Palani Subramania Pillai 48th Gurupuja

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 03 Jun 2010, 13:06

Palani Sri M Subramania Pillai trust cordially invites one and all for the programme to be held on 5th June at Narada Gana Sabha Mini Hall from 9 am onwards and the invitation is attached below. Kindly treat this as a personal invitation and grace the occasion.

Mannarkoil J Balaji

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 03 Jun 2010, 17:54

Balaji: Please send me an email: [email protected]
Thanks.

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 03 Jun 2010, 18:15

Best Wishes, Balaji!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 03 Jun 2010, 22:06

Balaji,
All the best for the Guru puja.
I can hear Pazhani Subramania Pillai play now! Without knowing anything about the intricacies of playing a mrudangam (to this day), I loved listening to him. A fine man whom I knew as a child. What's more, can never forget for his huge sea green la salle car which won't run and so was parked for a long time in the compound of my uncle's house. It became my little reading room and circulating library of children's magazines for friends!
Every time I hear Guruvayur Dorai, Arun Prakash, TS and you, I'm reminded of him. I think he was soft-spoken because I don't remember his voice--only his sollus!

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 04 Jun 2010, 17:58

Hi All,

I wish I could be there on this occassion. My Best Wishes to everyone involved. No doubt, Shri PSP-The Great remains the God of South Indian Percussion.

Thanks.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 05 Jun 2010, 18:02

The programme started at 09 10 hrs. No invocation song and unwanted speeches . It was really an Isai Anjali by Mirudhanga vidwans. and musicians.

1 Visaloor Gurumoorthy Vocal
Krishnamachari Mirudhangam
Rahul Violin
K.V R.S. Mani Kanjira
Visaloor Gurumoorthy sang the first song w/o violin since violin and Kanjira came late. And they continued playing for all the vocalists.
Gam Ganapate Hamsadwani H M B
Ragu nandana Rajathi raja
Thiruvadi charanam Kamobodhi
Parmala kalaba Thirupugazh

2 Gayathri Vocal

Ethi rajan Mirudhangam

3 Paramakudi raveendran Vocal
Arvind Mirudhangam

Na moralunu vini Arabi

4 K Ashok Mirudhangam

Nijamuka nee panimasu Sahana

5 K. Bhaskar Mirudhangam

Erumayileri Thirupugazh

6 Rikvith Raja Vocal

J. Balaji Mirudhangam

Natha thanumanisam Chiththa ranjani

7 Master Akshay Mirudhangam An 8th standard 13 yrs boy a Left Hander.

Deva Deva Kalayamidhe Mayamalava Gowla

8 Jayakrishnan Unni Vocal

Arun prakash Mirudhangam another L H

Sarasija bhava Jaye Kalyani

9 A.V. Ragu prasad Mirudhangam

Raksha pettare Bhairavi

10 D. R. Soorya moorthy

Madhirimangalam mirudhangam

Easan Kanaka sabesan Begada [ with lot of slipping in sruthi and thalam too and was referring note book for lyrics }

11 Palghat Rajaraman Vocal with the same accompaniments

Abhayamba Sri ragam

12 Sri Vidhya Vocal

Rajesh Mirudhangam

Raga sutha rasa Andolika

After the above Master Akshay gave an wonderful Thani for 5 Mits in Misra chapu Excellent padantharam I was told his Guru presently is Kalidas.

Subha Ganesan Vocal
M.A. Krishnasamy Violin
Karaikudi V M Ganesan Mirudhangam
V Gopalakrishnan Kanjira

Eranapai Thodi
Rama Ravi vinaveya Sooriya Kantham ?
Sri chakra raja nilaye Siva sakthi ? P, S
Bhuvaneswarim Mohana Kalyani R,N,S
Amba Neelayadhakshi Neelambari P
Dasarathe Thodi R,N,S and Tani
Pazhani Shunmuka velundu Kilikanni?
Vachanametri maravadhe
The song selections were good but for 2 thodis. Thani was excellent. Madras Kannan and Srimushnam were the only VIPs present. As usual the concert hall was 3/4th full and that too with more senior citizens as usual. At the end Arathi was taken to the portrait of Pazhani Subbudu avl and at the end all the Rasikas were given lunch [ Prasadam } with hot Sarkarai pongal, Venpongal and Curd bath with Gotsu and Mangai oorugai [ ofcourse with treated water in paper cups.] .In general the function was well organised and conducted in a grand manner. Shri Balaji has taken pains in planning and executing this great event. He alone ran the show with announcements and photo coverage . Special Kudos to ' Mirudhangam.' IMHO the other school [ Thanjavur ] also could have come and paid their homage to the great mastero. Why this Kanchipuram-- Sringeri attitude? Music is Music. The gurus of the respective mirudhangam players also could have been announced as an added piece of information. There were only two left handers as a recollection of Pazhani's memory.

Thanjavooran 05 05 2010

cienu · Post by **cienu** » 05 Jun 2010, 18:56

Thank you Thanjavooran for your report and congratulations to Balaji

kssr · Post by **kssr** » 05 Jun 2010, 20:33

We can visualize the continually shifting stage scenario which would have been vibrant, reflecting the various types of vocal-mridangam combinations. Very nice idea indeed. Probably comparable to the tribute paid to Saint Thyagaraja in Tiruvaiyaaru. Congratulations to Sri.Balaji.

I think the final item in the prasaadam list is Maangaai Oorugai and not that of "mangai". Sorry for the impertinence!!

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 06 Jun 2010, 06:02

thanjavooran wrote:IMHO the other school [ Thanjavur ] also could have come and paid their homage to the great mastero. Why this Kanchipuram-- Sringeri attitude? Music is Music.

