Sangeetha Kala Acharya Chingleput Sri Ranganathan no more.

[rbharath]

Sangeetha Kala Acharya Chingleput Sri Ranganathan passed away in the early hours of today.

Prayers to the departed soul.
Heartfelt condolences to the family

[cienu]

A great loss to the music world. Condolences.

[mahavishnu]

Sincere condolences to his family and disciples. Huge loss to the CM world.

[vasanthakokilam]

Very sad to hear the news. Condolences to the family and disciples.

[mohan]

Sorry to hear this news. A product of the Alathur bani - he was a titan especially in the laya aspects of music. He was 73.

[Rasika911]

Very sad to hear this news. He was one of the masters with such a commanding grip over the laya in music. Condolences to his family and disciples.

[srikant1987]

This is shocking.

Condolences to his family and disciples.

[rajeshnat]

Condolences to his family and his sishya parampara. A great personality who was so humble and a rare product of Alathur bAni which gave a commanding grip over laya. I cannot forget his long neraval of kanalu takani in kalyAnavasantham few years back in Asthika samAjam.

[jayachAmarAja]

A great loss.. he was a wonderful teacher, so attached to his students and so simple/humble in spite of being a giant ! His commitment to (and love for) music/teaching was so strong that he almost refused to take leave recently even when he was really unwell, and was asked by the Academy to actually take rest for a few days.

His "mandhiram Avadhu nIRu"
http://www.mediafire.com/?2awkk37q2ka6wbd

with Sri T. Kesavulu and Guru Sri M. N. Kandaswamy Pillai

[ganeshkant]

Very hard to believe.Just saw him a couple of days before in the youth festival organized by Sankara TV.

He seemed to be in a good health.May his soul rest in peace.

I don't know what type of a day is this.Just a few minutes ago I received the news that my brother - in- law's younger brother expired in Apollo who was under treatment for a few days for lung related problems.Just in his 30's,an enterprising entrepreneur,a nice amicable boy and the sad part of all father of 2 young children.In spite of my spiritual and Vedantic out look deaths perturb me a bit.

[thanjavooran]

Shocking news. Condolences to his family and disciples.
Thanjavooran 12 07 2011

[PUNARVASU]

A very sad news.Condolences to the family and his students.

[Pratyaksham Bala]

ganeshkant:
Very sad news. Condolences.

[Tamizhisai]

An exponent in Tala in Alathur bani. He was a very simple man. He worked in music academy as principal. An extremely dedicated teacher insisting the tala aspects. An irreparable loss to the music world. RIP.

My heartfelt condolences to his family.

[gardabha_gana]

Very sad.... condolences

[semmu86]

Very Sad news.. Another link to the golden era is broken. Condolences to the family and disciples

[rshankar]

Sad news. Condolences to the bereaved family and students. May his sould rest in peace.

[arasi]

Very sorry to hear this. Such a valuable guru, and he could have lived much longer.
Condolences to his family and to his students.

[satyabalu]

His rendering of Thirupugazh.http://www.mediafire.com/?qhxvkql0cx3q1

[veeyens3]

न जायते म्रियते वा विप्ज्चिन नाय्म कुतास्चिन्न बबुवा कस्चित
अजो नित्य्ह ज़ास्व्तोयम पुराणों न हन्य्ते हन्यमाने  चरीरे
Katopanishad 1-2-18



just to let know the family and disciples of late Sri Ranganathan that an old C.M lover, living in a far off land, whom they have never seen in the past nor likely to do so in future, nevertheless, shares their grief in the passing away of Sri Ranganathan.The situation is all the more poignant that elders are a witness to the passing away of people younger to t hem revealing that this is not Rama Rajya. A scene in the film “Amar Jyothi” of 30s shows a line of hanging oil lamps, similar to “Thhonda Vilakku” in our temple prakarams, lighting up the next lamp in line while it dies itself but keeping the flame alive. Similarly , Sri Ranganathan was one of a series of great teachers, who themselves passed away but keeping the precious knowledge and experience alive benefiting generations to come May his soul rest in peace

[Sam Swaminathan]

Heartfelt condolences to Sri Ranganathan's family. May God rest his soul.

[bilahari]

Condolences to his family and disciples!

[sridhar_ranga]

Deepest condolences to the Sangeeta Kala Acharya's family and disciples. In a sense the loss is personal, as I learnt the basics for a couple of years from one of his young students at the Teachers' College of Music and was hoping to meet Shri Ranganathan someday to seek his blessings.

