A LAYMAN'S TRIBUTE TO SRI PALGHAT MANI IYER

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First of all I wish to thank the office bearers of the "Percussive Arts Centre" for giving me this oppurtunity to speak a few words of appreciation about Palghat Mani Iyer, who had been my all time favourite mridangam player from the age of sixteen till today. Of course , I have neither the technical knowledge nor the practical skill to explain to you where in the superiority of Mani Iyer lies.

I am neither a musicologist nor an amateur mridangam artist. My only qualification is that I have been an ardent listener of Carnatic music for the last forty five years. Being born and brought up in Trivandrum, my exposure to Mani Iyer's mridangam playing came very early in life and I have kept up my interest in him all along. Though I have seen him many times on the stage performing, I could meet him only towards the end of his life when he was hospitalised in Cochin. His son , Rajamani is a good friend of mine and I used to visit Palghat Mani Iyer in the hospital.

Verbal appreciation of a fine art is rather difficult, for words can never substitute any lived - experience. So much so it is hard to characterise the special merits of Mani Iyer's art. As Sureswara says in the context of Brahmavidya, the difference between sugarcane milk and jaggery , in the matter of their sweetness cannot be explained even by Saraswati. It can only be hinted at ; as in the case of Brahman, Sastra can give only oblique suggestions.

In other words , music appreciation has to take place at the direct first hand personal level, Sakshat,aparokshat. There cannot be any paroksha, indirect second - hand discussion of the subject. Mani Iyer has expressed these sentiments in his presidential address to the Music Academy in 1967:-

My attempt therefore in the one hour allotted to me , is to drop a few broad hints and make you listen to a few recordings of Mani Iyer's mridangam playing so that you can directly enjoy his art.

As conoisseurs, you should know that Carnatic music gives more emphasis to melody without at the same time ignoring the requirements of harmony. As G H Keyserling in 1921 wrote in his travel diary " this music can neither be reduced to the frame work of a melody nor be related to particular harmonies, nor analysed in terms of a straightforward rhythm; even single notes varied in shape. Nevertheless every pretended whole did seem to have a real unity, a unity of mood, which lasts until another mood takes over."

In such a system of music , based mainly on raga and rasa, the role of the mridangam is to support and embellish the melody, not merely by keeping time but also by merging with the melody as far as possible. Hence the importance of tuning the mridangam to the concert pitch ( Aadhara-sruthi).

When the singer or the main instrumentalist is elaborating sustained notes, the tone and timbre of the mridangam should harmonise with the main stream of music and even become indiscernible. This is an achievement seldom seen in the present day concerts. It is I believe for this reason that we talk rather of "laya" in the sense of merging than of mere "tala" as time-measure or Kala-pramana.

Mani Iyer was so fastidous in this matter of tuning his mridangam to the correct concert pitch that he used to carry two or three mridangams for every concert.

To quote Subbudu , the art critic

The real art of mridangam playing consists in converging with the main stream of music and create what is known as a mela-kettu or " mela-kozhuppu" for the concert (synthesis of melody and harmony or raga, rasa and tala). The overall effect should be one of sowkhya or sukha, peace and happiness. Thus the two effects to be avoided are dissonance and dominance - Most amateur artists suffer from these two defects.

Saint Thyagaraja has given hints for mridangam players in some of his Krithis. For example his Sriranjini Krithi " Soga suga mridanga talamu" speaks with an appreciation of the wonderful effect of the mridangam:-

Soga suga mridanga talamu

jatagurici ninu

Sokkajeyu dhirudevvado?

"Where is that great man who to the

accompaniment of mridanga and

tala delights you?"

How keenly Thyagaraja enjoyed the rhythm of the mridanga can be also seen from his krithi " Swara raga sudha rasa " in Sankarabharana raga wherein he says " What is the pleasure in banging a mridanga without knowing the rhythm and the varied pattern". "Maddala - tala - gatulu teliyakana mardhinchuta sukhama ?"

From this you can understand that the explicit rhythmic accompaniment required of the mridangam is an organic part of the music as a whole. Mridangam is thus a highly developed percussion instrument in that it has an accuracy of pitch and variety of tone which are uncommon in similar instruments in other countries. This tonal superiority of the mridangam is not surprising since it plays such a vital role in Canatic music.

A wide variety of rhythm can also be produced from the mridangam. To quote P M Hamel, a West German art critic " The tabla or mridangam player learns to speak these rhythms in a fixed " alphabet" corresponding to the various tones of the drum. Each given beat whether with the finger or with the heel of the palm, has its identifying syllable. In this way the player learns all the important forms and variations like a language whihc he then transfers to the instrument itself. All the talas are arranged "Cyclically" - that is to say , there is a dynamic rhythmic sequence followd by a return to the beginning....every beat has a different weight ,being either lightly or heavily struck and some even omitted entirely....within each cycle, the tala may be freely improvised upon , while at the same time the original form of the tala has to be kept constantly present in the performers mind as his guiding pattern. The rhythmic improvisations are apt to be so complex and sophisticated that the subdivisions and syncopations can be followed by the Western listener only after long practise" Palghat Mani Iyer's genius consisted in rendering these rhythms , in his own inimitable style , according to Sampradaya, in an efficient economic way. Paradoxically he was conservative , at the same time creative. He never used to go in for innovation for the sake of innovation. As he once remarked " One should know what not to play. The mridangam is a complementary instrumentand should never overshadow the main performer. The artist should be a musician himself if he intends to do justice to his profession. Basic rhythmic patterns can be mastered in a Garba vasam (9 months). It is in the alignments and realignments one's mastery is revealed."

