Thalachangadu T.M. Ramanathan

இந்தப் பக்கத்தை தமிழில் வாசிக்க: தலைச்சங்காடு டி.எம். ராமநாதன் ‎

T.M. Ramanathan (Thalachangadu T.M. Ramanathan) (Born: March 02, 1951) is a Thavil artist. He is a student of Thiruvilandur A.K. Venugopal Pillai. He played for artists like Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai.

Birth, Education

Thanks Isai Inamurasu

T.M. Ramanathan was born on March 02, 1951 in Thalachangadu village, Mayiladuthurai district to G. Marimuthu Pillai and M. Rajalakshmi Ammal. T.M. Ramanathan's father G. Marimuthu Pillai was a Nadaswaram artist. He has six siblings, one elder brother, two younger brothers and three sisters.

Personal Life

Receiving Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award

T.M. Ramanathan was married to Rajakumari, the eldest daughter of Nadaswaram artist Thiruvalangadu T.S.V. Bala Subramaniam Pillai and Pankajam Ammal on February 04, 1974. T.M. Ramanathan and Rajakumari have a daughter Anuradha and two sons - Yogeswaran and Shanmuganathan.(Thalachangadu T. M Ramanathan : +91 9444247653)

Music work

With Queen Elizabeth in London

Beginning

T.M. Ramanathan initially started playing Thavil along with his guru Thiruvilandur A.K. Venugopal pillai. In those days, he played Thavil for Mani and Maamundiya Pillai brothers for two years. Then he played Thavil in Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai's troupe for two and a half years. Later for twelve years he played Thavil with Injikudi Pichaikannu and Kandaswamy Pillai troupe.

In Singapore

T.M. Ramanathan moved to Singapore in 1971 and spent thirteen years as a temple Thavil artist at Mariamman temple in South Bridge Road. When Namagiripettai Krishnan and Velayapatti Subramania Pillai group came to Singapore for a concert at Srinivasa Perumal temple, Velayapatti Subramania Pillai refused to play in the concert organized the next day at the Singapore radio station due to a displeasure. At that time, Singapore Radio's Tamil program manager K. Perumal recommended T.M Ramanathan to Namagiripettai Krishnan to play Thavil.

With Nadaswara artist Thirucherai T.V.S. Sivasubramaniam and troupe in a program attended by the then President R.Venkatraman at Calcutta Ram temple.

Reforms in Thavil

While T.M. Ramanathan was in Singapore, he learned from Poraiyar Venugopal Pillai the trick of tightening the Thavil with a nut and bolt instead of pulling the string. Then in 1983, when T.M. Ramanathan came to India, he started playing Thavil which was tightened with nuts and bolts. Although there was opposition to this idea of Poraiyar Venugopal Pillai and T.M. Ramanathan in the early days, everyone accepted it and used it later. T.M. Ramanathan went back to Singapore in the 90s and returned to India after working as a Thavil artist at the Darma Muneeswaran Temple for four years.

Special Events

After coming to India, T.M. Ramanathan has been performing concerts as a solo artist. He has been recognized as an 'A-Top' Grade Thavil artist by Trichy All India Radio Station.

In 2002, when the Queen Elizabeth of England visited the Murugan Temple in London, T.M. Ramanathan, M.K.S. Siva, M.K.S. Natarajan Brothers, and T.G. Muthukumaraswamy performed a concert with the band. In the same year, he participated in the Arudra darshanam event in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. T.M. Ramanathan along with Injikudi E.M. Subramaniam troupe played Thavil in the annual Thyagaraja Aradhana in the year 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. From 2018 to 2022 he worked as a temple Thavil artist at Ipoh Murugan Temple, Malaysia.

T.M. Ramanathan conducted a six-month training course, for Thavil artists performing at temples, along with Vedaranyam V.G. Balasubramaniam at Thavil Nadaswaram College, Palani, Tamil Nadu.

Co Performers

T.M. Ramanathan played Thavil for artists such as E.K. Pichaikannu Pillai, Namagiripettai Krishnan, Thiruvengadu D.P. Subramania Pillai, Vandikara Street Thiru. Mani, Maamundiya Pillai, Thirucherai T.V.S. Sivasubramaniam, Madurai M.P.N. Sethuraman Pillai, Madurai Ponnusamy Pillai, Thirupampuram Sivasubramaniam Pillai, Thirupampuram Shanmugasundaram Pillai, Sheik Chinna Moulana and A.K.C. Natarajan (clarinet)

T.M. Ramanathan played Thavil along with Thavil artists such as Valangaiman Shanmugasundaram Pillai, Thirucherai Muthukumaraswamy Pillai, Perumpallam Venkatesan Pillai, Arithuvaramangalam Palanivel, Thiruvalaputhur Kaliyamoorthy, Vedaranyam V.G. Balasubramaniam, Thanjavur T.R. Govindarajan, Valayapatti Subramaniam, Jaffna Chinnarasa and Jaffna Ganeshapillai.

Place in Art

Receiving Muthamizh Peravai award

Thalachangadu T.M. Ramanathan is considered a prominent Thavil artist in Thiruvilandur A.K. Venugopal lineage. After Poraiyar Venugopal Pillai from Singapore, the nut-and-bolt change brought in by T.M. Ramanathan is considered by artists to be a significant change in Tamil Nadu's music tradition. He has been recognized as an 'A-Top' Grade Thavil artist by Trichy All India Radio Station.

Awards

• Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award
• 'Lyagyana Sigamani' award, Hindu Religious Council, Jaffna, Sri Lanka
• 'Thavil Selvam', Muthamizh Peravai, Chennai
• 'Kalai Gyana Sigaram', Then Chola Mandala Isai Velar Sangam, Nagapattinam district
• Vaitheeswarankoil, "Thavil Natha Peroli' award
• 'Isai Maamurasu' award
• 'Lyagyana Karpanai Sudaroli' award

Reference

• Isaitamizh Kazhaignargal Nokeetu Nool - Mu. Elangovan

External Links

• Along with Nadaswaram artist Injikudi E.M. Subramaniam troupe, Cleveland, America in Thyagaraja Aradhana event, 2009, youtube.com
• In an event at Sirkazhi Tamil Nadu government music school Thalachangadu T.M. Ramanathan & MayuramP. Muthukumar, youtube.com

Footnotes

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