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COVER STORY Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer (1912-1981) Sriram.V ometime in the 17th century, a Raja of Palghat is said to have invited many Brahmin families Sbelonging to the Tanjavur region to his principality. They were to inculcate learning and culture in the area. These families settled in 96 villages of Palghat district and greatly enriched the place. Many of their descendants rose to high positions in administration, business and other walks of life. Several shone as musicians. But the man who was to prefix the name of the district to his own name and make it synonymous with percussion was Mani Iyer, the mridanga maestro. Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer was born on 12th June 1912 at Pazhayanur, Tiruvilvamala Taluk, in Palghat District to Sesham Bhagavatar and Anandambal as their second son. The couple had many children of whom some died early with only two sons (Mani Iyer and a younger brother) and two daughters surviving into adulthood. Sesham Bhagavatar was a vocalist in the Harikatha troupe of Mukkai Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar, a famous exponent of the art form. Mani was christened Ramaswami at birth— after his grandfather who was a school teacher besides being a good singer. Destined as it seemed Mani Iyer was to acquire fame Young Mani in the field of percussion, the forces that control fates could not have selected a better place for his birth. Tiruvilvamala, a village on the southern side of the Born for the Mridanga Bharatapuzha river, was well known for its Panchavadyam performers. ‘Maddalam’ Venkicchan and Konthai were famed practitioners of the percussive arts. Venkicchan was, Mani’s parents— Anandambal and Sesham Bhagavatar in particular, greatly celebrated, receiving awards from the Maharajas of Travancore and Cochin and the Zamorin of Calicut. Speaking of Mani’s talents in later years, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar said that having absorbed the patterns of the maddalam and chendai in his infancy, he incorporated them in his own mridanga playing. Mani Iyer himself later said in an interview that from the age of two, the beats of the percussion instruments used in the neighbouring temple filled his being and entered his heart. Accompanying Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar meant frequent visits to Palghat for Sesham Bhagavatar and so 15 z SRUTI March 2007 cover-story.indd 15 3/6/2007 5:13:44 PM COVER STORY the family moved to Kalpathi when Mani was around three or four. Mother Anandambal noticed that it was percussion that attracted Mani as he invariably began jumping when his father sang and the intervals between the jumps were remarkably precise. He also had the habit of producing rhythmic patterns on any available surface. Father Sesham Bhagavatar began scouting around for a good teacher. The first formal lessons were imparted by Chathapuram Subba Iyer, a well known mridanga vidwan of the area (see box, The Guru-s of Mani Iyer), when Mani was six. He was also sent to a conventional Malayalam school around this time. Within a few months, Mani made rapid progress on the mridanga and his talents were noticed by L.S. Viswanatha Iyer of Alappuzha, an amateur mridangist. Viswanatha Iyer, was known to be an authority on the finer aspects of laya and lent percussion support on the mridanga or khanjira whenever vidwans from the Madras Presidency came to perform at Palghat. He began guiding young Mani on performing in various kalapramana-s and for pallavi-s. Mani’s first performance opportunity came about when he was eight. Mukkai Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar performed Harikatha at the Ganapati temple in Palghat with Sesham Bhagavatar and Viswanatha Iyer providing vocal and mridanga accompaniment respectively. The performance had hardly begun when Viswanatha Iyer beckoned Mani and, handing over the mridanga to him, stepped off the stage. This caused consternation among the assembled The Guru-s of Mani Iyer Chathapuram Subba Iyer ZDV 0DQL ,\HU¶V ¿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iswanatha Iyer,RQHRI0DQL,\HU¶JXUXVH[FHSWWKDWKHZDVRIDIÀXHQWPHDQVDQGWKDW PXVLFZDVFHQWUDOWRKLVH[LVWHQFH+HLVVDLGWRKDYHDFFRPSDQLHGPDQ\SURPLQHQWDUWLVWVZKRYLVLWHGWKHDUHD Tanjavur Vaidyanatha IyerZDVWKHWKLUGDQGSHUKDSVPRVWLPSRUWDQWLQÀXHQFHRQ0DQL,\HUDVIDUDVWKHPULGDQJDZDV FRQFHUQHG6UXWLKDVGHYRWHGDIXOOLVVXHWRKLP Sruti +HZDVDOVRLQÀXHQWLDOLQJHWWLQJ0DQL,\HUWRVDYRXUWKH FXOWXUHDQGOLIHVW\OHRI7DQMDYXURIZKLFKWKHODWWHUZDVWREHFRPHDOLIHORQJDGPLUHU 16 z SRUTI March 2007 cover-story.indd 16 3/6/2007 5:13:44 PM COVER STORY audience which felt that a mere stripling could not handle the task. But Viswanatha Iyer remained firm and signalled 7KHFDUWRI.RFKDPPDO to Mani to continue. The performance continued and &RQWUDU\ WR SRSXODU EHOLHI '. 