Similarly a wide variety of tones can be produced from the mridangam and we judge the standard of the artist, not only by the skill in producing these tones but also in the purity of each note produced. When amateurs play the instrument the tones get blurred and lose their distinct quality. They lack "definition" to use a term from acoustics or "akshara suddhi" to use the classical idiom.

The type of strokes can also be distinguished on the basis of the elaborate percussion terminology (jatis). So also the alternation of sound between the

right head (valanthalai in Tamil) and the left head (edanthalai) enriches the tone. Artists can be identified by listening carefully to these different sounds which invariably carry the signature of the artist. If one listens carefully, one can distinguish the softness or heaviness of the touch, the suppleness and dexterity with which the fingers are used., and the predominance of the left side or right side in playing, as these are quite individualistic and personal to each artist. B V K Sastry has to say about Mani Iyer as follows :-

There are feathery flutters alternating with hollow metallic rumbles

recalling a chenda, majestic rolls recalling a thavil with a tiny

soft pattern reminiscent of the lyrical grace of dancing feet;

subtle, fluid whisper like strokes, which strike one as remarkably

human, are thrown in relief against thunderous waves reaching

a crescendo. In brief, the instrument in this virtuosos hand,

seems to acquire a distinct human touch."

These are again as S Krishaswamy writes in "Musical Instruments of India" two distinct styles of accompaniment. One is for the mridangam player to follow the principal artist so closely that the melody can be almost deduced from its rhythmic counterpart. The other more traditional style is one in which the drummer does not attempt to follow the melody too closely but artfully deviates from the normal cycle into elaborate and intricate cross rhythms so that much suspense builds up before the rhythm cycle ends in a grand finale. In this way the character of the particular "tala" being used is fully brought out."

Mani Iyer was quite at home unlike may other artistes in both these styles of playing , sometime referred to as the Tanjore and Pudukottai bhaanis. His knowledge of Carnatic music was very profound. He himself could sing very well.

As the well known violinist Papa Venkatakramiah said once about Mani Iyer

" whoever be the main artist or the violinist, he would follow in full

consonance. He never used to embarrass young artists by showing his extraordinary talents. With great musicians he used to follow their own individual style and their own pace, be it racy or slow. He was not

only an adept in playing the mridangam and the kanjira or in laya-jnana but also a gifted musician. So he could help many artists a music director. If only he had a good voice he would have shone equally well as a singer. Because of these talents he could anticipate what the singer was going to do the next moment, and keep exact pace with him"

Mani Iyer had the good fortune to accompany great artists for more than five decades, right from the tender age of twelve. So much so, he could he could enter freely and confidently into the theme of the main musician at whatever point he wished to. Even in the same raga , each kriti has its own distinct natai, its own ebb and flow. Mani Iyer was fully aware of these special nuances and hence he could join the main artist at those moments when support would embellish the song and bring out the rhythm explicitly.

As you know , it is the choru or the black portion on the right side ( as usually played by right-handed artists) that gives the characteristic "ring" or nada to the mridangam and it is in using this effectively , in full alignment with the main artist , that the overall effect results. Mani Iyer's special talent was in supporting the main artist , during long passages by stroking this choru with the needed strength and modulation, so much so, any defect in the weight or matra of the singer would even be covered up.

As S Y Krishnaswamy once wrote about Mani Iyer

" He was a musician first and a mridangam player only next. So much so

he developed a peculiar style of following the song instead of merely

giving tala support to it. This created a controversy among some of his

colleagues who felt that the mridangam had a language of its own and was

intended to support the songs and not reproduce it on the instrument."

Another brilliant feature of Mani Iyer's playing was the brevity and pinpoint accuracy of his strokes. He used to produce these strokes with the metallic precision of a slot machine, with no overhanging notes , nor any blurred edges. As one foreign critic remarked, his fingers should be made of special plastic to create such an effect. Of course, this comes from long years of training, experience, exposure to good music, dedication and commitment to perfection. Observe what the late Musiri Subramania Iyer had to say on this aspect of his playing

" When Mani Iyer plays the mridangam for the Bhairavi varnam or

Pancharatna Krithi , the exalted feeling one gets is unrivalled.,

producing the appropriate mridangam alphabet, in one-to-one

correspondence with the sangatis of the song, was something

so special with him. The nada produced by his "meettu" and "chappu"

was something unique. The "words" coming from his mridangam

would be crystal clear, solid and substantial, meeting the full rigors

His own mentor and great admirer, the late Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar did not like to waste his words.

