At SIFA, we recently had a T.N.Krishnan concert a few weeks back. It was in fact the final concert for 2006. After the concert, we were having dinner at one of the committee members' house and I had a chance to talk to Shri TNK. I was naturally curious about MDR since MDR was supposed to have admitted in private that TNK and UKS were his favorite accompanists.
TNK revealed something that increased my already high regard for him a few thousand notches higher. Apparently, Mali was supposed to play in a concert with TNK as an accompanist and he played truant as usual, not showing up for the concert. It was TNK who recommended MDR as a replacement!! I was like whoa. Mentally I was thinking, "May God keep you alive as long as possible". Apart from that he told me that MDR lived and breathed music and was a simple man.
Even if TNK had done nothing else in his whole life, he'd still be the person I'd respect the most among living musicians.
It is roumered that MDR was an Engineer By Education before he joined adayar Music College to learn under Tiger Varadachari _ (His Mudra was varada dasan) Can any body tell me whether it is Right?
ReplyDeleteI remember one example of his humility t Once SUJATHA (S.Rengarajan) wrote in one of his novels- Nylon kayiryu I suppose - "Radiovil MD Ramanathan Athala Paadalathil Paadikkondirundar" Within a week he was performing in my town. When he touched a at a very low Octave in Bhairavi, he suddenly paused and told his accompanying artists -Thyagarajan on Violin - Trichy Sundaram on Mridangam, "Ithu than Anda Atahala paadalam" - and the entire audience were jubiliant, appreciating his extreme ability to sing at that Octave, Sense of hunour and Humility to crack joke on oneself!
Yes, he was a Physics graduate from Kerala. He had a pretty late start to his concert career, starting at around age 30 I believe.
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