builds up the anticipation in a complex korvai and the final flourish is sung at higher volume or even slightly higher speed, almost as if in relief. :-) TR has none of that. No matter the complexity, his style is always smooth sailing.

On the down side, his voice sounds shaky when he reaches the upper sa. I don't know if it is only an occasional problem.

-Then Paanan

balakk
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Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 06:56

Re:

Post by balakk »

T.V.GOPALAKRISHNAN wrote:I have uploaded a concert of Sri T.R.Subramaniam to my folder: http://sangeethamshare.org/tvg/
vide S.No.1239. I thank both of you for your immediate response.

Regards,

TVG.
This is a wonderful concert. The RTP in bilahari is a beautiful rendition. The tanam almost felt like western piece :) MC even strummed the violin a few times. Great stuff!

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

I just heard an interesting anecdote about TRS from his sishya(Delhi V MuthuKumar)and Venkatraman (dad of young vidushi Deekshita who is also TRS student) during Dr Katoti harmonium concert.

TRS in early 1950 was in a sabha at chennai . I think it was music academy at PS high School . This sabha encourages in the morning slot where in youngsters present RTP and usually lot of established musicians would be there in the hall listening as rasikas to youngsters concert.

TRS when asked to sing a pallavi confidently told the organizers to pick a raga and when mukhAri was picked , TRS sang a mukhAri pallavi . When TRS was singing the pallavi , his guru Musiri and Mudikondan venkataraman were seated in the first row , at one point when MudikondAn was putting a wrong tAlam , musiri just held mudikondan's hand and just said TRS is putting the tAlam right.

That was a remarkable mukhari pallavi and TRS got the first prize which is no surprise . GNB who was listening not in the front row congratulated TRS and was inspired by Mukhari and in his evening slot sang the mukhari main after drenched by TRS mukhAri. While speaking with TRS, he always talks with GNB and always gA gA with GNB, I never knew GNB was also in awe with TRS :clap: .
Last edited by rajeshnat on 18 Jul 2011, 16:36, edited 1 time in total.

CRama
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by CRama »

TRS is one of my favourite musicians and I have been listening to his concerts from 1980s and have got huge collection of his concerts. Whatever concerts of his in circulation today, a major portion of it have gone out of my collections.

I first heard his concerts in the Theerthapada Mandapom, Thiruvananthapuram and was mesmerised by his rendering of Bhairavi ragam in one of the concerts. The way he built up the raga was quite new to me at that point of time. He sang Balagopala, neraval at Neelaneerada sareera and he sang splendid swaras – brimming with raga bhava only in the first kalam. That entire song took 50 minutes. Then I started listening his concerts. In the next year he sang a mind boggling Teliyaleryu rama and the swaras had a dancing rhythm in them.

Next to that venue was the Kartika Thirunal Theatre where monthly concerts were held. Somehow TRS was not performing till then in that venue. I used to chat with the organisers frequently and I started pestering them to arrange TRS concert. I myself procured the address of TRS and gave them. They arranged his concert in 1984. He was supported by Poornachandar and Thanjavur Ramadas. At that time, I wrote a long letter to TRS expressing my appreciation of his music and I requested him to sing Kambodi in that concert. (Kambodi and Bhairavi are my all time favourites). Then TRS sent me a reply asking me to meet on the morning of the concert day. I went to the venue where he was staying and we talked for some time. I was a young man of 30 at that time and himself such a senior vidwan. But he was talking to me very nicely and in a friendly manner. He asked me whether I had any other requests. I was taken aback. I requested him to sing Neelambari and Kunthalavarali. He included that in the ragamalika swaras segment in the RTP he sang in Kalyani. My other request he obliged by singing Sree Subramanyaya namasthe- which he do not sing very often as the main piece. During this meeting, he gave me one of his foreign concerts containing Varunapriya, RTP Begada etc.

After this, I had moved closely with him whenever I met him in Trivandrum and later in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Kolkata. He has got remarkable memory power. He remembers our meetings even now.

Another instance. Once TRS concert was arranged in the Hanuman temple in Mahalakshmi Lay out in Bangalore.. I took with me my big casette deck to record direct from the amplifier. Unfortunately, when I reached the venue, the concert had just started with Smarajanaka subha charitha. I immediately connected to the amplifier and gave a chit to him requesting to sing Thriloka matha nannu (Pharas) and Grahabhalamemi. After finishing the first song, he saw the chit and started Grahabhalamemi. In another concert, I requested for Ninne bhajana and Meevalla gunadosha. He obliged. He is one artist who always values the rasikas request and obliges happily. I have heard numerous lecture demonstrations which are very educative and interesting

I always feel sad for two things- His involvement in the Doctorate of Radha Venkitachalam – because of which Sangeetha Kalanidhi title eluded him and his health problems which came in the way of his singing career..

rajeshnat
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

Crama
Thanks a lot , looking at a few songs that you have asked him (pharas and revagupti in trilokha mAthananu and Grahabhalemi), those kind of rare exploration can perhaps be done only by TRS. By any chance is there any recording of dalachina vAru in dhanyAsi by TRS , I am told that was one of the best of TRS .

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

CRama wrote: I always feel sad for two things- His involvement in the Doctorate of Radha Venkitachalam – because of which Sangeetha Kalanidhi title eluded him and his health problems which came in the way of his singing career..
Possibly if he had his health problems bit later , I may have heard him live , definitely a missed opportunity for me.