Dear Sri.Thanjavooran, musicians shall always be musicians. There is absolutely no point brooding over this fact. Instead, let me join you in congratulating Balaji and co for continuing their wonderful efforts, following the footsteps of Sri.Kandaswamy Pillai. Am sure Sri.K.S.Kalidas is an huge inspirational force behind conducting this isai anjali in a grand manner year after year. Our salutations to him too.

That 48 long years have passed since Sri.Palani's physical form left us remains an unbelievable truth to me. Really blessed were those who had heard him live with Semmangudi mama, MMI, GNB etc.. and especially with Alathur Bros...Clad in immaculate white, with a dose of tobacco always in his mouth, it was a treat to the eyes as much as to the ears when GNB-Mayavaram Govindaraja Pillai-Palani came together to perform. It all seems like yesterday to me. Never before the world has seen one and never again shall we see yet another colossus in Mridangam and Kanjira.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 07 Jun 2010, 03:37

Forumites; Nice to know about the PSP remembrance day. True to my Mallari Rao habit(Mallari Rao was a fictitious character in one of the writings of the late Devan--of Ananda Vikatan--- who at the drop of a hat would reminisce about an event or history much to the chagrin of the listeners around him. At least

forumites have the option of not reading this post !!!

I cannot but fondly recall some very pleasant moments in our family's life with PSP.
First he was a thorough gentleman--dignity incarnate!! He was very close to my father despite the fact that my father was very close to PMI and my brother learnt under PMI's disciple at PMI's behest and PSP hinted several times to my father that he would love to take my brother under his wings--every time he came to Bombay we would invite him for lunch and he would insist on listening to my brother and comment how much he has improved.
I was always appointed to be the errand boy for him when he visited Bombay and stayed in our house. PSP had a habit of meticulously combing his hair--he will not rest till every strand was in perfect alignment--this will take him anywhere between 15 minutes to 30 minutes--the finished "master piece" would be a Hair-dresser/fashioner's delight!!! So much so in order to get him to the concert hall in time I am told he would be told a different time of start of the concert . He was a true epicurean,connoisseur of everything that is artsy(sharp contrast to PMI who dressed down for concerts so much that if one did not recognize him he would pass off for an ordinary destitute!!) An incident my father has narrated in his book on PSP that would illustrate his love for good things in life:
I reproduce below:
I(my father KS Mahadevan) had him for lunch at my house and after lunch we were chatting about all and sundry things, when my wife happened to open the GODREJ door to take out something. Out came a strong whiff of a compelling perfume which surprised Palani. He asked about the source of this captivating smell and was shown a bottle of Jarda-scented tobacco which the great dancer Balasaraswathi had left behind when she visited us earlier. Immediately Palani took the empty container with him and in Narsu's Auto(a private Taxi operator in Matunga in the Fifties normally used by the Shanmukhananda Sabha.) proceeded to Abdul Rahman Street in Kalbadevi/Girgaum area in Bombay. A small container of this tobacco cost Rs. 150 an expensive luxury but not for Palani who liked the good things of life and was an epicurean all over"" .

Another incident narrated by my father in his book that led to the introduction of Lalgudi to the Bombay audience in 1952 for the first time accompanying VVSadagopan.
I reproduce below:

While on leave at madras I (KSMahadevan) I called on Palani at his Boag Road(mambalam) residence(incidentally this was the house in which one of his sishyas got electrocuted when he came into contact with a live electric wire--apparently the Sishya was trying to drape a wet cloth over a wire strung across that he thought was an ordinary wire) to ask him to help me in fixing up Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman to accompany VVS at the Poddar Hall in Matunga for a Sabha concert.

PSP was all courtesy oozing goodness towards me. When I told him my mission to my pleasant surprise he put on his shirt took the Fiat car's keys(note to Arasi this was no Jalopy!!) and said "let's go" And so he drove upto Saidapet where Lalgudi was living, said to me "You please remain in the car" and went up the stairs of the house. he was back in 15 minutes saying "your job is done". Eager as I was to meet Lalgudi it did not materialise.""

Tailpiece: Lalgudi took the Bombay audience by storm and the rest is history!!

PSP was very supportive of young accompanists or vocalists and never "begrudged" the attention given to PMI--despite the fact that PSP was senior to him and no less talented(another story from my father's book that shatters the myth of "rivalry" between the two mridangam giants even alluded to by a very responsible and respectable writer like Sriram in his book ( I forget the title--something to do with Summers). I shall revert to this in my next post as also one of the most touching gestures that PSP showed towards our family

on the occasion of my sister's wedding in Madras in the Mid-Fifties. I will touch on this in my next post.

Sorry, domestic duty beckons!!

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 07 Jun 2010, 13:17

@Ramasubramanian M.K

Sir - A Treat to all who were not fortunate enough to be born in his era, was not fortunate enough to leave alone - personally know him, not fortunate enough to view him performing live. Expecting much more musings...

Thank you

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 07 Jun 2010, 13:20

varadharajan - "Never before the world has seen one and never again shall we see yet another colossus in Mridangam and Kanjira."

Sir - You are absolutely Right, that is the Real Truth

Thanks.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 07 Jun 2010, 17:27

I would have been around ten years old when PSP died, but, unfortunately, I was born far away and was not even to hear of the mridangam for another couple of decades. My mridangam teacher, second-generation member of the PSP school was not yet even born.

