"To start, before one is 10, would be best: at that age, the incentive should not be making a profession or money. The next 10 ‘Gurukulavasa’.

This was Palghat’s prescription. It was his own start. duration and intensity of learning and training; practice with devotion, concentration and correct conduct towards teachers, characterised Mani’s tender tutelage. " there is a divinity that shapes our ends" so said Shakespear, a shrewd student of human nature. Mani had this mysterious stroke of the divine, in the selection of his guru. Initiated by Chathapuram Subba Iyer, young Mani commenced his career with accompaniment to Harikatha artists of his State. Recognising the genius in his young son, his father Seshan Bagavathar took him to Tanjore, the great seat of culture, and the homeland of Mridangam. The purpose was to commit Mani to the care of Mylatoor Sami Iyer.Misdirected by a well meaning pedestrian, they missed the right house and stumbled against the Great Vaidyanatha Iyer’s door. On seeing the young boy with a mini mridangam, the master welcomed them in. Vaidyanatha Iyer, visualising the vast vista of the young prodigy’s future glory volunteered to keep him in his care. That was ‘divinity’ at work. The right door led Mani on to the domain of mridangam, where he reigned for several decades as the sole monarch.

Mridangam was on temple duty sight from the days of the Cholas. It is one of the ancient percussion instruments of India, popularly present at all our primitive rites and rituals. Temple worship included dance. Mridanga is a constant companion to Bharatanatyam which came to the royal courts from the dingy dwellings of the deities. In early times most of the novices in "Natya" tried their hand at mridanga , which received the royal patronage.

Bhakti cult, through its bhajans, introduced innovated playing on the mridanga. Harikatha Kalakshepam popularised in the south by the Marathas, lent itself well for improvisations. A typical heritage was built up by the Mridangists of the Maratha community. But this was during the flourishing regime of the Maratha Rulers, who settled in Thanjavur.

"Whatever the instrument, it can be played as beautifully and can be taken to the vocal music. That was Mani’s observation, even conviction. It was illustration of his own talent. It is acrobatic and odd if the voice imitates the instrument, but it would be ideal to introduce the ‘Sangathis’ of the voice into the instrument and make it sound as if it were the human voice. Mridanga, stands out in this aspect. It is not just a "Talavadya", it is a ‘shruthi vadhya’ - it is as soft and supple as the human voice.

Let me add a word on the make-up of mridanga. It’s a barrel shaped wooden body with a bulge in the middle, tapering off towards the ends. The membrane forming the drum face is not a single layer of skin but a set of two or more, cut in circular pieces and glued together. the two faces are held together to the body by plaits, with a strap of leather passing through them. Underneath the laces are placed, cylindrical wooden blocks employed for tuning. By striking the plaits with a hammer, finer tuning is achieved.

During Mani’s ‘Muni-Dasa’ at Rishi Valley I happened to pass by his room one late evening. The valley was still. The Rishi was at yoga with mridanga. Peals of melody - not mere thala peeped out. I was compelled to halt. Was it thampura or mridanga that was releasing these mellow notes of melody ? I pushed the door ajar and looked in. It was Mani at a gentle practice ! I could not believe my own ears though trained and tuned for music for donkey’s years ! Melody on Mridanga from the fleeting fingers of Mani was a rare experience.

Mani was modest. He was a silent musician. He believed in the practical aspect of music. He spoke very few words. Even in his demonstration lectures, he would speak through mridanga. His fingers, and not lips, conveyed his ideas.

One word, - in fact his word - about practice. Mani had no faith in short routes to success. In his "presidential address" in 1966 at the Music Academy, Madras, he made quite a few specific observations about the way to practice. Taking mridanga for example, he explained from experience, that any short lesson could be mastered only by playing it often, varying the tempo, so that in whatever tempo one played that lesson would come off with its perfection. Only after this mastery is achieved, the artist could quicken the tempo. Variation in these tempos should be tried only after the hands become totally skillful. Today’s learners would have to leap from lesson to lesson in their greed to get more. Mani ruled out any new lesson before the old one is completely mastered. "Playing the same things over and over again produced perfection. It was more like a devotee worshipping his ishta devatha day after day."

Gymnastics are mistaken for innovations. On the contrary, Mani’s conviction was that, within the same thing, new experiences, new joys could be realised by constant practice. "what is there novel in Gayathri or Rama Nama?" he observed once in a lecture. The more these were repeated and recited, newer and newer revelations emerge.

Mani was impatient with dull discourses on music. Only those gifted with performing ability and practical knowledge had the right to discuss subtletiesof the art and none else. This was Mani’s precept as well as practice.

The teenager Mani, with his vigor, enthusiasm, moved over to be the middle aged mellow musician. the more mature, Mani, during the last years of his life was virtually a tiny little scholar at Rishi Valley - teaching the tender ones with the voice of MLV.

Was Mani, a great artist? What a question ! But who is a great artist? Let Mani himself spell it out. "What was the definition of good artist or Vidwan?" Once Palghat Mani asked at the Music Academy, Madras. Fortunately for us, he himself answered his own question in these memorable words. "I think we can say that he was a good artist who could hold an audience - lay as well as learned for over three hours and make them forget their own pre-occupations and be immersed in the joy of music".

If this is the touch stone of a great artist - was not Palghat one?

Perhaps only one.If music be the food of life then play on and on... immortal Mani on your invisible mridanga and fill the universe with love and joy!