With respect to the Phd writeup with Dr Radha VenkatAchalam( Rave) , while I did not read everything that Rave published , based on few pdf snippets that was given by jhalsik (a forumite who posted here long time back), i thought there was nothing bad that Rave wrote , I would characterize as something like "Only Rave with the guidance of TRS had the guts to write the truth, however it was a case of inconvenient truth to fellow musicians and big organizations, who took a bit vindictive stand after that episode".

IMHO if Sangeetha Kalanidhi is not given to TRS , it is only music academy that is losing in not honoring TRS.

Rasika911
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Joined: 09 Mar 2009, 06:11

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by Rasika911 »

I believe TRS has been awarded the sangeetha kala archaya by the academy already!

Most of the links in this thread are no longer available.

I'd love to hear more TRS lecdems.

rajeshnat
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

Rasika911 wrote:I believe TRS has been awarded the sangeetha kala archaya by the academy already!
Yes he got it in 2002/2003 along with vid Kalpagam swaminathan. May be he can be an exception to get both SKA and SK.

Sivaramakrishnan
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

Congrats CRama for the wonderful write up laced with accounts of your personal experience with the maestro.

I attended a RTP workshop of TRS at Ernaulam during the early nineties and it was a nice experience. He made the sessions very interesting and enjoyable to the participants. On the day of his leaving the town for Delhi I invited him to my residence and he gladly accepted it. The three hours he spent with our family was full of delightful music by all of us taking turns. When we told him that our 4 year son Sundar was learning Mridangam, he immediately chose to sing 'Himagiri thanaye' to the little boy's accompaniment, that too adjusting his pitch to match that of the instrument and appreciated the child! Unfortunately I couldn't record the session as everything was quite unexpected. He also thoroughly relished the 'Sevai' prepared reverentially by my wife for dinner! We cherish those moments.

On another occasion again in the nineties I was fortunate to listen to TRS with Lalgudi at the Mummoorthi vizha in Tiruvarur where he sang 'Grahaphala' and 'samayamu'(asaveri)among other kriti-s.

Pranaams to the Vidwan.

CRama
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Manasukaruga- by TRS

Post by CRama »

A few days back I saw somebody requesting for the above song. I do not remember the thread where it appeared. I am now uploading that song. Link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/b3bf6p

CRama
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Re: Manasukaruga- by TRS

Post by CRama »

The accompanists in the above song are T.Rukmani and Karakudi Mani from a concert held in Seshadripuram, Bangalore during Ramanavami.

rajeshnat
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Re: Manasukaruga- by TRS

Post by rajeshnat »

crama
thanks

rkiran
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Re: Manasukaruga- by TRS

Post by rkiran »

CRama wrote:The accompanists in the above song are T.Rukmani and Karakudi Mani from a concert held in Seshadripuram, Bangalore during Ramanavami.
Wow! Really nice rendering. And a Sheshadripuram concert... I miss those. Used to attend concerts there in the 80s. So many goosebump indicing memories.

I would love to get the whole concert. Can you please share the full concert - preferably on mediafire.

Thanks very much!
-rkiran.

CRama
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by CRama »

Here is the link to a RTP in Keeravani- out of the world
www.sendspace.com/file/yv7wuh

varsha
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by varsha »

Watching this genius enjoy every single concert he attends , is a lesson in itself .
I make it a point to take my son and show this great personality in the first row , as many times as possible .
Last week , Sastri Hall was witness to a fine Veena concert by Jayalakshmi Sekhar . TRS sat in rapt attention , applauding each and every one of the finely chosen krithis . Had a special punch in his applause for the delicate moments that can pop up only in a veena concert . He was in charge of the MET banner - probably he is the one to bring it for every concert and take it back - too .
It was incredible to see him keep doing all that he does , at his age .
A true Kalanidhi in my books .
Here are two clips that showcase the post pallavi ragamalika section from two concerts .
http://www.mediafire.com/?grxhxwgrk86ujfa
http://www.mediafire.com/?duwwb2p9fo3f6gu

The more I listen to him , bigger is my fascination . Such a wholesome image for What CM should mean for the present and posterity . Bradman he may not be . Definitely a Sobers .

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

There are very very few videos of this "extraordinary" TRS mama.

Here is his sundara tara dehAm swaras in pantuvarAli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HfDOetO ... ure=relmfu

Here is his mA jAnaki in kAmbOdhi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PusOXMWm ... ure=relmfu

His anyayamu in kApi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx8uh7-X ... ure=relmfu

Finally Another pantuvarali with Vadera deivamu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE5n-Z4w ... ure=relmfu

With a risk of repetition,I had a chance to hear shri TRS when I was in delhi during summer vacation. My periappa told you should hear him once , I said no I will instead go to nirulas icecream parlour in delhi as I thought he will not sing like maharajapuram santhanam . What a miss in my life ??? :(

Many musicians have vigour at the expense of losing manodharma. Many musicians have manodharma at the expense of losing vigour .TRS mAmA neither loses his manodharma or vigour. :clap: :clap:

rajeshnat
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

rajeshnat wrote:
Here is his sundara tara dehAm swaras in pantuvarAli
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HfDOetO ... ure=relmfu
Rasaali (Vinay),
Are you playing the violin in the above clip.