3DWWDPPDO ZDV QRW within a few minutes the audience realised that it was WKH ¿UVW ZRPDQ DUWLVW WKDW 0DQL ,\HU DFFRPSDQLHG witnessing a genius at play. At the end of the performance (DUO\LQKLVFDUHHUKHKDGDFFRPSDQLHG.RFKDPPDOD young Mani was greatly applauded and he was soon much SRSXODU+DULNDWKDDUWLVWRIWKH3DOJKDWUHJLRQ+HDOVR in demand as an accompanist of Harikatha artists. Among DFFRPSDQLHG &KHPEDL¶V GLVFLSOH 0DQNX 7DPELUDWWL RI WKH&RFKLQ5R\DOIDPLO\ the artists was a woman performer— Kochammal, very popular in the area (see The Cart of Kochammal). Soon his 7KH ¿UVW LQYLWDWLRQ WR DFFRPSDQ\ .RFKDPPDO ZDV performance opportunities increased to such an extent that DOPRVW OLNH VRPHWKLQJ RXW RI 'XPDV 2QH HYHQLQJ VKRUWO\DIWHUKLVGHEXWDW6LYDUDPDNULVKQD%KDJDYDWDU¶V conventional schooling had to be given up. He also played +DULNDWKD0DQLZDVRXWSOD\LQJE\WKHULYHUVLGHZKHQD the mridanga for music concerts, with Palghat Rama EXOORFN FDUW GUHZ XS RXWVLGH Bhagavatar among the first musicians he accompanied. KLV KRXVH 7KH GULYHU DVNHG IRU WKH \RXQJ ODG ZKR KDG When Mani was nine, he was asked to accompany UHFHQWO\ EHJXQ SOD\LQJ WKH Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar. As is often the case, PULGDQJD DQG VDLG WKDW KH the window of opportunity opened when the scheduled ZDV XUJHQWO\ QHHGHG DW 1RRUDQL D QHLJKERXULQJ accompanist did not come and Mani was asked to stand YLOODJH IRU D +DULNDWKD in. Chembai, who had had his eye on Mani for quite some SHUIRUPDQFH 0DQL¶V IDWKHU time, decided to make him his regular accompanist from ZHQW DQG IHWFKHG KLP DQG then on. The singer, as was the case for most of his life, was VHQWKLPRIIZLWKWKHPULGDQJD in the midst of a busy concert schedule and Mani began 7KRVH ZHUH LQQRFHQW WLPHV :RXOG DQ\ SDUHQW VHQG RII travelling with him to various parts of South India. By age KLV RU KHU FKLOG WKDW ZD\ WRGD\" 0DQL UHWXUQHG ODWH twelve he had also accompanied Chembai on a concert DW QLJKW FOXWFKLQJ WKUHH UXSHHV ZKLFK ZDV KLV IHH IRU tour to Calcutta. During these years Mani was clearly DFFRPSDQ\LQJ.RFKDPPDO Chembai’s protégé and while he did not lack talent, he 7KH QH[W HYHQLQJ 0DQL ZDV SOD\LQJ RQFH DJDLQ in many ways owed his initial success to Chembai, then ZKHQ WKH EXOORFN FDUW DUULYHG 7KH VWRU\ UHSHDWHG a very popular star. Yet another popular artist who began LWVHOI DQG KH UHWXUQHG RQFH DJDLQ ZLWK WKUHH UXSHHV using Mani as his accompanist was the flautist Palladam 2Q WKH WKLUG GD\ 0DQL ZDV QRW DOORZHG WR JR DQG Sanjeeva Rao. Through Sanjeeva Rao and Chembai, Mani SOD\ E\ WKH ULYHUVLGH VR VXUH ZDV HYHU\RQH WKDW WKH made the acquaintance of eminent violinists Marungapuri FDUW ZRXOG DSSHDU DJDLQ DQG VXUH HQRXJK LW GLG 7KLV ZDV WR FRQWLQXH IRU VHYHQ PRUH GD\V 5HFDOOLQJ WKH Gopalakrishna Iyer and Karur Chinnaswami Iyer. He LQFLGHQW ODWHU LQ OLIH 0DQL ,\HU ZDV WR UHPDUN WKDW began frequently accompanying these musicians and QRWRQFHGLGWKHRUJDQLVHUVHYHUWHOOKLPWKDWKHZRXOG travelling with them to various concert locations. The EHUHTXLUHGWKHQH[WGD\EXWVLPSO\WRRNKLVDYDLODELOLW\ association was fruitful not only musically but also in IRUJUDQWHG learning the ways of the world (see Bringing up Mani). .RFKDPPDO ZDV HYLGHQWO\ D SRSXODU UHFRUGLQJ It was Sesham Bhagavatar’s dearest wish that Mani be DUWLVW 7KH VKRUWOLYHG %URDGFDVW ODEHO RI WKH 6XUDMPDO /DOOXEKDL 0HKWD IDPLO\ UHOHDVHG VRPH RI KHU GLVFV trained by a mridangist of the Tanjavur tradition. Once when he and Mani were both accompanying Mukkai Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy, Sivaramakrishna Bhagavatar on a Harikatha tour of Palghat Mani and Erode Viswanatha Iyer (violin) in a photo published Tiruchirapalli, Sesham Bhagavatar decided to approach in an advertisement for Broadcast records in Swadesamitran (1936) Mylatoor Swami Iyer, a reputed mridanga vidwan then residing in Tanjavur. Hiring a bullock cart, father and son set off for Tanjavur and arriving there, began asking for the residence of Swami Iyer. The Anjaneyaswami Utsavam outside the Prasanna Venkateswara Swami shrine in Tanjavur