Ramasubramanian M.K, thank you for the recollection.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 07 Jun 2010, 19:59

Continuing the PSP reminiscences:
In post #10 I had mentioned I would revert back to an anecdote that 'touched" our family.
When my sister's wedding (Chennai) was fixed for July 12,1954-(at the ABBOTSBURY in Mount Road next to the current DMK HQ)-months before, my father had informed both Alathur and Palghat Mani Iyer and both of them readily agreed to perform.TNK being a family close friend agreed to accompany without any demurrhal. KVN was my sister's guru before marriage and my father had requested him to sing for the previous night's festivities--Mappillai Azhaippu,Nichyathartham etc - My father had planned to have Alathur in the evening reception.Unbeknownst to my father my mother had been approached by the mother of Radha and Jayalakshmi(who were very close to our family) wanting to sing at the wedding--as my sister was close to them in terms of the age and during summers we used to spend lots of time with the R and J family playing cards,marina beach etc etc, My mother readily agreed. so they were to sing for the evening reception between 5 P.M. and 9 P.M.
Now came the dilemma how to accomodate Alathur?My father hit upon a brilliant idea--Why not have Alathur sing after 9 P.M. Simultaneously when my father invited PSP for the wedding,PSP regretted he cannot come for the reception etc because he had a concert @ Vani Mahal (Mambalam) playing for GNB. he also volunteered to play Kanjira if the concert were to be held after 9 P.M.(for the non-chennaites in the forum Vani Mahal is 10 minutes away from Abbotsbury). We all agreed that the 9 P.M. time slot was ideal--with all the din and noise characteristic of wedding receptions over by then --- there would be peace and tranquility. Close friends and family members(including MSS/TS,Kalki Mama) stayed around for the concert.(SSI could not be present because he had an important commitment in Trivandrum with the Academy there)

Imagine the Jama Pandhi as they used to call in those days.(Alathur Bros-- TNK-Palghat Mani Iyer-Palani Subramania Pillai.

Sure enough PSP requested GNB to end his concert just before 9 P.M., drove straight to Abbotsbury, grabbed a hasty bite and then sat on the dais-- I can visualise the setting even today-- PMI on the left,Alathur Sreenivasa Iyer next, Subbaier,TNK and PSP in a beautiful arc formation. Alathur bros gave one of their most outstanding concerts including a 4 kalai,triputa Tala,Chatusra nadai pallavi(Neera Jakshi Kamakshi) in Bhairavi with anulomam and pratilomam. PMI and PSP outdid each other--it was a sheer demonstration of love and affection for our family--no amount of remuneration would have been sufficient to show one's apprecation of such magnanimous gestures. Imagine PSP just off a gruelling over-three hours performance for GNB and then rushing to perform for another 3 and half hours. Kalki Mama noted for his quick wit and presence of mind commented on the "Indra Sabhai " to Alathur and the accompanying artistes and how befitting their concert was before such enlightened audiences!!!. That era truly epitomized HOW much those artistes-none of them affluent by any means--valued friendship and family relationships. I am sorry to say--having witnessed over the last 40 years--hosting,chaperoning of the visiting artistes around in NA-- that spirit of nobility and values transcending mere material values is sorely lacking-- I am sure there would be several younger forumites who have found the present generation of artistes no less considerate.

Unfortunately we did not have a tape recorder in those days --although some well-to-do families did own the famous GRUNDIG tape recorders in those days it never occurred to any of us to "beg,borrow or steal" one of them!! Posterity would have been better served thro those live recordings than the stale, turgid prose I am attempting here!!!

Sorry this post became too long!!

I shall continue the chronicle with a couple of anecdotes that would reveal what a fine perceptive human being PSP was and what a shrewd judge he was of the character and temperament of his peers and contemporaries.

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 07 Jun 2010, 22:03

The pictures are uploaded at
http://picasaweb.google.com/mridhangam/ ... ay05062010#

It can also be accessed through Palani website :

www.palanisubramaniapillai.org and under the heading Photo Gallery.

Mannarkoil J Balaji

rshankar · Post by **rshankar** » 07 Jun 2010, 23:24

Balaji - thank you for the lovely pictures and your effort at captioning them. Must have been a tedious undertaking.

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 08 Jun 2010, 02:16

Ramasubramanian Sir

By any chance, would you or your family have a picture of the concert of Alathur Brothers...at least we can get to see their faces, if not hear their wonderful music !!! Please !!

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 08 Jun 2010, 05:19

Shri Ramasubramaniam Avl,
Excellent recollection. Thanx.
Thanjavooran 08 06 2010

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 08 Jun 2010, 06:47

Sam Swaminathan wrote: By any chance, would you or your family have a picture of the concert of Alathur Brothers...at least we can get to see their faces, if not hear their wonderful music !!! Please !!

Sir, I dont know whether you are referring to Alathur bros' photo from that particular concert or their general concert photos. If it is the latter, then there are lot of them available here.
http://www.palanisubramaniapillai.org/m ... photos.htm

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 08 Jun 2010, 18:20

Thank you, Balaji.

I was hoping to come, but an entirely sleepless night plus having my car at the repairers worked against me.

I enjoyed the photographs.

Next year, so long as I am in the city, I will not miss!

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 08 Jun 2010, 21:30

Balaji,
Did I miss it in tanjavooran's post or you did not play on that particular day because of being too busy with tha arrangements?

Ramasubramanian,
Fascinating account of PSP! You helped me bring him back to memory. It was from the latter part of the forties that I remember him from, when I was a young girl.
As for the car, no sir, though it was a 'no va' (chaltA nahIn), it was a huge sedan, in the days of mostly black cars, a sea-green hue to boot! Quite a cosy nook for the reader. I even used it as a roof garden, stretching myself on top of it, reading Ananda Vikatan, a mallAri rAo story too perhaps, who knows!

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 09 Jun 2010, 01:36

Forumites: Undaunted by the vaporisation into cyber-space of a 1000-word post which would have been Post#18 in this thread (before Thenpannan's post--by the way thanx for your appreciation) I resume and hopefully I can do partial justice to the original torrent of anecdotes--it is never the same when one tries to redo the original!!--reminds me of Semmangudi Mama's comment about "taping" performances and WHY they are not good- Live sangeetham Oru Kuttalam Aruvi Madiri- Vizhumbodhu Anubhavikkanam--10 Adi Thalli Poi Tekkina Tanniyil Kulichall ade anubhavam irukkadu("Enjoying the waterfall when it drops is a different experience than storing or trapping the water 10 ft down stream and bathing in it!!".