[suma]

Condolences to his family and his sishya parampara. A few years back he taught a song to the first sustaining sampradaya group.

[gardabha_gana]

Who are his prominent shishyas? I remember have heard leading vocalists mention having learned pallavi singing from the master.

[jayachAmarAja]

Who are his prominent shishyas? I remember have heard leading vocalists mention having learned pallavi singing from the master.

From a kutcheribuzz article:
http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/features/in ... nathan.asp
=============================================================================
About your students...

Among many others, Seetha Narayanan learnt from me. Mani Krishnaswamy trained under me for about 30 years.
=============================================================================

and from a Hindu article
http://www.hindu.com/fr/2006/09/29/stor ... 130300.htm
=============================================================================
Long-term disciples include Seetha Narayanan and the late Sangita Kalanidhi Mani Krishnaswami.
=============================================================================

The audio files I posted are almost certainly from a recording at Mani Krishnaswami Mami's residence.

A more recent article in kutcheribuzz on his passing away
http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/201107 ... n-obit.asp

[rajanp]

Aum Gurunathar Thunai

I had the good fortune of studying Carnatic vocal and musicology from 1981 to 1984 in the prime of his health and music career,
I was one of the very few disciples who learnt the 35 Alankaras complete from him.
His teaching methods were rigorous and very ardent, a strict Guru of very high discipline.
I was able to record a few great concerts during that period ,
myself and a few other disciples were in the process of putting these recordings to CD.

It was my other Guru The Late Ramnathapuram M N Kandaswami
that played for his arangetram, and they paired together for the rest of my gurus life.
They were in-separable in music and as family friends.
I sat with him in 1981 when he taught Smt Mani Krishnaswami
a pallavi to be sung at the Music Academy on the 24th December 1981 , it won first prize.
Mani Ma once told me “Sri Chengleput Ranganathan when he was 25 years he was already singing like a 70 year old maestro”
He maintained a very strict diet and health regiment and would never it out of time but according to tradition,
He once told me to study “Sangita Kalpadramum “ Of Dr L Muthiah Bagawather he said it was
a treasure and that he has memorised the entire book and knew every swara prastara at the back of the book which led to further his greatness in Thalam and vyavaharam .
Dr Semmangudi Srinivasan was once visited by foreign musicologists to have an idea of the in depth theory of Carnatic music from musician, Dr Semmangudi referred them to Sri Ranganathan
Because of his knowledge of “Sangita Kalpadramum”

I once gave him a gift for Diwali, and he said “what gift can I give you I don’t have anything”
I asked him to sing Bahudari raga as a gift , it was the most soul stirring alapana spanning 45 minutes I was visibly moved but blessed by this great soul.
A noted disciple of was the sister of the Late MV Udayshanker, she had her arangetram after many years of rigorous training , she settled in Abu Dhabi eventually.

He sang for all Guru M N Kandaswami’ s mridangam arangetram’ s

I have recordings of all his lessons that he gave him in my times.

He was a great devotee of Shirdi Sai and Sai Baba

I followed his every footstep in my years in Chennai learning everything I possibly can,

His sons were little boys way back then, I met his mother many times, and his wife is a divine calm spiritual lady.

I hope to write more soon , this is from memory this instant.


ஓம் குருநாதர் துணை
Shri Rajan Padiachi
Disciple Of Late Sri M N Kandaswami
and
Sri Chengleput Ranganathan

[satyabalu]

*He has chosen uttarayanam ,Ekadesi-Dwadasi &Tuesday(for his abiding mission for Thirupugazh) for unwinding his mortal coils.
*used to say "I behave like a police in uniform" during class sessions.He used to be less strict with girls&younger generation students(my observation)-Used to tell me he lost his daughter in her childhood.
*He will never postpone/cancell the tuition without informing the students over phone.
*He will only operate the srui box during class.
*During the time I had severe knee problem(both the knees) the fact I did not disclose but he noticed after sometime -He insisted I learn a few classes with my leg on a stretched posture.
*He had a tambura given by GNB.
*He will not accept the students/disciples volunteering help/assistance.In a narrow Virupakshiswarar temple st ,Mylapore (I rate this temple moolavar as having the most sannidyam)where he was residing when I tried to assist him with a couple of water buckets he was transporting in one late evening alone to his steep staired 2 nd floor apartment he told"If you do it more I will throw the entire water into the gutter"-looked harsh &unusual but he was to clarify "You come here to learn Music &for nothing else!"
*He will never allow citing official preoccupation as a cause for lack of attention during classes."Once you have interest &passion all your thought should be focussed (chintanai)on Music alone while learning."

