S Rajam

Carnatic Musicians
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vs_manjunath
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Joined: 29 Sep 2006, 19:37

Post by vs_manjunath »

Senior Vocalist and brother of Veena S Balachander .
He has popularised Kotiswara Iyer's Compositions.
The photos of trinity which have become popular are due to him.

rasikas can provide links to websites about S Rajam.

Can we have discussions and some U/L of his AIR (non Commercial records).

ksrimech
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Post by ksrimech »


meena
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Post by meena »

Deleted
Last edited by meena on 17 May 2008, 00:09, edited 1 time in total.

ksrimech
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Post by ksrimech »

WOW good compilation. I haven't myself looked at it. Thanks Meena.

meena
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Post by meena »

ksrimech
ur welcome

sankirnam
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Post by sankirnam »

wow, how coincidental... I was JUST looking for information on this vidwan and I found this thread...

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

ksrimech/meena - Many thanks for these links. Music Nirvana links is really a treasure. According to the above links, Sri S Rajam was born in 1911. He must be around 96 years now. Can rasikas living in Chennai post his correct residential address please ?

meena
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Post by meena »

deleted
Last edited by meena on 06 May 2008, 04:43, edited 1 time in total.

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

Meena, really very nice links.Thanks a ton.

Ahiri
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Post by Ahiri »

http://www.vidvan.com/painters/rajam/index.htm is an interesting link .

S Rajam sir is my idol .
I am in total awe of his calibre and his mind.
It is so nice to see a thread on him.

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

Radhakrishnan has mentioned the following link abt S Rajam in Unrecognised Vidwans thread.....

Master of twin arts

GOWRI RAMNARAYAN

Music and painting — S. Rajam pursued both with passion.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
``They say that people who can't get concerts get into theory. But I studied theory to apply it in practice."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

S. Rajam.

Kolhapur 1933. Baburao Pendharkar is in charge. The camera rolls. Light reflectors beam upon the 14-year-old-boy. His costume wilts, but his high-pitched song is melody-perfect. Suddenly, a cloud wafts by. ``CUT!" shouts the director. The lengthy sequence has to be shot all over again.

This early talkie, ``Sita Kalyanam," has Sundaram Iyer from Madras playing Janaka to daughter Jaya's Sita, with his eldest Rajam essaying Rama. Younger son Balachander plays kanjira under the baton of music director Papanasam Sivan.

Rajam's photograph in The Hindu, for winning first prize in a music competition, became the family's passport to this celluloid dream.

Encyclopaedic knowledge


At age 87, Sundaram Rajam shares with students his encyclopaedic knowledge of the two arts he has pursued: Carnatic music and painting. In both he adheres to the strict classicist school. His telephone-mobile-computerless home in Nadu Street, Mylapore, follows a meticulous schedule. Go up the squeezing stairs into a room full of yellowing books, pigeonholed manuscripts, hard benches and easy chair — you are back in old Madraspattinam.

Great grandfather Srivanchiyam Subbarama Iyer composed Tamil padams, lost to posterity. As Principal of Zamorin College, Calicut, the grand father (nicknamed Lady Vaidyanatha Iyer for his winsome looks) was devoted to education. Advocate father Sundaram Iyer was known for his writings in The Hindu, and for his understanding of music. S. Ramanathan, M.D.Ramanathan and K.V.Narayanaswami sought his thinnai for advice. No wonder young Rajam acquired a love of such sharp-probing, self-improvement driven sessions, and a dislike of music-on-show. Hearing the chamber recitals of Veenai Dhanammal strengthened this predilection.

After sarali varisai from Ganesha Iyer, the child graduated to Ambi Dikshitar's magnificent patanthara. ``At ten I didn't realise how magnanimous he was in teaching not only from his own, but Tyagaraja's parampara as well. His Suddhadhanyasi prayogas in `Enta Nerchina' were stunning! His Ahiri was not for concert platforms. Fast food is all right as you scramble to work. For dinner at home you want the genuine stuff."

The child Rajam had the privilege of learning Papanasam Sivan's kritis from the composer himself. ``When he sang you had to fill in the blanks intuitively!" he laughs. His veneration for Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar lights up his description of the veteran's perfectionism. ``I cherish those notebooks, where he notated every song starting with the raga's arohanam and avarohanam." Though known to hoard gifts and medals in crowded almirahs, Iyengar did once part with a pen to reward young Rajam.

Madurai Mani Iyer opened Rajam's eyes to fascinating possibilities in vakra and varja ragas, and to use kalpanaswaras as the blueprint for structuring ragas. A singular influence came from Mylapore Gowriamma, the great sadir artiste attached to the Mylapore temple. Rajam demonstrates her mudras as he explains that she never taught a padam minus the abhinaya. ``So you never forgot the bhava."

The boy's short cut to school was through the temple where he watched Gowriamma's navasandhi everyday, with nattuvanar and mridangam player following her as she danced. ``In her simple sari over pyjamas, she looked like a bronze figure come to life!"

Style of his own


The boy managed to craft a style of his own, and not blindly copy the mentors. His kutcheris began at age 13, with harmonium and kanjira accompaniment from younger brother Balachandar, who later went on to prove his own genius on the veena.

