On the right beat
K. K. GOPALAKRISHNAN
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Sadanam Ramachandran, who turns 60, will be honoured with the title of `Maddala Vadya Kalanidhi' today.
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Sadanam Ramachandran: Music at his fingertips.
The name of Sadanam Ramachandran is synonymous with that of the maddalam. It was Ramachandran who popularised the art of classical Panchavadyam in the northern districts of Kerala, especially Kasaragod, Kannur and parts of Kozhikode district. It was his endeavour, spanning over three decades, that popularised Panchavadyam as a percussion ensemble in these districts. Ramachandran was initiated into the world of percussion at the age of 11.
A member of the Marar community, whose hereditary (kulathozhil) profession was the performance of percussion ensemble at temples, the rhythm of the maddalam came naturally to him.
Early years
He started training on the chenda and made his debut in the early sixties at the Pallikkunnu Temple (Kannur) after a couple of years of training in Tayambaka under Vellore Madham Narayana Marar.
However, what groomed the artiste in Ramachandran was his five years of gurukula training in maddalam at the Gandhi Sevasadan at Perur (Palakkad) under Sadanam Sreedharan. After the training, he became one of the associates of the legendary Pallavoor Appu Marar. "My stewardship under the late Appu Marar asan opened before me a new world of aesthetics and rhythm," reminisces Ramachandran. After a year he trained for three months under Paloor Achuthan Nair at Kottakkal PSV Natyasnagham and then became a permanent member of the faculty of maddalam at the Gandhi Sevasadan.
"The financial problems of Gandhi Sevasadan compelled me to bid good bye to my alma mater, after serving there for about three-and-a-half years." In 1973, he returned to Kannur. At that time, Panchavadyam was not a familiar art form in northern Kerala and there were few maddalam artistes with proper training.
Ramachandran began an intensive training camp for youngsters and started the `Kannur district Panchavadya training camp.' The late Pallavoor Manian Marar, Mangalam Govindan Nair and Cherpulassery Sivan were the masters of the camp.
The success of this camp resulted in the formation of Mattannur Panchavadya Sangham, the pivot in northern Kerala that offered training in traditional Panchavadyam. Ramachandran led from the front. The three decades as a teacher saw him training a number of excellent Panchavadyam artistes.
Almost all the maddalam artists of Kannur and Kasaragod districts were either his disciples or those trained by Ramachandran's disciples.
New style
Above all, the art of Panchavadyam became quite popular in these districts and a classical style in traditional Panchavadyam, called the Mattannur style, emerged. The speciality of the Mattannur style is their soothing manodharma during the taniyavarthanam of Tripuda.
Sadanam Ramachandran is one of the handful of percussion artistes of Kerala who has undergone the strenuous nilavu abhysam.
It is a sort of training-cum-practice session that goes on for a month in accordance with the phases of the moon.
Ramachandran went through this rigorous training session, which is a test of endurance and artistic skill, on the precincts of Balussery Kota Temple, along with four Chenda maestros, including Mattannur Sankarankutty, his long time associate, in 1980.
The maestro, who turns 60, will be honoured today with the title of `Maddala Vadya Kalanidhi' at Mattannur.
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