SRI PALGHAT RAGHU

“My first concert was at the age of twelve, when I accompanied Papanasam Sivan at the residence of Kothamangalam Subbu in Mylapore in 1940. We had recently moved to Chennai following declaration of the II World War in 1939” ….. This was the beginning of an illustrious and memorable career for one of the leading, inspired and inspiring mridanga vidwans of our time, Sangita Kalanidhi designate 2008, SRI Palghat R.Raghu.

For many of us, it is a deliberate choice we make when it comes to choosing a career—tossing between our desires and our capabilities. Unfortunately, the two may not always be in sync! And even where the talent may be obvious, the choice is governed by a variety of factors and may not always be the desired one.

But in Raghu’s case, there was no problem at all –he knew he wanted to be a mridanga vidwan all his life. His life story has a slightly different beginning from those of most other musicians. Raghu was born in Burma on Jan 9th, 1928. His father Sri Ramaswamy was a government employee and mother Ananthalakshmi was his initial source of inspiration for music.

His grandfather, Radhakrishna Iyer was a highly respected figure there and was an authority of sorts in Carnatic music. Raghu began his early training under one Sri Swamy at Rangoon. However, it was the visit of Thinniam Venkatrama Iyer to Burma that brought sharp focus to the boy’s talents. He had a ‘crash course’ under Thinniam Venkatrama Iyer for about twenty one days and the teacher was most impressed with his pupil.

He offered to be his guru whenever they could visit Chennai. With impending war, the family had to relocate to Chennai and soon Raghu was under his tutelage. He learnt from him for about a year when fate intervened again. There was mass evacuation from Chennai.

The family decided to move to Palghat so that Raghu could undergo training with the stalwart, Palghat Mani Iyer. It is interesting to note that other than this Raghu had no roots or connection to Palghat. The family belonged to Trissur, traditionally.

In 1940, Raghu and his family moved to Palghat and he began his training under Mani Iyer. The initial lessons saw the maestro focusing on Raghu’s fingering techniques and making changes to suit his style of play. Thus began a long association that went on to see Palghat Raghu as his foremost disciple.

To quote Raghu—“I had heard the maha vidwan play and was dumbstruck at his abilities. His playing was so fascinating, I used to wonder if he was really human -- or was he divine? Was it possible for a human being to actually play the way this vidwan did?”

Becoming his disciple was for me, a dream come true.

Being his disciple was like being a member of his family. Mani Iyer would go for a walk every morning and I would accompany him, walking just a wee bit behind him. He would discuss various aspects of laya and also quiz me on what I had been doing. I would then say the ‘korvai’ or ‘kanakku’ that I was working on and he would listen very intently.

He was always encouraging and wanted me to learn more by imbibing from listening than from actual one to one teaching. Mani Iyer was always of the opinion that a mridanga vidwan must know music and vice versa. It was at this time that Palghat K.V.Narayanaswamy would come for practice and I used to accompany him often.”

About this time Raghu started getting many offers for concerts. He makes specific mention of Parthasarathy Iyengar of Allepey (father of musician Allepey Venkatesan) in his role in fostering music in Kerala. Papasamy, as he was popularly known, had made Allepey the hub for carnatic music and had high regard for the musicians.

He also made efforts to bring the best of carnatic music to Allepey and surrounding areas. He had heard of this ‘new’ disciple of Mani Iyer and asked him to accompany the doyen Ariyakudi on the premise that if he was Mani Iyer’s disciple, he must be good!

So, at all of thirteen years, Raghu accompanied Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar in Ambalapuzha. It was a memorable concert, with the equally young T.N.Krishnan accompanying on the violin. He recollects—

“Ariyakudi was very encouraging but careful He sang a few small kritis and some Thyagaraja ‘ondra edam’ kritis to gauge our aptitude. Once he was sure of us, he took up Dikshitar’s masterpiece Akshaya linga vibho in Sankarabharanam! It shows the great man’s confidence in us and his own generous temperament in not wanting to expose us but to feel confident and give of our best.”

With Papa Venkataramiah on the violin, Raghu got to accompany the great Alathur brothers at the age of fourteen. Papa took him under his wings and they traveled together on many concert tours.

Raghu was at this time studying in school in Palghat. He remembers how it was imperative to take the ‘selection’ exam as a qualifier to write the public exams. He was blissfully scheduled to play for the Alathur brothers in Bombay on the day of his exam!!

He explained his predicament to his principal. The gentleman asked him to play his concert well and also bring him a recording of the same, if possible! The school exempted him from taking the exam.

Raghu was not keen on academics. It was secondary. It was a chore that had to be done. He would rather sit with his mridanga and practice than do anything else. He was woken up at four every morning. He says that he used to be so motivated; he would willingly get up at that hour. Apart from school, all other time was spent on music.

It is indeed a reflection of the life style in those days, when distractions were minimal and carnatic music was accorded the highest status. His family however, was of the view that music must only be a hobby. Education was a must. The thought of living on payments received for accompanying was abhorrent. He took his case to his Guru, looking for support for his cause.

However, Mani Iyer, ever the stoic, advised him to go along with it till circumstances dictated otherwise! He recalls how his grandfather was upset the entire day, after they received a letter from Bangalore Gayana Samaj inviting Raghu for a concert!

