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Nadaswara Chakravarthi
Thiruvaduthurai Rajarathinam Pillai (1898 - 1956)
S. Krishnamoorthy, 1996
"I recently visited Tamil Nadu, my native
place, in India. While I was in Madras I called on Mr. S. Krishnamoorthy (a
nonagenarian living at 17 Kamdar Nagar, Madras 600034, India) and discussed
the possibility of his writing an article about the three celebrated
musicians of carnatic music for the Inter Net. I know him personally .... He
was also a celebrated music critic in his own right. He readily agreed to
write an article on T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai... Here is his own
profile -
" The review is from a music lover of over
eighty years. A close associate with most of the celebrated musicians of the
past sixty years and his personal close contact with them has inspired him
to write of the three of the greatest musicians and the particulars
furnished by him are from close personal knowledge and hence the seal of
authenticity. The writer does not use I and My prompted by Egoism. If there
are use of "I" and "My" they are in token of his personal knowledge and
experience and not hearsay." - Nagasubramaniam Ganesan, New Mexico,
April 1996
 Music
in India as in many other countries with a cultural ethos is the
main means of approach to God as Geetha says " Math Bhakthas Yetra
Gayanthi Tatra Tishtami Narada".
Unlike many other forms of worship, music does not call for
great austerities, fasts, or midnight vigils or barefooted
pilgrimages. It gives pleasure and satisfaction to the one who makes
it and the one that hears it. Of the many musical instruments
nadaswaram has been one of the very ancient ones, specifically
suited for the daily worships (thrice a day) service in the temples
and specially on holy days especially in South India.. Besides
worship inside temples during service, special processions of the
deities are taken out on the roads or streets of the place and that
is always attended by music on the nadaswaram. This instrument -
nadaswaram is specially suited for being heard from afar and is
generally played in the open air so that worshippers living even
some miles away could hear the music and are drawn to the procession
of deities.
Indian music especially Carnatic music is essentially Raga based
an unique feature of the Indian music. The instrument nadaswaram is
so designed as to be suitable for raga elaboration. Eminent
nadaswaram vidwans had been pathfinders, epoch makers famous for
raga elaboration- an art calling for a strict grasp of the grammar
of that raga and a rich imagination (kalpana). To this distinguished
band of musicians was born Nadaswara Chakravarthi, T. N.
Rajarathinam Pillai.
Coming of a long line of famous nadaswara vidwans (
a group of people called "Isai Vellalars" - meaning people of music)
T. N. Rajarathinam Pillai grew up in the cradle of music, fed on
music. No wonder he showed signs of his budding interest and sang
songs in his fresh young voice. When he grew old enough to have
rigorous tuition, his uncle Thirumarugal Natesa Pillai ( a very
famous nadaswara vidwan unrivaled in his raga elaboration) took him
in hand and gave him regular lessons. Luckily for young Rajarathinam
the lessons were so modeled as to give him intimate knowledge and
grasp of the ragas and the compositions in them. As in the case of
human voice each one having a special timbre in the voice, in
nadaswaram also Rajarathinam had a particularly attractive timbre in
the tone of his instrument. His name and fame spread far wide very
quickly and at a time when there were very eminent nadeswara
vidwans, he shot up to such eminence that he was universally voted
Nadaswara Chakravarthi.
Among many memorable performances two are recalled. Shri
Rajarathinam�s music was the chief attraction in a procession of Sai
Baba in a decorated car through the four mada streets of Mylapore,
Madras. During the three hours it took the procession to complete
the course, Rajarathinam elaborated first Keeravani in great detail,
Mohanam and ended with Behag and Jijoti. When the procession ended
the musically enthusiastic audience were only sorry that the feast
of music was over. Another occasion happened to be the final day of
the music festival in Thiruvaiyaru. That night the portrait of Saint
Thiyagaraja would be carried in a decorated palaugu (palanquin)
through the four main roads of Thiruvaiyaru to the accompaniment of
nadaswaram music of nearly half a dozen group consisting of two to
play on the nadaswaram and two to accompany them on the tavil
(drum). That night after an hour�s time from the start Shri
Rajarathinam played the raga Charukesi and the krithi Aada-modi. At
the swara elaboration stage he wove on the nadaswaram an intricate
pattern of swaras. This was just what the crowd was waiting for.
Shri Needamangalam Meenakshisundaram Pillai ( of
immortal fame) took up the rhythm portion for his display on the
tavil. The patterns he wove on the tavil that night were so
ingenious and intricate in texture. Shri Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer
(the all time great mridhangam exponent) so enjoyed the great tala
that he started keeping them with both his feet and both hands and
seem to be dancing with joy. No wonder at the end of that display
Mani Iyer went and pressed both the hands of Meenakshisundaram
Pillai and paid his respects and admiration to him. Then turning to
Shri Rajarathanam Pillai, Mani Iyer said who but you can invoke this
grand display of tala by your challenging display on the
nadaswaram.
His elaboration of ragas revealed his acquaintance with the best
compositions of the great Vaggeyakarakas - the Prayogas they used
and embellished the ragas. His rendition of krithis were flawless
and the Swaraprasathara invigorating and fresh. His perfect grasp
and control over tala (time measures) drew to his side the
celebrated tala exponent Shri Needamangalam Meenakshisundaram Pillai
lovingly called Nava Nandikeswara - the deity that played mridanga
to the cosmic dance of Nataraja. Rajarathinam Pillai�s elaboration
of Prathimadhyama (sharp Ma ) ragas were marked by intimate
knowledge, intense feeling majesty and grandeur. His
Simhendramadhyamam, Shanmugapriya, Ramapriya, Vachaspathi,
Panthuvarali and Kalyani are still remembered with nostalgic
pleasure by thousands of his rasikas. Fortunately, Rajarathinam
Pillai has left behind some record disc and his record of Thodi raga
alapana meets the admiration of all discerning lovers of carnatic
music. On his death one heard an old man remarking the sun has set
on the gaiety of South India on Nadaswaram Music.
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