As a correction to this aspect of his playing, should be noted his sphinx like silence during the concert. Unlike many other artists who normally do not withdraw from playing or take their fingers off the mridangam during krithi-singing, Mani Iyer often used to keep quiet and enter the scene only at the appropriate moment using brief precise telling phrases. That is why great artists like GNB or Ariyakkudi used to exclaim spontaneously "AAha" at such times. One can feel the signature (mudra) of Mani Iyer especially during the end of a rhythmic cycle (muthaippu). Very often he used only three simple strokes., that was all. But these three strokes were so accurate that one felt any further elaboration would have been an uncalled for interference.

The late Madurai Mani Iyer notices these special features so well :-

" Palghat Mani Iyer's playing the mridangam in full consonance of the "sruthi" is his special gift. When the Vidwan is singing, he gives a break to his playing for a few moments. This is just to produce a beautiful phrase later. Hearing this , the listener would have to "keep their fingers on their noses" in wonder. He always knew how to produce the right effects. In nobody else's hands would the mridangam speak so eloquently. Whatever special "tonal figure" or colours where partially exhibited by different artists, one would find complete expression in Mani Iyer's playing. Mani Iyer can only be compared with Mani Iyer."

The above two features of his playing - brevity and silence - were rooted in his conviction that the mridangam is only a pakka vadyam , an accompaniment. Therefore he never tried to dominate the show or divert attention to himself by overplaying or by creating loud side effects. He used to avoid in strict orthodox tradition or sampradaya, playing the dilettante or the acrobat. He never indulged in novelty for the sake of novelty. As he used to say " Is there anything new in the Gayatri mantra or Rama japa? Only the experience is refreshing every time similar is the case with music. " Only rarely did he indulge in exuberance, that too when the sangati of the particular Krithi and the mood of the performing main musician warranted this kind of display. Rest of the time, he used to follow the tempo of the musician with ardent faithfulness.

The austere nature of Mani Iyer's art can be seen in the rendering of his tani-avartanams. I once listened to his talk at the Music Academy, Madras when he stated categorically that there was no point in a tani or solo interlude which lasted longer than five to ten minutes. Young artists may not however like this suggestion for they believe usually that it is during the tani-avarthanam that they could show their talents. But experience confirms, that such long tanis are made up of repetitive, colourless, lack-lustre phrases. As every public speaker knows, it is difficult to deliver a three - minute speech with punch, but quite easy to give a long meandering lecture without clinching any issue. Mani Iyer's forte consisted in playing in a few minutes a complete tani-avarthanam with such a variety of strokes which would make the audience spellbound. Let us hear what Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer has to say on this :-

"Since Mani Iyer was a gifted musician himself, he used to find better satisfaction in accompanying krithi. Singing rather than solo performance. He used to play tani very briefly and used to pack every moment of his playing with beautiful phrases - tisram,misram , khandam - he used to play these effortlessly as if they were chatusra natai and the glide from one natai to another , the listener did not even know sometimes. He used to enthrall both the pundit and the common rasika with his felicitous playing." Late Musiri Subramania Iyer has also observed " the three tani- avarthanams in a single concert by Mani Iyer would be played in three distinct styles, making them so attractive to the audience. Besides his way of encouraging the Ghatam, Kanjira artists was so exemplary that he used to carry them always with him throughout the concert."

Similarly Mani Iyer, late in his life, used to accompany the musician during " tanam-singing". Keen sense of rhythm, soft touch, tonal fidelity and affinity to sruthi are basic requirements for such renderings and only veterans like Mani Iyer could do justice in this field.

Apart from his technical capabilities, nobody could excel Mani Iyer in his manodharma, in building beautiful rhythms. While amateur artists go on repeating the same pattern and sometimes find it difficult to end a cycle and begin the next, Mani Iyer was so creative that he never used to repeat the same phrase in the same way. One could never anticipate the next sol-kettu or jati-phrase . Sometimes exuberant, sometimes sedate, sometimes indulging in fireworks, sometimes stroking the instrument with a feather-like touch, Mani Iyer was always Mani Iyer, incomparable, unique , unsurpassable.

With these broad generalizations, I would like to present a few specimens of Mani Iyer's mridangam playing, recorded on cassette. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that these recordings do not do full justice to the great art of Mani Iyer. As he himself realized, the nada of the mridangam gets often distorted when heard through the loudspeakers. As an amateur recordist, I would also like to point out that recording of the mridangam needs very good microphones and unless two separate microphones are used, one for each of the sides, the tonal quality of the reproduced music would suffer greatly. The sound waves from the two sides travel in opposite directions and so a single microphone cannot do full justice to the instrument. Similarly the loudspeaker should be capable of producing crisp notes, with no hangover, both at the bass end and treble end of the sound spectrum for proper enjoyment of the nada of the mridangam. The entire music system should be free , as far as possible from harmonic, inter-modulation and transient distortion, if one wants to enjoy the tone of the mridangam. These requirements are seldom met in the usual public address systems employed in the Indian concert halls. No wonder a class musician like Mani Iyer was so much against the microphones and the loudspeaker.