Now for the PSP saga--earlier I had referred to an oft-prevalent 'innuendo"(strong word could not find a milder one!!) about "alleged" rivalry between PMI and PSP. Having been in the thick of these controversies --aided by the fact that my brother a PMI school product who had advanced training under TKM(Thanjavur School) and the two styles were hotly debated @ that time,-- myself and my father had ample opportunities to 'tap" into "inside" stories. I can conclusively say no such rivalry existed. Each had the highest regard for the other. Both were sticklers when it came to protocol and dais-etiquette.

When ascending the stage PMI and PSP always followed the proper order- first the vocalist,then the violinist and then the Mridangam player--no matter how junior the Violinist would be , neither of them would ever pull rank. Both of them had high regard for the other school. PMI would not stop talking about Dakshinamurthy Pillai(a disciple of Manpoondia Pilai--the architect of the Pudukottai school along with another sishya Palani Muthiah Pillai--father of PSP.. PMI had many friendly on-stage duels with Dakshinamoorthy Pillai in his twenties. Likewise PSP had high regard for Vaithanna's Thanjavur style(epitomised by PMI and TKM_). PSP had very high regard for TKM as well and if any of the forumites feel bold enough to call on TKM @ madipakkam(his residence), TKM can set the record straight. TKM the eternal court jester has regaled me and my brother with stories of how easily PSP can be tickled to laughter while playing -- by TKM's "imitation" of the vocalist's "contortions" when TKM would be in the front row . The Thanjavur style essentially relied on crispness and brevity--sharply defined and executed--PMI claimed that Vaithanna was the First person to compose Moharas for the Five talams. The Pudukotai style(although Dakshinamurthy Pillai himself had toned down some of the Kanakku-oriented phrases when he played) was noted for the elaborate Korvais--a lot of "borrowing" from the Thavil tradition. PSP after his father(who used more Thavil sollukatus--SSI used to say--) toned down some of these Korvais and initially weathered the criticism of harsh "beating"(nothing compare to the "blast-masters" of today) and settled into the mellowed (Jilu Jiluppu ) cadence in his later years. Semmangudi Mama once in the company of several Vidwans complimented PSP on PSP's Thoppi with this remark " Pillaival, adu enna mridangathil Puraa-pigeon- adaichhu Vachirukkela(have you embedded a dove inside the mridangam)--the muted hum of the dove without opening its mouth will emit short bursts of controlled sound -- PSP's Thoppi was Sukham-personified. Even now without any of the amplification , PSP's Thoppi would far outshine the best of the Mridangists today with all their electronic devices and accoutrements .
My father first arranged the PMI-PSP combo for GNB(Rajamanikkam) for the Shanmukhananda Sabha in 1950(when the Sabha's membership rolls were thin and such a concert would have been a risky financial proposition and yet the Committee authorised my father to go ahead and arrange). I remember the concert was held in Podar College Hall and was a roaring success. PSP on the Kanjira matched PMI sollu for sollu and gave full vent to his forte--the Tisra nadais with Korvais after Korvai coming like waves after waves-- neither of them tried any silly gamesmanship either-- PMI realised the limitations of the kanjira(predominantly one hand) and played only sollukattus that could be reproduced in the Kanjira. At the end of the concert, no "affected" complimenting each other but a genuine wordless smile and gratitude that spoke of a high degree of respect and understanding. As if to prove this point my father refers to the PMI-PSP relationship in his memoirs.
When PSP was laid up in the Hospital(I think it was the Isabella Hospital in Mylapore) PMI visited PSP who had suffered a severe heart attack ( to which he succumbed later). PMI wished him the obligatory well wishes for a speedy recovery and I believe took leave of PSP with this statement"Please do not worry, there are only two major mridangists today ostensibly in reference to himself and PSP.

My father writes"This instance of propriety and musical esteem is mentioned here to stress their mutual regard-- though there were many tale-bearers who would claim that Palani's Thoppi Gumukhi" was unparalled!! It beats me WHY there is so much partisanship among a section of the public when the artistes themselves never encouraged such manifestations of loyalty carried too far ".End of Quote!!

Both PMI and PSP throughout their playing careers continued to evolve their styles-- PMI by adding some "chendai" sollus in the later years drawn from his Kerala influence-PSP moderating the Thavil style retaining the rich 'embroidered" sollukatus from the Thavil sampradayam . later on when Palghat Raghu adopted some of PSP's style to distinguish himself from PMI PMI to his credit lauded it saying that it is not a compliment for a sishya to be told he is playing exactly like his master( mridangam forumite- practitioners I am sure can substantiate this observation or repudiate--they are welcome!!).

I had mentioned about PSP's perceptive assessment of people--artistes and rasikas alike. One incident that involved Pudukottai Swaminatha Pillai(a Kanjira player and son of Dakshinamurthy Pillai). PSP had very high regard for Dakshinamurthy Pillai and was not too fond of the son who he believed did harm to his father;s reputation.

