Musician with boundless creativity
KIRANAVALI VIDYASANKAR
|
A concert of Madurai T.N.Seshagopalan always has little surprises for the listener.
|
``The richest are those who possess knowledge."
VERSATILE: Veena is one of the many instruments that Seshagopalan has mastered.
Growing up in Nagapattinam and later Madurai, the little boy was heavily influenced by the best in South India's classical performing arts such as Namasankeertanam, Harikatha and Carnatic music. Mother Venkatavalli, a brilliant enterprising woman, kindled and carefully nurtured the interest of her prodigiously talented child by teaching him compositions of various masters.
The son, in turn, created a sensation everywhere with his lovely high-pitched voice and remarkable musicality. Today he is easily one of the most accomplished personalities in India's cultural history. And rightly chosen for the Music Academy's Sangita Kalanidi award this year.
Expertise and flourish
Madurai T.N.Seshagopalan dons many hats such as that of a vocalist, harikatha exponent, vainika, harmonium/keyboard player, composer, guru and so on. He plays each role with an enviable level of expertise and flourish.
The great violin maestro of yesteryear, Rajamanikkam Pillai, on hearing teenager Seshagopalan in a concert, requested in public that someone take the step and introduce the bundle of talent to a vidwan of repute. And thus Seshagopalan started his tutelage under the redoubtable C.S. Sankara Sivam. The latter, heir to the rich legacy of Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar on the one side and that of Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai on the other, passed on his considerable vidwat to a knowledge-thirsty Seshagopalan.
"In those days, my whole life was consumed by music. I didn't need recreation of any other sort." In the 1970s, Seshagopalan was welcomed into the Madras music scene with open arms and he performed with leading accompanists of the day.
Seshagopalan's music is like a beautifully cut diamond, sparkling in multiple dimensions. His voice could be regarded as being ideal for Carnatic music for it has that distinctive dignity and tone, and is fully at his command. His full-throated range of two-and-a-half to three octaves easily covers all that is necessary and more.
However, what Seshagopalan is most acclaimed for is his boundless creativity. His raga alapanas with their great sweeps, nuances, super-fast phrases and long pauses on key swaras are like watching the Niagara in its entirety — awesome. His tanam has the discipline and characteristic gait that few acquire in a life-time. His neraval and swaras bring out endless patterns. The range of Pallavis he has covered in his career - the ragas, the talas and gatis - is indeed astounding. In short, there are little surprises for the listener all the time! Long before Seshagopalan started giving vocal concerts, he was already known for his skills on the harmonium, something that he had picked up listening to the numerous Namasankeertanam and Harikatha concerts in his childhood. His dexterous fingers and innate gnanam enabled him to capture even ragas like Todi, Anandabhairavi and Yadukulakhambodi. Among Seshagopalan's most treasured possessions is the first harmonium that his mother had bought for him.
Few people perhaps know that Seshagopalan's debut appearance as an artiste was as a Harikatha performer at age seven, when he did a 40-minute programme on Pazhani Murugan. Although he never had any serious aspirations in this direction, it came seeking him again in 2003, during his guru's centenary celebrations. "After training each of my students to do something different, I was wondering what to do myself. A friend then reminded me that my guru had always wanted me to do Harikatha to keep aloft Muthiah Bhagavatar's lineage. So I decided to do that."
Many of us have heard him play the Veena in concerts, but few know that he is also adept at the mridangam and the ganjira. A double-graduate, Seshagopalan has to his credit medals even in sports. TNS deeply cherishes the opportunities he got to interact with the greatest of the great. "I am fortunate to have seen some of the real vidwans in my youth. It is perhaps because of this that I feel that the richest are those who possess knowledge. Material wealth doesn't matter much to me." Seshagopalan is passing on his innate and hard-acquired scholarship to his numerous disciples.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Music Season