At the Madras School of Arts, Rajam studied painting, porcelain, wood and metal crafts, and developed a distinct style to represent deities, music composers, saints, and themes like Muthuswami Dikshitar's navagrahas or Swaradevatas in Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar. His drawings of Pallava, Chola, Ajanta and Sigiria frescoes are veritable treasures now, since the originals have been severely damaged due to careless exposure.

As Music Supervisor in AIR, Rajam was assured of radio concerts and broadcasts of music lessons. He could design special programmes on rare compositions, vaggeyakaras of many periods and stylistics. He has set to music not only Thevaram and Thiruppugazh, but also kritis by contemporary lyricists like Periasami Thooran. A member of the Music Academy's Experts' committee and contributing editor for over two decades to the music and dance magazine Sruti, Rajam is an authoritative participant in music seminars.

Retirement found Rajam more active. ``Since I was not on the kutcheri beat I didn't have to endlessly repeat the same popular songs. I learnt, taught and composed a lot. They say that people who can't get concerts get into theory. But I studied theory to apply it in practice." We can cite Rajam's recordings of the 72 melakarta kritis of Kotiswara Iyer as a notable example of this approach.

Rajam observes that modern art has no background, grammar or philosophy. ``So it doesn't lead to anything." Similarly, he believes that the philosophy of music has to be internalised. He concludes: ``The goal of the fine arts is to project the true culture of the land. Let's ask ourselves — are we going in that direction?"

(A fortnightly spotlight on music gurus, musicologists and representatives of different schools, who have enriched Carnatic music.)

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thsc ... 01/&prd=fr&








© Copyright 2000 - 2006 The Hindu
Last edited by vs_manjunath on 06 Apr 2007, 09:01, edited 1 time in total.

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

All our visions of how the Trinity look, and the mental images that come to mind when these saints are referred to are the product of Sri Rajam's imagination - he is the one who painted the pictures of the Trinity for the MMA, and that likeness has been reproduced innumerable number of times by others....

IIRC, since there were no photographs or portraits available, Sri Rajam (in an interview) said that he read their biographies, paying special attention to how contemporaries described their physical, mental and spiritual characteristics, and used all this information to color and shape his imagination of how they'd have looked!

Jyestha
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Joined: 30 Apr 2007, 15:40

Post by Jyestha »

Hi rasikas
Am new here but love browsing the links. S Rajam is a phenomenon........His inaugural remarks at the recently conducted Dikshitar akhandam in chennai had the audience praying he wouldn't stop talking!! He was born in 1919 and is now 89 years old. He lives in 43 Nadu Street, Mylapore, ch 600041. In fact he has lived in the same house for the past 83 years!!!
He is so magnanimous in his outlook-- He once said in an interview that he did not patent his painting of the trinity as he felt this was his contribution to their wonderful work. Can you believe it, in this day and age? He'd have made millions.
Rajalakshmi Audio has recently brought out a 2 cd pack of his under'Stalwarts'.

balusatya
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Post by balusatya »

This year L&T calender -The drawings are by Sri.S.Rajam-Dasavadharam,Dakshinamurti&Brahma to cover up for 12 months with a brief description for each picture by him.The latest publication of Vikatan titled dikshadhar padiya punyasthalamkal (exact caption not able to recollect)priced @Rs.45/authored by Bharanidharan is adorned by Rajam sir's line drawings ."he has not been given the due recognition he deserves"to quote Dr.V.K.Viswanathan"As Swami Vivekananda has said those who forget the past has no future!"

cacm
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Post by cacm »

WEBSITE www.vidvan.com has some downloadable music, video & high resolution pics of his paintings. VKV

jyestha07
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Post by jyestha07 »

awesome prog by S Rajam and disciples at KGS y'day. What charisma even at this age.... And sheer bliss-- listening to Tanarupi, Sulini, GAmansrama, Raghupriya, Hatakambari, Kantamani, shyamalangi..... all the students( only known person-- vijayalakshmy subramaniam, his prime disciple) sang the ragas with great ease. good crowd too..Kudos to KGS!

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

vkv43034 wrote:WEBSITE www.vidvan.com has some downloadable music, video & high resolution pics of his paintings. VKV
Thanks for this info.

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »


cacm
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Post by cacm »

Dear Rasikas,
Any one interested in the MONUMENTAL & EVERESTIAN ACHEIVEMENTS of S.Rajam please email me with your mailing address to: vkv43034@yahoo.com. I spent six summers recording the life & acheivements of S.Rajam & will be happy to mail the two vcd's I have to show for it. In my opinion its a shame we did not & do not realise the GREATNESS OF MALI, MMI, GNB& SIVAN who lived in our midst & moved amongst us MERE MORTALS. WE SHOULD MAKE SURE FUTURE GENERATIONS know how many great souls lived amongst us.....vkv

maniomani
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Post by maniomani »

Dear VKV
The email I sent came back with remark "It was rejected by the recipient domain. The error that the other server returned was: 550 550 relaying denied for <vkv43034@yahoo.com."
You haveany other email id ?
maniomani

cacm
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Post by cacm »

YOU can try vkv43034@msn.com vkv

cacm
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Post by cacm »

vs_manjunath wrote:Senior Vocalist and brother of Veena S Balachander .
He has popularised Kotiswara Iyer's Compositions.
The photos of trinity which have become popular are due to him.

rasikas can provide links to websites about S Rajam.

