Intha saukhyamani ne jeppa jala?

Right in the Middle

He inaugurated the Deccan Herald music festival in Dharwad thirty years ago with this krithi. After the concert, he asked me “Inniki kaapi raagam jamman irandhadhillaya”?

“Jamm” was the right word to describe his singing. It incorporated all the emotions conjured in music which he sang to perfection. Whatever the venue -- a prestigious Music Academy or a wayside temple -- a TVS concert was always a winner. He was the gentleman musician who sang with the same intensity and joy to elite audiences during Marghali or to those who sat on mud floors in thatched pandals. He was a true shishya of that musical wizard Madurai Mani Iyer who carved a special niche for himself in the hallowed world of Carnatic music.

It was Pushya Bahula Panchami and strains of Thyagaraja’s pancha ratna krithis wafted through the garden as I opened the gate of a rambling house in Mylapore. T V Sankaranarayanan was seated on a mat with a thambura, paying homage to the great composer. He smiled a greeting, beckoned me to join him on the mat, and continued to sing. It was characteristic of this celebrated musician whose philosophy “I am a happy and contented man. As long as the rasikas enjoy my music, I ask for nothing more,” describe him best. That happiness and contentment permeated unmistakably through his music. He sang with the same intensity and passion whether the audience was ten or ten thousand.

"When you sing, don't compete with others. And sing even if there are only two listeners." Lessons in humility learnt at the feet of an illustrious mentor. A lawyer turned musician, TVS was one of the few classical exponents of an art form that he carefully nurtured and preserved in all its pristine beauty. His concerts mesmerised audiences with their grace and rhythm. It could be a raagalapana, neraval or swaraprastharam, they all had the special TVS stamp. A matchless technique that he had honed to perfection.

He was enrolled in the Madras High Court as an advocate. His tryst with the legal world, however, lasted only 15 days! He even dabbled in English Literature, reading almost every author he could lay his hands on. "I was a gentleman of leisure in those days," he would laugh. His first full fledged recital was in a temple before a one-man audience.

"It was the turning point in my career," he used to say because that one man was Madurai Mani Iyer who commanded:

“Sing Todi!”

That, according to TVS, was the ultimate test. He was 23 and had arrived.

When I heard of his demise last week, I knew that we had lost a treasure. A gentleman musician who lived his guru’s advice.

"Be modest. Earn what you need and don't have expectations."