TRIBUTES

MANAKKAL S. RANGARAJAN Speed was his forte

anakkal Rangarajan was by producing a documentary on him looked upon by fellow which, I had the honour of directing. Mmusicians for his pioneering It gave me an opportunity to know approach to Carnatic music. He was the singer first hand, listen and record a self-taught musician who trod his a good number of musicians—old own path. Vocalist T.M. Krishna once and young—who were enraptured by addressed him as “the musicians’ Manakkal’s music. musician”. Rangarajan was popular Rangarajan was born on 13 September in his heydey and his concerts were 1922 in Manakkal, a tiny village near sought after. He had quite a few rasikas Lalgudi in Tiruchirapalli district in and one of them was former chief Tamil Nadu to Santhana Krishna minister M.G. Ramachandran. MGR Bhagavatar and Seethalakshmi listened to one of Rangarajan’s recitals Ammal. The couple had five sons on All India Radio and developed a and Rangarajan was the youngest. great liking for his music. It is said His father was a Harikatha exponent that MGR requested Rangarajan and as all his siblings were musicians, to sing at the wedding reception of Even when his voice rode on the the child grew up in the midst of actor N.S. Krishnan’s daughter, but higher octave, he came out with clear music. After completing high school, since Rangarajan had a concert on swaras and gamakas. It was a gamble, Rangarajan discontinued his studies that date, MGR adjusted the event to but it paid off gloriously and he soon and chose to pursue music full- accommodate his schedule. captured the attention of critics and time. In the midst of an imposing peers. Among several other rasikas who gurukula tradition he rose to heights He was a regular at the Tyagaraja knew him through his radio concerts, as an autodidact. He set for himself aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru. On one was R. Pathmanaba Iyer, a London a rigorous routine of several hours occasion, when Musiri Subramania based Tamil publisher. Upon knowing of practice each day. At a time Iyer and Rangarajan were waiting for that his favourite singer was living in when Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, their turn, Musiri allowed Rangarajan Indira Nagar, Chennai, he established Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, to sing one song. Rangarajan was contact and immediately arranged for Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and other accompanied by famous violinist his concert tour to England in 2006. stars were ruling the roost, fifteen- Rajamanickam Pillai and he chose This tour also brought Manakkal year-old Rangarajan presented his to sing Ninnuvina. Each of his rapid- Rangarajan closer to the younger debut concert in Madras. Quite early fire sangatis won thunderous applause generation rasikas living there. Six in life, Rangarajan had developed a from the audience and it was clear years later, Pathmanaba Iyer capped style of his own. He could maintain that Rangarajan had made the grade. off his admiration for Rangarajan precision in his fast-paced renderings. However, according to Rangarajan, he got his major break during his In concert with his wife Padma (vocal support) and M. Chandrasekharan (violin) concert at R.R. Sabha in 1940 with Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai (violin) and Palani Subbudu (mridangam). Subsequently, Ranga­ rajan was also accompanied by some of the greats of his time like Mysore T. Chowdiah and Palghat Mani Iyer amongst others. Speed and full-throated singing were the hallmarks of Manakkal

43 l SRUTI June 2019 Ganakala Sagara, the Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer Award and the TTK Award from the Music Academy, Madras. Rangarajan was a quiet, unassuming and a non-controversial person. He shared his tersely worded opinions only when warranted. To quote him, “We should sing with commitment With Parur M.S. Anantharaman (violin) and without compromise. Music is beyond everything; the world will Rangarajan’s bani. Brigas came used to perform for six hours in a concert. dance to it. It gives happiness, health naturally to him. His rendition of kritis Once, he was on a hectic schedule— and cures incurable illness. Just as like Ninnuvina (Navarasa Kannada), it was a six-day concert tour halting meditation controls the mind, akara- Sarasa samadana (Kapinarayani) at every place within four hours varisai practise helps develop voice and Nenarunchinanu (Malavi) were distance, but he bore no strain. On control. It can modulate the ups and eagerly looked forward to by his the fifth day my shoulders ached. He downs in the voice and control breath. rasikas. His voice could produce simply told me that I would be all If we cannot regulate the voice it lightning patterns that were possible right if I went on playing. His concerts can be embarrassing. Singing with only on an instrument, but he was were always lively”. emotion finds an echo in the listener”. equally at home in rendering vilamba Rangarajan was in the limelight until kala kritis. His impeccably rounded Despite his advanced years he was the sixties after which there was brigas sometimes had a Hindustani very cooperative while the docu­ a gradual decline in attendance at slant. On many occasions, while mentary was being produced. his concerts. Rangarajan however providing violin accompaniment to Whenever I saw him he looked continued to remain active with his Rangarajan, Chowdiah would get clean shaven, well-dressed and even tuitions and limited concerts. He emotional as he watched him sing powdered his face. Earlier photos was also a regular performer at the revealed he was a handsome, muscular sprightly sangatis and brigas with elan. Cleveland Tyagaraja festival, U.S.A. person; not surprising, that he bagged Chowdiah even challenged artists Recognition in the form of awards the role of Nandanar on stage in 1952. to match Rangarajan’s skill. Flute also came to him. Some of the awards I took him along with his family maestro Mali is said to have admitted he received include the Kalaimamani to Manakkal for the shooting. His that he could not match his speed. The from the Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka ancestral home in the agraharam had same was echoed by clarionet maestro Manram, Gayaka Samrat and Sangeeta not undergone any physical change A.K.C. Natarajan who was all praise Kalasikhamani from the Indian Fine but had changed hands. Rangarajan for Rangarajan’s devotion to music. Arts Society, Sangeeta Simham from grew nostalgic the moment he arrived Rangarajan soon became a sought- Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, there after a span of forty years. He sat after musician and had a packed Ugadi Puraskar from the Madras on the oonjal or swing with his wife concert schedule. He got married to Telugu Academy, Ganakala Ratna, Padma and they sang a Tamil song his disciple Padma, daughter Rangarajan receiving the Sangita Kalasikhamani award from in praise of Lord Muruga—it of Thumilan, former editor T.N. Krishnan at The Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai (2010) was indeed one of the touching of Ananda Vikatan. Padma moments captured in the film. provided vocal support Manakkal S. Rangarajan to him in many of his breathed his last on 26 concerts. February 2019, he was 96. Rangarajan is survived by his Mridanga vidwan T.V. Gopala- wife and three children. His son krishnan, accompanied him Sriram plays the mridangam on some of his tours. Though and daughters Seetha and they were on stage together, Bhanumathi play the veena they exchanged only a few and violin respectively. words as Rangarajan was an AMSHAN KUMAR introvert. Gopalakrishnan (An award-winning Indian film- recalled an experience, “He maker and writer)

44 l SRUTI June 2019