Can we have discussions and some U/L of his AIR (non Commercial records).
Let me ask rasikas to look at www.vidvan.com my website where both his music & paintings can be downloaded. vkv

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

I wish I heard ‘Sankaram Abhirami Manoharam’ during his 90th birthday celebration

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/02/13/stor ... 140100.htm

cacm
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Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07

Post by cacm »

S.Rajam will be honoured along with Lalgudi G.Jayaraman & Vellore Rambhadran at Ragasudha Hall, Mylapore on Saturday 21 5-9 p.m. at the Madurai Mani Iyer Remembrance Day Celebrations. All are welcome. VKV
Last edited by cacm on 20 Feb 2009, 08:41, edited 1 time in total.

vijisubra
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Post by vijisubra »

Sure, VKV will be there :)

vijisubra
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Post by vijisubra »

To all the Rasikas here-- On the occasion of Rajam Sir turning 90, there is a function to felicitate him---NGS Mini Hall, 6 pm, March 9th. Pl do come. ( Incidentally, there are small souvenirs for the rasikas :))

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

http://www.hindu.com/fr/2009/03/06/stor ... 230300.htm

A small news item on an interview with the vidvAn, by his disciple and forum member, Dr. Vijayalakshmi Subramaniam.

ragam-talam
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Post by ragam-talam »


Gamakam
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Post by Gamakam »


vijisubra
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Post by vijisubra »

So nice... How generous and progressive in his compliments! He is always like that-- one of the most positive people I have ever met! He was deeply sorrowed at DKP's demise.
Thanks for the link, gamakam :D
Last edited by vijisubra on 13 Aug 2009, 11:24, edited 1 time in total.

vijravis
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Post by vijravis »

at last I am able to hear about S. Rajam ... long time back I had taped an AIR broadcast of his rendering of Panchalinga krithis .. no one absolutely no one can match the beauty of his rendering. Anyone having a CD of those 5 songs ?

cacm
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Post by cacm »

Please write me at vkv43034@yahoo.com. VKV

Gamakam
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Post by Gamakam »


cacm
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Post by cacm »

THANKS! I read it! VKV

Gamakam
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Post by Gamakam »


Gamakam
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Post by Gamakam »

This article of mine appeared in Dinamani's music special issue: http://carnaticmusicreview.wordpress.co ... /27/rajam/

vasanthakokilam
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Post by vasanthakokilam »

Gamakam: Great articles. Well done!! Sri. S. Rajam is a renaissance man indeed.

Gamakam
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Post by Gamakam »

S.Rajam passed away this evening.

his wish when I met him last was to conduct a Kotiswara Iyer day every year. I hope, we can make it a reality.

http://carnaticmusicreview.wordpress.co ... %e0%af%8d/

erode14
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Post by erode14 »

so sad... deep condolences to his family members and sishyas... may his soul rest in peace...

thanjavooran
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Post by thanjavooran »

A very great loss to CM world. My deepest condolences to all the members of his fmly.

Thanjavooran

erode14
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Post by erode14 »

Mods, May I request you to move this to a separate thread. It is saddening to read this when "Vidwans & Vidhushis" speak about the greatness of artistes.

baradu2
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Joined: 28 Jun 2009, 09:37

Post by baradu2 »

S Rajam thatha (actually my thatha's bro so periya thatha) passed away this evening at around 7:30. i was there till 7pm and had to come home to rest for a while. he was in a critical state for the past 6 to 7 days. according to info his lungs failed and he also had pneumonia.
Last edited by baradu2 on 29 Jan 2010, 23:40, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

What a great man, what a loss,deep condolences to his family and sishya parampara.

arkasa
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Post by arkasa »

the demise of such a connoisseur amidst us is indeed a loss to the carnatic music world! pray that his works remain with us for generations to cherish! sridhar

laks1972
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Joined: 27 Jul 2009, 13:29

Post by laks1972 »

here is a concert of the great artist with MSG:
http://www.sangeethapriya.org/Downloads/s_rajam/air-1/

tkb
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Post by tkb »

A great loss. our sincere condolences.

rajanp
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Post by rajanp »

Deepest sympathies to the family , students and friends,
Sri S Rajam toured Yugoslavia, Hungary and Bulgaria with My Guru Late Sri M N Kandaswami,
in the 70", my guru spoke very very highly of him
Aum
rajan padiachi
south africa

gangar2758@vsnl.net
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Post by gangar2758@vsnl.net »

A GREAT LOSS!
i was STUNNED BY HIS PAINTING @MMA ARCHIVAL LIBRARY!

srkris
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Re: S Rajam

Post by srkris »


Gamakam
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Re: S Rajam

Post by Gamakam »

Special Issue dedicated to S.Rajam: http://carnaticmusicreview.wordpress.co ... m-special/

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