Deekshita.V
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Joined: 08 Feb 2011, 21:58

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by Deekshita.V »

Beautiful Krithi "jayajaya Durge" composed by Sri Narayana Theerthar was tuned in Raga DURGA by my Guru Prof TRS, is a classic example of his Vidwath. Please find the rendering of this krithi.
Jayajaya - Durga - http://youtu.be/BQvJQ8-W4xA

cpblog
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Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 22:01

1973 T.R. Subramaniam Concert from "Parvathi", Mysore

Post by cpblog »

Respected Rasikas,

We agree wholeheartedly with all of you, in your appreciation of this great Master and offer you a delightful concert of his from April 18, 1973 in "Parvathi", Mysore.

This is also in remembrance of Vidwan Vellore Ramabhadran who accompanies him brilliantly in this concert along with Vid. Chandrasekharan (Violin) and Vid. Manjunathan (Ghatam).

Please welcome to http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/.

Thanking you,
CPBlog Team

natakapriyan
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by natakapriyan »

Thanks for the update on ProF T.R.S , Can you post the recording of "Inithu Inhitu" kanada Ugaboga in RM sung by TRS.

vasanthakokilam
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

CPBLog Team, thank you. Just starting to listen. It looks all set to be a great concert. This is going to take me hours or days to finish listening, given that I had to listen to that gem of two seconds of kanada varnam between 28th and 29th seconds many many times. Quite unique, charming and exotic, though it is momentary and just flies by. Then he does all sorts of interesting things in the Charanam.

cpblog
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by cpblog »

To Sri Vasanthakokilam: We join in with you, time and again, to hear those great artists in this rare concert! Thanks, for stopping by - CPBlog Team

rajeshnat
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

From where does shri TRS get this much energy and vigour to sing such a long extraordinary swarakalpana.Hear this krithi sugunamule - chakravakham- T . In one go he sings the last swara kalpana pattern from around 07:54 to 12:08th minute- testimony for his manodharma. TRS needs 2 volumes of DVD(Are you listening sanskriti -SB Kanthan , we need a good biography of this living legend)
http://bit.ly/M7CkR8

Update on co-artists: Forgot to mention in the sugunamule ,prof TRS is accompanied by MC and RR(Assuming Palakkad R Raghu) and the concert is in 1980.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 07 Jul 2012, 09:53, edited 2 times in total.

sreebeecane
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by sreebeecane »

Whatay! Brilliant stuff. :) Thanks rajeshnat for sharing. I love the fact that he lets the violinist play the return after the last pattern. Needs a large heart for that!

Yesterday I heard an epic Dharmavathi by Prof. TRS: http://www.radioweb.in/player-list?id=1781

Deekshita.V
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Joined: 08 Feb 2011, 21:58

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by Deekshita.V »

My Guru TRS mama attained lotus feet ,Today at 4.15 pm at his residence due to cardiac arrest . It is a great loss to me and music world.

venkatakailasam
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by venkatakailasam »

Here is an absorbing RTP in raga Bilahari...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q7bnioRUVs



E swara trs 002 Shri. TR Subramanyam RTP Natakuranji MahatmaGandhi


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvoDNaoGqso
Last edited by venkatakailasam on 05 Oct 2013, 19:42, edited 1 time in total.

raghavt
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by raghavt »

A great loss... TRS was such a versatile genius... :(

Vimala Bulusu
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Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by Vimala Bulusu »

I came to know of the sad demise of Dr TR Subrahmanyam garu. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. May his soul rest in peace.
I met Dr TRS at Bhakta Rasika Ranjani Sabha at BARC. He mentioned that he would be singing 'Sundari sada' in Suddha dhanyasi composed by my father as the main kriti. i recorded the same from audience. Pl bear with the audio quality.

https://soundcloud.com/vimalabulusu/sum ... hanyasi_ad

Vimala Bulusu

Posts: 183
Joined: 15 Aug 2006 06:41
Location: Vashi, Navi Mumbai

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by hnbhagavan »

Dear Rasikas,

Sri LGJ accompanied Sri TRS several times.Whether any member has recordings of TRS-LGJ combination?They had a unique mutual respect for each other.T R S played a major role in
popularising Lalgudi's compositions.

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by venkatakailasam »

E swara trs-003-TRSubramanyam concert with LGJ and Karaikudi mani....sp archives..

Listen here...

http://mfi.re/listen/bxecaf33xiweqze/E_ ... i_xvid.mp3

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by varsha »

Three weeks down the line , It still hurts . Badly . We will miss him very much

abhimani
Posts: 6
Joined: 01 Nov 2013, 12:50

TRS

Post by abhimani »

டிஆர்எஸ் எனும் டி ஆர் சுப்ரமணியம் – ஒரு சகாப்தம்

கடினத்தன்மையுடனேயே உலவி வந்த பல்லவிகளை எளிமைப் படுத்தியவர், ஸ்வரக் கோர்வைகளில் தனக்கேயுரிய நிபுணத்துவத்துடன் விளங்கியவர், எல்லாவற்றையும் விளக்கவல்ல, மதிக்கத்தக்க ஒரு குரு, ஸாஹித்யங்கள் பலவற்றின் கர்த்தா -- இவையேயன்றி, பலரும் போற்றும் குணங்கள் பெற்ற திரு டி ஆர் சுப்ரமணியம், 4.10.2013 அன்று நம்மை எல்லாம் சொல்லொணாத் துயரத்தில் ஆழ்த்தி, மறைந்தார். மேலுலகத்தில் வீற்றிருக்கும் இசை மேதைகளின், ஆசான்களின், அழைப்புக்கிணங்கி அங்கு சென்றாரோ?