Once,in Bombay after PSP had one of the recurring heart episodes, he accompanied Alathur in a 4 hour concert after which he was visibly tired. He had another engagement the next day in Bombay for Alathur(I think the Sabha had to hold two performances(the hall had not been built yet- so 2 performances were necessary to accommodate the rising membership). My father suggested to PSP whether he would mind having Swaminatha Pillai for Kanjira as it would give him(PSP) some relief(Swaminatha Pillai had come for another engagement and was available that day). PSP I believe paused momentarily and said OK but I do not think it would fructify. My father asked him WHY-- PSP said Swaminatha would insist of sitting right opposite to me (PSP was left-handed and Swaminatha Pilai was right handed) ahead of the Violinist T.Chowdiah and that is unacceptable to PSP because that would be an affront to Chowdiah--although in this writer's opinion Chowdiah was such a magnanimous man that he would not have minded this mild relegation!!!
Sure enough when my faher approached Swaminatha Pilai he agreed and precisely laid out the condition that PSP had predicted. My father could not convince him and dropped the idea and when he came back and reported to PSP, PSP with a "I-told-you-so" smirk on his face,told my father totally unprompted ":You people are not aware of how much pain and sorrow he had caused to the great Dakshinamurthy Pillai by his drinking habits and financial profligacy and added this tailpiece to the story.
When Dakshinamurthy Pillai( a God-fearing Bhakthiman with impeccable conduct) was returning by early morning train after an absence of several days , what he saw was his son stretched across the front door totally inebriate and unconscious. Dakshinamurthy Pillai stroked himself on his bald pate exclaiming in sorrow "Hay Palani Anadava. what have I done to deserve this from my only son"--a lament of unbearable poignancy!!
Lastly how much PSP encouraged his sishyas on stage and off stage. An anecdote.

For Radha/Vijaya's wedding in 1957 TS Mama had arranged for Semmangudi Mama-TNK and PSP for the reception concert in Kalki gardens where an elaborate Shamiana was erected in the centre of the Garden( a nicely tended garden I might add and how TS Mama must have 'winced: with every blade of finely-manicured grass being trampled upon by the "mob"!!). PSP asked Semmangudi Mama whether it is OK to bring an young sishya(because of the exposure it would offer the young sishya to an elite audience) as SECOND mridangam(it was not in vogue in those days to have a double Mridngam). Semmangudi Mama said it is OK and PSP played with such gusto and challenged the young sishya-- supremely confident the young man would rise up to the occasion,which the sishya did. Semmangudi Mama could not stop himself from saying frequently Bale Bale. Subsequently the "young' man was Mama's preferred Mridangam accompaniment.

Guess who was that young sishya?

NONE OTHER THAN OUR TRICHY SANKARAN!!! I am sure he remembers the occasion.

Forumite CIENU: Do you have any pics of your Mom's wedding with the Kutcheri?

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 09 Jun 2010, 10:31

Ramasubramanian, that made some absolutely fascinating reminiscences.

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote: My father writes"This instance of propriety and musical esteem is mentioned here to stress their mutual regard-- though there were many tale-bearers who would claim that Palani's Thoppi Gumukhi" was unparalled!! It beats me WHY there is so much partisanship among a section of the public when the artistes themselves never encouraged such manifestations of loyalty carried too far ".End of Quote!!

Guess, this was one of the brilliant parts of the post. Such loyalty is seen in this forum too, regarding which i think that not much can be done. After Chembai, i would say that it was PSP who went out of the way to support talented youngsters. Palghat Raghu once told me that PSP didn't have that difference between whether a person is learning from him or from PMI. Any talented youngster he came across, he would lovingly refer to him as "enga veetu thambi". In fact Sri.Raghu also told me that it was PSP who had sponsored his visit once to Calcutta to enable him play for GNB and told Raghu that it is enough if he pays him back after coming back from Calcutta after getting his remuneration. Can we ever imagine such a thing these days?

If i can allow myself to be a spoil sport kind of sorts,one small incident i can recall about PSP. 1954, Allepey, Marriage concert in the family of a wealthy local patron of arts. Semmangudi mama's concert was arranged with Rajamanickam Pillai and PSP, and yours truly on the thampurA. The patron, though wealthy, lacked ingEEtham and remarked straight into the face of PSP, that unfortunately PMI is not free and hence he was arranged. But PSP as usual just smiled casually and walked straight to the dias, always inquiring about the welfare of others on his way. The respect which he had for his seniors, the affection with which he spoke to youngsters ( As a matter of fact there was no "vAdA pOda" ever in his speech towards youngsters. only "thambi, vAnga pOnga etc.. ") remains a surprise to me for i still cannot believe a vidwan of such a towering vidwath can be so humble.

Semmangudi mama sang a divine kharahapriya that day, followed by "rAma nEE samAnamevaru" and thani followed that. PSP played a misra nadai, with sparks flying around and never did i see Semmangudi mama again in such an exited state with volleys of "bales and besh" ... At the end of the concert, the patron with tears in his eyes, profusely apologised and handed over the remuneration envelope to PSP, which he didn't even open and see. Finally when we returned to Trivandrum the next day, PSP opened the cover only to find out that he had received double the amount than his usual concert fee. Before catching the train back to Madras, he had returned the excess amount to Semmangudi mama to get it delivered to the patron, prompting Semmangudi mama to say "PillaivAL, ungaLa mAdhiri gowravamA thozhil panna, innoruthar porandhu varanam".. ("A person should be born again to carry himself with such dignity")..

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 09 Jun 2010, 13:55

Semmu......thanks a lot....the pictures tell a thousand tales !

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 09 Jun 2010, 15:27

Ramasubramanian M.K Sir, and Varadharajan Sir

Thank you very much for all the posts. Expecting more of such posts. I'm sure that all my fellow forumites following this thread would agree that these posts are giving us a first-hand account of incidents of PSP The Great's life.

Could any one of you throw some light on the teaching/training methodologies that he used to follow?

Thanks.

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 09 Jun 2010, 16:09

raghavt wrote: Could any one of you throw some light on the teaching/training methodologies that he used to follow?
Thanks.

Well, am afraid, that am none the wiser about this. Even though i may claim to know the rudiments of laya, spotting what nadais mridangists play in the thani, when the thani is going to end etc.. through my father, never did i learn layam formally or even bothered to ask a laya vidwan regarding this especially to someone of PSP's stature, although am sure he would have taught me gladly had i asked him, considering that he was an epitome of magnanimity and humility.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 09 Jun 2010, 16:35

I understand (from somewhere, I forget where) that he followed a strict progress through the basic excerpts of each tala --- but I guess that every mridangam student starts with Tha,1,2,3,Dhi,1,2,3, etc. I do not know to what extent he codified the lessons that have passed down in his school.