Raghu completed his B.A.in Mathematics, writing his exams more by intuition than actual preparation. Astronomy and Projectile Geometry were not really his favourite subjects but he did get through somehow.

He was highly irregular in attending college. He recalls with a twinkle in his eye as to how he was playing for Madurai Mani Iyer in Coimbatore, on the eve of his Astronomy exam! He was so sure he’ll not make it that he did not even bother to check his results. “It’s a wonder I passed!” he says.

By now his musical career was flourishing. He was accompanying all stalwarts of the day like Alathur Brothers, Ariyakudi, GNB, Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and others. It is interesting to note that these were the greats he used to listen to in awe while in Chennai. Those days they lived in Triplicane. Concerts used to be held at the Hindu Senior School, organized by G. V. Narayanaswamy Iyer, father of GNB. Another active Sabha was the Jagannatha Bhaktha Sabha in Egmore. He remembers the concerts held at the RR Sabha in Mylapore. The Sabha offered three top notch programmes a month at an annual subscription of Rs.3/-!!

Strangely, it was a while before he got an opportunity to accompany GNB. He mentioned this to Mani Iyer, who responded saying things would happen only when they were meant to be and not until then, no matter what. Soon, however, Raghu did get an opportunity and then it was to be an association for life.

He remembers his first experience with GNB quite vividly. The concert took place at the Corporation school in Nungambakkam. The organizer was known as ‘Churchill Kuppusamy’ or ‘Black Churchill’ with reference to his complexion and resemblance to Winston Churchill. He was particular that Raghu must play for this concert.

Apparently, GNB was rather preoccupied and did not give much attention to the new boy on the mridanga. But within a few minutes, his comfort level was very high and he had visibly thawed towards Raghu. At the end of the concert, he expressed great happiness and the desire that Raghu must accompany him whenever and as often as he could. ‘I felt as comfortable as while singing with your Guru’ was GNB’s reaction. Palghat Raghu remembers that GNB invited him and KVN to his home the next day for a meal.

Some of GNB’s most memorable concerts have Raghu accompanying him on the mridanga. According to Raghu, he would joke with the organizers when they pleaded shortage of funds that he would bring with him a more ‘affordable Mani Iyer’!

In fact, GNB’s last concert was in Delhi for the Karnataka Sangeetha Sabha. Palghat Raghu and Lalgudi Jayaraman had traveled with him. He says “GNB sang for almost four and a half hours that evening. He was scheduled for a radio recording the next morning. His voice had become hoarse by the end of the concert and he had to cancel the radio offer.

But he was very generous and did not want to disappoint our expectations. He suggested that Lalgudi could play a violin solo with me accompanying him but we turned it down.” He recalls sadly how GNB needed a lot of medicines on their way back and started coughing incessantly in the night. He was terribly weak and unwell when they got off at the Madras Central station. He passed away some time later. Palghat Raghu sadly repeated often that it was a not an age for him to die at all.

GNB and Palghat Raghu were very close, almost like family. Raghu is a shade emotional when he recollects his association with ‘GN Sir’, as he calls him. He has accompanied him in innumerable concerts. GNB is known to have said that Lalgudi Jayaraman and Palghat Raghu were like his two eyes! Memorable compliments indeed from so great an artist.

To Palghat Raghu the period 1940—1965 is the Golden Era of Carnatic music. Each vidwan had carved a niche for himself. It was a challenge to play for different artists. He recollects the time he had heard the Alathur brothers render an RTP in Palghat. They were then invited to perform at a wedding concert and Palghat Raghu was to accompany them.

The host requested that the same Pallavi may be presented at the wedding. Apparently the brothers looked in Raghu’s direction a bit hesitantly. Young lad that he was, Raghu felt a bit affronted and said please go ahead. “I have accepted to play for you and I will play to the best of my ability. If I fail, so be it.” He spent all afternoon figuring out the nuances of the pallavi. He wanted to surprise them with doing the tisram! Subburama Iyer saw the boy preoccupied with something and asked him what it was.

When he heard Raghu doing the ‘tisram’ to the pallavi, he joined in and gave him some tips on how to approach it. The concert was a big success! They complemented him on his playing. The news reached his Guru. He is said to have complimented Raghu—‘Avan vasippaan—avanukku photographic memory!”

Palghat Raghu enjoys challenges. He enjoys playing for different artists. He feels it is but natural to adapt your style to that of the main artiste. It is your adaptability that defines your stature. A good mridanga should be able to gel with any good singer, he feels. He considers himself fortunate in the numerous opportunities given to him by all the leading artists of his day. Raghu inherited a lot of music from his mother and his aunt, both being very good singers.

He continued living in Palghat and traveling from there for his various assignments. In the meanwhile, he did become a part of Palghat Mani Iyer’s family by marrying his sister’s daughter Mahalakshmi. He had not completed his graduation yet. On the same day, good friend and colleague Palghat K.V.Narayanaswamy married Mani Iyer’s Chitapa’s daughter. This was in 1948.

Other noteworthy students of Mani Iyer were Palghat Kunju Mani and Kamalakar Rao.

