LETTER
Queen of patriotic songs
I read with much interest the article, `Perfect and aesthetic' (Friday Review, March 23) on D.K.Pattammal who is 80 today, having the same enthusiasm and devotion towards Carnatic music.
Her first gramophone record was produced and released by Columbia company carrying the rendition of the famous Kilikanni, `Valli Kanavan Perai Vazhipokkan Sonnalum' (Part 1) and `Sivaganga Nakarani Vasini' (Part 2), which were a hit those days and even in tiny villages of Tamil Nadu, the record was played and heard with joyfulness by the rasikas (1936).
When Gandhiji was shot dead on January 31, 1948, and on the date of immersion of his ashes at Madras (now Chennai), a special gramophone record was released by Columbia carrying her rendition of the song, `Santhi Nilava Vendum' (Thilang) and even today this song is sung on concert platforms while concluding a programme. No doubt, she is the queen in the rendition of patriotic songs. It is not out of place to mention here that DKP was the first to sing title songs in Tamil films, the first one being `Bharata Punya Bhoomi' in the film, `Tyagabhoomi' released in 1939.
D.K.Pattammal was honoured by the Indian Fine Arts Society in the year 1978, with the title, `Sangeetha Kalasikhamani'.
N. SRINIVASAN,
VIRUGAMBAKKAM.
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