There are other technical differences to his play, employing different fingerings for certain strokes. Our member Balaji is greatly qualified to comment on this, having learnt in both schools, and I seem to remember differences being illustrated on his site.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 09 Jun 2010, 17:02

Varadharajan: Great post!! I may take a guess re: the patron @ Allepey--it COULD NOT have been Papa Mama because if it were -- the concert itself would have been that of ARI!!!

Yes,you are absolutely right about PSP's magnanimity? He was one of the most hospitable vidwans of his time. Thanks for the input. I am working on Semmangudi Mama's post(that has been hampered by some digital miscues on my part!) and I look forward to your contributions/intercessions!!

Raghavt: I am sorry I am not privy to PSP's pedagogy with regard to mridangam. But as an aside,he was always very particular about the sruthi alignment of his instrument and as such during the course of the concert right in the midst of a song he would keep fine-tuning with the stone much to the amusing discomfitureof the singer-ofcourse they used to kid him off stage as to why he is so doubtful when the alignment is perfect and if not they would be the first to hint at it while playing.(if you listen closely to some of his old recordings/tapes(with GNB or MMI) you would notice this tinkering frequently .
Following technical descriptions are the courtesy of my brother(who wrote an article in Karaikudi Mani's LAYAM newsletter)--I am not a mridangist--so if the forumite-mridangists find anything wrong blame him and if you find it right credit me!!!!
Also in terms of technique--he adopted a different fingering method--PMI used to use the middle finger --not so much for stroke production as as to "anchor" the other fingers--this produced excellent effects. PSP used the fingers a little spread apart (as opposed to PMI who used to keep them compact so that the fingers could easily traverse the surface both horizontal and vertical but covering only half the surface area. rarely would they cover the full surface -the result was that there was more open space to aid the tone and equally important it was graceful to watch.If you have watched the other stalwart in this trio-Ramanathapuram C.S. Murugabhoopathy-- he would "caress' the whole face with fingers outstretched-PMI would never do that and PSP would do it occasionally--nothing wrong nor were the effects bad--just differing techniques/approaches based on constant experimentation and suiting their own fingers structure and dexterities.

PSP when he did the arai chappu the left arm would sway a little higher(Trichy Sankaran although right handed does the same thing-ofcourse it is equally graceful) than most mridangists(PMI believed in compactness and effort-saving) . While both of them were solidly gifted with layam sense, PSP would let his imagination fly in the middle of a song that would at times surprise the singer--to illlustrate, when the singer gives the Karvai in the beginning phrase of the Anupallavi--generally most musicians would have at the most two rounds(Adi Thala or Chapu) of the talam and most mridangists would restrict themselves to a short theermanam or Korvai. But PSP at times would take off with an elaborate Korvai and immediately realise that would exceed the 2 or 3 rounds of the Korvai but nonetheless finish it off perfectly-- my brother used to say that most listeners not particularly interested in Layam might mistake that as possibly "floundering" on the part of th mridangist but connoisseurs would be amazed at the intricacy of the Korvai and however it may have been a little out of place in that particular context,it was nonetheless breathtaking!! PMI on the other hand would not attempt anything long that would throw the musician off his course.(Note: there are certain recordings of PSP with GNB -- where in either the Parinaminchite-Bilahari- or a pantuvarali song where in the Anupallavi there would be a relatively longer Karvai where PSP would attempt a lengthier korvai than the interlude would demand!!. However I must point out it is no where as distracting as some of the present-day-blast masters who almost perform an avarthanam in these karvai interludes!!!

However both PMI and PSP were unequalled in their maintenance of the instrument and meettu-chappu suddham. Likewise in the Kanjira(which does not require that much maintenance as the mridangam) PSP would be sparing in the sprinkling of the water to prevent the dryness(especially in hot weather playing in outdoor pandals) and avoid "sogginess" that would dampen the sounds--in between the jingling --the crispness of the notes would be pronounced and soothing---also the judicious use of the right hand in applying mild pressure to produce the effects--were all a pleasure to watch-I have heard several percussion vidwans of his time comment on these techniques.

Back to ragahvt's query about the teaching techniques, PSP never withheld any lesson--if the student was capable he would impart him everything he knew-- My own observation is that at that time when PMI's krithi accompanying style was in vogue and PMI had several prominent disciples all accompanying leading musicians(besides Raghu) PSP was afraid there would not be enough adherents to his style and that it behove him to teach his disciples everything he knew and more--as in his personal manners there was not a mean bone in his body when it came to teaching his students--none of the "hoarding" techniques that some were prone to in those days!! While Trichy Sankaran has preserved the legacy of the Master, I am sure he would be the first one to acknowledge that PSP saw in him the true legatee of his style of playing.Ofcourse Trichy Sankaran has built on it with his own innovations despite the fact he has been in NA for over 40 years and not having the advantage of an year-round interaction with artistes in India(except during the December season).

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 09 Jun 2010, 17:52

varadharajan wrote: never did i learn layam formally or even bothered to ask a laya vidwan regarding this especially to someone of PSP's stature

Sir, I can very well understand that. We cannot ask Great Masters about the subject(Layam/Mridangam). All we can do is to simply sit and listen to them. If we are capable enough, we will understand/grasp something. I being a student of this school, and also a die-hard worshipper of PSP The Great and and a die-hard fan of TS Sir was curious about the way PSP The Great would have trained him. I need to put this question to Sankaran sir when I meet him this year (December Season)...

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 09 Jun 2010, 18:00

in his personal manners there was not a mean bone in his body when it came to teaching his students--none of the "hoarding" techniques that some were prone to in those days!! While Trichy Sankaran has preserved the legacy of the Master, I am sure he would be the first one to acknowledge that PSP saw in him the true legatee of his style of playing.Ofcourse Trichy Sankaran has built on it with his own innovations despite the fact he has been in NA for over 40 years and not having the advantage of an year-round interaction with artistes in India(except during the December season).