Palghat Raghu was invited to the Wesleyan University to teach Indian music in the year 1965. He taught there for two years. KVN taught vocal music during the same period. They had bachelor accommodation there. Both were good cooks and made their own food. Palghat Raghu is not too fussy about food. He says he learnt to survive on Mexican beans and juice wherever he could not have Indian food. But closest to his heart are the typical Palghat ‘molagoottal’ and ‘pachadi’! He smiles “adukku eedu varuma?”!!(Can that be equaled?)

He had some memorable experiences while in the US. He had a limited number of Mridangas with him and he had to use them over all his concerts over the two year period. There was no one to fix or repair the instrument. Once, the ‘toppi’ or the left side of the mridanga gave way. He then improvised using play dough! These days mridanga artists do substitute play dough for the traditional ‘ravai’ or semolina but one should remember that this happened very long back.

Yet another time, the black surface of the mridanga gave way. He had mentioned to his students about how it is traditionally fixed in South India with cooked rice and the paste of black powdered stone. A student in the US brought him some black stone powder and surprisingly, that worked quite well!!

While in the US, Palghat Raghu also had the opportunity to collaborate with Sitar Maestro, Pt. Ravi Shankar. Panditji was involved in organizing the Indian Music Night and musicians Bismillah Khan, Ali Akbar Khan and Alla Rakha were among the participants. He wanted both Hindustani and Carnatic music to be represented under ‘Indian Music’. He had heard about the vidwans in Wesleyan and invited them to participate. The night before they were to leave for India, Palghat Raghu and KVN performed at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

The program featured a percussion duet between Alla Rakha and Palghat Raghu. This kind of jugal bandi was quite new those days and created a lot of interest. Pt. Ravi Shankar having studied Carnatic music could even play tala in the carnatic style for the mridanga portions! The programme was highly appreciated and the musicians were invited to record an album.

It was done the very next morning before they left for India—KVN on vocal, VV Subramaniam on violin, Palghat Raghu on mridanga and Alla Rakha on tabla. This jugalbandi with tabla continued with other musicians too—Pandit Kishan Maharaj, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Earlier in 1960, Raghu visited UK for the Bath festival and in 1963 he was invited to perform at the Edinburg International Festival.

By this time the family bought a house and shifted to Egmore in Chennai. Palghat Raghu has two daughters and a son.

Palghat Raghu was deeply influenced by the style of Palani Subramania Pillai. In fact, he was known as Mani Iyer’s student but as one who would play in Palani’s style! He remembers being stunned by a tani avartam played by Palani over a concert on the radio. He even remembers it was an Alathur brothers’ concert in the External Services Division, South East Asia programme. He was so mesmerized that he spent more than an hour working out what he had just heard. To be totally undisturbed, he disappeared in to the toilet at the back of the house and soon had his family members searching for him………!!

He worked on the ‘Misra’ presentation and perfected it. He was then waiting for a suitable opportunity to display it. It came soon. Mylapore Fine Arts had just been formed and they were having their concerts in the Ranade Hall (now a library with the Srinivasa Sastri Hall above). The first concert was by Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bhagavathar.

The next concert was GNB’s with Raghu on the mridanga. Palghat Raghu was making waves then and many senior vidwans wanted to listen to him. As luck would have it, Palani Subramania Pillai was also in the audience. He mentioned to Raghu that he had come specially to listen to him. “GNB sang Ninne nammi in Todi and I got my chance to play the Tani that I had been dreaming of” says Raghu. Palani was overjoyed.

The following day Palghat Raghu was to accompany GNB at Devakottai. When they met, GNB asked Raghu-“What magic did you weave over Palani? He would not stop talking about you all night!”

After this incident, Palghat Raghu’s interaction with Palani increased substantially. He would visit him often and recalls with gratitude and reverence all the advice and tips that Palani gave him. Palani would also organize concerts for him. Theirs was quite a special relationship. He would also attend many concerts that Palani played and observe and learn his techniques.

Palghat Raghu is quite open minded when it comes to absorbing and learning. He feels it is possible to learn from any source and adapt it to one’s needs and style. He narrates with a lot of humour how he picked up an idea from an amateur Kanjira player from a village Ashtapadi Bhajan Goshti!

He also says the best way to learn is by listening, practising and experiencing the music. Even Adi tala has so many varieties in tempo and each is a different experience. The tani has to be an extension of the song and should not detract from it. In this context, he does not favour exclusive laya vinyasa programmes as he feels they will tend to be mechanical.

But it is a paradox that a person who learnt in this manner now follows a completely different method of teaching. He is very candid when he says—“I have to completely spoon feed my students.

They have neither the time nor the inclination to put in the effort required for gaining proficiency in the field. Every one is only looking for short cuts. It’s the Pizza and fast food culture’ he laughs. “Most students walk in with a tape recorder. They record the lesson and immediately get the feeling that they now know it. They can learn it at their leisure and pace”.

He also has no issues with people being inspired by a different style and adapting it to make it their own but rues imitation. He had an interesting experience once when he was on the audition panel of All India Radio. While they were listening to tapes and judging them, he found some one had completely reproduced his own ‘korvais’ verbatim! Intelligent students should be able to absorb and experience the music and stamp it with their identity—just as he had done with Palani’s korvai! But all this calls for ‘gnanam’, hard work and patience. He feels even more strongly about online teaching. While it may be reasonably possible to teach vocal music on the net, he says one cannot comprehend mridanga lessons without seeing the teacher. People are neglecting fingering techniques.