*One must sing kriti as Chittai (as per text notation/sahithya)&swara as kalpana not the otherway round.
*He will take ghana raga pancharatnas all at a stretch having started with Sri Ganapathini,Gurulekha to end with geethartamu-May take months together .After completion he will say "Inimel neegalay Thiagaraja Utsawam pannalam".
*According to him each sangathi is one ratnam.
*He was never after money ;had expressed his liking for cars.
* Earlier,He was requested to be the Principal for a premier institution for which he had consented ;subsequently he came to know some other Vidwan had been chosen-He was the first person to congradulate him.
This is a personal loss to me apart from for music world.

[satyabalu]

"Vidwan Ranganathan ..an unassuming scholar-musician .... i vividly remember the immortal Chakravakam ( Inkevarunnaru) that he sang two decades ago at the residence of my revered Guru Vidwan M.R.Srinivasan of Vellore....Vidwan Chengalpattu Ranganathan was a great repository of Knowledge.May the soul of this wonderful individual rest in peace!!
Vellore A.R.Srinivasan."

[sramaswamy]

Rajanp and Satyabalu

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. Gives a very good picture of how great he was.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Sad news!!! He was nicknamed "Kutti Payya" when he was upcoming as the disciple of Alathur Venkatesa Iyer. In the mid sixties, he helped/'coached my brother(a mridangam Player who won the best junior Mridangist Award in the Music Academy in 1961 season)--he was a "Lion" in Laya and used to put my brother thro intense laya combinations--all of these without expecting any reward--to him it was a pleasure to teach talented kids. My brother recalls accompanying him in Ongole and other parts near Vijayawada in the late sixties(thanks to TRS who had made it a mission when he was in Vijayawada to promote young artistes with talent who did not get much traction in Chennai sabhas. Recogniton of his prowess came late in the last quarter of a century with various Sabhas honoring him(my late father had participated in some of his felicitations.) with titles and honors but his true mettle as a Vocalist was not adequately recognized. The fact that the lack of recognition did not embitter him or make him cynical towards art and artistes speaks volumes for his dignity and tolerance. Till his death he commanded high respect from his peers and seniors.

Whither such noble,selfless souls?

May his soul rest in peace!!!

[Ramnath Iyer]

My heartfelt condolences to the family. May his soul rest in peace.
Another long term disciple of Ranganathan sir is the veteran vainika Sri T T Narendran from IITM. Remember listening to TTN play many kritis such as 'nama kusuma' that he had learnt from his Guru. Also remember hearing Ranganathan Sir's thillana in the raga Sumanesa ranjani.

[veenajj]

July 12, 2011 is one of the saddest days of our lives. We are still unable to believe that Sir is no more. We had just spoken to him on the 10th, seeking his blessings for an event that was to follow that evening. Our association with him started in 1992 when we moved to Chennai from Kolkata and started learning pallavis and kritis from him. He was a complete musician and a musician's musician. The richness of pathantara can be experienced from the sangati oriented kritis like Nee daya kalgute (Reetigoula), Nee daya ravale (thodi), Kalinerula (Kuntalavarali), Mari mari ninne (Kambhoji), Ye papamu (Atana) and many more. He has composed tillanas in all the 35 talas. It goes without saying that we were very fortunate to have learnt from him, and blessed and privileged to have been associated with him and the family for almost two decades. A mahavidwan, a conscientious teacher and a great person.

Gurus are equal to or even greater than God himself, and this fact is best described in this Doha of Sant Kabir:

Guru gobind dou khade, kaake laagoon paaye
Balihaari guru aapne jin Gobind diyo bataaye

Pranams to his lotus feet. May his soul rest in peace.

Jeyaraaj and Jaysri

[vainika]

Heartfelt condolences to his family and students.

Ramakrishnan

[ksrimech]

Heartfelt condolences

[Sivaramakrishnan]

Many of today's leading youngsters have taken lessons from Sri Ranganathan, probably not on long term basis.

He was too willing to recognise talent and during the concluding session of the lecdems at the Music Academy annual conference attended by the Experts committee in which he was a member( on the New Year day), he used to invite/insist suggestions from young Vidwans.
He enjoyed addressing T M Krishna fondly as 'Singakutty' - a rare gesture from a very senior Vidwan!

Heartfelt tributes.