Picturesque language, I'm enjoying this thread. I wish I could write in the same manner.

Yes, tuning of the drum in between the concert, when the 'upapakkavAdyam' artist performs or when the other accompanist performs... this is very much audible in almost all recorded concerts of PSP.

Yes, indeed, PSP saw the true legatee of the style in Sankaran sir. No doubt about it and as we all know, Sankaran Sir had the good fortune to play with him on the platform for about 7 years (As told by Sankaran Sir himself in an interview). What additional training you need? You play with PSP on the concert platform for 7 years !!! And of course, Sankaran Sir was capable enough to handle it... I think this is the key reason for Sankaran Sir having able to preserve the legacy the and also build his own innovations.

Thank you.

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 09 Jun 2010, 18:12

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:Varadharajan: Great post!! I may take a guess re: the patron @ Allepey--it COULD NOT have been Papa Mama because if it were -- the concert itself would have been that of ARI!!!

Yes, the patron is definitely not Parthasarathy mama, as he was a worshipper of iyengArvAL and also managed to get his son Venkatesan tutored by him. To him, iyengArvAL epitomized Karnatak music itself. Whereas this patron was distantly related to the royal family and hence the choice of Semmangudi mama. Many thanks for that informative article on layam. Though i have understood/experienced almost all the points in these years, i guess it is such a specialized subject, that it takes a qualified mridangist to explain them clearly.

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote: I am working on Semmangudi Mama's post(that has been hampered by some digital miscues on my part!) and I look forward to your contributions/intercessions!!

Most certainly i wish to contribute whatever little i can.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 10 Jun 2010, 00:02

Fascinating stuff... a joy to read.

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 10 Jun 2010, 04:42

Wonderful stories. Best thread I have seen in quite a while.
Our sincere thanks to all those keeping the two great mridangists' legacy alive.

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 10 Jun 2010, 09:39

Continuing with my reminiscences about PSP.. PSP was one among the few of the magnanimous greats like GNB, Chembai.. who meticulously attended the afternoon concerts of upcoming musicians at Music Academy and encouraged/ spotted talented youngsters. He was of the opinion that youngsters should not suffer for want of encouragement and support like he suffered during his youth. During one such occasion, i think the year was 1957/1958, the afternoon 3PM slot was given to Ramnad Krishnan. Chowdiah was the president of the conference that year. Music Academy that time didn't have a separate hall and the concerts used to take place at the pandal at the PS High school. The violinist that day was my good friend Thirupparkadal Veerraghavan..

I still remember Ramnad Krishnan singing a lovely pallavi in khanda nadai with all the intricacies including the trikAlam. PSP was so happy, that after the concert, he went straight to Ramnad Krishnan and voluntarily told him "thambi, ungalukku enna vAsikka solli kekardhukku rOmba yOjana pannan vendAm. enakku date sOwriyamA irundhA kandippA vAsikkarEn. rOmba vosathi yAna pAttu" .. (Please never hesitate to ask me to accompany you. If am comfortable with the date, i shall gladly play for you. You have such great music). These words of support still rings in my ears as i was standing beside Ramnad Krishnan, talking to Veerraghavan.. After that PSP played a lot of concerts with Ramnad Krishnan with sometimes Trichy Sankaran accompanying him in the second Mridangam..

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 11 Jun 2010, 00:17

Varada, wasn't SSI-PSP a rare combo?

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 11 Jun 2010, 03:38

Varadarajan: Yes--that PS High School concert was memorable for more than the RK-PSP combo--that was the ONLY year the Academy experimented with having senior accompanists accompany upcoming stalwarts-----The background:

The Academy was concerned that even though the 3 P.M. slot concerts were free there was not much of a crowd for the young vocalists--so they decided to experiment with the Senior accompanists(Violin--Papa-Lalgudi-TNK) and mridangam (PMI,PSP,Murugabhoopathy)--the vocalists who benefited were MDR,RK,KVN and RK Srikantan--I forgot which combo played for which of the junior vocalists . This definitely contributed to the crowds but unfortunately for the Academy this left the evening Senior Vocalists "stranded" for good accompaniments as the trio in Violin and Mridangam could not juggle their other engagements (Tamil Isai and Indian Fine Arts--these were the only three sabhas conducting the December festival @ that time) This logistical problem plus the Seniors' grumblings and mumblings put an end to the experiment!! To the Seniors accompaniments credit --each one of them played their hearts out for the youngsters- as witnessed by PSP's remark to RK(mentioned by Varadarajan).

Re: PSP--one of his eternal regrets was that he wanted PMI to play the Kanjira for his Mridangam-- he openly canvassed my father and my father tried his level best to persuade PMI to play atleast once!! PMI summarily turned down the idea saying he stopped playing Kanjira(PMI had played occasionally the Kanjira with Dakshinamurthy Pillai on the Mirdangam in the thirties--also in 1963(a year after PSP passed away) when he went with KVN,Lalgudi, and PMI's son Rajamony for the Edinburgh Festival--there was an "exclusive chamber" concert in their host's house in London with KVN-Lalgudi-Rajamony and PMI on the Kanjira-- I have heard this concert--the recording is not in circulation and is being hoarded more diligently than the Kohinoor Diamond--Despite my brother's efforts and my father's efforts we could not pry this "loose"--we are still hoping there would be a change of heart

Just now returned from a 3 hour gruelling drive from NJ to NY listened to a GNB-Lalgudi-PSP concert(released for GNB's centenary celebrations this year--the CD has Mohanam Varnam, Thelisrama,Ennaganu,Sree Subramanyaya Namaste etc etc). PSP's subdued but elegant playing would serve as a "Clinical demo: of how Mridangam is to be played for krithis!!I urge forumites to listen to this CD if only for PSP's mature display

To paraphrase Edmund Burke(French revolution speech) Lo! the Age of chivalry is gone --that of sophisters,economists and calculators has succeeded"
Lo!! the age of sowkhyam,sukham is gone- that of -blasters,laya-pretenders has succeeded--younger forumites may pardon me for my intolerance of what passes for Mridangam these days--the talent is unquestionable but the discretion and the sukham aspect is missing!!