Also, the classes are held at all kinds of hours due to the time differences and all these will definitely bring down the quality of music. People are in a hurry to perform. No one wants to work for it and earn their opportunities. As a result, there is lowering of standards all around. And no one cares to be told about all this. He is content to reminisce about all the good music he has heard and feel fortunate that he lived in that period and got an opportunity to be a part of it.

Palghat Raghu is quite particular about ‘innovation’ in Carnatic music. But he says it is important to identify what actually constitutes ‘innovation’!! He is appreciative of new ragas like Takka or Andholika being rediscovered and says one has to go deeper into the music in search of depth. The importance of Ragam Tanam Pallavi singing needs to be recognized. In fact, in his early days, he recollects, there used to be just one or two kritis rendered and then the RTP would be taken up. It was Manodharma sangeetham that held sway over the audience.

Neraval played a very important role. Very often a 4 ‘kalai’ pallavi would be taken up for expansion. Singing the ragam, tanam and then the neraval for the pallavi was an elaborate affair. Then the ‘trikalam’ and ‘tisram’ in slow and fast speeds would follow.

Tukkada items like Padams and Javalis were very dignified and rendered effectively. He agrees that the concert duration itself has shrunk now making it difficult to provide the same ‘vishranthi’ as earlier day concerts. “Life itself is in Mp3 mode now” he laughs.

He rues that there is no audience to appreciate the art of mridanga playing. Just as there are different ‘banis’, sampradaya and ‘gauravam’ associated with vocal music, so too with percussion. He says there used to be an audience just to listen to the mridanga. Also, his period saw a lot of innovation in mridanga playing methods. Palghat Raghu says—“Earlier vidwans had a different singing pattern.

The ‘kucheri’ pattern that we now follow is credited to Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. Previously, there used to be a lot of ‘sampradaya bhajans’. The mridanga artists would be given brief opportunities in some small kriti as filler. There was not much scope to elaborate. But pioneering work on this was done by Thanjavur Vaidhyanatha Iyer.

He developed the art of building up and creating a beautiful edifice of the tani avartam. In accompanying techniques also, he was a great innovator. He was not greatly enamoured of concerts but was very happy teaching the art.”

Palghat Raghu is of the firm opinion that the future of good classical music lies in Chamber Concerts. Very often the audio systems are dismal and do not contribute to listening pleasure. He reminisces times when the sruti would sound out of place because of the poor audio systems. They are often matched by people clueless about sound balancing. The result is cacophony. Rather, a few like minded people could get together and organize serious programmes, he feels.

Palghat Raghu also has a strong opinion about unmonitored sponsorship. He thinks this is the root cause of many an evil in the music field today. He says—“Many philanthropists donate large sums of money to organizations in good faith but rarely follow up to see how the money is spent. Many organizers are indiscreet in the way they utilize this grant.
In the process, deserving artists get neither the opportunities nor substantive remuneration. This will not encourage youngsters to take to this field as a profession. Nowadays, those who are able to organize such sponsorship through corporates or by their personal means also manage to get many opportunities. This is a direct reflection of the language of money. Can mere talent face such money power?”

The role of the mridanga in a concert is very important, says Palghat Raghu. A good mridanga accompaniment is a necessity for any concert, according to him. He recollects—“while in the US, KV Narayanaswamy and I performed in many places without a violin. This was possible. But a concert without mridanga would not have been possible. It is mridanga that gives life to any concert.”

Palghat Raghu has trained many students. Despite his serious demeanour and strict attitude, all the students uniformly testify him to be a very warm and affectionate person. And one can see that it is not always the ‘spoon feeding technique’!

Senior vidwan Trichur Narendran recollects his days of training with Sri Raghu --“I used to be with him all the time carrying his Mridanga when ever he visited Trichur or Guruvayur, even before I became his disciple. He had heard me playing many times at Guruvayur. In 1973 I moved out to Madras for higher studies and he agreed to be my Guru. In the earlier days when I used to accompany many senior vidwans of Kerala like Chembai, C S Krishna Iyer, Pudukkode Krishnamurthi, Mavelikara Ramanathan, KVN and so forth I had a feeling that I was playing very well .But when I joined Raghu Sir in1973 I was in for a shock -- he told me that I didn't know how to use the ‘thoppi’ properly and wanted to teach me from the basics!! Luckily for me, I was the only full time student under him at that time. His ability in figuring out complicated pallavis and doing trikalams with trisram and chatusra tisram immediately is really amazing.

After composing a difficult koruvai in khandam or misram, I have seen several times, that he was able to say it with correct seating in the thalam and he would also play it in the first attempt itself. He embellished the songs, filling out the gaps between sangathis without any repetition of phrases during concerts. His playing of ‘ghumkies’ is as great as Palani Subramia Pillai's. His playing style for ‘choukakala’ or slow tempo songs is exemplary. He used to help the vocalists maintain the kalapranamam with his laya gnanam. Like Palghat Mani Iyer, his accompaniment would be very close to the vocal expressions of Vidwans.