அந்த டிஆர்எஸ்சுடன், அதே பெஞ்சில் அவரருகில் உட்கார்ந்து, சக மாணவராக ”வித்வான்” பட்டத்திற்காகப் பாடம் கற்றவரும், பெரும் மேதைகளும் அணுகும் அறிவுப் பெட்டகமுமான, திரு எஸ் ஆர் ஜானகிராமன் (எஸ்ஆர்ஜே), ”டிஆர்எஸ் மறைந்த செய்தி கேட்டவுடன், ஒரு பேரிடி வந்து என்னைத் தாக்கியது போன்ற உணர்வு என்னுள் ஏற்பட்டது” என்றார். கடந்த காலத்தில் சற்றே ஆழ்ந்த எஸ்ஆர்ஜே “டிஆர்எஸ்சின் மறைவு சங்கீத உலகிற்கு ஒரு பேரிழப்பு. டி.ஆர்.,எஸ்., டி.கே.ஜி (டிகே கோவிந்தராவ்), அடியேனாகிய எஸ்.ஆர்.ஜே, ஆகிய மூவரும் ஒன்றாகப் படித்தோம். அக்காலங்களில் ஒரு ”ட்ரையோ” வாகவே கருதப்பட்டோம். எல்லோருமே மூன்றெழுத்துக்காரர்கள்! 1949-50 முதல், டிஆர்எஸ்சை நானறிவேன். ”நீங்களும் டிஆர்எஸ்சும் ஒன்றாகவே வாழ்ந்தவர்கள்,வளர்ந்தவர்கள்,” என்பார் நாரத கான சபாவின் காரியதரிசி திரு ஆர் க்ருஷ்ணஸ்வாமி. பல்லவிகள் கஷ்டமானவை எனும் கூற்றைத் தவிடு பொடியாக்கியவர். பல்லவி என்றால், உடன் பக்க வாத்தியம் வாசிக்கும் சக கலைஞர்களும் புரிந்து கொள்ளும் விதத்தில், அவற்றை அமைத்து விடுவார். எல்லாமே மனதில் ஆர்வத்தைத் தூண்டவல்ல பல்லவிகள் தான். தவிர பேச்சுத்திறன் மிக்கவர். தெளிவுடன் பேசுவார். ஆந்திர மாநிலத்தில் அவர் இருந்த நாட்களில் விஜயவாடாவில் அவர் இல்லத்தில், சாயங்கால வேளைகளில், சதா கச்சேரிகள் தான். அங்குள்ள வயலின், மிருதங்க வித்வான்களும் அதில் பங்கெடுத்துக் கொள்வார்கள், பயனடைவார்கள். இளைய இசைக் கலைஞர்களை அவர் பின்னாலேயே வரச் செய்தவர். அந்த காந்த சக்தி அவரிடம் இருந்தது. அவரிடம் நல்ல பாடாந்தர முறையுண்டு. நட்பிற்கு உகந்தவர். அவரை மகாவித்வான் என்றே அழைக்கலாம். இதில் ஏதும் பொய்யுரையில்லை என்பேன்”

பலகலைகளையும் கற்று அவற்றில் வல்லமையுடன் விளங்கும் திரு டி வி கோபாலக்ருஷ்ணன் (டிவிஜி), டிஆர்எஸ் பற்றிப் பேசும் பொழுது ”அவரும் நானும் சமகாலத்தவர்கள்” என்பதை நினவு கூர்ந்தார். ”கேரளாவில் அவருடன் சேர்ந்து எம்எஸ்ஜியும் (வயலின்) நானும், நிறையக் கச்சேரிகள் செய்திருக்கிறோம். மேடையில் சாதனைகளை நடத்திக் காட்டியவராக்கும் டிஆர்எஸ். அவரது கச்சேரிகள் எங்களுக்கெல்லாம் சவாலாக அமைந்து விடும். ஈடு கொடுத்து வாசிப்போம். உற்சாகப்படுத்துவார், குதூகலமடைவார்”. டிவிஜி மேலும் பேசுகையில், 20ஆம் நூற்றாண்டின் பிற்பகுதியில் கர்நாடக சங்கீதத்தையே தாங்கிப் பிடித்த, ஒரு போற்றத் தக்க தூணாக டிஆர்எஸ் திகழ்ந்தார், என்று பெருமையுடன் தெரிவித்தார். அதே சமயம் புதிய வாக்கேயக்காரர்களான முத்தையா பாகவதர், லால்குடி (”உதாரணத்திற்காகச் சொல்கிறேன்”) போன்றோரின் உருப்படிகளையும் பிரபலப் படுத்தியவர். ”தன் மனதிற்கு பிடித்ததை எல்லாம் செய்து பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்ற திண்ணத்துடன் செயல் பட்டவர்”

