Madurai Mani Iyer at Calcutta

Sri Thiagarajan has been and continues to be a musical soul.
In his late age Carnatic Music is his soul companion.
His music collection is as rich as his collection of experiences and anecdotes.
Sri Thiagarajan was reluctant in sharing the following with people.
He thinks that people may not take it in the right spirit.
Ultimately he left the decision to me!
So, here is his tribute to the friend and a top musician Sri Madurai Mani Iyer!!

Tribute to the late madurai mani iyer

By Sri Thiagarajan Rathakrishnan
 I have had the privilege and pleasure to get acquainted with the late Madurai Mani iyer . I wish to record my great respect and regards for him through your site.

My wife kamala thiagarajan and I were in Calcutta from 1952 to 1969. We had a friend and a well wisher the late n viswnathan of the Calcutta electric supply corporation, he and his wife were also a distant relation to us.

The late madurai mani iyer whenever he came to Calcutta for concerts, he was the honored guest of viswanathan. In one of his visits my wife and i were introduced to him. The first words mani iyer said was that nannu palimpa by my wife on veena in the all India radio concert was good. It was indeed a great complement. He said he keeps on the radio on throughout the day, and listens to the concerts, irrespective of the grade of the artistes.

He had come to Calcutta for a concert on 27.10.1962. We met him as usual. We were however very much disturbed to see him shivering in the cold. That was the beginning of the winter in the north. We suggested he must have a razaai and offered to get him one.. It was a Sunday. Most of the shops were closed. We went round bhowanipur and found a shop open. We got a razaai, though not a very good one, and gave it to mani iyer. I cannot express in words in words how he felt comfortable in the razaai. He thanked us so much. In the evening he was on the stage with his razaai on. He called it a razaai kachcheri. He did not stop with that. He sang kamalambike in thodi and thyagarajaya namaste in begada. A great tribute indeed to us. I had the recordings of the concert kindly presented to us by viswanathan. And I preserve them even to day..


We used to visit him often in Chennai. He was an excellent conversationalist. He narrated several of his experiences. We became good friends with his mother, sisters and the late vembu iyer. i am not competent to speak on his concerts, but the one I remember is his concert in the sai baba temple in alamelumangapuram, next to our house, during the navarathri festival. The entire place was full with no space to move about. What is more inportant was the people of the poorest section (from the slums if I may call it) had gathered to listen to him in pin drop silence. He sang a ragam tanam pallavi - gandhi mahan vazhi nadappom - in shanmukhapriya. A superb one. I believe this one is in sangeethapriya. In one of his concerts in calcutta I requested him to sing shanta muleka in sama. He said I must hear it from alattur but he did swaraprasthara in the pallavi..

I can write more. But I do not want to take your space. May his soul rest in peace.

Sri Thiagarajan sent me the recordings of the two above mentioned items from the Razaai concert.
I bring them here for your listening pleasure!
 
01) Kamalmbike - Todi

  Link:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/8DJoWGci/03-Kamalambike-Todi-MMI.html
 
02) Sri Tyagarajaya Namaste - Begada

 Link:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/V8Y0Oemg/04-Tyagarajaya-Begada-MMI.html
 
I also bring an excellent Jyotiswaroopini played on the Veena by Smt. Kamala Thiagarajan!

Link:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/Uocakp8T/03-KT-Jyotiswarupini26.html
 
Let us enjoy good music!!
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