I have heard musicians like MDRamanathan and TKGovinda Rao say that when Raghu is on the Mridanga they need not worry about putting thalam, everything will fall right in place. Like Mani Iyerval, MDR added that Raghu never played for the sake of applause. His accompaniment for instrumental music was different and his playing style differed artiste to artiste, to suit their presentation. He is a great believer in hard work.”

Youngster Abhishek Raghuram says of Palghat R.Raghu – His grandfather -- “While pursuing a course of art, it is good to have an aptitude for it. Better still, if we are inspired by others. But, to live with a great maestro in close proximity, learn from him the nuances of the art, watch him perform on stage and grow up with his guidance-- it is a great fortune. I am indeed specially blessed to have Sri Palghat R.Raghu as my grandfather – a loving grandparent, a patient teacher, a strict disciplinarian, a prudent professional and an immortal percussionist. Many a time have I looked up with awe not only at the way he handles his instruments but also at how he nurtures it. His commitment is such that his heart and head ever blend in ‘layam and nadam’. In fact, I am indebted to my grandfather, for whatever musical inclinations and proficiency I have imbibed ever since I was an infant. Truly said – for music – he is my prophet.”

Says youngster Trivandrum Balaji—“It has been my privilege to be his disciple since 1995.

He is a real task master when it comes to teaching, very strict and punctual. I had an interesting experience in my early days with him. His grandson Abhishek and I used to practice together in their house. The first time we practiced together was for a competition in the concert format. As my luck would have it, Abhishek sang ‘Meenalochana’ in Dhanyasi. I had heard the song only once or twice and was not really familiar with it.

I played misra chapu and tried to accompany the song. Sir got really angry and shouted at me saying—“this is not tani avartanam! You cannot afford to play like this when you are accompanying ......” Then he started playing for it and demonstrated to me how to apply the mind for a kriti like Meenalochana. He insisted that I should listen to a rendition of the song many times and familiarize myself with the sangatis and mood of the song and only then accompany. He always told me, in order to accompany, one should listen to the keerthanas and its patterns and the sangathis and try to go with that pace, rather than showing ones skills on the instrument.

Raghu Sir is a living legend. He is such a great, humble and selfless human being who treats his students like his son or grandson. All these years, doing ‘gurukulavasam’ with Raghu Sir for around seven years, I can say I was treated more indulgently than his grandson and enjoyed all the best facilities in his house.”

Trivandrum Vaidyanathan echoes similar sentiments.” We used to call his classes ‘Suspense’ classes! He would teach us a korvai once or twice. He would make us beginners take time to figure it out. We had to think and identify the gaps as khandam or misram or whatever. He would inspire that feeling of discovery in us. Understanding and experiencing laya, in all its magnificence, has made us very comfortable with the subject. We can easily identify and appreciate the korvais of other schools as well since our own grounding has been so strong.

His classes were very inspiring. He is one of the most open minded teachers I have ever seen. Whenever a new idea for a korvai came up, we would hesitantly share it with him. He would give it a moment’s thought and soon reel off at least ten more possibilities with the same basic! That would again set off a chain of thought… so on he would encourage us to think for ourselves. Time and again he would reiterate that accompanying for songs is something that cannot be taught and has to be learnt only from experience. Raghu Sir is a fountain of ideas, a rich repository of the best in music and he always compliments originality.

He was very particular about putting Tala correctly with the hands before playing on the mridanga. Every student had to do ‘kai tari’ as it was called in Kerala. So, the ‘kala pramanam’ of the students of this school is exemplary.

Raghu Sir is the best example of how to accompany a ‘chouka kala’ kriti. The many nuances of when to play sarvalaghu, when to play in ‘mel kalam’, when not to play can be studied best in his accompaniment of great vidwans. Certain unsaid norms are to be followed and it is these that make all the difference.

Playing for very slow songs is demanding and Raghu Sir’s technique helps his students maintain the tempo beautifully. When one listens to his accompaniment, one does not see any excesses. Everything is relevant and enhances the beauty of the song. Another important feature of Raghu Sir’s playing is the ‘gouravam’. No sangati will be out of place. Any korvai played by him would immediately get a touch of class and acceptability.

Raghu Sir taught his students not only music but also the finer aspects of life. How to conduct oneself, how to behave on stage, how to live life… it was a holistic training. He is one of the most open minded persons I have ever seen. I had an interesting experience where I had agreed to put talam for a laya vinyasam programme featuring the veteran Dr.T.K.Murthy.

His own student was unavailable and I had been asked to step in. I could not communicate the same to my guru and take his permission. However, I went ahead thinking it’s only a recording. As luck would have it, it was a live telecast and I was shown on TV too!! I could not sleep all night, worried as to what awaited me at class the next morning. What if he says—you put talam for another vidwan, now you go learn from him only………….All such thoughts tormented me.

Next morning I went with a lot of trepidation to his house. His wife greeted me warmly, saying they had seen me on TV the previous night. This was getting worse……. Raghu Sir is a person of few words. It would have been ok if he had just scolded me and got on with it. However, he didn’t say anything. He asked me to bring one of the mridangas and played the same korvai that Murthy mama had played the previous evening! He asked me to put talam again and explained the korvai to me and asked why I had struggled so much in my talam!!

The tone of respect and awe is evident in each of his students.