To end this "rant" I quote PMI from one of his rare speeches delivered I think in the seventies, about contemporary mridangists:

Ippo ellarume peria peria korvaigal,pharangal(phrases_) vashikkara--certificate venumanal koduthudaren--Anaal Ennai mattum adhai ketka Chollodeergal(Nowadays mridangists play complex Korvais phrases,effects etc. Please do not ask me to listen to them--If you want I will give the obligatory certificate to all of them!!!_.

In my next post I will relate two anecdotes which would be indicative of PMI's dedication to the craft and his respect for the Instrument and HOW he tended for it and his lament about HOW he has been misunderstood for his opposition to the mike which was NOT MOTIVATED by any commercial/monetary considerations. Although this thread is about PSP and not PMI PSP had the same respect for his craft and instrument(note the constant checking of the meetu and Thoppi when the accompaniment is playing in most of the concerts that are available).Both of them would not hesitate to spend a substantial part of their remuneration for the artisans who take care of their instruments.

More on this later---

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 11 Jun 2010, 09:36

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote: In my next post I will relate two anecdotes which would be indicative of PMI's dedication to the craft and his respect for the Instrument and HOW he tended for it and his lament about HOW he has been misunderstood for his opposition to the mike which was NOT MOTIVATED by any commercial/monetary considerations.

More on this later---

MKR sir
Nice anecdotes on psp. You can put all your PMI anecdotes in PMI thread sir
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic. ... i&start=25

varadharajan · Post by **varadharajan** » 11 Jun 2010, 09:38

ksrimech wrote:Varada, wasn't SSI-PSP a rare combo?

Well i don't think so. Atleast it dosn't seem rare to me, as i have heard quite a lot of that combo in Trivandrum-Allepey-Tripunithura, and also after coming to Chennai. I don't know your age, but if you are relatively in the younger bracket, then it may seem to you so as there are not much of recordings available of that combo.

Ramasubramanian, fascinating stuff. Keep em coming. I was about to post about the "Junior vocalist-Senior Accompanist" experiment as i had missed out in the earlier post, but glad that you did. Regarding who played for whom, I can recall PMI playing for KVN, but what this did was, it opened up lot of opportunities for the younger mridangists of the day like Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Vellore ramabhadran, Palghat Raghu to play for Semmangudi mama, Madurai Mani Iyer, GNB respectively and cement their positions.

ignoramus · Post by **ignoramus** » 13 Jun 2010, 11:57

Mr Ramasubramaniam M K

The best i could after having the pleasure of reading your posts, is post a clip of that KVN concert which you mention with PMI on the Kanjira. Maybe a wrong thread (referring to PSP). I hope this is what you are referring to. I think you can even hear PMI's voice for a second in between.
Mods, if you think wrong thread - pl move to the corresponding one. As mentioned above, the reason for posting this here is because of the reference

http://rapidshare.com/files/398441868/viriboni.mp3.html

mridhangam · Post by **mridhangam** » 14 Jun 2010, 11:01

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This file is neither allocated to a Premium Account, or a Collector's Account, and can therefore only be downloaded 10 times.

This limit is reached.

To download this file, the uploader either needs to transfer this file into his/her Collector's Account, or upload the file again. The file can later be moved to a Collector's Account. The uploader just needs to click the delete link of the file to get further information.

I get an error like this when i try to download the Rapidshare link .. please do the need ful

J.balaji

MV · Post by MV » 14 Jun 2010, 14:23

Congrats Balaji. Looks like it was a great event. Thoroughly enjoyed all the reminiscent stories in this post-thanks for that too!

raghavt · Post by **raghavt** » 14 Jun 2010, 18:37

@Ramasubramanian M.K "Lo!! the age of sowkhyam,sukham is gone- that of -blasters,laya-pretenders has succeeded--younger forumites may pardon me for my intolerance of what passes for Mridangam these days--the talent is unquestionable but the discretion and the sukham aspect is missing!! "

Sir-- There may several young people who would not agree to this statement, based on their own reasons. But I belong to the 2nd group. You have remarked "my intolerance". I would say for me, some are really unbearable.... sorry to use such a loaded word. BTW I'm nobody in the world of Laya, I am commenting as a mere Rasika (Customer is the King

)

Thanks.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 14 Jun 2010, 20:02

I wish we might keep to the topic in this thread, rather than entering into the favourite hobby of a few: mridangist bashing.

GNB_LGJ_PR · Post by **GNB_LGJ_PR** » 21 Feb 2012, 22:56

PMI's admiration for PSP's thoppi

I have heard someone say this - don't recollect who

PMI once said that "India vil rendu peyarukkuthaan Thoppi...Onnu....Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.....Rendu PSP" - meaning
India has only two people with Thoppi 1) Pandit Nehru and 2) Palani Subramania Pillai

Pun on the word Thoppi

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 22 Feb 2012, 13:02

toppiyai maguDamAi aNivitta PMI-kkum toppi (hats off)!

(hats off to PMI for crowning PSP with a compliment like that!)

Gamakam · Post by **Gamakam** » 04 Mar 2012, 00:05

More on PMI - PSP mutual admiration can be read here: http://solvanam.com/?p=15831

I was very thrilled when PMI's son Rajaram narrated me the story on PMI's quest for Palani thoppi! Shows the healthy competition and the drive for excellence.