டிஆர்எஸ்சினது மூத்த மாணவி முனைவைர் ராதா வெங்கடாசலத்திற்கு முதலில் பேச வார்த்தைகள் எழவில்லை. சற்று சுதாரித்துக் கொண்டு அவர் சொன்னது: “50 வருடப் பழக்கம். அவருக்கு நான் கொடுத்த ஸ்தானம் தந்தையார் ஸ்தானமே. அவரும் என்னைத் தனது மகள் போலவே பாவித்தருளினார். நான் முதலில் கணக்குப் படிப்பில் தான் சேர்ந்தேன். லால்குடி சாருடனும், சிவராமன் சாருடனுன், திரு டிஆர்எஸ் செய்த ஒரு கச்சேரி என்னை இசையின் வசப்படுத்தி விட்டது. அருகில் சென்று பார்த்ததில் டிஆர்எஸ் ஒரு அறிவுப் பெருங்கடல் என்பதையறிந்தேன். அவரது பரந்த மனப்பான்மை என்னை உருக்கியது. இசையிலும் சரி வேறு எந்தத் துறையிலும் சரி, அறிவு என்பது பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளத் தக்க ஒன்று, மூடிய அறை இங்கே எதுவுமில்லை, என்பார் அவர். பல மொழி வல்லுநர் – ஆங்கிலம், தமிழ், தெலுங்கு, கன்னடம், ஹிந்தி. அவர் நடத்திய இசைப் பயிலரங்கங்கள் முன்னுதாரணமாக இருந்தவையாகும். இப்பொழுது நினைத்தாலும் வியப்பு மேலோங்குகிறது. யாருடைய கச்சேரியையும் மிக கவனத்துடனும் சிரத்தையுடனும் கேட்பார் - முதன் முதலில் மேடை ஏறுபவராக இருந்தாலும் சரி, தேர்ந்த மூத்த கலைஞராக இருந்தாலும் சரி. 25 வருடங்களாக ம்யூசிக் எடுகேஷன் ட்ரஸ்ட் எனும் அமைப்பை நடத்தி வந்தார். தேடிப் பிடித்து மூலை முடுக்குகளில் உள்ள வித்வான்களைக் கண்டெடுத்து இந்த ட்ரஸ்ட்டில் பாட வாய்ப்பளித்தார். எவ்வளவு கலைஞர்களை அவர் அறிமுகம் செய்துள்ளார் என்பதே ஒரு நீண்ட பட்டியலாக அமையும். தான் சொன்னதைச் செய்தவர்; அதன்படி வாழ்ந்தவர். பல்லவிப் பயிலரங்கம் என்று வந்தால் முதல் நாளிலேயே வரும் மாணாக்கர்களையே பல்லவியின் உருவாக்கத்தில் ஆழ்த்தி விடுவார். சூக்‌ஷுமத்தைப் போட்டு உடைத்து விடுவார். நாங்கள் (மாணவர்கள்) ஆக்கிய பல்லவிகளையே தன் கச்சேரியிலும் பாடுவார். அவர் எழுதிய ஆழம் மிகுந்த ஆனால் எளிமையான கட்டுரைகள் பலப்பல. நான் முனைவர் பட்டம் பெற எனக்கான உறுதுணை அவரேதான்”

தனிப்புகழுடன் திகழ்ந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் ஹைதராபாத் சகோதரர்களை சென்னை ரசிகர்களுக்கு அறிமுகம் செய்து வைத்தவர் யார்? டிஆர்எஸ் தான். ”க்ருஷ்ண கான சபாவின் தலைவர் திரு யக்ஞராமனிடம், இவர்கள் நன்றாகப் பாடக் கூடியவர்கள். உங்கள் சபாவில் முதலில் 2 மணி ஸ்லாட்டில் ஒரு அவகாசம் கொடுங்கள், பிறகு பாருங்கள், என்ற பரிந்துரையுடன் எங்களுக்கு இடம் வாங்கிக் கொடுத்தவர் டிஆர்எஸ் சார்” என்று உணர்ச்சி பொங்கும் விதமாகக் கூறினார்கள் இச்சகோதரர்கள். ”இதன் பிறகு, நாங்கள் யாரென்றறிந்த பின்னர், கச்சேரிகள் குவிய ஆரம்பித்தன. ஒவ்வொரு கச்சேரி முடிந்த பின்னர் எங்களிடம் மேடையேறி வந்து, வாழ்த்துத் தெரிவிப்பது அவர் வழக்கம். எங்களைப் போலவே உள்ள இளைஞர்கள் பலருக்கு, அவர்களின் திறமையறிந்து வாய்ப்புப் பெற்றுத் தந்தவர் இந்த மகான்” என்றனர் இவ்விரு சகோதரர்களும்.