Says Manoj Siva—“It is sheer bliss to go to sir’s classes for many reasons. It is like going to one’s parent’s house. Both Raghu mama and mami would shower affection on the students. It is Gurukula in its own way.

He has an uncanny method of understanding each student’s potential and would teach accordingly so as to raise the student’s prowess to a high standard. When it came to sharing of his vast knowledge there was no holding back. He would say that “Just as Bani is important in vocal music so also Bani is important in the art of Mridanga playing.

One important aspect of his teaching I wish to mention here. He always insisted in developing a pattern in a step by step, methodical manner (full avartanam, half avartanam and quarter avartanam) .All the sollukatus were the foundation and when he finished a korvai it would emerge like a colossal Gopuram.

A memorable experience for me was when I was scheduled to play at The Music Academy December Festival in 1993. Apart from the insight he gave into accompanying each Kriti that the artist was to render, Sir was very keen that I play a new Abhiprayam in Tisra Nadai for the Thaniavartanam that day.

About this time, he had a concert with Sri.T.V.Sankaranarayanan at the Mylapore Fine Arts. I was sitting by his side on the stage which is a great learning experience by itself. During the Thaniavartanam that day, Sir played the new Tisra nadai Abhiprayam he taught me and gave me an indication with his glance to observe carefully. It was then, that I realised that this great Guru was so concerned that I imbibe the new lesson with the bhavam that he had in mind.

It has been my greatest fortune to learn this from the legendary Guru Mridanga Maestro Sri Palghat Raghu Sir for fifteen years now. His philosophy has always been-- learn this art for the sake of art. Fame, money and recognition will follow on its own. He also said that he would be proud of his student only when he applied his acumen along with what he has been taught so that, the student will have an identity his own and the art will grow as a result.”

Senior vidwan and disciple of Palani Subramania Pillai, Sri Madirimangalam S.Swaminathan shares some of his thoughts on Sri Palghat Raghu—“He is one of the most intelligent mridanga vidwans ever. While there have been many great vidwans, the most striking thing about Sri Raghu is his ability to blend Lakshya and Lakshana impeccably. His presentation of korvais and their progression is exemplary. Also, he has a razor sharp mind. He can grasp any nuance or technicality on just hearing it once.

This can be seen in many of his concerts. But more important than just grasping a point, Raghu Sir could convert the thought into action instantaneously. Very often, an idea may surface but to execute it as conceived is a tough job and one may not always succeed. But Raghu Sir would execute the idea in a most aesthetic manner, while retaining the basic format of the korvai. Further, he would present it in such a musical manner as to make even the layman appreciate the concept. He is one of the most creative vidwans.

Another significant aspect of Sri Raghu is the challenge that he enjoys on stage. He is most appreciative of the Upa pakka vadya artists and encourages them openly on stage. He is always willing to look for the best and adapt it to his own style. If a kanjira artist played a new or challenging abhiprayam, Sri Raghu would immediately take it up and improvise with more and beautiful patterns around the same abhiprayam. This kind of open mindedness and appreciation is very characteristic of him.

As a student of Palani myself, I have often enjoyed the ‘ghumkies’ in Raghu Sir’s playing. He has adapted the importance Palani Sir used to give to the left or ‘thoppi’, beautifully and created a style that can be followed by the students of almost any school of mridanga.”

Sri P.S.Raghavan, a senior executive in Sundaram Finance and (an occasional) mridanga artist, has known Sri Palghat Raghu closely, being the son of Sri Parthasarathy Iyengar of Allepey. Some of his memorable observations on his ‘manasika guru’—

It is very rarely that you come across a “Mahavidwan sans intellectual fatigue” even after over 60 years of an active career in this profession. I have seen many senior vidwans reconcile to a certain extent of drop in the urge to take up new challenges and explore uncharted areas in their chosen fields. But here is a Vidwan who looks around for new, unexplored realms for adding to the already rich body of knowledge that he has created. Sitting pretty on past laurels is not for him. To him, the search for excellence and enrichment of the art form are a continuous endless journey and not a destination.

Raghu Sir has the unique distinction of creating a style of his own by blending some of the finest attributes of both his revered Guru Palghat Mani Iyer and the style of another great stalwart and trail blazer of this century Palani Subramania Pillai. To be able to do this even during their lifetime was in itself a stupendous achievement. He has always believed in whetting the appetite of the connoisseurs with intelligent and innovative approach while providing listening pleasure to the uninitiated listener. To do this with a Laya instrument in the overall scheme of Carnatic music concerts consistently, for decades, calls for a remarkable effort, possible only for a mahavidvan of his caliber.

Collaboration in creativity was special to him. I cannot resist mentioning his accompaniment for neraval sung by KVN mama who had undoubtedly the ability to bring the best out in Raghu on any day. There are numerous instances where his embellishment of the music stood out and made the concert memorable. Raghu is known for his ability to play for neravals and swaras in such a way that the main artist gets new ideas and inspiration to build on a few expressions. His consideration for the vocalist was phenomenal.

Raghu Sir was known for “thinking out of the box”, the same trait that he ever admired in his Guru. There was always a perception that he is a connoisseur’s delight and his mridanga is meant for the trained listener, as he made it a point to provide intellectual stimulation with his fertile ideas in Laya and Tala.

