The Hindu : National : Thiruvaiyaru a paradise for Carnatic musicians: mridangam maestro

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 18, 2006

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Thiruvaiyaru a paradise for Carnatic musicians: mridangam maestro

Special Correspondent

159th aradhana of Sri Thyagaraja gets under way

THANJAVUR: "If there is a paradise on earth for Carnatic musicians, it is Thiruvaiyaru," said mridangam maestro Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman on Monday.

Inaugurating the 159th aradhana of Sri Thyagaraja at the saint's `samadhi' on the banks of the Cauvery at Thiruvaiyaru, he said: "Vidwans who sing in the aradhana get the "anugraha" of Nathabrahmam Thyagaraja and become famous musicians."

Umayalpuram, where he was born, is closely linked to the aradhana. In those days, Umayalpuram Krishna Bhagavathar and Sundara Bhagavathar would walk down to Thiruvaiyaru and perform the aradhana. They would reach two days earlier and leave two days after the festival.

Mr. Sivaraman said he had visited many foreign countries and interacted with musicians like Michael Jackson. They felt that while Sri Thyagaraja had his "sishya parambara", his contemporaries such as Beethovan in the West did not have any. They also agreed that the spirituality in Carnatic music had no parallel."

Describing the opportunity he got to inaugurate the aradhana as "god's grace," he said it coincided with the sixtieth year of his playing the mrithangam.

Collector M. Veera Shanmugha Moni said Thiruvaiyaru was steeped in music tradition even before Thyagaraja. Nayanmars such as Thirugnanasambandar and Appar realised god, through Thamizhisai, even before Thyagaraja. Gods and goddesses in the Hindu pantheon are associated with music instruments. So are the Greek deities. This showed that god is in the form of music.

G. Rangaswamy Moopanar, president, Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president G.K. Vasan, and Sabha secretaries Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and Haridwaramangalam A.K. Palanivel took part in the function.

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