Nagaswaram vidwan who could inspire vocalists

Nagaswaram vidwan who could inspire vocalists

Remembering The Musical Genius Of K P Arunachalam On His Birth Centenary Year

Aarvalan 26.01.2021 

Flautist N Ramani once said, the development of ragas as envisioned by nagaswara vidwan Karukurichi Arunachalam was perhaps the most ideal one and he would go to any length to own a collection of his recordings. Ramani was not alone in his praise, Carnatic music greats G N Balasubramaniam and Semmangudi also drew inspiration for their raga delineations from the way Arunachalam played the nagaswaram. While this year marks his birth centenary, the Carnatic world is yet to see another musical genius with such creative elan.

A natural talent, chance played a big role in his musical journey. He was pushed towards music by his father, who nurtured an unfulfilled dream of playing the nagaswaram. Arunachalam belonged to the pandaram community that makes garlands for the main temple deity. Many eyebrows were raised in disapproval when Palavesam Pillai, Arunachalam’s father bequeathed his son to music. What the father had wished, the son did achieve. Karukuruchi, the birthplace of Arunachalam in Tirunelveli district attained significance after his advent into the firmament of music.

Arunachalam’s guru, ‘the emperor of nagaswaram’ T N Rajarathinam Pillai (TNR), whose name is synonymous with ‘Thodi’ raga chose Arunachalam as his accompanying artist, merely by chance. Injikudi Subramanaim and Mohandas prominent nagaswaram players of today, remember the incident as told to them. “Arunachalam used to play the nayyandi melam (another name for nagaswaram) in Tirunelveli when TNR was on a visit there. Impressed by the impeccable tonal quality, TNR sent for the ‘fellow’,” says Subramaniam. Awestruck and sweating profusely at the call of the genius, the would-be disciple rushed to TNR’s abode. “It was all decided at the spur of the moment that henceforth Arunachalam would get into the TNR-fold. He climbed into TNR’s car without the slightest demur,” says Mohandas. And thus started an inimitable musical journey.

Renowned music historian B M Sundaram , in his book ‘Mangala Isai Mannargal’, however, says that Kakkayi Natarajasundaram who used to accompany TNR took ill and an ad-hoc arrangement had to be made. And that happened to be Arunachalam, who was drafted in 1935 “just to blow”, but eventually became the permanent disciple and “jodi” (partner). There were no formal classes between the guru and disciple, rather it was a free flowing exchange of musical ideas. There have been many instances in concerts where TNR would prefer to be a spectator to the playing of Arunachalam, egging him on, basking in his incandescence, resonance, undiluted talent, et al.

When TNR and Arunachalam played together on two separate instruments it would sound as one. Such was the kind of synchrony at their command. While TNR’s music was imposing, Arunachalam’s notes stood for persuasiveness. Something akin to the sun and the moon. One becoming the other. Some rasikas feel TNR’s released recordings could be that of Arunachalams. The difference in their styles and manner of delivery were indistinguishable.

Nagaswaram exponent Seshampatti Sivalingam explains another pioneering work of Arunachalam. “Nagaswaram was originally a high-pitched instrument — Thimiri — which was at five or six kattaisruthi. It was TNR who worked with instrument maker Ranganatha Achari to make the sound deeper to Baari. But the person who took it forward and made it popular among the masses was Arunachalam,” he says.

Kasim and Babu, grandsons of Sheikh Chinna Moulana Saheb, who had created a niche area for himself in nagaswaram playing, liken Arunachalam’s Karaharapriya alapana to that of the Garuda bird circling at the top with its unobtrusive descent on the listener. Arunachalam’s influence on successive generations is undeniable, Sheikh Mehboob Subhanai and Khalsha Bi both say their playing has been guided by the thought-processes of Arunachalam in more ways than one. His phenomenal breath control and stamina in playing not only long concerts, but also long passages are looked upon with awe. For instance, there is nobody to play Bharathiyar’s “Chinnanjiru Kiliiye” conveying all the apt emotions in all the stanzas, like Arunachalam, says nonagenarian nagaswara vidwan Sembannarkoil Rajanna.

Arunachalam’s latent vocal prowess is what his student Kizhvelur Ganesan of Palani has always admired. “During his visits to Palani, Arunachalam would never let go of an opportunity of taking lessons for Ganesan. Arunachalam would always elucidate a raga by singing in his melodious voice,” says Ganesan. Palani houses a famous music college under the Temple Devasthanam’s auspices where Ganesan had his lessons.

The maestro swayed the masses with his music in cinema too, the one song that catapulted him and S Janaki to immense fame was Konjum Salangai’s “Singara Velane”. The pitch-perfect match between Janaki’s voice and the Thimiri’, was hitherto unparalleled in the history of music and thus became a runaway hit even among those not greatly attuned to classical music. If not for his sudden death at the age of 43, he could have had many more records.

He took his genius and fame lightly. During the later part of his career, Arunachalam played solos. One such occasion saw an invaluable ring being presented to him. Arunachalam seemed to wonder; who is the ring really due. “To the man whose sweat and blood made this precious instrument that has produced this mesmerising sound”. After the concert he visited Ranganatha Achari and the ring adorned his finger; he believed a performer could never do it alone, it was a collective act.

(The writer is a music critic)

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