சேலம் காயத்ரி வெங்கடேசனும் டிஆர்எஸ்சை வழிகாட்டியாகக் கொண்டு இசைத் துறையில் முனவரானவர். “பாட்டு சொல்லிக் கொடுத்துத் திரும்பி வரும் வேளையில் தான் அவர் உயிர் உடலை விட்டுப் பிரிந்தது என்றால், இந்த குருவின் மகிமையை என்னவென்பது? யாரோ பாடுகிறார்கள், அவர்கள் கச்சேரிக்கும் செல்ல வேண்டுமா? என்று வினவினால், அங்கேயும் தப்பாமல் எனக்குக் கற்றுக் கொள்ள ஏதாவது இருக்கும், என்றே பதிலளிப்பார். கற்பதையே தன் கடனாகவும், கச்சேரிகள் கேட்பதையே தனது கடமையாகவும் கருதியவர். தற்பொழுதுள்ள இளைஞர்களுக்கு இங்கே ஒரு பாடம் காத்திருக்கிறது. அவர் பக்திப் பரவசத்தை முதலில் உணர்வார். பின்பு அந்த உணர்வுகளைத் தன்னிடம் கற்பவர்களுக்குச் சிந்தாமல் சிதறாமல் அள்ளித் தருவார். இதை நான் கண்ணாரா/காதார, மீனா‌க்ஷி மேமுதம் தேஹி எனும் தீ‌க்ஷிதர் கீர்த்தனையில் இருக்கும் “மீன லோசனி” என்ற இடம் வரும் வேளையில், அவருடன் அனுபவித்திருக்கிறேன். அவருடன் அழுதும் இருக்கிறேன். அவர் எங்களிடம் கூறுவது இதைத்தான்: உழைப்பது உங்கள் கையில், மற்றதைப் பற்றியெல்லாம் கவலையே வேண்டாம். 12 மனோஹரி (தேவமனோஹரி, ஈசமனோஹரி போன்றவை) ராகங்கள் உள்ள ஒரு ராகமாலிகையை எனக்கென்று அமைத்துக் கொடுத்தார். என்ன லாவகம்! இசையே அவர் கைவசம் எனலாம். டாக்டர் பட்டம் பெற தீசிஸைத் தயார் செய்யும் போது அவர் ஒவ்வொரு வாக்கியமும் தக்க ஆதாரத்துடனும் உரிய மேற்கோள்களுடன் இருந்தாக வேண்டுமென்பதை வலியுறுத்தினார். பாடுவதில், அதன் முறையில், செய்ய வேண்டிய திருத்தங்களை, முகத்துக்கு நேராக, ஆனால் கேட்பவர் மனம் நோகா வண்ணம் கூறி விடுவார். அவர் மறைந்த பின்னர், அடுத்தது என்ன? என்ற கேள்விதான் எங்களைப் போன்றோரை வாட்டி வதைக்கிறது”

டிஆர்எஸ்சின் இல்லத்தில் இந்த மூவரைச் சந்திக்க நேர்ந்தது. நாதப்ரஹ்மம் எனும் இசைப் பத்திரிகை நடத்தும் மிருதங்க விதவான் மன்னார்குடி சுப்பிரமணியம், டிஆர்எஸ்சிடம் 12 வருடங்கள் பயின்ற டெல்லி முத்துகுமார், திருநெல்வேலி முதல் புதுதில்லி வரையில் அவரைத் தொடர்ந்து சென்று பயின்ற மோஹன் சந்தானம். அவர்களும் தங்கள் அனுபவங்களைப் பகிர்ந்து கொண்டனர்:
யாரிடமும் எதையும் எதிர்பார்க்காமல் கொடுத்துக் கொண்டே இருந்தவர் டிஆர்எஸ் சார். வித்யா தானத்தை வழங்க காத்துக் கொண்டிருந்தவர். இவரிடம் உரையாடி இசை குறித்த விஷயங்கள் பலவற்றைத் தெளிவு படுத்திக் கொள்ளாதவரே இல்லை எனலாம். பாட்டின் சங்கதிகள் சரியாக அமையாதவரை பல முறைகள் அவரும் எங்களுடன் பாடுவார், எங்களுடன் உழைப்பார். எந்த அலுப்பும் அவருக்குத் தட்டாது, எங்களுக்குத்தான். ஏதோ உரைகளைப் படித்துவிட்டு தீ‌‌க்ஷிதரின் ”அக்ஷயலிங்க விபோ” போன்ற க்ருதிகளைப் பாடாதீர்கள். சொந்தமாக அதில் உள்ள கட்டமைப்பை, பாட்டின் போக்கை மனதினுள் இறக்கி, பின்பு பாட யத்தனம் செய்யுங்கள். டிஆர்எஸ்சிடம் உள்ள ஞானத்திற்கு அவர் எப்படியோ வாழ்ந்திருக்கலாம். அதை விடுத்து எளிமையான வாழ்க்கை முறையைப் பின் பற்றியவர். புது தில்லி குளிரையும் பொருட்படுத்தாது பஸ்ஸில் பிரயாணம் செய்தவர். காம்போதி நவாவர்ண க்ருதியை எங்களுடன் தானும் சேர்ந்து டி கே ஜெயராமன் சாரிடம் கற்றவர். அதில் வெட்கப்படுவதற்கு ஒன்றுமில்லை என்பது அவரது கூற்று. அபாரத் துணிச்சலுடன் பல இசைச் சாகஸங்களை மேடையில் செய்து முழு வெற்றி கண்டவர். பல்துறை வித்தகர் எனும் பட்டம் அவருக்கு மிகப் பொருந்தும். வித்வான் டி எம் த்யாகராஜன் போன்றவர்கள் கஷ்ட திசையில் இருந்த போது ஸங்கீத நாடக அகாடமியின் ஃபெல்லோஷிப்பை அவருக்குப் பெற்றுக் கொடுத்தவர். ஃபேஸ் புக்கின் ”தம்ப்ஸ் அப்” முத்திரை போல அவரது பரிபாஷையில் “கொடி இருக்கு உன் பாட்டில்” எனும் பதத்தை உபயோகிப்பார். இது புரிந்தவர்களுக்கு மட்டுமே புரியும். கச்சேரி தரத்துடன் இருந்தது என்பதற்கான குறியீடுதான் இந்தக் “கொடி”. அவரிடம் இசையின் இலக்கணத்தையும், இசை சார்ந்த இலக்கியத்தையும் ஒருங்கே காணலாம். தனது விமர்சனத்தை, தன் மாணவர்கள் மீது திணிக்காதவர். இதனால் தான் அவரது சீடர்கள் யாவருமே திறந்த மனத்துடன் எல்லா கச்சேரிகளுக்கும் தடையின்றிச் செல்வதை ஒரு பழக்கமாகக் கொண்டுள்ளனர். கருணாகரனே சிவசங்கரனே எனும் பாபநாசம் சிவனது கீரவாணி ராகப்பாடலை, அன்று பாலகனாய் இருந்த பாலாஜி சங்கர் மிக அருமையாகப் பாடியதைக் கேட்டு, அவனிடமே சென்று வயது வித்தியாசம் பாராமல் கேட்டுக் கற்றுக் கொண்டவர்.

