Torch-bearer of the Tanjore bani
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Kodunthirapully Parameswaran has established a niche of his own by being a faithful follower of the Tanjore bani of mridangam. Sankar N
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Dedicated teacher: A Konnakol session by Parameswaran.
Today when culture, music and lifestyle seem to be acquiring a sort of globalised uniformity, artists who maintain the individuality of their traditional artistic styles render an invaluable service to the cultural heritage of our country. In thi
s regard, Kodunthirapully Parameswaran has established a niche of his own by being a faithful follower of the Tanjore bani of mridangam. Parameswaran’s artistic lineage can be traced back to the Tanjore bani.
His grandfather, Kondunthirappully Swaminatha Iyer, a close comrade of Palghat Mani Iyer, learned the art initially from Tanjore Ponniah Pillai and later from the great Tanjavur Vaidynatha Iyer himself. The strong foundation of rhythm laid in him by the meticulous training of his grandfather, prepared him for the gurukula training from T.K. Murthy, the greatest living exponent of the Tanjore school.
Golden period
The golden period of 12 years of gurukulam under Dr. Murthy was a turning point in his professional career as a mridangam artiste. He faithfully served and followed his guru like a shadow and earned outstanding scholarship and experience by playing double mridangam concerts with his guru. He also had tutelage under Parassala Ravi, which helped him expand the horizons of his artistic imagination.
Parameswaran’s style of performance is highly innovative and vibrant with brisk and fitting ‘cholkettus’ and ‘mukthayis,’ epitomising his ardent loyalty to his school. His accompaniment standards immensely embellish such kritis as ‘Amba Kamakshi’ (Bhairavi swara jathi), which are instances of supreme artistic virtuosity.
He has mastered the difficult fingering techniques of his guru that brings in pristine clarity in each and every stroke on the mridangam. This, it must be remembered, is a characteristic beauty of the Tanjore bani His direct connection to the Tanjore school through his veteran teachers also helped him understand the almost extinct fingering methods and contributions of other early generation laya exponents like Ponniah Pillai, Azhaganambi Pillai, Palani Subrahmanya Pillai, Palghat Mani Iyer and so on.
In addition to nurturing several young vocalists and instrumentalists on the stage, Parameswaran has earned accolades by accompanying several senior artists like K.V. Narayanaswamy, T.N. Seshagopalan, T.K. Govinda Rao, T.V. Sankaranarayanan and Trichur Ramachandran.
Among the contemporary mridangam artistes, Parameswaran stands out for his excellence in ‘konnakol,’ a vocal tradition of reciting rhythm, which is rare nowadays. He inherited this talent from his guru, who himself had been inspired by the konnakol performances of the great Pakiriya Pillai of Tanjore. His vivid and perfect rendition of konnakol help students earn a strong base in rhythm and learn the rhythmic patterns in an impeccable manner.
In the contemporary music and cultural scenario, when artistes indulge in cheap gimmicks and use the media to hype their achievements, it will be a loss to our national heritage if media-shy artistes like Parameswaran and his artistry are neglected and ignored. To prevent this, music lovers must patiently persevere to learn, practise and appreciate the vastness and the profundity of our rich cultural legacy.
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