`The hard work continues'
MEERA SRINIVASAN
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Tavil exponent Haridwaramangalam Palanivel has just been honoured by the Mylapore Fine Arts Club.
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Experiment yes, but without tampering with the fundamentals.
Haridwaramangalam Palanivel.
Haridwaramangalam Palanivel, wizard who weaves those intrinsic patterns on the tavil, has been conferred `Sangaatha Kala Nipuna' by the Mylapore Fine Arts Club this December. Interestingly, Palanivel is the first tavil artiste to receive the title.
Palanivel is known for his experiments with the tavil, as an accompaniment for the saxophone, violin, flute and even vocal music. "We grew up at a time when there was no power or transportation facility in our village. As a little boy, I dreamt big. I resolved to work hard, and that hard work continues till date," he says.
Palanivel was initially trained by his father Kumaravel Pillai, after which he received advanced training from Thirucherai G. Muthukumaraswami Pillai for over three years.
When asked about the younger generations taking up nagaswaram or tavil-as a career, Mr. Palanivel says there are quite a few promising youngsters in the field. "Many of them seem to have gone abroad, looking for opportunities. If the right kind of encouragement were given, more people would want to learn the art form and perform here. But the trend is a lot better now," he adds. Palanivel, who is fond of trying out new things, believes that these experiments should strictly adhere to tradition. "The fundamentals should never change," he stresses.
Playing for A. R. Rahman or a Rock band, he says, adds variety to the profile of the instrument. He got an offer to perform with Michael Jackson in 1998, but since he had another concert on that date, he couldn't participate. "That would have been very interesting," he smiles. "Each concert is an examination that I need to pass. Sometimes, while attempting to improvise on stage, our ideas might not translate to fingering techniques immediately. Sometimes, our fingers would cooperate, but we might not get new ideas," he explains.
Palanivel recalls an episode: " It was a tour abroad in the mid-Seventies. The women were seated on the one side and the men, on the other. That evening, a few women came to my hotel room and requested me to sit on their side of the dais, in the following day's concert. `We just get to hear all the magic. We want to see you in action,' they said."
When the allegation of sabhas not paying musicians well is brought up, Mr. Palanivel says, "It is up to an artiste to demand what he requires. There's no use in just complaining. If one thinks he deserves more than what he is getting, what's the harm in letting the person know? In my experience, sabhas have always given me what I wanted."
This year, Mr.Palanivel is performing with artistes such as O. S. Arun, Ganesh, Kumaresh, Kadri Gopalnath and of course he would also be performing with `Swaralayam,' his music troupe.
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