”எனக்கு முன்னே சித்தர்பல ரிருந்தா ரப்பா,
யானும் வந்தே னொருசித்த னிந்த நாட்டில்” என்பார் பாரதியார்.

தனது இசையினாலும் அதை பிறர்க்கு தங்கு தடையின்றி வழங்கி, சித்து புரிந்து, உலகை ஆட்கொண்ட ஒரு சகாப்தமே, டி ஆர் எஸ் எனும் மூன்றெழுத்து. ஒரு வற்றாத நதி! ஆள் மறைந்தாலும் நதி ஓட்டத்துடனேயே இருக்குமல்லவா?

abhimani

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: TRS

Post by vasanthakokilam »

abhimani or others: Please provide a transliteration and translation please.

balakk
Posts: 130
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 06:56

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by balakk »

I chanced upon a rendering of Endhuko Baaga Teliyadhu by Dr.BMK - which was being discussed in the condolence thread.
Here's the same:

https://soundcloud.com/ballkey/bmk-endhuko-baaga

This feels equally good, but I still prefer Prof.TRS version though. This is such an unusual song - it has the old world hindi film song feel to it - like Gaatha rahe mera dil or something. I'm sorry if people feel that comparison is odious - just my thoughts.

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by varsha »

I'm sorry if people feel that comparison is odious
I will go one step ahead .
It is as exotic and difficult as
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNZ8d0eBNJo
No wonder , this song is never sung by any contestant in any competition .
Kishore Da - what a singer . !!!!!!

hnbhagavan
Posts: 1655
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 22:06

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by hnbhagavan »

Dear Venkatakailasam,

Thank you sir for providing TRS-LGJ combine link.Very nice.

abhimani
Posts: 6
Joined: 01 Nov 2013, 12:50

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by abhimani »

I have managed to translate the Tamil version to English and here is it:

He was the man who set at nought the age-old concept that pallavi singing was as difficult as it could be. And his swara korvais were as phenomenal as they were simple. And any explanation about music you could seek from him, regarding sahithyas of his own or of others. Such a colossus in the world of music, T R Subramaniam (TRS) left us to continue his work in heaven. He passed away on 4th October, 2013. One wonders whether all the aasaans and musical men and women “up above the world so high” wanted this diamond to be with them and had given a call to him?

Our dearest S R Janakiraman(SRJ), a living encyclopedia, was seated next to him on the same bench when he had done his “vidwan” course. “It was really a bolt from the blue, the news about the passing away of TRS” he said sadly. He went back in time to those days. “Yes. Certainly it is an irreparable loss to the music world. TRS, T K Govinda Rao (TKG) and SRJ, myself, we, the three lettered fellows, formed a trio of sorts. You and TRS - the two of you - learnt together and lived together and grew together - This was the utterance of R Krishnaswami, Secretary, NGS. I (SRJ) knew TRS, right from the 50’s. While it was true that he served to demystify pallavis per se’, he also saw to it that the accompanists were in their respective comfort zones and experienced the least difficulty when they played with/for him. He was an eloquent speaker too. His speeches would instill clarity within you. When he was in Vijayawada (AP) every evening there would be concerts at his residence. The musicians who benefited from attending and participating in these concerts were legion. And youth would go after him. He had that magical power within. And a truly friendly person to all. And his patanthara was perfect, and one could easily notate these. Yes! Without an iota of doubt he deserves the name “MahaVidwan”.

A man who had exhibited considerable prowess in the two fields, Hindustani and Carnatic, and who is a master of many instruments both laya and others as well, and a well-established vocalist, Sri T V Gopalakrishnan, TVG, said that “TRS and I belonged to the same era” with a sense of pride. “We, MSG on the violin and adiyen on the mridangam, together with TRS as the chief, have performed many concerts in Kerala. He could be called as an achiever on stage. And his concerts invariably would pose challenges to us. And I think we lived up to his expectations. He used to both impel us and enjoy it as well.” One can think of TRS as one of the pillars of carnatic music who belonged to the latter half of the 20th century. Yet he was not wary of venturing to popularize the compositions of contemporary vaaggeyakaras, Harikeshanallur or Lalgudi, for instance. “TRS was a man who wanted to achieve the dictates of his mind and was steadfast in this mission of his”

The foremost disciple of TRS, Dr. Radha Venkatachalam was choked with emotion and took some time to talk freely. “It was a fifty year old relationship. I have always treated him as my father and he treated me with an equal passion as his dear daughter. At Delhi, I was initially a student who belonged to the Maths discipline, but got converted to Music after listening to a concert of TRS sir. Sri Lalgudi and UKS had accompanied him in that particular concert. When I attained proximity to this great personality, TRS, I understood that he was a veritable storehouse of knowledge. He was a broad-minded soul in the truest sense of the word. “In music or in any other field for that matter, all knowledge should be shared. There should be no closed room/door that we may have to confront with.” This then was his noble motto. He was a polyglot who was comfortable with English, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. The music workshops that were organized by him were perfect examples of the kind and are being followed even to this day – the format with changing content. He made it a matter of policy to listen to any artiste, be it a debut performance or the nth performance. He was an eternal seeker. Music Education Trust – MET, was founded by him and is about to celebrate its silver jubilee this year. Under the auspices of this trust many unknown vidwans and many many youngsters have obtained concert berths. The number of vidwans he had introduced would certainly be a huge list. During the Pallavi workshops he insisted on the participants forming a pallavi even on the very first day. Secrets would be broken here and now. And to boot he used to sing those pallavis composed by students in his concerts. Being a man of letters, his essays would be at once thought-provoking and authoritative. He lived his thoughts. If I have obtained my doctorate in music, it was all because of him - his enthusiasm and courage let me do it.”