So it was a revelation to me, when, during the several conversations I have had with him, I found him more often talking about music in totality-- the way someone had sung a composition or neraval, the manner in which mridanga accompaniment is provided therefore and not merely “Korvais” for the Thani avarthanam, as one is prone to expect, and never Laya or Mridanga in isolation. His overall musical inclinations are amazing and I realise it more and more over the years when I listen to him in live concerts and recordings. (This writer was astounded when Sri Raghu not only recollected having heard her in a concert nearly fifteen years ago but also that it was a very ‘good Mohanam’ that she sang!)

I have always been overawed by his ability to add spice to the music, especially in neraval, swara singing and Pallavis. There is a typical speciality in playing small Theermanams in the Laghu portion of the Pallavi and the lines chosen for neraval. I must confess that it has almost become like “Gayatri Japam” for me to listen at least once a day to one of his concerts for KVN where he has played for the neraval for a piece in Misra Chapu. Listening to that has become a Vratham for me.

He has the unique ability to inspire the musician to further develop his creative imagination as in the several instances of his teaming with KVN. On one occasion he played for a Sankeerna Nadai pallavi for Alathur brothers in Krishna Gana Sabha in 1965 and every turn of his for neraval had a new phrase very logically applied.

Maintaining the instrument is an art by itself when applied to Raghu Sir. His dedication and sincerity of purpose in this regard is above considerations of venue, artist or remuneration. I have personally known him to test every single of his nearly 25 instruments on all days regardless of whether there is a concert or not by applying the “mavu” to the “thoppi” to ensure they are all in good shape. This must be one of the contributory factors for his superb overall balance between the ‘thoppi’ and ‘valanthalai’ apart from the high level of aesthetic sense.

Trailblazer in his own right, ‘Mandolin’ Shrinivas feels his is blessed to have Raghu Sir, a living legend, accompanying him in his concerts. ‘His capacity to enhance a kriti is phenomenal and inspires me to do better and better. His mind is incredibly sharp. He can pick up any korvai instantaneously and even help me in my own korvai, if I happen to get off track” he says with a gentle laugh. Raghu Sir first heard Shrinivas in a concert in Bangalore and complimented him on his performance. He then accompanied the young maestro at the young age of eighteen, for the first time. “He is only concerned with the overall impact and success of a concert.

This is a very great trait in him. We toured the US together, in 1990 and again in 1994, and I really enjoyed his company.” Shrinivas admires Raghu Sir as a vidwan as well as a person. He finds him jolly, good natured and very dignified, one who never speaks ill of any one nor says anything hurtful. His sense of aesthetics is seen in all walks of life—he enjoys the good things and appreciates good food. “I am a great fan of Raghu Sir and feel a special sense of enjoyment when he plays for with me. His sense of aesthetics is superb and I cherish every one of my concerts with him” says Mandolin Shrinivas.

A senior vidwan who has had an association of over four decades with him is Dr.N.Ramani. We have been good friends since as early as 1950 and it continues till date, he says. “Since the 1960s, Raghu has been playing for me and it has been a very memorable partnership. I have played with many senior violinists and Raghu accompanying me and each combination was loved and looked forward to by people. He is a very great artist who takes his playing very seriously. This creates a similar mindset in the other artists and the whole concert comes out very well. Even senior vidwans of yesteryears like Ramnad Krishnan and T Viswa among others, have always spoken very highly of Raghu.

In the 70s, we toured together a lot. We went to Paris and other parts of Europe. We participated in the Berlin Festival and each of the concerts was a great success. He has also accompanied me in numerous radio concerts, including the National programme of music. Raghu is a good vocalist though he has not performed as one. This is very evident in his playing. His accompaniment for flute is excellent and I have enjoyed every one of our concerts tremendously. Raghu richly deserves the Sangita Kalanidhi and every other honour too!”

Ghatam vidwan Sri T.V.Vasan holds him in the highest regard. Many years back, Vasan was already a performing artist and so, was denied a Government scholarship to train further in mridanga under Sri Raghu. Vasan says he was terribly disappointed and this was one of the reasons he turned away from mridanga and took to the Ghatam! He says—“every concert with Raghu Sir is a lesson in accompaniment. His playing for neraval is outstanding. Also, his accompaniment for padams and javalis is very beautiful. Raghu Sir has explored the different ‘kuraippus’ like khanda and misra and created new patterns. He is a very warm person and we share a special affection for each other.”

Numerous awards have been conferred on Sri Raghu. Some of them are—

Sangeetha Choodamani – Sri Krishan Gana Sabha 1978
Sangeet Natak Academy award – Kerala, 1980
Tala Vilas – Bombay Sur Singar Sansad 1981
Palghat Mani Iyer award (first recipient) 1983
Padma Shree -- 1984
Mridanga Chakravarty award – Bhairavi, Cleveland, USA, 1990
Kalaimamani (Tamil Nadu) 1992
Mridanga Nada Mani (Sankaracharya)
Felicitations from the President of India
Nada Brahmam - award from Narada Gana Sabha (2000)
Nada Nidhi(2001)
Saptagiri Sangeeta Vidvanmani—Thyagaraja Festival Committee, Tirupati, 2007
Felicitations and awards from numerous music organizations such as Bhakta Ranjani Sabha, Narada Gana Sabha etc.
In 2004, the Prasar bharati conferred on him the prestigious National Artist Award. The Sangeeta Choodamani award from Krishna Gana Sabha was particularly noteworthy as it was his own guru Sri Palghat Mani Iyer that gave it to him!

