Fit for Ariyakkudi's stature
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The 60th birthday of Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar in 1950, was celebrated in a grand manner all over South.
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FELICITATION: R. B. Ramakrishna Raju, Chairman of the Madras Legislative Council, garlands Ariyakkudi at Sangeetha Mahal, Thanjavur.
If one spoke of Iyengar in connection with Carnatic music, it invariably meant Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar just as the word Iyerval invariably meant Tyagaraja. Taking to the concert platform at the rather late age of 22, after years of hard training under several gurus, the last of whom was Ramanathapuram `Poochi' Srinivasa Iyengar, Ariyakkudi quickly rose to the top and remained there for the rest of his career. The 60th birthday celebration of such a maestro was therefore a grand affair as befitting his stature. In fact, there were several celebrations held all over south India to commemorate the occasion.
The actual event took place in the year 1950, for Iyengar was born on May 19, 1890. This was a religious ceremony and was one of the rare occasions when his wife Ponnammal was seen in public. A photograph taken on that occasion has Ariyakkudi seated in a chair, flanked by his disciples K. S. Dhanammal, B. Rajam Iyer, K. V. Narayanaswami, Madurai Krishnan, Gopalaswami Iyengar, Kandadevi Narayanan and Ramanna.
For the first time
Sri Tyaga Brahma Gana Sabha of Madras, led by Chittoor V. Nagaiah, the eminent actor who was a great fan of Ariyakkudi's, was one of the first to hold a felicitation function, and Ariyakkudi gave a concert accompanied by Papa K. S. Venkataramiah and Palghat Mani Iyer.
On February 2, 1951, almost 55 years ago to this date, a grand commemoration was organised in Thanjavur. The venue chosen was the Sangeetha Mahal, the historic music hall in the fort complex. It was the first time in its history that the building was hosting a programme to honour a musician, though many concerts had been held under its roof.
R. B. Ramakrishna Raju, Chairman of the Madras Legislative Council, presided over the event, which was organised by the Thanjavur Municipality on behalf of the town's citizens who were known for their love for music. Public participation had resulted in special functions to felicitate Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Madurai Mani Iyer and others in the past in Thanjavur.
Reporting on the event, The Hindu on February 3 said that "the hall, built by the Nayak rulers of Tanjore is capable of accommodating more than a thousand persons and has remarkable acoustic properties."
Continuing on the event, the report said that in his speech, Sri Raju "urged the creation of a Trust of a few crores of rupees for bringing music within the easy reach of the masses and for helping `struggling' artistes." While nothing came out of this suggestion, two other statements of his on that occasion proved prophetic. The first was his query "whether it would not be possible for the Government to extend its patronage to music by the institution of a Laureateship in Music."
Within a year, the Government of India was to institute the President's Award in Fine Arts, which later became the Sangeet Natak Akademi award. Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Karaikkudi Sambasiva Iyer were the first recipients in 1952.
The second pronouncement that he "felt certain that a separate Ministry for Music and Fine Arts, was bound to come into existence sooner or later" took shape many years later as the Ministry of Culture. The Hindu's report concludes stating that "tributes to Sri Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar as an exponent of Carnatic music and wishing him long life" were received from C. Rajagopalachari, K. Santhanam, P. S. Kumaraswami Raja, Premier of Madras, B. Gopala Reddy, MLA, Sir C. V. Raman, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer and P. V. Rajamannar, Chief Justice of Madras High Court.
Though not mentioned in the report, Ariyakkudi, on this occasion, was presented a gold chain with a pendant which had an image of his idol, Tyagaraja, embossed on it. Given the fact that he had once said that Iyerval' s kritis were alone kirtanams and all the rest pokirittanam (fraud) he must have been pleased. Indeed, he invariably said that any encomium showered on him was attributable to the greatness of Tyagaraja and his sishya parampara.
The felicitation function concluded with a concert by the renowned Ariyakkudi-Papa-Mani trio. K. V. Narayanaswami provided vocal accompaniment.
Writing in 1962, in The Illustrated Weekly of India, B. V. K. Sastry, renowned critic and scholar, observed that despite being 72, "every birthday Ariyakkudi had celebrated during the last decade struck him only as the sixtieth. The fact that Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar does not appear to have grown any older, musically at least, since his sixtieth birthday, is highly significant. The distinctive qualities of his art are all there, without any apparent sign of weakening, and they seem to proclaim the durable quality of his music." Music lovers will vouch for that statement even today, longer after Ariyakkudi the man has gone.
(The author can be contacted at sangeetham@sangeetham.com)
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