As duo performers, Hyderabad Brothers, Seshachari and Raghavachari had carved a niche for themselves. And the one who introduced them to the Chennai audience was none other than TRS, whom they talk of only in reverential terms. “Once when talking to Sri Yagnya Raman of KGS, TRS sir said, Give them a chance in the 2 hour afternoon slot and then you will know. TRS thus got us a “place” in KGS and then there was no looking back. And mind you ,after each one of our concerts he used to come directly to the stage and congratulate us with his critical comments. In the same manner he was the man who spotted talent among youngsters and secured them a place to perform at Sabhas”.

Salem Gayathri Venkatesan was yet another candidate who had obtained her doctorate in music taking guidance from TRS. “The fact that he had breathed his last as he returned from a music class, shows what class (as a guru) he was made of. It is a non-entity singing and do you have to attend that concert too? If we had to pose this question to TRS, there will be something for me to learn there too, would be his quick reply. For him learning was his duty and listening to concerts was a penance. Youngsters, learners of today would do well to take a lesson or two from this attitude of TRS. He used to realize the full import of a particular song and would transfer that experience in an undiluted manner to his sishyas. I was fortunate enough to gain that experience when he taught me the particular line “Meena Lochani…..” (Meenakshi Mudham, Poorvikalyani). He constantly used to harp on another issue: To work is your duty and pray do not, do not worry about anything else. He had formed a composition that had 12 Manoharis (Esamanohari, Devamanohari and others) exclusively for me and I was with him when he was working on this. He was certainly a phenomenon, I realized again at that juncture. Music was, it seemed to me, I may dare say, at his disposal. He used to insist that in my doctoral thesis every inch had to have strong corroborative evidence. No empty assertions please. And he never hesitated to call a spade by its name when it came to correcting his disciples. But that would come without hurting you. It is definitely an art. Pointing out errors but that would never cause an “injury”

One had a chance to meet 3 ardent fans/disciples of TRS at his residence and this then was their chorus: (They were Delhi Muthukumar who had learnt from TRS for 12 years, Mannargudi Subramanian, Mridangist and Editor of the Music Journal, Nadhabrahmam and Mohan Santhanam who had chased TRS from Tirunelveli to New Delhi with a desire to learn from him)

He never expected anything from anyone. To give was his aim, Vidhya Dhaanam, if you like it that way. There is probably not a single musician who did not seek clarifications from him for some issue relating to music. He used to repeat sangathis with us “n” number of times till we got it right. We were the ones who would feel exhausted, not sir. “Please do not read some interpretations and get into a krithi like Akshaya Lingha Vibho (Sankarabaranam, Dikshithar) and render it in a perfunctory manner. Get the structure, the flow of the lyrics into your mind (or heart) and then venture to render it. That would be fulfillment for you and to that great vaaggeyakaara”. For the unbound knowledge he possessed he could have lead a luxurious life, but his lifestyle was as simple as it could be. In spite of the biting cold winters of Delhi, he chose to travel by bus.

He had learnt the Khambodhi NavaAvarna Krithi from Sri DKJ with us. He was also a student at that moment. No. Nothing to feel shy about this. He certainly had imparted this “listening” requirement in the minds of most of his sishyas. That gets reflected in all of us having an open mind, when it comes to listening. He was a truly versatile personality. When TMT was facing hard times, TRS arranged for a Sangeetha Nataka Akademi fellowhip be awarded to him and helped him thus.

And at the end of the concerts of others he used to say “Yes you have hoisted the flag (kodi). It was an inscrutable comment to many. It only meant that the quality of the concert was praiseworthy and had the stamp of class. This “kodi” term indicated that a certain level had been attained. And did you know this. He went all the way to Balaji Shanker’s residence to learn the Keeravani krithi of Sivan, Karunakarane. Such was his humility.

Mahakavi Bharathiyar had said this:
“There were many seers before me in this great land. I too had arrived and had, I hope attained the status of a seer”
By his music, and by the sheer magnanimity of giving, TRS had performed the feat of a seer and had thus taken the world by storm. A glorious chapter in the history of music. That three letter word, T R S, that river is one that would never go dry for ages to come. The man may have gone but the river will continue to flow!
abhimani

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rshankar »

Abhimani - thank you for taking the time to translate - this eloquent tribute can now be read, experienced, and enjoyed by rasikas other than the core group that is capable of reading the tamizh script!!

vasanthakokilam
Posts: 10956
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Thanks Abhimani.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: T.R. Subramaniam

Post by rajeshnat »

I was thinking TRS singing a Dr BMK composition was itself a great thing , with abhimani mentioning that he has learnt from balaji shankar - KarunakAranE has shown how much shri TRS was taking good things from even much younger musicians. Tx Abhimani for your translation.

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