A Genius Reminisces - About Another
 
 

Long back, in 1939 at Palghat during Thyagaraja festival where we played together first, I was 13 years old he was 13 years senior in age to me. At that time, there was particular incident. there was a collector called Chettoor. He came and wanted to show off his audacity and smoked in front of the temple. People began shouting against his behaviour and it went to Mr. C.Rajagopalachari, who was then the Prime Minister of Madras. Now, we have Chief Ministers. He gave him punishment by postponing his promotion and transferring him.
 
 

Q: Do you recall anything special about that first concert ?

A: It was very interesting to both of us and more so for the public.

Q: You have played countless concerts with Mani Iyer as well as with other mridangists. Is there anything, which, to your mind sets him apart in a class by himself ?

A: See, he belonged to a very high caliber and his specialty was, he can play according to the particular situation, particular audience and which is very hard to find in others. that was his specialty.

Q: as a main artist, would you like to point out any special aspect of his manner of blending with the music ?

A: He used to join in the proper way, at the proper time and you know how, when he joins, there is a special effect in it.

Q: His strong aversion for the mike and his refusal to play into it in the evening of his career are only too well known. What are your views on this ?

A: There are conflicting views about it. But personally I feel, I don't think he meant it seriously I mean that is my view. But personally I am addicted to mike in crowded concerts because it can...... radiate. and also I feel, mike may not be necessary for drawing room concerts.

Q: Do you personally feel it will have an adverse effect on the quality of our music in the long run ?

A: Mike, you mean ?

Q: Yes.

A: I don't think so if it is properly tuned and if you have a proper mike. We see, you know, all sorts of mike making all sorts of noise... (laughing). I don't mean that mike..... I mean the real mike.

Q: We have heard that Mani Iyer in his early days while playing with Dakshinamoorthy Pillai used to play Thaniavarthanam for more than half an hour. they used to play two or three thani Avarthanams in a concert..........

A: Yes, I have attended so many performances when Dakshinamoorthy Pillai and Mani Iyer were playing together. It was so interesting and so musical also, not only for the learned but also for the lay audience, the masses, they were prepared to hear even for two hours....(laugh) yes...... I was prepared, atleast.

Q: How do we reconcile with his view in later years that there is no warrant for a Thaniavarthanam of more than 10 minutes' duration ?

A: It depends on the artist who plays on mridangam. It can be a long one if it is actually interesting both for the lay and learned as I told you. But I know Mani Iyer preferred only short and sharp thaniavarthanams and he was doing that.

Q: But would you throw light on why Mani Iyer preferred Thaniavarthanams to be brief ?

A: It is a difficult question....... Mridangam alone.......in Thaniavarthanam....I do not think it is necessary to go on for long. If it is combined with some other instruments like Kanjira, Moharsing and all that, it can be prolonged.....naturally it will be prolonged. For mridangam alone, I think what he said is right.

Q: what is your comment on the view that mridangam does not play an important role in music concerts ?

A: Mridangam is a part of the concert without which I don't think the picture is complete. Just like a man wants to see that all his organs are okay.......... like that....... Mridangam IS important.

Q: But what do you think should be the role of Mridangam in a

concert ?

A: Make the concert successful, contribute his talent, all that.......

Q: What kind of support do you think the mridangist should give the main artist in a concert ? What is your advice to younger mridangists on this subject ?

A: They must find the right type of playing and try to improve on that. They must hear various great players like Mani Iyer. As far as mridangam is concerned, what I feel is, combination of Idanthalai and valanthalai is the most important, in which most of the mridangists fail now.

Q: What would you advise the youngsters to learn in particular from recorded concerts of Mani Iyer ?

A: They should hear him.....hear him as much as possible, as long as possible, I mean my view of learning music is - Learning is 80% hearing.

Q: We have been talking about Mani Iyer the mridangist. Now coming to your impressions about the man.......

A: We used to meet in Madras in Hotel Manasarover where he used to stay near Star Talkies, Triplicane. Even though I was 13 juniors to him, we moved like adult friends. this is a bit strange.... because, with a difference of 13 years and talking about all private matters (laughs)

Q: We are setting up this music library with the objective of providing opportunities to youngsters to listen to the concerts of great musicians and benefit by the experience. Do you have any advice for the Trust in this endeavour ?

A: Continue in the object of your project and see good mridangists are brought, through constant hearing and constant practice and devotion.

Q: We believe that, with the blessings of a great musician and genius like you.....

A: I am not a genius. I am only a musician.

Q: But the entire world calls you a genius.. that cannot be denied.

A: As a man in the field for more than 50 years, I wish all success for the project and I am sure, with proper effort and dedication, it is bound to be a real success, not only success, but real service.

Q: Thank you very much. We are confident that with such blessings and........

A: I am too small for blessings and all that.

Q: With your good wishes, we hope to succeed in our endeavour.

A: Whatever, as long as I live, whatever help you can expect from me or whatever it is, I am always game, I am always there, and I am in the project, I am in the Trust.

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Source: SHANMUKHA,

( Journal of the Sri Shanmukhananda fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha )

July 1981 Vol-VII Number 3.
 
 
 
 

T R I B U T E

B Y

Flute T . R . M A H A L I N G A M
 
 

I was 'shocked' on hearing the news of the death of Palghat Mani Iyer. I felt I had lost some part of myself - something personal. Such a feeling had come over me only in the past - at the death of T.N.Rajaratnam Pillai. The void created by these two stalwarts is difficult to fill. We were such good friends and understood each other well. Mani Iyer had shown great affection and consideration towards me. In fact, when we last met, during the annual conference of the Bangalore Gayana Samaj, he had expressed a desire that we should come together for a concert with or without mike.

Many of Mani Iyer's disciples are masters of ' Vyavahara ' - musical mathematics in the percussion art. Mani Iyer had never bothered much about display of 'Vyavahara' suo moto. If he had wanted he could have excelled all others in 'Vyavahara'.

But his one aim as an accompanist was to contribute to the musical experience of a concert by highlighting the salient aspects of the 'manodharma of the main artiste - the special subtleties of each musician's style or 'Bani'. He maintained the perfect tonal quality of the mridangam and concentrated on 'Soukhyam' ( pleasant listening experience).
 
 
 
 

His manasika guru was the late Pudukkottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai with whom he had teamed in countless programs, as a redoubtable combination. In my younger days, I used to attend programs in which these two figured, mostly at the Gokhale Hall, Madras to listen to the battle-royal-of wits between these two giants. though he was 15 years my senior, Mani Iyer used to address me as 'Mahalinga Iyer'. What a magnanimous and magnificent artiste !. We may not hope to see the like of him atleast in this century.

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