Palghat Raghu has set up an organization ‘Gurusmaran’ in memory of his guru and organizes concerts by young and upcoming artists. The proceeds are given to a musician who has dedicated his life to music.

Palghat Raghu is a serious, dignified, extremely talented and dedicated mridanga vidwan. His approach to music is wholesome and he does not make any compromises. He has innovated and has many firsts to his credit. He has been a much sought after accompanist and teacher. His has been a life dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in music.

THE CONCERT EXPERIENCE

As an artist I have always wondered about this – the concert or Kutcheri experience. It could mean so many things to so many people.

It would of course, depend largely on your perception of different factors. I thought this time of the year is a good time to give this subject some thought.Let me look at it from an artist’s perspective first – I am perhaps better qualified to present this point of view. One begins with planning the concert – who is the organizer, where is the venue, when is the concert—morning or evening, what kind of an audience may expected, etc.

Based on these factors, one plans out tentatively the list of songs to be presented. The selection is automatically more streamlined if it is to be a thematic concert.The proper scheduling of songs for a concert, I think, is more important and more difficult than to perhaps even perform it! One has to keep in mind the various raga combinations, tala varieties, composers, tempo of the songs, language…….so many factors! After all this, it often happens that the audience seems to be in a differently receptive mood and the performer has to improvise and sing items not originally planned! So, a performer has always to be in a state of preparedness and alert. These are however, necessary but not sufficient conditions.

The basic factors underlying all this—voice in good shape, good manodharma, performance in tune with manodharma, good understanding and response from accompanists, etc. And above all, a good audio system…. A poor audio system can ruin a perfectly good concert.And now, lets look at it from a rasika’s point of view. You are looking forward to a good performance and have set aside time and effort to attend the day’s programme.

Your day has to proceed smoothly for you to be in an amiable mood that evening. You perhaps are in a mood for Kalyani but the artist may be offering Sankarabharanam. You may not be particularly inclined to this raga at this point. Maybe you heard Sankarabharanam in the last two kutcheries that you attended. You may be preoccupied about picking up your child from tuition on your way back from the concert. You may be concerned about buying vegetables for the next day, again on your way back. The point I am trying to make is that—it is not the artists’ performance alone that makes for a concert experience, it is the perception of the rasikas that actually defines it.

Is there a geographic identification of tastes? I think it is so, to an extent. When you travel at fairly regular intervals to certain regions, you can identify certain common tastes. Chennai is the Mecca of Carnatic music and has an abundance of talented Vidwans and Vidushis living here.

When one is constantly exposed to concerts of high standard, ones tastes and expectations also rise higher. It is but natural that the audience in Chennai has very evolved tastes and does not readily accept an artist unconditionally. One has to prove oneself in many concerts to get the stamp of approval from the connoisseurs here. This is also perhaps why, when an artist is accepted well in Chennai, he/ she is accepted almost everywhere else. Tastes also quite catholic in Chennai – Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, Purandara Dasa, Annamacharya, Papanasam Sivan, Sant Tukaram—are all accorded their due place and importance.


In Andhra Pradesh, the audiences are enthusiastic about concerts and look forward to enjoying good telugu sahitya that they can follow. Annamayya, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Thyagaraja lead the way while the songs of other composers follow closely. Good melody is given priority here.

Kerala is a state that really enjoys good rhythm. Their own music is rich in Laya—the Chenda players can effortlessly create magic with their laya combinations. The singers from Kerala are endowed naturally with mellifluous voices. The younger generation here is very active musically. Concerts are usually for a minimum of 3- 3 ½ hours with a Ragam Thanam Pallavi almost a must. In the temple festival concerts, you will find very unassuming people, even villagers, meticulously keeping time—whether it is misra or sankirna nadai!

Karnataka listeners provide a mix of the above. They enjoy elaborate pallivis as much as bhava laden Dasara padas. Here too concerts are for 3-4 hour duration.
Places in the North have their own ways of enjoying concerts. They have to wait for some organization to arrange a series that will feature their favourite artists. The audience usually comprises people from all the four southern states and the presentation has to be geared to suit this.

For foreign audiences, it is a totally different experience. For us, their audio and lighting systems are a dream come true! You can blissfully concentrate on your singing with no other worries. They come to listen to a music that is new to them. They listen with utmost attention and interest. They do nothing to distract the performer. No one comes in or goes out when the programme is on.

They react only to the melody and rhythm and not the lyrics. They have no preconceived ideas about the artist or the music. So it is easy to be uninhibited while performing. This goes a long way towards bringing out the best in an artist. Our style is very complex for uninitiated ears. So one has to follow the minimalist approach there. It is an important task because the world should recognize what a treasure house Carnatic Music is. It is not enough that we keep blowing our own trumpets. We have to make the world acknowledge the supremacy of carnatic music and its concepts.

It is indeed an awesome experience to be a concert performer and to make a mark in the midst of all these factors is nothing short of being remarkable.